A change of scenery

Well it has finally happened. Paul and I have made the big move to Kelowna, BC. A dream of ours for several years now and it has finally become a reality.
    We arrived a couple of weeks ago and have been pretty busy settling in to our new life.  The first thing on our agenda when we arrived was to find a place to live.  Our temporary home is a 640 sq ft condo in West Kelowna. The view is nice, it has several amenities including a hot tub and gym, and it is walking distance from several stores.  But it is a bit tight with three dogs and no yard!  Having to leash the dogs and walk them every time they want to potty is getting old very quickly.  So house hunting was a top priority.
     We really wanted an acreage again as we both like the feeling of lots of space and the opportunity to run businesses from home.  The problem with the Okanagan is that it is filled with giant mountains surrounding large lakes. It's beautiful to stare at, but it means flat land is hard to come by. If we are going to have an acreage, we want it to be usable. Owning a five acre parcel with 4.5 acres of it dropping down a cliff is not our idea of acreage living.  We have been looking off and on for a few years now with no luck.  The houses are either very old and in need of a complete renovation or the land doesn't fit what we are looking for. It was pretty discouraging.
   After a week here we started hunting again for a place to live. This time a 6 year old home on 5 acres in south east Kelowna was on the market.  We booked a showing and headed out there that evening.  When we arrived we where instantly blown away.  The property was exactly what we where looking for.  It is a flat property with trees on the perimeter.  It is located on a quiet dead end street with horse properties and acreages surrounding it.  The land has several fenced off horse paddocks that could be used for dogs to run in.  It has the largest riding ring I have ever seen! Perfect for dog agility :)  There is even a small wet land area with colourful birds chirping happily, and a creek running along the edge of the property.

  The house is amazing too.  It's beautifully finished with no expenses spared.  Lots of huge windows, walk out basement, large wrap around deck, amazing kitchen (totally wasted on my mac and cheese cooking abilities), huge on-suite, games room, large garage and more. It has a very warm and welcoming feel to it.
    The combination of land and house was a dream come true.  The decision was made quickly to offer on the house.  After a couple rounds of negotiating the deal was signed and we are now officially Kelowna residents. Well we will be mid June when we move in! We are very excited and have lots of plans for the property.  June can't come quick enough.
     With the house hunting out of the way we now have some idle time on our hands.  This has been filled with lots of outdoor activities that we have been missing out on in Alberta. Boating, hiking, eating on the patio, walking around downtown Kelowna, visiting a floating boat show on the lake. So much to do and it's all so close. We feel so lucky to be able to participate in so many outdoor activities minutes from our door.  Now this is really living.

  Finally our days have also been filled with planning our new businesses. It's amazing how energized we feel with the opportunity to reinvent our livelihoods.  My classes will change to a drop in format., which will allow more flexibility in the lessons.  We are also toying with the idea of running a small boarding kennel on the property.  Paul has also started up a Kelowna vacations business specialising in tours of all sorts.  They will be offering boat tours, mountain biking tours and camps, hiking, wine tours and weekly condo rentals. You can check them out at www.kelownaboattours.ca
    Well that is all for now. I'm off to sit on the patio and soak up some rays :)