Can Be Yours If The Price Is Right....

The more money the louder it talks, 

unfortunately style doesn't have to...

This Halloween costume costs $1.6 million.

Whatever happened to those days when one was creative,

and made ones own costumes?

You know there will be tons of buyers lining up to get this costume.

After all, how many can claim they own a million dollar plus Halloween costume. 

 Yep stranger things have happened.  There are many out there who's passion is to brag

about what they have, what it cost and so forth.  This is the perfect time to do so by owning this.

Definitely not my style, my taste and even if we had the money which we don't, 

NEVER would I want such a thing.  Bragging rights or not.  Many better ways to use money.

Happy Halloween to all.

It's so much fun to scare as to be scared...

~Nadiya~

Thursday... Looks Good

Our life is not perfect, but it does have perfect moments....

A very nice advantage of living in Florida is that when the cold weather settles into the rest
of the world, we are still warm.  Yesterday we took advantage of the nice weather and
we had a little drive along the beach and the Las Olas area.  Unplanned, was just
very nice to get out for some fresh air.  Ever since Brutus had
surgery on the 23rd, I have not left the house.

  I stocked up with everything we would need because I knew he was going to need 24-7 care.
 Yesterday as he was asleep we went out and though I had some misgivings about leaving
him all alone, Arvid talked me into it.  As he said, "nothing like the music blasting,
and the top down."  I was sold pretty fast and it was invigorating and fun.

Driving along the beach in Fort Lauderdale is always fun.  You never know what to expect
and what you will see.  There is currently quite a few new constructions coming up.

No matter what time of the year or what time of the day, there is always something
going on and there are always people..mainly tourists at the beach; for us Floridians,
 the water is just too cold right now, but for tourists it's just perfect always.

Brutus is still not well.  His paw is bothering him all the time, but he has been really good
about it.  He takes a LOT of pills these days and today it just did not sit well with him.
After giving him his medicines the poor thing just could not digest it and puked
 all over the place.  Finally he went to sleep so at least for a few hours he
will be rested.  Can't wait for the day he will one day be better again.

Wishing you all a good day.  It's a good day here at home.
Hope the same is for all of you.  Everything is not perfect, but not the worst either.

It's not that life has been easy, perfect, or exactly as expected.
I just choose to be happy and grateful, no matter how it turns out...

~Nadiya~

That Time Again....

But I love Halloween, and I love that feeling: the cold air, 

the spooky dangers lurking around the corner...

Halloween is soon upon us again.  Living in a condo it is rare to almost never that 

we have trick or treaters coming our way.  As per condo rules it just does not happen.

All around the world Halloween has taken a life of it's own. When I was a kid it was a

 day we looked forward to always.  The thought of just collecting tons of candy was enough 

to make any child excited for days.  The fact that one got sick after eating all that candy

 was just a minor annoyance.  Never stopped us and to this day I am sure it still does not 

stop most kids.  It's just a fun day at least it was then. Even kitties like it....

well their mommies and daddies like to dress them up just for fun.

Long time ago we were able to go around trick or treating on our own without fear of 

something terrible happening.  We were able to nibble on the candy as we got them.

 Today this has changed a bit.  At least here in the USA parents

 have to be extremely cautious.

Kids are now accompanied by an adult.  Warnings are issued for the kids to NOT

eat anything until they get home and to definitely throw away anything that is unwrapped.

Even so, kids around the world look forward to this day.  They dress up in costumes and 

they are out and about ready to have a good time.  Our little grand-daughter in Norway

 has already had a Halloween party, and Lilly our niece already went pumpkin picking.

When you are a child the wold holds only wonders and every occasion is magical.

That in itself is amazing and hopefully something they will not lose.

To all a very safe Halloween.  Don't forget that if you have a pet, please

make sure you take precautions for their well being.

If ever there was a holiday that deserves to be commercialized, it's Halloween. 

We haven't taken it away from kids. We've just expanded

 it so that the kid in adults can enjoy it, too...

~Nadiya~

Technology, Sometimes Just Annoying....

One machine can do the work of fifty ordinary men.

No machine can do the work of one extraordinary man...

