Friday Vibes ~

Life is a game, play it; Life is a challenge,

 Meet it; Life is an opportunity, Capture it...

Starting out as a relaxing lazy kinda day.  Even

 Sniff is having a difficult time getting out of bed.  Well this 

is his second or third nap since he woke up this morning.  

Both Sniff and I have been awake very early.

Arvid says it's getting colder, I think it's perfect.  There is 

a cold breeze in the air, but for walking it just feels right.

Most days our walks take us alongside the Lake.  

It is alarming to see how the water levels are rising. 

A few years ago the dock was way above the water now 

with the rising, the dock is almost under.  Arvid's 

favorite word these days "Global Warming."

We always have food for the duckies and the birds.

  As you see in the above picture, Arvid is struggling

 to get the bread out of my backpack.  A simple 

"chore" suddenly becomes "work"

The above is from our balcony this morning.  Chicago is 

beautiful and we are fortunate to also have a great view.

Wishing everyone a good start of the weekend.  Remember

 to live everyday as if someone left the gate open.

Some wait all week for Friday.  All year for summer, 

all their life for happiness.  I'll look back on this and 

smile because it was life and I decided to live it...

~Nadiya~

The Milwaukee Zoo ~

Zoo animals are ambassadors for their
 cousins in the wild. The most dangerous
 animal in a zoo is man...

The Milwaukee County Zoo is a zoo in Milwaukee, Wisconsin
 operated by the Milwaukee County parks Commission. The 
zoo houses 1,800 animals and covers an area of 190 acres.

 It is noted for the second birth of polar bears and siamangs
 in captivity and for their locally famous gorilla Samson,
 who lived from 1950 to 1981 and whose bones are 
now on display at the Milwaukee Public Museum. 

The zoo is also home to one of the largest group of
 bonobos in one location outside their native Democratic
 Republic of the Congo and has two cheetahs from
 the National Zoo in Washington, DC.

I love Zoo's and this zoo did not disappoint.  There
is so much to see we had to prioritize what we saw. 
 Definitely would recommend going there.

 The zoo was amazing and here are a few of my favorites:

The tiger was Arvid's favorite.

The Hyena was huge.

The Penguins were always busy.

The Lion.  Slept all the time.

The Prairie Dog was funny.  Looked like a rabbit nibbling on a carrot.

This Brown Bear looked very sad and lonely.
 If there was another bear, we did not see her.

The Milwaukee County Zoo is now home to two, 9-year
old, female cheetahs acquired from the Wildlife Safari
in Winston, Oregon. Although unrelated, the cheetahs 
get along quite nicely and are often seen in very close 
proximity to one another in their outdoor exhibit.

Imara weighs in at 90 pounds, while Kira tops the scale at 100
 pounds.Each cheetah is fed just over 3 pounds of Nebraska 
Premium Beef daily. Treats include chicken and pork.

This baby giraffe was born on July 13 in the Milwaukee Zoo.

 and recorded a weight of about 152 pounds, and a height 

of approximately 5 feet 7 inches tall.  Happy baby.

The giraffe family was adorable and one was allowed to feed them. 

Of course with special supervision and for an little extra charge.

I love every moment at the zoo.  At times I was 

saddened when I saw the animals in captivity.  On the

 other hand, Arvid reminded me of something important. 

 People forget the good that zoos do. If it weren't for zoos,

 we would have so many species that would be extinct today.

Learn to enjoy every minute of your life. 
Be happy now. Don't wait for something outside 
of yourself to make you happy in the future. 
Think how really precious is the time you have to spend,
 whether it's at work or with your family. Every 
minute should be enjoyed and savored

~Nadiya~

Road Trip ~

Stop worrying about the 

potholes in the road 

and enjoy the journey...

A small day trip planned for today.  One of the

 neighbouring states to us is Wisconsin.  Today we plan 

to visit Milwaukee, Wisconsin.  No particular reason 

other than I felt like going on a road trip.

Don't have any particular objective in mind, but 

if the weather hold up I would like to go to the zoo. 

 I love zoo's and based on what I found out Milwaukee

 has a pretty good one with over 3000 animals.

