July 1st ~ New Month

Champions keep playing until they get it right...

 July begins with our mom doing great after surgery. 

Her doctor and her medical team call her the miracle lady.

  They keep saying how they have rarely seen someone her 

age heal so fast.  I call the hospital everyday as well 

since leaving NC, and they tell me the same thing.  

Last night I was told that our mom had a "step-down"  

What this means is that she is no longer in the ICU 

ward because she's doing great.  According to her doctor 

if all goes well she will be discharged today.  We were 

hoping she would be in a tad bit longer.  Just to 

get stronger, seems as if she's already there.

I cannot stop saying how relieved and happy we are

 at her progress.  Our dad also gives us daily update.

  My dad who never wanted to text is not a great 

texter.  We love him so much.  He is the best.

The month already started great as far as our mom's

 progress.  Unfortunately though Michelle and family 

will not be able to come visit us. Arvid and I are so 

disappointed, but things happen.  Time will tell.

As the new month begins I can't wait to see how 

it unfolds.  Can't wait for our mom to be back to her 

"normal" self, but most of all it begins with thankfulness 

and gratitude that our mom is doing so very good.  Arvid is

 still shocked at how fast she is going to be discharged.

A good day to all and may July be good to us all.

Strong women don’t have ‘attitudes’, we have standards...

~Nadiya~

Monday June 30th~

Relief feels like happiness, if you 

don't know the difference...  

 Yesterday myself and my sisters all left NC

 We left with a lighter heart and a big weight taken

 off our shoulders. Our mom made it out of surgery

 with flying colors.  Her doctor/surgeon could not stop

 talking about how impressed he was with her.

He said that for a woman her age she was 

is get condition. He kept us updated throughout 

the surgery.  Surgery was scheduled to be 5-6 hours. 

 They were done with it in about 5 hours🙏

Her surgeon Dr Starr is a character.  In his mid 

30’s, taller than any basketball player I have 

ever seen, skinny as can be, but the best 

part was his size 14 cowboy boots.  

He’s known as the cowboy doctor and we will

 never stop being grateful to him and his team

 for the amazing job they did on our mom.

He talked to us after surgery for a very long time. 

He was so pleased with our mom. He even asked 

us all what part of the US we were coming from. 

 Super nice man. Excellent heart surgeon.

We saw our mom within 2-3 hours after 

surgery. We were so shocked to see her connected

 to so many tubes and a ventilator. But Dr. Starr and 

his staff had told us beforehand, plus we all knew 

what to expect because we had seen our dad

 this way as well.   Even so, it was a shock.

Dr Starr said she would have the ventilator

 anywhere from 5-7 hours depending on how she

 recuperates. Could be more. Could be less. 

Could be more. Imagine our joy when we

 were called and told the ventilator was

 taken off. She only had it on for 4 hours.

Right away we were allowed to visit her again.

 Second time after surgery.  She was still under the 

effects of the anesthesia and lots of pain meds.  In and

 out all the time, even so she spoke with us for a little.  

The relief we all felt was visible.  Especially on

 my dad.  My dad's face relaxed as soon as the 

doctor said "success"  We all breathed better.

Our mom is recovering so well. We all hope 

she continues to do so well and that soon she will

 be home.  Personally we would all like for her to 

be in the hospital for as long as possible 

so that she gets all the care she needs.

Her surgery was on Friday June 27th.

On Saturday June 28th the sat her up,

 and made her walk. Of course with 

the help of a physical therapist.

This being my dad’s birthday as well we all treated

 him to a meal of his choice.  My dad did not want

 much. He loves his chicken sandwiches so we went

 to a very nice Italian restaurant. After that it was back

 to the hospital. Seeing our mom looking so good and

 talking to all of us was the best feeling in the world.

On the day she went into the hospital for surgery 

we all went together.  No one slept that night and we

 all arrived at the hospital around 5 in the morning.  What

 a long day that was, but a good one too. We were 

at the hospital for over 12 hours, but it was

 worth it to see our mom doing so good.

Though we would have all liked to stay there 

for more days, we were still very happy for the

 time we were there and to have been able to 

see what a difference a day makes.

We all had issues with our flights.  Mala’s flight

 from Miami was cancelled. So she had an extra 

day there. Nirvanas flight coming from Puerto Rico 

was cancelled. She had to rebook through Miami. 

 I was fortunate to have not had any serious issues.

