I wanted to take a moment to thank all of the brave soldiers who sacrificed their lives for us.
 
Did you know The Military Museum is holding a service today? More information is available on their website: www.themilitarymuseums.ca

Well folks, the big day is a few days away! Many of us will have our pumpkins carved, homes decorated up and costumes prepared. If you’re not ready don’t panic here are some creative Halloween ideas (via Pintrest).   Halloween can still be fun even if it isn’t fully planned. There are lots of costume sales right now or even create your own. Some easy last minute ideas: hockey player, a rockstar, a wizard, a witch, a bag of jellie beans (garbage bag filled with colourful balloons, a cowboy (great way to re-use that hat worn once a year), a mummy, a scarecrow or a zombie.   Happy Halloween From Set Your Stage

I never realized how lucky I was to have good movers in Calgary until “the boys,” as we called them, ended up moving out of town. They found me 2 years ago while they were cold calling professional home staging companies looking for work. After deciding to stock my own rental furniture for vacant properties I realized I needing muscles to move it. I gave them a try and realized they were professional, on time, priced competitively and friendly – they were our movers. When they left, they gave the names of two other movers we tried out but weren’t really “sold” on.
 
We’ve worked with 6 moving companies since “the boys” and have witnessed how some are giving the moving industry a bad name: smoking/swearing on the job, charging for every stair they climb, 2 hours late, in-efficient packing to make more money, arguing on where to place a sofa, only accepting cash and then bumping up the price quoted (this was very frustrating when we only had to run back to a bank machine again), hiring in-experienced help off the street, even damaging inventory during a move. For anyone who has hired a mover and has dealt with this or anything else, I know how you feel.
 
Since these latest 6, I’ve become pickier with my qualifications. Aside from the usual insurance, truck size, hourly rate, availability and cancellation policy, I’ve started asking:

• What is an extra service (like climbing stairs or fuel charge) and how do you charge for it?
• How many men are provided for each move?
• Are your workers covered by Workers Comp?
• Do you accept credit cards?
• Is there a 1 hour travel time charged?
• Are you apart of the Calgary Better Business Bureau

 
If I was doing a residential move, I would consider asking a bit more on their packing policy (who does it – them or me, how do they charge in each case etc, how do you pack fragile items, what supplies are includes/what do I need to pick up).
 
I’ve got a de-stage booked this Friday. Hopefully my new questions worked and I’ve found some new good movers in Calgary.

My first trip to Sunnyside/Kensington was in college, when a friend invited me to their BBQ/smore camp fire. I knew right away, this was a unique neighbourhood. Years later, my boyfriend moved here when he decided to go to SAIT to start a new career. When we finally decided to get a place together, we choose to look specifically in this area. One of our top choices to purchase was a heritage building along Memorial Drive over 100 year old. Just before our second showing we decided to meet for a coffee at Vendome Café. Everyone of the 3 people who I walked by greeted me with a welcoming hello – I knew Sunnyside was home.
 
I didn’t really realize how much this community meant to me until late June 2013. Heavily following and posting on Twitter to the hashtag #sunnyside I was able to connect with many neighbours via social media and when it was safe to help clean up, we connected with them in real life.
 
It was depressing to see items like brand new Urban Barn sofas (especially since that is one of my favourite shopping stops), full libraries to wine being discarded from homes along with drywall, insulation and carpets. My heart goes out to everyone who has lost any part of their home from the flood – especially the heritage building we didn’t end up getting. As devastating as it was to see all the destruction, it was heart warming to see so many pitch in. Home owners along with volunteers of every age helped with cleaning, destroyed items outside, demolishing, loading and driving the loads from homes listed at the Crisis Café to the dumpsters at the Sunnyside/Hillhurst Community center. Calgary and Edmonton Police cruising around making sure everyone was hydrated. New moms with their kids walking along offering volunteers snacks, sandwiches and cookies. Vitamin Water was at the community center giving bottles of flavoured water to volunteers. Everyone pitched in. One home owner said it best “even though is a tragedy, I have never felt so proud of my community and how we all pulled together.” This is why I love Sunnyside.
 
If you are considering moving to Sunnyside; it feels like a small town here. People care, they pitch in and not to mention there is amazing cafes/shopping. If you decide to sell, I would love to help you prepare your property for resale!