Family reunion

Jeff's sisters, nephews and niece overlapped visits over the August long weekend and we had a great time. It was the first time we had all been together (not counting our missing brother-in-laws) since our wedding and Jeff was pretty excited to have almost everyone in his family not only in the same time zone, but around the same table!

We had a such fun time hiking around Newcastle Island,

eating the wonderful tastes of summer









watching the kids climb and zip-line through a tree-top obstacle course, discovering swimming holes at the Englishman and Nanaimo Rivers,

celebrating birthdays,playing games and just enjoying being together.

While at the Englishman River swimming hole, our nephew J was able to put his lifesaving skills and training into practice when two tourists got into trouble in the quicker-than-it-looks river current (close to the same spot where Jeff is in this photo).

It was an incredibly scary situation, especially when a friend of these two young women jumped into the river to try and help but got into trouble himself. We were so proud of J's quick action and the strength, maturity and calm he displayed during the rescue. Thankfully, all ended safely and the three tourists were shaken but not hurt.

It was such a great visit that passed by all-too quickly.