When you are moving there can be an absence of the comforts in your life when you are settled. The smell of home, furniture, television, favorite foods and of course your MUSIC. For some of us we have an iPod that is kept close to us at all times, being treated more like a child than is mentally healthy. For those of you without a .mp3 player on you to enjoy at all times, check out Pandora.

What is Pandora, I hear you asking?  Pandora is a new form of personalized internet radio that was designed to help you discover new music you’ll love, and enjoy music you already know. It is powered by the most comprehensive analysis of music ever undertaken, the Music Genome Project: a crazy project started over ten years ago to capture the complex musical DNA of songs using a large team of highly-trained musicians.

You may be thinking that there must be a catch here. How could this be true, free? Well believe it. The only catch is that you are not able to listen to songs on demand. Meaning you choose a station of your favorite artist and the playlist from thereon will be determined by your digital maestro. But don’t fret. if you don’t like the song that you are listening to, simply give it a thumbs down to let the program know that you do or do not like a specific song.

For instance, if you like Joni Mitchell, create a station with her name. Then, say Carly Simon comes on, and you really don’t have a taste for her voice. Simply click the thumbs down button and watch as your selection changes. Its simple.

However, free Pandora accounts will only play 40 hours of music for free per month, then the music will stop. Once you reach that 40-hour limit and the music stops, you will have the option to pay 99 cents for unlimited listening hours for the rest of that calendar month, but this is entirely your choice. You can choose to pay nothing and to come back on the first day of the next calendar month for another free 40 hours.

Pandora is streaming radio that is available online and in many cases on most smart phones, computers (with online access) and supported home theater equipment. If you are interested in checking whether you have Pandora available for your free download, go to http://www.pandora.com/on-the-go to make sure that you have the application before the big move. Once you have it in place, plug in your headphones and get groovin!

Getting rid of all of your things that you don’t need is so liberating. Toss the old shoes, the once used blender and your old Laura Ingalls Wilder book collection in your for sale box and get a move on. Not only can a moving/garage sale be a ton of fun, but can also put some extra cash in your pocket.  To make sure that your big day is fun and profitable, you need to stay organized.

When choosing a date, make sure that you give yourself plenty of time in advance to plan and for other people to plan as well. You want to give yourself and prospective buyers plenty of notice. Also, choose a beginning and closing time for your sale.

When it comes to where you hold your event its good to keep it close to home. A driveway, basement, parking lot or a friends house are all good options. If you are in an apartment also check out friends houses to see if they will lend you some space to have your sale.

Advertising for your big event can range from the newspaper, craigslist, signs, or just word of mouth. Make sure that if you are paying for a classified ad or signs pointing the way, that you don’t incur a larger cost that will put you in the hole even after the sale. Otherwise, the sale really isn’t worth it!
Next its time to mark all of your items with prices. Organize all of your like items together. For instance, put all of the clothes together, the gardening tools, etc. Also, have a stack of newspapers ready to wrap up fragile things for buyers along with plastic bags and boxes for people to leave with. Lastly get your cashier area ready with scissors, tape and a calculator.

Now you are ready! Chat your customers up and be available for questions. Now, watch the money roll in.

When moving out of one city and into another, the experience can be a bittersweet feeling. Leaving old friends, old memories and a familiar life can be unsettling, and downright sad. The other side of the coin is that you are elated—new life, new people, new place—new everything! Some people have the opposite reactions for leaving and staying. They cannot wait to leave, or they are dreading the new experience in the new city. You may be asking, so what? That is moving. Well it doesn’t have to be.

For all of these experiences and feelings you must remember one thing that always matters and is always most important: enjoy right where you are, right now. You cant live tomorrow, you cant live yesterday. Trying to anticipate what is going to happen or trying to resist what is already happening around you will only cause you further frustration.

Some tips on enjoying your current life and not your past or future experiences  are fairly simple. Remember just a couple of things:

1. Where are you now? Look around everywhere that is within eyeshot for you. Are you in the kitchen or in a coffee shop? What does it smell like? Let the current experience y ou are having flood over you and just enjoy.
2. Smile. Because this is it! All we ever have is what we are experiencing right now. So even if you are feeling down, the act of smiling can change so much inside.
3. Surround yourself. With people, places, foods, smells and activities that you love doing. How can you not enjoy right where you are when you are always doing something that makes you happy and positive.

