Part 4: Settling in to a whole new life...

We brought this bottle of sparkly all the way from Calgary - a gift from our good friend Michael who owns a great liquor store so we knew it would be good! And it was!

The next few weeks were spent discovering our land and our country house and falling in love with it – the bones are good, the windows are big... it's like a cottage right now with several kinds of flooring, but we can see past that.

We sold most of our furniture so an outdoor set for two becomes our dining area until we renovate LOL

The fact that this house was split into 2 units as a rental actually works well for us. It allows us to live downstairs and have our office upstairs until the studio is built. And setting up the office soon became top priority. It's a really good space to work and we look out at the river – that's the best part; so calming. We were up and running and diving into projects. I got the best comment from a long-standing client: ' it feels like you never moved!'

The temporary office in the upstairs unit that will eventually be our bedroom suite... it looks out over the cove and is massive compared to the spare bedroom in the condo!

The single best thing about our business is that, for the most part, it matters very little where we are physically located. With technology, we can respond immediately, send files for approvals, communicate on Zoom; it's quite easy to stay connected. And when it's a big project or a long-standing client that requires a lot of attention, we book a flight for a face-to-face meeting when it's required.

I've been working independently for almost 17 years now. And the most important thing I have learned is to be responsive. Answer the phone. Respond to emails in a timely manner. Don’t let time zones become an issue; where you are located should never be a problem for the client. When people like myself started running businesses from our homes because high-speed internet allowed us to do so, some people were very skeptical about the amount of work that was actually getting done. And it's true even now, that some people just can't work from home – they are too distracted by the fridge, TV or life; they can't seem to create good work habits that allow you to focus on your work. But if you can, it's so freeing.

There are distinct perks of working in a home office: very low overhead costs, no commute and no getting ready in the morning (saving me a good hour or more every day that's for sure). It's so peaceful to not have to deal with traffic or weather in the morning. I take advantage of being able to run errands any time of the day, get groceries in the afternoon if I wish and do things like taking singing lessons in the afternoon. I remember one web designer I worked with for a bit who used to share all his personal appointments and what he was doing – no client wants to hear that. First of all, they are pissed that you're not working on their stuff and secondly, they feel jealous that you have such freedom in your day! So, I never share what I'm doing. To me, my time is my business – if I'm not getting my work done, I will pay the price for that. End of story.

It's official!

When you are moving to a new province, there are a lot of things to do beyond changing your address on everything, so we've been busy: finding an insurance broker for our home, vehicle and business insurances, and thankfully saving money on all of them; getting a new driver's license, ownership and plates, which meant we had to send a request to our leasing company for permission to transfer the vehicle ownership and mail back the old Alberta plate to get a refund on the paid amount on the old plates; contacting Health Canada for Nova Scotia Health cards to discover that there is a real shortage of doctors here and we will be put on a list for a doctor once our health card is valid here on July 1; changing our Blue Cross to Nova Scotia, also valid on July 1; phone numbers – a cool thing that Rogers offers is a Dual Persona, which allows me to have a NS number as well as my AB number coming to my cell phone. Unfortunately, Alan is with Telus and they don't offer that, but at least we have one NS number, since we don't have a landline. We still need to meet with a lawyer to do an interprovincial transfer of our business and update our wills because a lot has changed in our lives since we had them done in 2014, the year we got married.

That being said, we have been very good at making time to discover our new province. Each weekend, we have been taking short road trips to discover beautiful beaches, quaint towns with the most amazing, well-preserved architecture, terrific pubs and the freshest seafood (I have been on a quest to discover the best lobster roll and plan to stay on that quest for perhaps years), and enjoying the super friendly people and more relaxed way of life here. Our property is rural but we are only 12 minutes from Bridgewater and 15 minutes from Lunenburg, so popping out for dinner through the week is something we are enjoying too. Over the summer, we plan to explore the rest of the province and possibly PEI as well, and we are now planning a trip to Cape Breton in October. It's so important to us to really embrace where we live and seek out all the special places to go.

Finding peace and playing our instruments more.

We decided not to get a TV until the studio is built, and we have realized how much of a time suck TV is. We are spending way more time playing instruments, singing, reading and exploring. Occasionally we will watch something on Netflix or YouTube on our laptop and that is suiting us just fine.

We have also been spending some time on our land. To protect ourselves, we bought tick-resistant clothing (its available at Mark's Work Wearhouse – clothing that has a solution in the fabric that lasts for @ 70 washes). We had Mayfair Tree Service come in and drop a couple of dead trees and Alan has been learning how to operate a chain saw safely and has bought all the safety gear.