 Nina and David drove so that went well.  I really

 hate flying, but if my dad and mom should 

need me I will be on the very next flight out. 

And so will my sisters, no matter what.

After all is said and done, it’s always good to

 be home. Home where Arvid, Sniff and I love,

laugh and live.  I think they both missed me😍

Monday again, and the way my mom is healing it 

is going to be a great week.A good day to all.  For

 us a big load has been lifted off our shoulders.

Hearts don't often break even. One person is

 usually more hurt while the other is more relieved.

 Awoke from nightmare could be a relief...

~Nadiya~

Sunday June 29th~

 Almost everything will work again if you 
unplug it for a few minutes…Including you...   

Out of the "office."  Will be back tomorrow 😂It is very
 important to recharge our batteries to uplift our spirits and
 refresh our perspectives towards life. It is often said that the
 best way to recharge yourself is to unplug yourself from the 
daily duties for sometime.  It's what I plan to do today.

To all a good day and "see" you tomorrow. 

Taking a break helps you understand yourself

 better and recharges your drained battery.

Give yourself permission to unplug and regroup, 

without feeling guilty ❤ . You can’t be there for

others if you don’t take care of yourself first...

~Nadiya~

Saturday June 28th~

Life doesn't come with a manual; it comes with a mother...

 Long time ago Mala and family lived in Melbourne, Florida.  We 

always had big gatherings at her home since they had a very big 

house.  Unfortunately they left Florida and moved to Vermont.

  Later on to North Carolina.  It was nice having them close by.

My mother was my role model before I 

even knew what that word was.  She taught 

me to love, to hope, and to never give up.

Today is my dad's birthday.  He is 84

 years old today.  I love you daddy.

You've always believed in us, even 

when we didn't believe in ourselves...

~Nadiya~

Friday June 27th~

 Faith consists in believing when it is 

beyond the power of reason to believe...

The next few hours will be very stressful for us. 

My dad, Nina and David, Nirvan and myself are 

in (North Carolina) at the Cardiac Center  Our

 mom is having open heart surgery right now.

She is one of the strongest women I know 

and that is what will get her through all of this.  

At the same time we are scared out of our wits. 

My mom has never been sick. Has never been

 hospitalized.  Yes she lives with terrible pain, but

 she’s never been sick. I can't help but be scared 

right now, and yes, I am positive everything will 

be alright, even so I'm very scared.  So not me. 

Today is going to be one of the longest days

 of my/our lives.  Many many years ago dad also 

had open heart surgery.  He was much younger.  

To say we are a wreck is putting it mildly.  Yes the

 doctors know what they are doing. Yeah this is an everyday 

surgery and yes we all know everything is going to be 

alright 🙏, but when it’s your mother all bets are off. 

 No matter how much sense this all makes, until 

she’s out of surgery and in recovery I’m a wreck.

Good day to all NC is usually a place we all go to "forget"

 for awhile and to bask in being taken care of again.  Today

 that feeling is replaced by a lot of anxiety, a lot of what if,

 but most of all lots of prayers and faith that everything 

is going to be alright. That's the only way I see it.

Prayer is the voice of faith.  It can 

move mountains and change lives... 

~Nadiya~ 

Friday. June 27th~

The two most incredible people in my life – my mom

 and dad. Every day with them is a precious gift...

 Greetings from North Carolina. Myself, Nina, 

David, and Nivana are here with mom and dad. Mala 

unfortunately cannot be here because she is on a cruise

 in the Caribbean. This was planned months ago before 

we knew anything. Rima is booked with wedding cakes.  

They will come in a couple of weeks. It’s good to

 be here with mom and dad.  It’s good to be here with

 my sisters. Life is not always easy, but with family

 by your side it makes for a smoother time. 

Today is going to be a long day for us.  Mentally and 

emotionally.  You can always say you are prepared for 

whatever comes, but that's not true. The strongest woman 

I know, our mother, you better prove us right again 🙏

When I look at my mom and dad, I see 

the epitome of love, sacrifice, and devotion...

~Nadiya~

Thursday June 26th~

Some days are like this. And the only way to

 get through them is to remember that they are
 only one day, and that every day ends...

I am not at ease. My thoughts scare me right now, 

I know everything is going to be alright, it has to be, 

but try telling that to my heart and to my brain🙏

I always say everything is going to be alright.  

When it comes to me, I firmly believe that and rarely worry.  

Now when it comes to my mom I worry and I and not so good 

at telling me that all is going to be alright.  I believe it is, 

but it's my mom and my heart has a "mind" of its own.