Milwaukee is a city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin 

on Lake Michigan's western shore. It's known 

for its breweries, many of which offer tours

 chronicling its role in the beer industry. 

Overlooking the Menomonee River, the Harley-Davidson

 Museum displays classic motorcycles, including

 one of Elvis Presley’s. Nearby is the Milwaukee 

Public Museum, with its large-scale European 

Village and a recreation of old Milwaukee.

We also did some research and found a few very 

nice restaurants right on the water.  Of course we will 

be checking it out, and having lunch at one of them.

It is not always where you go and what you do, 

but for me it's the zest and excitement of going 

somewhere new and different.  It's the exploring that 

I look forward to.  I love zoo's and because of that

 this makes this trip an exciting one for me.

Happy day all.  Time for another road trip.

Two roads diverged in a wood,

 and I – I took the one less traveled..

~Nadiya~

New Week Again ~

Look for something positive in each day, 
even if some days you have to look a little harder...

And just like that as the show was closing 

the Blue Angels wizzed right by me.  In the blink of

an eye they were already behind the other building. 

 Fortunate for me, I was expecting it and 

clicked right before they disappeared.

Sundays are always our relaxing day and yesterday
was no exception.  We also tried out a new
 restaurant for dinner.  Specialty Thai food.

It was all very delicious, but as of this minute
 I think I have had enough Thai food for a while.

 I was surprise Arvid did not protest at all when
I suggested we go there.  He's not one for
trying too many new things, especially
in the food department.  Happy day.

A new week begins again.  Started good already.
 We just saw our little granddaughters on Skype
and the new addition to their family.  Their Kitty
cat named Felix.  All's good on our end hope
you are also having a good week so far.

Never forget, beautiful things happen
when you distance yourself from negativity.

Don't wait.  Life goes faster than you think...

~Nadiya~

Very Relaxing Sunday ~

I have learned over the years that when one’s

 mind is made up, this diminishes fear...

Yesterday we decided to try a new place for lunch.

  After a little search I found a place serving chicken wings. 

 Those who know me, know that I will choose chicken

 over steak, lobster or any other so called "delicacy"  I'm 

a chicken girl.  Unfortunately for me, I am now getting a 

little tired of it, but it still is my first choice at mealtime.

We had the BBQ chicken wings.  Arvid loved it. 

 I was not too crazy about it.  For me it was over 

drenched with BBQ sauce.  What I enjoyed best

 was the spinach and artichoke dip.  Was delicious.

After lunch yesterday we did what we do best in the city.
 We walked and walked.  Somehow we ended up
 in a little pub where I had the best Cosmo ever. 

Can't wait to go back.  Chicago has increased my
appetite for adult drinks.  Not sure that's so good.

The Air and Water Show is still on.  Sniff is a
little better than yesterday.  He runs to us for
comfort and stays really close.  Even Arvid said,
"I think we have bonded a lot these last two days."

Wishing everyone a peaceful day filled with all things good. 
No one can truly understand the bond we form with the
 animals we love until they experience the loss of one.

Arvid, one of the most loving, caring and 
compassionate human beings I know.  A lot of 
these qualities he developed even more thanks to
 Brutus.  Now Sniff is recipient to it as well.

Cherish your yesterdays, dream your
 tomorrows and live your todays. Life has 
no limitations except the ones you make...

~Nadiya~

About yesterday ~

Words are like keys, if you choose them right

 they can open any heart and shut any mouth...

We enjoyed watching the Blue Angels practice

 for today from our balcony.  Good views, but Sniff

 is very scared.  All sounds scare him right now.

Later on in the evening Arvid and I went to

 House of Blues for a little music and of course I 

had one of my favorite fruity drinks there.

After the music we decided to go to the movies. 

 Fast and Furious Hobbs and Shaw.  I liked it.  Non 

stop action even if lots of it was too good to be true.

  It kept us glued to the screen for a little over 2 hours.

As we came home last the moon was in full bloom.
The lake looked beautiful with the moonlight.

Currently the weather has turned ugly.  Definitely not
looking good for the Air and Water Show.  So far I have
not been able to get a clear picture.  There is fog and
clouds everywhere.  There is always tomorrow.