We've been chopping and stacking wood (my husband, the lumberjack!), preparing the site for our big vegetable garden, deciding where to have a gazebo and a greenhouse... and figuring out how to make our riverfront pretty.... so many possibilities; projects for the rest of our lives and that makes us really happy. We want to stay in good physical shape and always have purpose.

(Go to Part 5 to continue the story...)

Part 3: The road trip and arriving 'home'...

Finally we were counting down the days. We were packing up the condo and saying goodbye to friends – this was the really tough part and reality was sinking in. I was filled with joy, anxiety, fear, sadness and elation all at the same time.

The piano got moved again and is currently in storage in Halifax until we get the studio finished. We hope to never have to move it again! Moving out of a condo is not a fun experience. At least not from the one we were in. Another reason why we will never live in one again – way too many rules! We found out that we needed to pay for a security guard and that we only had a 4-hour window to move everything. We had to get a street permit for the POD and we could not keep the POD on the street overnight which meant it would be picked up at 3:45 pm. Luckily we didn't have any furniture but unfortunately we were both sick. We came down with bad colds and the exertion of moving and being rushed took its toll on our health. We met the deadline, although in the last few moments we were literally throwing some items into the POD... fingers crossed that everything would make the trip.

By the end of the day, were so sick and my sister wisely suggested that we take a day to rest. We didn't have a firm deadline to arrive in Nova Scotia, and we had paid for the condo to the end of the month so this was not a problem. We were so glad we did as it gave us a chance to rest and collect ourselves to prepare for the big drive.

As we were leaving the city on March 28th, my long-time friend David called and I cried and cried for the next few hours realizing how much I was going to miss him and his family and all our friends and clients in Calgary. As we crossed the border from Alberta into Saskatchewan, I saw a beautiful coyote standing in the field looking east. I had always loved spotting the coyotes and it felt like a final goodbye.

We had a nice clear day on the road driving through the prairies with long trains and beautiful old grain elevators (I just love grain elevators), and spent our first night in Moose Jaw, SK. It really is astounding how flat the terrain is and we felt a deep respect for the people who choose to live there and provide so much food for the rest of us. Love a farmer for sure. The next day we drove right through Manitoba and into Ontario to Kenora – a sweet town on the Lake of the Woods in Northwestern Ontario.

MAGIC MOMENT: we were driving along at dusk and I saw an animal step out of the woods just ahead – is that a coyote?... no, it's too big... oh my heart, it’s a wolf! I slowed right down to a stop and this beautiful, tall healthy wolf trotted right by the car about 10’ away… we both watched him and looked right into his yellow eyes. He was just beautiful with coffee, golden, black fur. Wow. That was the first time either of us had seen a wolf in the wild and I'm certain that we will never forget it.

Northern Ontario is not very pretty in April and hardly anything is open; Lake Superior was just massive and still frozen – we were driving along it for hours; then Lake Nipissing, also massive. The third night we stayed in Marathon, ON and there was nowhere decent to eat and few choices to stay. Any trip will have its ups and downs... the complete elation of adventure and possibilities for the future gets tempered with the reality of some crappy places along the way and a reminder that you are leaving behind all your comforts of home.

Frozen Lake Superior

As we drove further from Calgary, I started to get anxious. The next day we were in Sault Ste. Marie and I had a breakdown. I was missing Alberta and feeling so fearful – what if Nova Scotia is not what we’ve dreamed of? My wonderful husband helped me through this rough patch; he was so kind and patient and let me cry and go on about my fears. He decided that we should treat ourselves with a nice upgrade hotel and room service, and that's what we did in Sudbury.

Nothing like a suite and room service to get you on your feet again!

It did wonders for my state of mind and got us back on track and in good spirits for the rest of the trip. For our fifth night, we stayed in Cornwall, ON – the town I was born in and where my sister Deb still lives. It was so nice to visit with her, and we had some time to visit Williamstown, where we had met way back in 1979.

The pretty church in Williamstown - the town where we met and went to school

The next day we finally got out of Ontario – what a massive province! – and drove through Quebec. We stopped in Drummondville for lunch, the town of Alan's birth, and I had to have Ste. Hubert Chicken! (I remember when I had moved to Toronto right after high school and no one had heard of Ste. Hubert's. I just couldn't believe it...) We could see Mont Saint-Anne across the river – a place I haven't skied for years, and I thought, YES! We can ski here. Not quite the same as the Rockies, but still good skiing.

And then we were in New Brunswick. We stayed in Grand Falls for our sixth and last night on the road. We were finally going to be at our new home tomorrow. It didn't seem real. We woke up to a storm the next morning and it was a white knuckle drive for the first few hours; huge waves of water and slush would cascade over the car every time a big truck went by – we were so not used to this kind of wet rainy mess! It hardly rains in Alberta and the snow is so light and dry... we would have to get used to this.

