Oct 31, 2013

Halloween...

Eat, drink and be SCARY!!!!
Shadows of a thousand years rise again unseen,
voices whisper in the trees, "Tonight is Halloween"

Today Halloween is celebrated just about all over the world.  According to my 
mom, it is even bigger a celebration than Christmas.  At least in her neighborhood.
There she says that the kids come in busloads to the houses and by the end of 
the evening each kid has bagged enough candy to last them an entire year.  My 
mom is very funny.  


Living in a condo, with all the rules and regulations one has to follow,
it is not as easy for kids to come knocking at your door for candy. Most parents
take their kids to neighborhoods where there are more kids and thus begins the 
trick or treating that has become such a huge huge celebration for many.


Needless to say all stores are decked out in Halloween stuff.  Two weeks before
today, everything was already marked for clearance to make room for
Thanksgiving and Christmas.  Yes, life is always interesting here in the 
USA.  One holiday does not end before we start preparing for the next and we all love it!

Wishing you all a Happy and Safe Halloween!
It's Boo day all, hope yours is a lot of fun!


I wish I may, I wish I might,
have the pleasure of giving you fright.

~Nadiya~

Oct 30, 2013

Always In The Mood For Music...

People are like music.
Some speak the truth and some are just noise....

  This could have been what Arvid was saying last night, "dear music, I will never 
be able to thank you enough for always being there for me".

Like I have always said, there is not better way for us to relax than to lose 
ourselves into the music.  Granted both Arvid and I are not always in agreement 
with the same kind of music, but last night we were.

Almost every year John Fogerty comes to town.  Live at the hard Rock Seminole
Casino in Hollywood, Florida and we always go and see him.  
Arvid got the tickets months ago.  I believe he must have been the first one 
to log on to Ticketmaster just to be sure we get good seats as he says.


I like John Fogerty.  Being with Arvid it is impossible to not like him.
Arvid has all the CD's of CCR.  He even has 8 tracks which he has been playing 
recently.  To prepare for the concert, Arvid played John Fogerty most of the day
on the jukebox and "loosened" up with a few cold ones as my dad would say.


The music was very good.  John Fogerty is one of our favorite live
concerts.  Already Wednesday and I'm starting to think of the weekend.
Got more medicines for Brutus, whose paw is not healing.
For now all we can d is take it one day at a time and always hope.


Good day to all and remember the only difference
between a good day and a bad day is your attitude...

When words fail, music speaks.
Listen to the beat of your heart,
 then go out and create your own music...

~Nadiya~

Oct 29, 2013

Just Hello...

Trick or treat give me something good to eat.
Crackers fruit will not do.
Give me candy, I want two!
candy, candy, I want four!
Candy, candy, I want more...

Just two more days and it begins.


Are you ready?  Do you have enough of the good candy as my nieces
and nephews would say?  If you don't there is still time to 
get to the store and stock up.


When witches go riding, and black cats are seen,
the moon laughs and whispers,
tis' near Halloween....

~Nadiya~

Oct 28, 2013

Refreshed...

Welcome, sit, relax, enjoy
and nurture your mind with great thoughts....

What a difference some relaxation and some quiet time can do to a person.  The mind is
at ease and the body feels much more relaxed and ready to go again.  Not to 
mention catching up on some much needed sleep.  Yes the weekend has done it's
wonders to me, to all of us actually.  Even Brutus who was feeling a 
little lethargic is now much livelier and perky.  That alone makes me feel better.

It helped that we had some very good weather.  Yes the cooling down, Florida 
style is coming.  It was only in the mid 80's in the weekend.  Florida cool down.
Right now in the 70 and slowly inching up. 


As you might imagine, the mojito did the trick.  Not one to usually
have any alcohol with my meals, but I think that after trying their mojitos
a few times now it has become a must.  Can't wait until the next one.


Good morning everyone and if you have not yet sampled the mojito,
give it a try.  It is AWESOME.. and gets you going!
Hello new day!

To live a creative life we must lose our fear of being wrong.

~Nadiya~

Oct 27, 2013

Fun Time....

Good times, those
moments you wish would last forever...

After a long day it was very nice to take a few hours just for ourselves.  So the other 
night we went out for a bit and listened to music, and to wind down a bit.