Like I don't have enough to keep me busy and stressed, the latest is that my laptop has been

 hacked into.  Not exactly the most pleasant of experiences, but like everyone who has been 

through this, I changed passwords.  I will recommend everyone to at least change 

passwords every other month.  Sounds crazy, but this is not the first time this 

has happened time and trust me it can cause a lot of craziness in your life.

Have been waking up early and several times during the night for Brutus these last few days.  

I use my IPhone as a flashlight and of course whenever there is a new message I see it. 

 So two nights ago as I was waiting for Brutus to use the litter I see a new message.

Checked it and it was from a cousin asking if I had sent her so and so email.

It was 2am.  Nope, I said not me.  Did not pay much attention to it until my sister asked me the

 same thing and yesterday as Arvid was talking to a friend in Norway his wife asked if I had

 sent her an email also.  Well to her I did, but that was a few summers ago. Of course

 after hearing this from more people I paid attention and changed everything.

This is just so very annoying and makes me mad that this can happen. We love technology. 

 Without it many of us will probably be lost.  I know I will for sure, but at the same time 

it can also be our worst enemy.  Right now that's how I feel.  Tomorrow when I am
less annoyed guess it will be OK again, but for now technology is my enemy.

Our technological powers increase,
 but the side effects and potential hazards also escalate...

~Nadiya~

Happy Sunday To All...

Look for something positive about this moment.

Even if you have to look a little harder than usual, it still exists....

Looking forward to another very relaxing day here at home.  Not much 

to do today.  Talk to family and and have a good time together.

The day is looking good again and that's very promising.  Hopefully we can go out 

to dinner and sit outside by the water and watch the boast go by. Something both

 Arvid and I enjoy very much and look forward to every Sunday.  Alone time.

Whatever it is your day holds, enjoy it.  Life is short and we never know

when it will be taken away from us.  I lived through that and from that day on I 

promised myself to never let a day go by without making the most of it.  Some days it

takes a little more trying that I would like, but still I give it my all.  Do the same always friends.

Happy Sunday everyone and may you always live in interesting times.

Everything here is not perfect, but what is?  Make it count.

Let a series of happy thoughts run through your life. They will show on your face.

Take every chance you get in life because some things only happen once...

~Nadiya~

Saturday At Home....

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...

Yesterday was not as traumatic as I thought it would be.  I was thinking of the last two times 

Brutus has gone through this, and was expecting a really rough day.  Fortunately I was
 mistaken.  Brutus was quiet.  Too quiet.  He did not eat.  He did not drink and of
course I was freaking out.  A call to the vets office confirmed what I thought.
 The medicines were causing him to have an upset stomach.

 The vet recommended that he take a half of a Pepcid every day.
Since Arvid was not home, I made sure Brutus was "safe"

 and I took off to the pharmacy for his Pepcid.

Even though he has had it, he is trill not eating.  I give him water with a syringe and just hope

 that soon he will start to drink on his own again.  He usually loves water.  We look at 

him and we just see a drowsy, sleepy tired kitty.  All he does is sleep. 

 Soon I will be worried about this as well.

What we are happy about is that he has not really been chewing on the bandage. 

 Well let me correct myself.  I take his collar off while he is sleeping,

 and as soon as he starts to attack the bandage the collar goes on. 

 Now when he sees me coming with the collar he stops

 chewing on the bandage.  Smart kitty as well.

Both Arvid and I are still tired from travelling. Just last night he said to me, 

"I'm really getting tired of travelling."  Glad to just be home with Brutus

 and to take care of him.  Everyone has been really kind and

 very supportive always of him.  Thank you so much.

It's heart breaking for me to see him like this.  Every time we hope that the cause will be
 found,  and he will be cured.  I told Arvid that for the next 5 days I'm not leaving
Brutus' side at all. Just want to make sure we are around when he needs us.

I was awake on and off all night long checking on him.  He was not comfortable last night.
 We left him on a bed we made for him on the floor, but he kept coming on our bed.
  We even put a ladder next to the bed to make it easier for him to get in, but being
a cat he had to do it the hard way.  Jumping.  I think he hurt himself little.

