When You Go to Canmore

You have to check out the Carter-Ryan Gallery and Live Art Venue.

We went on our little trip to Canmore and it was great.

Beautiful art by Jason Carter paired with a fantastic book by Bridget Ryan.

It's really the best of both worlds for parents.

Just get the kids past the breakable beautiful sculptures in the front and "Who is Boo?" is laid out page by page under huge pieces of art.

Jenna had brought us a copy of the book a while back and Fiona already loved it so excitedly squealed "Boo" when she saw a painting of the loveable bunny.

We were also so lucky to get a print to display proudly in Cedric's room.

We all can't wait to hear more about Boo's adventures.

Buried Alive

I have been spending the day buried in paperwork and tulle.

Odd combination I know.

The tulle...well, I'll have lots to tell about that after this weekend.

Not quite this shade of tulle but it's a good visual, no?
Sorry Jenna!

The paperwork is for yet another {insert expletive here} loan application.

As I was telling you, we were approved then turned down for a loan from our bank.

We have now filled out all the paperwork and been approved to lease our equipment.

That takes care of the equipment part of the equation.

Now we just have to pay for some extra hands on deck.

To do this we are applying for a loan with the BDC.

This requires preparing approximately 847 {I may be exaggerating a smidge} pages of information on the business and us.

I'll say it again.

It's a heck of a reality check to see your financial situation all laid out in black and white.

{And a boatload of red.}

"It's good for the soul...

...when there's not a soul in sight."

I heard this in a song playing on our drive home tonight.

{Can anyone tell me which song?}

This line resonated with me.

You see, it struck me these last couple of days that I'm never alone.

We were up in Canmore with our friends Jenna and Steve.

The first thing we all noticed up there was the quiet.

It's amazing how much noise we live with in the city.

We don't even notice it anymore and if we do it's oddly comforting.

It really hit me though when I took the opportunity of having 2 people there who love my kids and went for a solo run.

I have been going on some runs alone, but never this alone.

At one point I was nervous that I hadn't seen anyone in the last 2km.

That can't be possible, I thought, something is wrong.

Nope, just alone. 

Literally not a soul in sight.

Just a Minute

Is how long I have to tell you about the weekend before I pack the kids up for a little impromptu getaway.

It was busy but great.

It seems that we're in the stage in which all your friends and family are hitting big events.

I'm mostly talking about weddings and babies.

{We also have some major birthdays and retirements though.}

Anyways, this was a pre-wedding and baby weekend.

{With a smattering of running {me}, working {hubby}, laundry {me and Cedric} and playing {all}.}

The F Word

The last few mornings have felt like Fall.

There I said it, FALL.

It's crazy but that little chill in the air in the mornings makes me excited.

Excited for the sweaters, the boots, the scarves, the comfort food and the colours, oh the colours!

I really love fall and I'm sorry if the thought of it gets you down.

This little chill has also given me a little kick in the butt.

I have been thinking all summer of the great things I would do with Fiona come Fall.

Yesterday, my usual blogging time was consumed with online registrations.

So far we have enrolled in a gymnastics class and swimming.

{I have been inspired by the Olympics I must admit.

If I could put her in rowing right now I would.}

The gymnastics class was a challenge since Ortona was switching over their website yesterday.

I realized that I am useless at finding contact info if it's not readily available on the web.

Phone books?  Do we still have those?

Swimming was also less than straightforward since many of the classes are full.

Thanks to our friends Carmen and Lea who helped us find one with openings!

My last task is to get Fiona into one day a week of preschool.

I'm looking forward to a day alone with Cedric.

That Mama Guilt is kicking in and I feel like he doesn't get enough any one-on-one time.

I have visions of us baking "pumpkin-y" or "spice-y" things and taking crunchy walks.

Payday

I used to love it.

To see my bank account replenished was a thrill.

Now it's a little different.

Being a business owner means that payday is when your bank account takes a hit.

Especially now that our staff, and therefore payroll, is increasing.

Just a cute pic, nothing to do with the topic.

That is all.

Remember That Car?

I posted about this little green car that followed me to the grocery store the other day.

I had no idea what it was but just liked it.

Then my great friend Christy found it's sibling!

It's an Austin Healey Sprite.

This one is much more polished but has that same smile.