We went to the Coconut Creek Casino and even though I am not a gambler it is always
nice to try your luck. I always put a limit so as to not gamble away too much.  Hard 
to do so with Arvid around anyway. 

The only thing I am not too crazy about in casinos is all the smoking going on.  
I'm not a smoker and smoke really makes me have a hard time breathing. I feel my 
lungs working much harder to get air through and even though the music was 
really good we did not stay out too late.  Met up with quite a few friends from
The South Florida blues Society and that is always fun.

Out waitress was a cute girl and all night long she called Arvid baby.  He was 
super  happy and so was she because he tipped her really well.   I smiled because
 it was fun to see.   Arvid even said to me, "you notice how she only addresses
me and not you" and of course he was smiling.


As for me I was also having a good time. There was Sushi and it was very good. 
As long as there is good I'm happy.  The music was also excellent.  The band had a
 young Norwegian guitar player, who by the way was excellent.


Hope you weekend had also started out good and that it continues to be good.
Add a good match of soccer into the mix and Arvid is happy.  Happier more 
so because Barcelona won.   I'm happy because I get to go out malling a bit.


Sunday as usual promises to be nice and relaxing.  This Sunday I decided
to treat Arvid to lunch to our favorite spot.  Yep Kaluz it is. I have discovered 
that they make one of the best mojitos in town so of course I am already looking
forward to my mojito today...


For now wishing you all a good day.
Good morning all.

I have so much chaos in my life, it's become normal. You become used to it.

 You have to just relax, calm down, take a deep breath and try to see
 how you can make things work rather than complain about how they're wrong...

~Nadiya~

Oct 26, 2013

So True...

I adore her smile, I cerish her hugs,
I admire her heart but most of all...I love that she is my mother

Someone shared this the other day and it caught my attention because...it's true.


There is no question at all that all children need both parents, but I know
from experience that when a child wants something, is hurting, it tired
afraid...you get the picture.  The one they ask for is mom.  I love my dad to death.
He is the kindest most wonderful human being I know, but when I am in distress or 
sad or out of sorts the one I call is my mom.  Her voice, her patience, her gentleness
is all I need in that moment to make me feel better again.  When I need advise I ask my dad.


I am not a mother, but I see and learn from my sisters and my own mom
No one know sacrifices like a mother.
No one knows their child like a mother does.

Have a good day everyone.

I believe in love at first sight, because
I loved my mom since I opened my eyes..

~Nadiya~

Oct 25, 2013

Tipping..

Real integrity is doing the right thing,
knowing that nobody is going to know whether you did it or not..

Here in the USA waiters and waitresses work very hard for a living.  They depend mostly 
on tips from customers.  I'm not sure how it works in most countries, but I do know
that some countries the waiters and waitresses are paid a good salary so tipping
is not a requirement.  This I know is the case in Norway. 



The hardest working, lowest paid, least appreciated worker has to be the server
 in your local restaurant. Waiters and waitresses are only paid $2.69 per hour in
 many places. The only workers in America that the government doesn't include
 in minimum wage laws, servers rely on tips from you to pay their bills and support
 their families. And many restaurants require servers to share their tips with bartenders,
 hostesses, and bus boys.



Tipping may not be a requirement, but when you see these men and women work
and when you think of what they are paid you might reconsider.  Of course
some are better than others, but that is the case with everything and everyone.

There was a time a few years ago Arvid and I were invited to dinner by some friends
from Norway.  Not their first time here, but still the tipping was not something
they are used to.  We had a very good dinner with excellent service.  When it
was time to pay our friends insisted on picking up the bill.  This is
not something neither Arvid and I are used to.  Anyway, my main concern
was the tip.  Were they going to tip the servers?  Turns out they did not.


As we left the restaurant, I ran up to the waitress and told her that we will
be back in a minute.  After our friends left Arvid and I went and we tipped
the waitress who was very happy.  I don't blame the friends.  It's not something
they do in their country.

For those of you planning on visiting the USA for the first time, please
be aware of the tipping guidelines.  These hard working men and
women depend on this for their survival...

Remember that your server doesn't prepare the food. It's not their fault if it's not cooked 
the way you want it or doesn't taste as good as you expected. And it's not their fault that 
you wanted an alcoholic drink but forgot your identification. Stiffing a waitress or waiter
 because they can't break the law and the rules of their employers is not only grossly unfair, 
it shows a complete lack of class.  