And then... the sign for Nova Scotia. I had tears as I got out and took photos in the pouring rain. I didn't care. We had arrived in our new province! A few hours later, we drove up the driveway to our new home and we both cried. It was April 3, 2019 and we were finally here. It had been such a long time since we’d seen our house and our property – almost 2 years. The rain had stopped but it was super windy.

What a feeling to stand on our property and look out at Burns Cove again...

Our POD had been delivered earlier in the day – thank goodness because our bed was in there. The lock was frozen after being in storage for 13 months, so there we were out in the dark in this terrific wind, trying to get our POD open, bone-tired from the challenging drive but it was one of those moments that you just can't throw your hands up; you have to get through it. We managed to find a pot in our bins, get the water turned on, pour some boiling water over the lock, struggle to get the door open because stuff had shifted... get our bed out, throw it down on the floor, grab the linens that I had remembered to put in the car, and fall down.

We had the most fantastic sleep. Even with the wind, it was so quiet and dark – something we hadn't experienced for many years. We were home.

(Go to Part 4 to continue the story...)

Part 2: The plan is in place...

There are a lot of logistics involved to move across the country. The first was a plan to get all our stuff there, protect our delicate studio gear and instruments but still live in Calgary for a year and be able to work. We can’t say enough positive things about PODS pods.com.The first POD was dropped right after our house sold. We spent a few days packing it really well with strap-downs and bungie cords, everything in heavy duty bins… Alan even constructed a bracket for my kayak.

That POD went into storage in Alberta so that it would only be 5% tax for a year, and then ship to our property in Nova Scotia when we were ready for it. PODs makes it so easy – you can store for any length of time, have it shipped whenever you need it and then keep it on your property as long as you want. The condo was furnished but we had the owners remove the dining table so that we could fit the grand piano.

All the rest of the instruments, studio equipment, computers, office equipment and photography gear as well as selected sports gear came with us to the condo – we had to think through what we would need for a year. Our plan was to rent a u-haul and drive ourselves with all our sensitive gear when we were ready to move.

For the next 13 months, we lived in the condo in Mission – a great area in downtown Calgary – lots of restaurants, shops… really vibrant area. A huge sports complex was right behind our building – we had a membership there and enjoyed the pool, steam room, gym, and yoga classes – it was so convenient. We walked a lot – we were right by the river – and tended to go out for dinner quite often because of the sheer convenience of it. And in July, we lived through Stampede! The grounds were right across the street from us and we 'enjoyed' the fireworks every night... for 10 nights in a row. LOL

The condo was nice, we had a small bedroom that we shared as an office, we had room for the piano, we had a nice big kitchen with a long counter to eat at, and we had room to store all our gear. It allowed us to be rather carefree. We could lock the door and leave for a weekend or a holiday and not worry about anything. However, over time, I really disliked parking underground and taking an elevator to my home. I missed not having an outdoor space. And I hated all the constant noise that comes with living in an area with a couple buildings that constantly have lawn care, weed blowers, garbage trucks... the sounds drove me to wear my headphones almost daily. The dream of living on a quiet rural property was sounding more appealing every day.

(Side note: Some people when looking to retire think that downsizing to a condo will be awesome. My advice? Rent one for at least 6 months first and make sure. I thought it would be awesome too and I'll never live in one again. It's not for everyone.)

It was an interesting time. Before we sold the house, business had really dropped. The decision to stay in Calgary for another year was partly made based on the need to build our business; nurture the contacts we already had in a town that we already knew. The slowdown of the oil and gas industry specifically and the slowdown in the economy in Alberta in general affected our revenue and we were finding it tough to land new work. In an effort to make new connections, we joined a networking group that was specifically for companies in the marketing/advertising world. The idea was to connect and collaborate with complimentary businesses, be able to offer more services to clients… and learn from each other. It seemed so perfect for us because part of our philosophy is to ‘build a bigger pie’, not be intimidated by competition but rather focus on providing the client with every service they need seamlessly. The approval stage was rigorous and we were impressed at first. However, it turned out to be a whole lot of fluff in our opinion. Several companies had only a few years’ experience and there was a big focus on social media marketing; and surprisingly, the website was terrible and they couldn’t get our categories right, the promises of quality connections was dubious… we ended up fighting with them and paying to get out of our contract. Lesson learned – no more contracts. It was a hit when we were down.