At 5 this morning I woke up took him to the litter and stayed with him until he used it.
I also gave him water via a syringe and since he is not eating his food, I gave him treats.
 He ate a few.  He did not get out of bed until after 10 this morning.  Not normal
for Brutus, but understandable.  Now he is just laying on the floor with his collar
 on basking in the sun.  Hopefully he will get more alert as the day goes on.

After many days of rain, we finally see the sun.  Beautiful day here. The boats
are all out and about and the waves believe or not have been splashing all day so far.
Soccer is on, and Arvid said to me, "let's hope the phone does not ring."   Says he just wants
to watch the game and not have to talk and watch at the same time.  Very distracting he says.
He was hoping Brutus would lay next to him, but unfortunately Brutus is asleep under the covers.

To all a very good day.  We plan on just relaxing and spending some quiet
 time at home, watching soccer, taking care of Brutus and seeing the boats go by.

Always remember that the future comes one day at a time...

~Nadiya~

Back Home....

I have too many flaws to be perfect, but I have too many blessings to be ungrateful...

3:40 pm Thursday afternoon.  I couldn't be more on edge even f I tried.  Since leaving Brutus at

 the vet this morning, I have tried to stay busy, but my thoughts always come back to him.

By 2:30 I kept looking at the phone every second willing it to ring and hear that all went 

well with his surgery and that he is now awake and we can soon pick him up.

As you can imagine we are still waiting for the call.  Now I am a nervous wreck. I am my

 worst enemy sometimes.  You see I have a VERY vivid imagination.  I don't think any-

one will even come close to picturing what is going through my mind.  Surgery was 

supposed to only last an hour.  It's now been over 3 hours.  I want my Brutus home.

4:15 pm Thursday.  Can't wait any longer.  Staring at the phone is just not going to do it for me.
Gave in  and called the vet's office even though they told me to wait until I heard from them.
Brutus is  in recovery.  He is still not awake, but it's over and he is going to be OK.
 I mean he has to.  Just sitting and waiting to go and bring him home.  Long wait.

It's now Friday morning little after 10 am.  We brought Brutus home last night by 9pm.
He was so happy to be home that even with his collar and bandage he was hobbling along
all over the place.  It was as if he was in a race of some sort to check everything out.

Arvid and I so far try to carry him around everywhere.  Yes! we spoil him and
we love to do so. Brutus came home with lots of pain killers and antibiotics which I
have to give to him twice a day.  Twice a day for each.  He's not happy and I'm not thrilled.

So far it has been OK. He slept quietly until 1:30 an at which time I woke up with him
to make sure he does not jump or do anything to hurt himself.  We were awake until 5:45am
at which time I gave him his first dosage of pain killers for the day.  He fell asleep and so did I.
We slept until 8am and then it was time for the antibiotics.  Took some time to give to him.

Finally he is quiet again.  Meaning he is resting and sound asleep.  For now I took his collar
off in hope he will rest better.  Can't tell you how happy we are to have him home again.
Our home is not home without Brutus.  It's just a quiet place.  He completes it and us.

Good day to all of you.  The sun may not be shining right now,but in our world
 at least for now all is good again.  I'm grateful for so many things.
I wake up every morning literally with a smile on my face,
grateful for another day I never thought I'd see.

Choosing to be positive and having a grateful
 attitude is going to determine how you're going to live your life...

~Nadiya~

Vet Time Again....

Life was easier when you stopped caring, 

when you stopped expecting things to get better...

Can't sleep.  Stressed!  In a few hours we will be dropping Brutus off at the vet.  He will be
staying there for most of the day and hopefully we will be picking him up this afternoon. Brutus
 once again is going to have his paw cut open in hope to see what is going on.  The paw has

 taken a life of it's own again and aside from the swelling there is a huge tumor

 like protrusion sticking out.  Seems full of something but what we don't

 know as yet.  Hopefully we will soon. It is now 6am and Brutus

 and I are awake.  He senses that something is going on.