Keeping a positive outlook on moving is crucial. In any transition, feelings that the beginning or the end of something can be monumental for how an experience has yet to unfold, or how you will remember it. Always make it positive, and learn to appreciate where you are.

When your moving and going through your old ‘junk’ you want to look for ways to reduce, reuse or recycle. Carrying over that green mentality while getting rid of things that don’t work, or things you don’t want to hold on to during your move, trashing your vacuum is the last thing you’ll want to do. To help you, we came up with a few green alternatives of ways to rid yourself from your vacuum cleaner, which may be good for you, good for someone else, or good for the environment.

1. Sell it. If your vacuum cleaner still works and is in decent shape, put an ad on Craigslist. Even if it needs a little repair, you may find someone who is interested in buying it from you or you may even find a vacuum sale and repair shop that would love to take it off your hands.
2. Donate it. This is probably the best and most common option people go with when moving. If you’re feeling a bit overwhelmed with the move itself and don’t have a lot of time to devote to figuring out what to do with it, drop it off at Goodwill or Arc. Also, remember that there is usually a tax benefit for donated items, so make sure to check the tax code for details.
3. Kick it to the Curb. If your vacuum cleaner still works and is in good shape, you can try leaving it curbside with a sign indicating that it is free and that it does indeed work.  The best time to do this is on the weekend and is mostly successful only in urban areas. If it doesn’t get picked up within a few days, make sure to find another way to dispose of it so its presence doesn’t irritate your neighbors.
4. Recycle it! In most areas you can find a local recycle station who will gladly accept your vacuum. Most likely, if you call your waste removal service they will be able to help you out. They may even provide free pick up for your recyclable items and appliances and will gladly take your vacuum cleaner off your hands.

Finding a new exciting city is great. The new smells, people, locations and culture is always a thrill—kind of a way to reset your life or even give yourself a “clean slate”. If this sounds like you—awesome. If it doesn’t however, keep reading. There is a giant faction of people that find moving to a new city nothing but daunting and stressful. If you are one of these people pay attention and you may just learn a couple of ways to getting to know your new city—and even yourself.

There are many different kinds of channels when it comes to getting to know your surroundings. It can be as simple as using your feet and a map, or firing up Google to search. First thing you must do when moving to a new area is walk around. I know, this sounds basic, but what better way to get to know an area than just using the pads of your feet? If you are going to go that far you may as well get lost. This is the surefire way to find out community resources, new people, and your way around the streets. On your way around town, try and pick up a newspaper—this incredible simple and old fashioned resource is great for finding what your town is like, who lives there, and what their values are.  If you aren’t a big fan of walking, take  the bus! No better way to experience a city than through the window with someone else (who knows where they’re going) to give you a nice tour.

Now that you have learned the ways that require you to get out of your house, here are some ways just sitting at your computer.  First, Meetup.com is a great resource. You can find special interest groups, and people around that want to just get together! Whether you are just looking for a social group or if you are a classic book fanatic, this website has it all.  Also, look into Craigslist.com. This website is a great resource for almost anything: services, classes, for sale, wanted and even a “missed connections” category. They have hundreds of areas! Then check out Yelp.com. This site is great for checking out any business around your home—all consumer based reviewed businesses this is a great way to narrow down exactly what you want and how much you want to pay for it.

Even if you only use one of these resources, you are sure to find out much more out about your town or city that you knew before. That’s a promise!

Today is the opening day for Soapstone Prairie Natural Area and Red Mountain Open Space, located in Larimer County. This natural area first opened last year and now is ready for hikers, horseback riders and outdoor enthusiasts to come and enjoy its’ beauty and activities.

Even though Northern Colorado has been experiencing some snow, there are still trails open and areas to experience just make sure you dress warm. Zoe Whyman, spokeswoman for Fort Collins Natural Areas says there is some snow and ice covering areas and that some trails could be closed because of the winter conditions, but not because there’s snow on the ground.

