K2 Enterprises Canada - Alan's Blog

Brampton, ON August 29, 2010

We had a relaxing time last week at the cottage. I was still working on our fall seminars but it sure is a great environment to work in. I edit and write in the morning. Nancy and I usually go for an excursion in the afternoon and then we enjoy a glass of wine in our red Muskoka cottage chairs at the front of the cottage looking out over the lake.Dinner and a video end the day. We came back home on Thursday for a couple of family events and some business that needed taking care of.

We'll go back on Wednesday and spend the remaining ten days of my break there. I'm on schedule to start teaching seminars again on September 12th. The fall will be hectic but I'm looking forward to it. Still fun.

Brampton, ON August 22, 2010

Interesting week last week. Monday I was working in the office on our fall courses. Tuesday I flew to Minneapolis for three days. On Wednesday I watched my partner, Tommy Stephens, teach our new PowerPoint seminar. It's going to be a winner. Thursday and Friday Tommy and I worked on the new self study courses that we will launch in September.

This week Nancy and I are off to the cottage for three weeks. I'll be working on courses but it will be a relaxing scene at the lake. We come back for a couple of days next weekend to deal with some business and a family wedding.

Brampton, ON August 14, 2010

Last week was a work week for me. Taught two days of seminars in Toronto and then flew to Charlotte, NC to attend one of our K2 US conferences and attend a partners meeting. I always come away from these visits energized and with a lot of great new teaching ideas and last week was no exception. Got home Friday night to a pleasant surprise. I made the Air Canada Million Mile club so I have now access to the Air Canada lounges and speedy check-ins for life. Nice bonus.

This week I'm off to Minneapolis to work with Tommy Stephens, one of my US partners, on our self study program. This has finally been approved in the US so we want to go live with it on September 1st. We hope to break the back of it in the three days we'll be together.

Brampton, ON August 1, 2010

Relaxing week last week. Spent three days in my home office working on courses for the fall and managed to get 12 courses edited and ready for printing. Wednesday and Thursday we drove north to our cottage on the Lake of Bays to spend time with Nancy's daughter Wendi and her three children. We had a great time with the grandkids.

This week it's more of the same. Three days in the office and two days at the cottage. I'm getting a lot done in addition to enjoying some down time.

Brampton, ON July 26, 2010

Last full week of teaching for the summer for me last week. Last week I taught in the Toronto area with seminars in Toronto, Kitchener and Mississauga. We had a very successful spring and summer session. 

This week my focus shifts to getting ready for the fall. I have to review all of our revised manuals and write two new ones. I also want to write another self study manual. It will keep me busy, but I'll be working in my home office or at our cottage outside of Huntsville, Ontario. We'll go up there for a couple of days this week to spend some time with one of Nancy's daughters and their grandchildren. Always fun.

Brampton, ON July 18, 2010

We got back to Canada from Australia on July 3rd after 28 hours in the air. Tiring but well worth. We had awonderful time the first week in the Rain Forest and on the Great Barrier Reef north of Cairns. Then it was south to Sydney for a week of work. I've been to Sydney a number of times but this was Nancy's first time. It was a great week for her exploring one of the world's most beautiful cities.

This is my last full week of teaching this summer. I'm doing 5 days of seminars in the Toronto area. Then I get a break from teaching but I'll be busy getting our courses ready for a busy fall season. The good news is that I'll be doing that at our cottage in the Muskoka Lakes north of Toront. That's always a relaxing experience.

 

Sydney, Australia - June 27, 2010

Nancy and I have been travelling to the other side of the world during the last two weeks. We left Canada on June 17 to fly to Munich, Germany. We had a 13 hour layover there, so we had a guide take us south of Munich to Hitler's Eagle Nest. This is a small building perched on the top of a mountain in Bavaria. To get to the top you take a bus up a narrow one way alpine road. At the end of the road you walk into a tunnel and then take an elevator up 300 meters to the top. There you find a small building containing a lookout and restaurant. The view of the Alps is magnificent.

From Munich we flew to Singapore and then on to Cairns, Australia for a week's vacation on the Great Barrier Reef. For the first three days we stayed in a small lodge in the Daintree Rain Forest. Then it was on to Lizard Island which is a private lodge right on the Great Barrier Reef 150 km north of Cairns. The lodge is rated as one of the top 10 small hotels in the world and we were treated like real VIPs. We had a private suite overlooking the reef with our own private beach. The meals were fabulous, although it took some doing to enjoy roast Kangaroo.

After our holiday it was back in the air to fly to Sydney. I'm doing a week's work here managing the Internet Cafe for Lions Clubs International. This is an annual engagement for me and although it's a lot of work we enjoy meeting friends from all over the world. We head back to Canada on July 2nd,

Kelowna, BC - June 13, 2010

Busy week last week. Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday I was teaching Excel seminars in the Toronto area. Thursday night Nancy and I hosted the Wedding Rehearsal dinner for her son who got married on Saturday. Big wedding and lots for us to do.

This week I'm in British Columbia Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. Two of the days I'm teaching our Excel seminars for the British Columbia Institute of Chartered Accountants. Tuesday I working in the Sage office in Richmond finalizing my Power Excel for Simply Accounting Users seminar that I do across Canada every September. Taking the red eye home Wednesday night. Thursday afternoon Nancy and I head to Sydney, Australia via Munich, Germany. I've got a week's work to do in Sydney but before that we're going to take a break for a week and visit the Great Barrier Reef south of Cairns.

Hamilton, Bermuda - May 16, 2010

I'm back with my regular weekly updates. Nancy and I took five weeks off in April and May to travel to Europe and I had limited Internet access. We started with a ten day cruise out of Barcelona, Spain that traveled along the Western Mediterranean to Spain, France and Italy. Wonderful sites in cities like Cannes, Pisa and Portfina. From Rome we flew to Paris. A day there and then off to Reims, France to visit the champagne region. Some amazing tastings at Moet Chandon, Vive Cluquot and Salmon-Billecarte. Then we spent a week on a private  barge travelling the canals out of Dijon, France. What a wonderful relaxing experience. Nancy then flew home and I headed east to Perth, Australia to spend time with an old friend of mine. Then it was home via Singapore, Tokyo and New York.

Last week I was back on the road again with seminars in Toronto, Edmonton, Calgary and Regina. Home Thursday night and then off again today to fly to Bermuda. Here for two days teaching for the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Bermuda. Then home on Wednesday. Get off the plane, walk down the terminal and get on a plane to fly to Saskatoon. Home Friday night and then off to Kingston on Saturday for an alumni reunion weekend.

In my spare time I've got work to do for Nancy's son Scotties wedding which is coming up on June 12th.

Still fun though.

Dateline Naples, FL - Week of March 28, 2010

Another week at our Naples, FL home. We had Alan's youngest daughter Anita and her family here for the first two days of last week. They flew home Monday evening. For the rest of the week we had our house to ourselves. Nice to get some time together. I spent most of my time working on partnership matters and starting to schedule our fall and winter 2011 seminars. This is a huge job and it will take me until the end of May to get it locked down. But there was still time for relaxing, our daily exercise walk and dinner at our favorite restaurant on Saturday night.

Monday and Tuesday of this week we'll be packing getting ready to fly home Tuesday evening. Then we have three days to clear off our desks and pack for a month. We head to Barcelona Spain next Saturday to board the SS Regatta for a 10 day cruise of the Western Mediterranean. We're both looking forward to a new experience.