We were in ‘the trough of sorrow’ – a term we had heard at a presentation and could really relate. We were dealing with the anxiety of a slow time, less revenue, higher expenses with all our storage costs, condo rental, mortgage in Nova Scotia and a desire to enjoy Calgary, the mountains and the West in general before we moved from the area… BUT, and it’s a big BUT… we really believed in ourselves. We believed in our 30+ years of experience, our commitment to real quality work and expertise. And we really believed in our combination of skills and experience as something unique and valuable.

So, contrary to what most business owners would do, we took on one more expense. A business coach. We needed some help and we knew it. We are really good at what we do – we have confidence in our skills – but the sales part, and making new connections is a challenge for both of us. I had recently met Rich Grof at a Meetup and there was something about the quality of his contributions to a round table discussion that impressed me… I came home and talked to Alan about it and said ‘maybe we should meet with him together and you can see what you think and we’ll make a decision about it?’ So we did. Rich works in partnership with his daughter Phalan StokeGrowth, and we met with them and really liked the connection we felt. As Rich put it ‘we will have four heads around any problem instead of two’ and that’s exactly how it has gone… we use Zoom so we can see each other and talk openly; we’re able to share our fears and challenges with them – they are good listeners and the advice they offer is specific to what we need; there is no set program. The first stage was to improve our website and our messaging – be much more specific about the value we bring to our clients – not just about what we do but why we do it! If you like, check out our site: www.stonecourtstudios.com

We started to feel more confident. And whether by coincidence or because of their coaching, or a combination of both, our business started to blossom. Our focus was clearer – we had fine-tuned our message and defined who our ideal clients were. New opportunities started popping up, a big overseas project for Alan’s 3D animation work, and an increase in work from my long-term clients. With coaching help, we were starting to write blog posts and case studies, contributing more on LinkedIn to raise awareness – we’re still not great at this but we are working at it.

The last shoot we did in Calgary was for Shoe & Canoe. Loved it!

Unknown to most our industrial clients, we have a separate business that couldn't be more different from our main one. We photograph food. And while we lived in the condo, we landed 3 good food photography projects as well – our Love Bites Food Photography website was working very well for us too. If you are interested in checking out our work: www.lovebitesphotos.com

The 13 months spent living in the condo had its challenges – here we were in a very small office space, working face-to-face every day… and we got through it. We talked a lot – and I mean a lot – about our fears, our anxieties, our dreams… we built each other up when the other was low or sad or feeling too overwhelmed. We celebrated the small victories, we talked a lot about what we wanted our life to be in Nova Scotia, believing that if we imagined it, thought the details through, then we had a much better chance of making it a reality.

Over the winter, Alan worked on the design of our studio addition which included a garage, workshop and laundry/mudroom and we chose a builder to work with. We spent months fine-tuning the design, while our builder, Risser Design Build, secured the required building permits and finalized the quote.

Alan's design takes shape - the studio space

One major change we made in our plans came to me early one morning when I starting thinking about driving a u-haul while towing our car for 6 or 7 days – how comfortable would that be? and what about the logistics of trying to park or back up? How much money were we really going to save by taking this on? I contacted PODS and discovered that the cost was almost the same. Decision made. A second POD was ordered, and we could drive our own vehicle across the country in comfort. Looking back, that was a fantastic decision. As Alan often says,'always be ready to pivot.'

In June of that year, we celebrated our 4th anniversary by taking one more road trip. (I’m a really big fan of road trips!) I had never been to Vancouver Island so we planned a trip through Revelstoke to Vancouver, picked up Alan’s dad who loved the Island, and off we went to Tofino where we rented a luxury beach house that was just stunning, right on the beach for 4 nights. It was heavenly to walk that beach every day.

We went whale-watching and kayaking and had a wonderful time with Alan’s dad. On the return trip, we stayed in Osoyoos – a cool desert area of BC with delicious fruit and wine and then made our way to Fernie and home. It was a terrific road trip and rounded out our time living in the west. When I moved to Alberta, I had no idea that I would only live there for 8 years, so I’m really glad we did so much. We really had some great adventures and explored as much as we could. It’s a good reminder to live your life to the max. We had one last paddle on the Bow River, spent a lovely last Christmas in Alberta at The Deer Lodge – we skated on Lake Louise and just enjoyed not cooking or cleaning up for once... it was sweet. A few more trips to Banff and the ice sculptures at Lake Louise... one last ski day at Sunshine and a fantastic steak dinner at our favourite restaurant on 4th, Mercato.

Phalan said ‘you guys make marriage and working together seem easy!’ We self-consciously laughed and said, 'well, it hasn’t been easy but we really love each other and perhaps more importantly, we really believe in each other. We trust each other and love our similarities and differences'.

(Go to Part 3 to continue the story...)