If your deciding what to do this week and/or weekend, consider visiting the 18,728-acre Soapstone Prairie, owned and operated by the city of Fort Collins, and 15,000-acre Red Mountain Open Space. This is the first time the prairie has been opened in March, so take advantage of the early opening and spend some time with Mother Nature!

More about Soapstone Prairie

Soapstone Prairie Natural Area is an integral piece of the Laramie Foothills Mountains to Plains Project, a partnered conservation effort to create a corridor of protected lands, linking the mountains to the plains. These lands are home to many species of wildlife, such as pronghorn, elk, swift fox, burrowing owls and golden eagles, and rare and threatened plants. Funding for Laramie Foothills Mountains to Plains properties came from Fort Collins and Larimer County dedicated open space sales taxes, Great Outdoors Colorado, The Nature Conservancy, Legacy Land Trust and private landowners.

The United Way of Larimer County has just been recognized as having one of the 10 best Make A Difference projects nationally. Last fall, United Way set national records for its 6 day long Make A Difference event, claiming the outcome was just another way to show the  the community has to service. Keep your eyes open for the United Way of Larimer County to be featured in the USA Weekend Magazine in the April 18 issue, as they receive a $10,000 donation from Newman’s Own. The levels of excitement not only motivate the organization to set larger goals for the next Make A Difference event in October, but it also recognizes efforts of over 4,400 volunteers for finishing up over 150 projects in one year! News like this just proves that we can accomplish so much if we work together! If you are looking to become more involved in the Larimer County Community, connect with United Way. The organization recruits and trains community professionals to become valuable members of a volunteer program, and assists in matching volunteers with the needs of non-profit local organizations. Their efforts are greatly appreciated and they should be recognized for their outstanding efforts to “Live United”.

2010 is going to be a big year for the city of Fort Collins. This January, the City Council work session worked to implement new Green building standards. The Fort Collins Board of Realtors happens to be the driving force behind it all. The FCBR should be recognized for being among the first in the country and the only Realtor association in the State of Colorado, to have a sustainability committee. Yes, you read it right, a new sustainability committee.

Fort Collins as a community, seems to be consistently assessing the best ways to guarantee a sustainable future, and this happens to be one of the best ideas thus far. FCBR’s sustainability committee focuses on several ways  to enhance our community’s efforts to reduce energy usage and provide Green resources that will educate the public.

The committee already has quite a few projects underway, including formulating criteria for new FCBR awards. In doing so, the FCBR hopes to launch criteria for Green Office of the year and Green Realtor of the year awards.

They also hope to leverage a few partnerships to have access for improvements so they can provide the community with new Green tools that will be helpful while assisting buyers and sellers.

There’s no doubt that Fort Collins is a community that prides itself on thinking in a sustainable way. This just goes to show that people and companies in this town are taking these ideas seriously. Thanks Fort Collins Board of Realtors for not only talking the talk but also walking the walk.

Sound of interest to you? You can volunteer your time and ideas and be a part of this new, exciting committee! They are looking for volunteers to help! If you would like to learn more or volunteer today please contact James Mitchell at 970-221-0700 or via email at jwmitchell@thegroupinc.com or Clint Skutchan at 920-402-0852 or clint@fcbr.org

For more information visit their website!

To Connect Follow the FCBR on Twitter!

Become a Fan of FCBR on Facebook!

As most of you know, we are in the process of moving ourselves! We wanted to keep you posted with our move! As of March 1, we will be open for business at 1730 E. Prospect St. Fort Collins (that’s the Waterpik building).  We will be occupying a large portion of their warehouse and our office entrance will be on the west side of the building. 
 
We’re making this move for many reasons, but what we are most excited about is:
 
24 hour live security and video surveillance
All paved parking and outside storage area
Easier access to I-25
Easier access into and out of the facility – from all directions.
Cleaner, brighter, well maintained and newer facility
 
The security is a big plus for our storage clients – not to say they haven’t been secure in the past, but this is definitely a step up!  The pavement is huge for us – dealing with semi tractors and trailers in mud and snow is not fun – especially when it’s below zero outside!