Wishing everyone a great day and if you are in Chicago,
 hopefully you get to enjoy the Air and Water Show.

He asked why the house wasn't clean since I'm home all day.
I asked why we aren't rich since he works all day...

~Nadiya~

Friday Vibes ~

 I think people who don’t have conflict in
 their lives are just trying to please people 
and not really living life to the fullest...

Coming this weekend we have the Air and Water Show.

The Chicago Air and Water Show returns to

North Avenue Beach on August 17th.  It runs from

10:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. on August 17th and 18th. 

Admission is free to the 2 million audience members 

that attend each year.  Of course they have been practicing 

the last 2 days, and I just happen to get a picture. 

 Way too fast for me.  Hopefully tomorrow

 I will do better from our balcony.

Security right now is pretty tight.  Police helicopter 

are flying around constantly, and guess who is there to 

get a picture.  That would be me.  Sniff is a little scared 

of the loud noises from the planes, but Arvid keeps talking

 to him so hopefully by tomorrow he will be less scared.

Our walks takes us always to pretty places.  

Wishing everyone a good day.  It's the start of 

the weekend.  Let's see what we can do 

about that.  Happy Friday all.

Are you someone who watches life, 
or someone who participates...

~Nadiya~

Life Is Good ~

One way to get the most out of life

 is to look upon it as an adventure...

Deleting pictures like crazy today.  I take way too many,

 and most are not great, every so often I find a few worth 

keeping, but with so many to go through it will take me

 quite some time.  As I was deleting I came across the

 ones taken when Mala and Reshma were here.

I still think it is the best spot to capture the 360 degree vies of Chicago.

Today is fresh market day.  That's where Arvid 

get's his bread and I get a few of my favorite fruits 

and vegetables.  Plus it's a very nice "little" walk.  

Temperatures are cooler right now, and I am loving it.

My niece Lilly Vade.  Always happy always smiling.

Happy day to all.  Make the most of everything you 

have including take advantage of who you are today.

 Everyone is trying to accomplish something big, 

not realizing that life is made up of little things...

~Nadiya~

Life ~

 Cherish your yesterdays, dream  

your tomorrows and live your todays...

It is still a little foggy out today, but hopefully it 

will soon clear up.  Foggy or not it is still nice

 and warm.  Just the other day Arvid said

 to me, "I'm getting tired of this weather."

  Soccer has begun.  That being said, Arvid has

 his time well planned out and when he will be

 eating.  Arvid is very specific on food time.

When we woke up this morning Sniff had 

found his brush, even though I always keep it 

hidden from him.  He likes to chew on it.  

Well he found it, took it to his mat and sat there

 waiting for me to brush him.  He did not 

chew on it.  Sniff is a special little boy.

Wishing everyone a happy day.  Halfway into 

the work week.  If you think hard enough, you can

 see the weekend looming around the corner. 

 Remember, your time is limited, so don’t

 waste it living someone else’s life.

Life is not the way it’s supposed to be.

 It’s the way it is. The way you deal with

 it is what makes the difference...

~Nadiya~

A Girl Called Reshma ~

The price of success is hard work, dedication 
to the job at hand, and the determination that 
whether we win or lose, we have applied the
 best of ourselves to the task at hand...

We just received some very good news from 

Reshma, my niece.  She has applied to 4 colleges

 for an abroad study program and she was just 

accepted in the one that was her first choice.  

Come January Reshma will be studying 

in Australia.  From January to June our 

"little" girl will be living "down under"

The term Down Under is a colloquialism 

which is variously construed to refer to Australia

 and New Zealand. The term comes from the fact 

that these countries are in the Southern Hemisphere, 

"below" many other countries, especially other 

Western countries, on a Eurocentric globe where

 cardinal north faces towards the top.

We are all very excited for her.  This girl is

 hard working and with her determination,

 I know nothing will ever stop her from 

achieving everything she sets her mind on. 

 Her parents and all her family could not be

 any prouder.  If there is anyone who deserves

 to be acknowledged for Reshama's determination

 and goals it's her mom.  My sister Mala.

We all have dreams. But in order to make 
dreams come into reality, it takes an awful lot of
 determination, dedication, self-discipline, and effort....

~Nadiya~