Look more kindly at the next waiter or waitress that serves you.
 Are they trying to make your dining experience pleasant? If so, you owe them at 
least 15% of what you paid for your food. Did they make your dining experience pleasant? 
Then you owe them more.  For now good morning and next time, tip
your waiter and waitress well...



In a restaurant choose a table near a waiter
Be nice to people on your way up
because you might meet 'em on your way down...

~Nadiya~

Oct 23, 2013

Exhausted...

I don't stop when I'm tired, I stop when I'm done...
One of those days when even writing my blog, which I so much enjoy was just too much.
For some reason I am too tired today.  Could be and I bet it is from lack of sleep.


I said to myself, why not just relax by the pool and enjoy of of those "lemonades".
Well I did exactly that and now I feel much better.  Hopefully tonight I sleep 
better and am much more refreshed and less tired tomorrow.  I know I feel good
right now.  Time to watch the sun setting and maybe another something.


Enjoy the rest of you day.

I'm just tired that's all...

~Nadiya~

Oct 22, 2013

Rain...

Falling in love is like rain.
It's unpredictably, but there are always signs before it 
completely falls; and the only thing you can do it to let it rain....

Not unusual for it to rain here in South Florida.  Especially during the summer.
Rain inundates south Florida A man rides his scooter along a flooded road. Torrential 
rains a few days ago prompted flash-flood warnings and delayed flights at all 
three of south Florida’s major airports. Flooding  also closed some schools. 


When I see something like this it is hard to believe that the 
streets are this flooded.  This is not far from us.  This is A1A on the beach
in Fort Lauderdale.  Just a few minutes drive from us.  We have had some rains
in our area also, but there was no flooding reported.


On the other hand, Arvid and I were walking downtown along the New River
not so long ago and the tide was extremely high.  The water was already coming up 
to the streets.


Rain is good, but rain and flooding does disrupt peoples lives.
Damages are often more than one would think.  Some countries are not
that fortunate.  Lives are lost and then you are talking a whole new ball game.

Stay dry everyone for there is still lots of rain coming...



You say you love rain, but you use an umbrella to walk under it. 
You say you love sun, but you seek shade when it is shining. 
You say you love wind, but when it comes you close your window...

~Nadiya~

Oct 21, 2013

Believe It Or Not...

I am patient with stupidity, 
but not with those who are proud of it...

Trying to make a statement.  This is what it get us!
An unidentified woman, dressed in pink after participating in a breast cancer 
walk, somehow got stuck in the bridge and managed to hold on for nearly an hour 
in the cross position before she was rescued. Some witnesses speculated that it was
 meant to be a stunt to raise awareness about breast cancer.


Fort Lauderdale firefighters rescued a breast cancer walk participant Saturday after she
got stuck on a railroad bridge as it was lifting into the air.

Arvid and I lived at one time not very far from this same bridge.
Hard to understand how and why she would get caught in this position
since this bridge is rarely used, but anything to cause an Internet sensation.


Her reward will be to face trespassing charges.
She did however make a statement.  
What it is only she knows!

Wishing you all a good start of the week and to be
more selective and lots wiser in your choices.


Count your good deeds every morning 
and fill your mind with positive thoughts.
That is the secret to being happy and inspired all day long.


~Nadiya~

Oct 20, 2013

So Far So Good...

Tension is who you think you should be.
Relaxation is who you are...

It has been a very relaxing weekend so far.  For a change it did not involve just music.
Don't get me wrong I enjoy music, but I also enjoy many other things.  I like diversity.
As we all know different is beautiful.  Different is good.


For something different , we visited a few art galleries on Las Olas.  It was actually
quite fun.  I don't think I am the artsy kind, but I do enjoy pretty things just like everyone.

Funny thing was that one of the galleries had an open house.  Lots of "free" food and drinks.
Amazing that some of the people just showed up for the freebies.  Usually Arvid and I 
never eat anything at these events.  I am a picky eater as is he and unless I know what it is,
I will not be trying it.  You can never be too careful as Arvid says.


After that we just toured what was our "old" neighborhood.  Visited a few of our 
favorite spots and of course Arvid had to try a few of the beers.  Pubbing he calls it.


We have watched the boats go by.  I have visited with friend.  Been to the mall
and even have  had Arvid agree to come with me to Bed Bath and Beyond.


