Congratulations, Leah and Will.

It was our great luck to meet Leah and Will, our very first morning in Harbin in 2008. We arrived from the airport to our apartment late into the night after a 24 hour marathon trip. We were requested to meet in the lobby early the next morning to deal with visa and other issues. Completely overwhelmed by jet lag, very little sleep and with great trepidation, we made our way down to the lobby and had our first glimpse (with extremely bleary eyes) of the kids who would become our friends and colleagues over the next year. Will easily stood out in the crowd. Tall lad, with the reddest hair and scruffiest beard. Leah, not so tall but with a smile that made up for her small stature. Over the next few weeks, Leah and Will along with Tom, Brian and branson were to become the mentors and guides for an old couple surviving their first few weeks in an extremely foreign country. Please take an opportunity to glance over our past blogs from September 2008 onward for those adventures.

Flash forward almost two years and once again suffering a little jet lag and in another foreign country, we are blessed with the opportunity to attend the wedding celebrations for Leah and Will. We were joined there by Brian who stopped in from France on his way home for a visit with family before returning to Harbin. Once again Leah and Will took care of us, hooking us up with family friends, Suzanne and Walt. Suzanne and Walt opened up their lovely home and hearts to us, making sure we wanted for nothing. Walt, taking a day out of his busy schedule, acting as a tour guide, transported us to the birth place of John Adams (2nd President) and John Quincy Adams (6th President) along with side trips to the battle fields of Lexington and Concorde. They made our time there even more special.

Leah and Will took time out of their hectic schedule to drop in and see us on our first evening at Suzanne and Walt's. Nonie presented them with a quilt which she had spent the last six months planning and making for them. I must say, that is one of her most brilliant ones to date.


The wedding attended by the immediate family was held on a small island located a short 100 metres (125 yards for you American readers) off the beach of Leah's family's home. The wedding party was transported to the island on a boat that Leah had built when she was a teenager. The reception/celebration attended by a hundred or so friends and family was held a few days later at the Russell home. Met both sets of parents and quickly discovered where Will got his sense of adventure/humour (humor for your American readers) and Leah got her sense of well being and that beautiful smile. The evening ended with the couple walking down a small trail, lined by family and friends holding candles, to the lake. They then cast a small raft decorated with flowers and lit with candles out into the lake. It was to represent the beginning of their journey together as man and wife. I would not want to start any rumours (rumors for you American readers) but I think it brought a tear to Brian's eye. The couple would leave a few days later to return to their home in England and another wedding party for friends and family.

Brian was delivered to the airport the next day while Nonie and I stayed an extra day exploring the little bits of Boston that we did not see in our first three days. The next day, a short 12 hour flight (acutually three flights) and 6 hour drive found us home in Penticton. Oh, by the way, with our luggage! Take that Air Canada!!!!

Harbin, here we come.