If the next few days are anything like today's 

sunrise I will feel good.  A beautiful sunrise for me is 

another expression of hope and good things to come. 

There are good days and there are bad

 days, and I've had my share of both...

~Nadiya~

Wednesday June 25th~

The best journeys answer 

questions you didn't think to ask...

 Arvid and I have been keeping ourselves busy with 
exploring a little more of our surroundings each day. 

When bored, we go looking at lake houses. 

 I have even managed to go for a few walks with him.

  Not as often as he would go, but it's a start.  My knee still 

hurts.  I limp, but I think I need to walk to make it better.

Por walks are always peasant.  Arvid always finds all the lakes 

in the area.  He really loves the lakes here inn the Ozarks.

There is a lot going on this week with my mom.  I may 

not be a church going religious person, but I have my beliefs

 and I have faith.  My sister in Puerto Rico is another story. 

 She is a strong believer in prayers, and I hope it works.

 We all have stresses in life.  We all handle it 

differently.  Arvid's therapy is music.  If I didn't know 

any better I would swear music is his first love 😂

To all a very good day.  Another sweltering hot 

day awaits us.  The good life.  If you don't die 

a natural death, the heat will sure get you.

Music washes away from the soul the dust

 of everyday life. Where words fail, music speaks

~Nadiya~

Tuesday June 24th~

Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace

 for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow...

 When we ran the hotels back in 2017 to 2018 full time we

hardly had time to do much.  Arvid and I almost never went 

anywhere.  We lived full time in Branson and everything we

 did was with the hotels in mind.  But one day we sold it. 

 We sold to a couple called Chris and Tiffany Pylant for

 $10.00  Yes we financed it.  Arvid and I liked them very

 much.  They began as tenants of Arvid's at what was 76 Inn.

  Afterwards Arvid moved them over to Almost home. 

 Within weeks we upgraded them to our maintenance couple, 

and they were good.  They had experience in hotels so 

we thought why not sell it to them.  For the first few 

years all went smoothly, then one day it didn't.

The point here is that once we sold Almost Home to them, 

we had time to do some fun stuff.  One of the first things we 

did  was go to a concerts in St. Louis.  We saw The Eagles

 in concert.  Since then we have been back to St. Louis 

several times.  Not being hotel owners gave us time to do 

fun things again.  I loved Almost Home, but I am happy

 we no longer run it. We both are back to "easy" life.

Life was back to being not so hectic.  We enjoyed doing

 what we liked.  We sold our home in Branson and went back

 home to Florida.  But then we missed Branson and decided to

 come back.  So we bought another home.  We had just moved 

back when all of a sudden we had to take back Almost Home. 

 Chris and Tiffany just left in the middle of the night. 

Arvid and I were vere shocked because they were always

 so good and honest.  Until that changed. On the morning of 

February 28, 2022 I received a text from Della, the maintenance

 man's wife.  She told me that Tiffany and Chris took off and left 

me the keys to the hotel.  Just like that we became full time hotel

 owners again.  No matter what, we are grateful to Chris and Tiffany. 

Long story short, we took it back February 28-2022 

and we sold it to the current owner in April of 2022.  We are

 now just part owners.  Silent owners for the most part.

 Today we are back to enjoying leisure time

 and continue discovering things in Branson we 

never had the time to do before, and loving it.

A good day to all.  Life is what you make of it, and 

we always do our best to make it work for us. If we fail, we

 try again.  Simple as that, and trust me we never give up.

The farther backward you can look, 

the farther forward you can see...

~Nadiya~

Monday June 23rd~

As we start a new week, remember: you

 have the power to make it a great one...

A new week is upon us already.  Sniff is busy watching

 birds and squirrels.  In between he likes to take a nap.  

Now he tends to naps close to the action so he doesn't 

miss a thing.  All of this "action" sure wears him out.

Arvid and I did go out for a little outing yesterday.

  It was too hot to sit out so we of course sat indoors. 

 Not sure what's going on, but it is extremely hot.  

Arvid's climate change is happening as we speak.

Wishing everyone a good week ahead.  Life is 

short and when you least expect it, everything you

 believed in changes. Be kind to each other and 

never forget to be thankful for all the blessings.

Life continues as usual here.  We have the birds and 

the squirrels that continue to keep Sniff exhausted.

A little dose of inspiration can go a long

 way, especially on a Monday morning...

~Nadiya~