Yes, so far so good.  Even Brutus is doing a bit better.  At least the paw
is not actively bleeding.  We call is progress.  As you know Sunday is catching
up with family day...

Wishing you all a good day and
never forget to look for the silver lining...

Not life, but good life is to be valued.
The only thing you ever have is now...

~Nadiya~

Oct 19, 2013

Brutus...An Update

It's OK to cry when you are in pain.
Remember tears are prayers too. 
They travel to God when we can't speak....

It has started again. 
 For about three months or so Brutus has not been to the vet.  He has been
taking oral medicines daily and for a while though not healed, he has been doing OK.

For the last few days his paw has been looking even more swollen and has 
been bloody on many spots.  Arvid and I are very concerned.  The worst part
is that we have no idea what to do to make him feel better.  Watching Brutus
bleed, limp and occasionally cry out in pain is more than either of us can take.


Arvid has a very hard time seeing him this way and tries everything
he can to comfort Brutus. Seeing Arvid carry him around the apartment is 
always a touching sight.  Arvid just wants to comfort Brutus in any which way 
possible. We both do.  I guess in some way it makes us feel better.

These last two days the paw has been bloody.  I immediately made an 
appointment with the vet and took him there today.  Nothing new.  The doctor
looked at him and more or less told me what I have already begun to suspect.
The doctor said he believes that Brutus will always have this problem with his paw.
On the other hand, the doctor said that Brutus was one of the healthiest most 
handsome kitties he has seen.  He has to say this I guess, but it made me feel good.


When Brutus and I walked into the examination room, the technician said,
"well I better get the doctor fast.  I don't want him (Brutus) to get pissed off".
Made me laugh and for a few minutes ease the stress.  Yes, we are always worried
about Brutus.  I worry daily and constantly.  Arvid says that he thinks Brutus
senses our distress and that makes him bite on the paw even more.

What can I say?  Brutus is our baby.  We love him with all our hearts and
seeing him hurt just tears us to pieces.  Breaks my heart to see him hurting and not 
being able to do anything to ease that pain.  Everyday I wake up hoping that today 
will be the day he will finally begin to feel better.  We always hope that
he will improve.  In the meantime, he continues on medication.  At some 
point, I will be taking him to another veterinarian just for a third opinion.
There are days when all I want to do is sit in a corner and cry and cry.  I don't 
because we believe Brutus senses our mood and this also affects him.


For Brutus nothing is too much because I love him.

Saturday morning.  Hope your day is full of pleasantness and that you
never lose faith that one day things that seem impossible may one day
be possible. Long time ago someone said to me that when life gets too 
hard to stand kneel.


Good morning all from Florida, the Sunshine State..

The human heart feels things the eyes cannot see
and knows what the mind cannot understand...

 Nadiya~

Oct 18, 2013

Island Hopping...

Don't allow yourself to wake up with yesterday's issues
troubling your mind.  Refuse to live backwards.  
See everyday as a NEW chapter.
Hello Friday....

Yesterday our friends left for Eleuthera on their boat and with their doggies.  The three of 
them pictured here,  all ready to go and sail away to what is now their Lil' Red House.


These doggies are experienced sailors.  This is not the first time they are making
this crossing so the look you see on their faces is not fear, but excitement and
anticipation of the journey ahead. They love to Island hop.


The queen of the house KK, as her husband calls her is force to reckon 
with.  She is fearless and as I say to her, "you are my hero".  There is nothing this
woman cannot do.  She is one heck of of a warrior in my book!  

Their journey is always followed by all on Facebook, where they post
their location on a tracking system.  This way we all know where they are and 
when they have arrived at their destination.  Pretty awesome way to keep track.


I, like many have been tracking their journey back home.  Just making sure they arrive safe 
and sound.  6:38 pm yesterday they made it safe back to their
home in Eleuthera.  We all breathed a sigh of relief.

Well it's Friday.  What does your weekend hold?
Arvid has presented me with a few options.  Of course they involve music.
Right now,  all I want is to relax and have a quiet weekend for a change.


Whatever it holds, I know it will be interesting to say the least.
Wishing you all good times and happy days. And never forget
to dream boldly and to hang on to your dreams.

May each day bring a feeling of excitement, joy,
smiles and a wonderful sense of expectation.
Expect the best and you will get it...

