Happy January sweet friends! I hope all of you had a restful Christmas and holiday season and starting off 2020 with a positive light. I can’t believe that it’s been SIX MONTHS since we moved to Kelowna and it’s safe to say we’ve settled in quite well!

I wanted to make sure I shared some kind of update long after summer was over because we all know how enjoyable the Okanagan can be in warmer weather: beaches, wineries, more beaches, fresh cherries, apricots and peaches and more wineries- honestly I’ve probably drank my weight in wine with how spoiled we are around here.

But now that the dust has truly settled and we’ve survived first days of school, getting into a routine, experiencing the drop in temperature (LOL) the slow lifestyle and day to day life, I feel like I can truly say this was the best decision we ever made for our family.

We love how quiet it is here and my husband LOVES (as do I) how close to the great outdoors we really are. He’s signed up for a marathon and is using all the hills and trails to his advantage here- we’re all rooting for a great PB this year! If you’re a runner and would like to follow his journey, you can here!

And no joke about the slow living LOL places close early, it might take a little longer to get something in stock and it’s only slightly irritating that on some cases there is only one location of a store period 🤣 but I guess you can say it’s better on the wallet!

The girls have settled into school and slowly but surely settling into friends- this was the part that felt the trickiest, but I’m a firm believer that new friendships can be long lasting ones, they just take time to find, so they are in good spirits and doing exceptionally well at school. They have loved the freedom they have gained since moving here – we have a little grocery store/strip mall about a block and a bit away and they’ve enjoyed riding their bikes (unaccompanied!) to buy a pop and chips in the same way I remember riding my bike with my sister when I was their age.

Elias is in preschool and anxiously awaits the next day he gets to go, he just loves it so much AND he has just been loving the snow, having found his new love for sledding and being able to go all by himself down the hills.

And in the summer, even without the beaches or wineries (LOL), our kids went outside everyday without even being prompted, entering their own little world of imagination in the backyard, climbing trees and spending hours out there only coming inside to eat. Elias had a perma-dirty face and feet everyday LOL!

I know this sounds like something that could really happen anywhere, but it happened for us in Kelowna. Our house is slowly becoming the home we always wanted and we have so many dreams and aspirations that we truly feel like we can achieve here.

I have so many more things to share specifically about Kelowna, like my round up of vegan wines and the incredible restaurant scene, but I’ll save that for another post. Here’s to a new year in a new home and city and I’ll be sure to take you along for the ride!