~Nadiya~

Oct 17, 2013

Laughter...

Happy Thursday.  Learn from yesterday.
Live for today, hope for tomorrow.
The important thing is not to stop questioning...

Just what I needed to make my day complete.  A good laugh.  I have always
said that there is nothing like a good laugh to lift your spirits and to make everything
seem possible again.  Lightens away some of life's many tragedies even if only for a while.


Everyone can use a little laughter in their lives, does not matter how busy you are.
After reading this, it sure put a big smile on my face.  For a while I forgot I was 
supposed to be upset with Arvid.  I showed this to him and even he thought it funny.


Life is not always the way we want it to be.  Many obstacles to always overcome.
Sometimes the best way to face it is with humor and a good laugh.  Works all the time for me.


Wishing you all a good day and remember to be in love with your life.
Every minute of it.  It the only one you have so make it count!

Laughter is timeless.
Imagination has no age.
And dreams are forever...

~Nadiya~

Oct 16, 2013

Mornings Are For Quiet Times...

Often the best gift you can give yourself is time alone.
Some time to ask yourself questions and to listen for answers...

I have been a wake since 5 am this morning.  For many this is probably normal.  Seems
to be getting more and more normal for me as well.  Brutus started walking all
over us around 4:30 am.  Once this happens, there is no more sleep for me.


Brutus and Arvid have this "silent" battle going on every morning right around this
 time.  Many a times Brutus will just quit and come back to bed.  That is at least until 
a more godly hour.  Today was not the case.

If you don't get up with Brutus, then he makes as much of a racket as he can. He jumps 
up on the headboard of the bed.  Stares at us until one of us tells him to get down.  
Usually Arvid.  Brutus then jumps back down on the bed occasionally landing on one of us. 
 Trust me at this hour of the morning Arvid is not in the playing mode.  A little disagreement
 and next thing you know I am getting out of bed with Brutus and leaving Arvid to sleep for
 another few hours.  I don't mind.  Like I said before, it's quiet and peaceful at that hour. 
The thing is, as soon as we get out, Brutus wants to go back in the bedroom.  Since I 
close the door, he just sits on the outside waits and many a times cries.


The other day Arvid had an upset stomach.  Here you see the difference between
men and women.   He was groaning and just laid down in bed.  Brutus was a wreck.
Kept jumping up and down the bed trying to check Arvid out and make sure he 
was doing OK.  Never left his side until Arvid got up. 


Brutus believes that he is Arvid's designated Guardian Angel.  
It is already 6am.  Time to have some quiet time and enjoy my coffee and the 
soon to be beautiful sunrise.  Each day is a gift to us, let us never forget that 
and always remember to be thankful and grateful that we are able to wake up 
to have a fresh new start every day.  Good morning everyone!


I have learned it is not what I have in my life, but who I have in my life that counts.

There comes a time when the world gets quiet and the only
thing left is your own heart.  So you'd better learn the sound of it.
Otherwise you'll never understand what it's saying....

~Nadiya~

Oct 15, 2013

And So A New Day Begins...

Sometimes you need to step outside.  Get some air.
And remind yourself who you are and who you want to be...

Being Columbus Day yesterday, you would have thought that we would also take a day off.
Unfortunately, not the case.  Being self employed implies we work at any given time.
Being Realtors means when the customer is there you better be there as well otherwise,
there are quite a few waiting in line willing to do the job if you don't want to.  


We work with D'Angelo Realty Group.  Located downtown Fort Lauderdale, on Las Olas
Blvd.  As you can see we even have our "Realtor" picture/image there.  There was a 
time we had our own office with 12 agents.  We were BUSY!  Then we sold and now
we come and go as we wish.  With our own office it was very difficult to come and go.


By the end of the day I was beat.  It was good to come home.  Sit out a little on the balcony.
Watch the boats go by.  Have a cup of coffee and enjoy some fruit with Brutus.


The evenings are always relaxing.  Some of our favorite TV shows are on.
It was good to just sit with the feet up and let the mind wander.  
Brutus was also tired from playing and running so of course he napped
on my chair while we watched some TV.


It's now a new day.  Tuesday morning is looking good.  Hope 
you all have a good one and remember whatever you do do it well
or don't do it at all.


Life is a balance between rest and movement...

~Nadiya~