Last night he was so affectionate again.  Just like in Chicago, he took my place on the
 recliner.  Brutus and Arvid were watching TV in comfort while I was sitting on
the floor. I don't mind the floor for a while even if it's a little hard

10:55am.  We dropped Brutus off at the vet.  I left a part of me there and I will not be OK
 until I hear that he has woken up from surgery. I did not help that we were asked
 to sign a consent to do CPR in worst case scenario.  It's quiet at home.
Now we wait.  All I know is that it is going to be a long day.
  Good thing we have lots to do to keep us busy.

I know that there is no use getting all worked up, but I am human after all, and that's what
 we do we worry even though we know it will not make things any better.  As someone
said, happiness is a choice. You can choose to be happy. There's going to be stress
 in life, but it's your choice whether you let it affect you or not.
That said, I will can't stop worrying until I know he's OK
 and out of surgery and back home with us.

Raining and raining here.  Stay dry and hope your day is a good one. I will try to
do my best to always turn a negative situation into a positive one.

In times of great stress or adversity, it's always best to keep busy, 

to plow your anger and your energy into something positive...


~Nadiya~

Stressful Days Are Here Again...

You have to fight through some bad days to earn the best days of your life...

Why is it that every time you think things are going well something happens and 

disrupts that wellness?  I know that in life you can always expect the 

unexpected and seems that this will always be the case for us.  

Brutus is our baby and as far as I am concerned he takes priority over everything else.  Right now
 it is back to dealing with his paw.  It is swollen and it jut looks awful. Yesterday we took him
 to the vet.  Actually I took him all by myself because Arvid had a few chores to do at the 
same time.  No big deal, but when we go together Brutus hardly cries.  

Yesterday he cried from the minute I walked out of the door and never stopped.  Usually when
 we are together I hold him and Arvid will drive and we both take turns talking to him and 
then once there Arvid will carry him all the time.  Yesterday it was just me and he 
was mad as hell. So mad that from the minute the doctor walked into the room 
Brutus never stopped hissing.  This is not his usual behaviour.

When it comes to Brutus, my emotions take over.  It's not as if I forget what is the right thing to do;
it's just that every decision we make is so much more difficult because it's being made with
 the heart and not necessary by the brain.  It is the right decision, but the tears never stop.

As everyone knows, a pet brings a special kind of joy into our lives.  Unconditional love,
companionship and pure happiness.  When your pet is healthy then all is fine in your world,
but if like us you have a pet with some medical issues then your life can be thrown
 into constant turmoil.  That is how ours is.  Brutus has an unknown condition
 and all we can do is react when things go wrong.  For the last 2 years
 it has been going more wrong than right.
 

Even though we have spent approximately $10,000 trying to treat his paw, we
are still clueless as to why this is going on.  We look at Brutus and it breaks our heart.

We would do anything to make him better..anything.  Just don't know what
needs to be done.  In the meantime whatever the doctor recommends, we will try.

His nose is always pink when he is scared.  Then my heart breaks even more for him.
To all a good day.  Someone said, "The soul is renewed through tough times"
Let's hope they knew what they were talking about.

Life is at its best when everything has fallen out of place,

 and you decide that you're going to fight to get them right,

 not when everything is going your way and everyone is praising you...

~Nadiya~

Feeling Happy...

There is nothing like staying at home for real comfort...

So happy we will not be going to Mexico as planned.  Don't get me wrong we both enjoy our
 time there, but it has been too much on the move for us, and when we woke up yesterday
 morning the first thing we did was watch the news and weather report.  Well seems like
 it will be raining all  the time we were supposed to be in Mexico.  Arvid looks at
me and asks me, "what shall we do?"  I say, "let's not go."

I was really not up to it anyway.  Very concerned about Brutus.  Yes again his paw has

taken a life of its own.  Swelling up and the problem begins all again.  I have 

been too stressed about this trip and I think Arvid sensed it also.

I can't remember the time I was so happy to not be going anywhere.  Just being at
home with Arvid and Brutus.  Taking care of Brutus' needs and making
sure his paw gets the treatment he needs.

Not sure what will be the next step for him but we know that we will be trying everything in order
 to make him better.  Brutus brings joy and happiness into our lives. The thought of him
 hurting is more than I can handle and for that I will give up travelling if necessary. The
way I feel now, I do not wish to ever be away from him for too long a period of time.

The funniest thing is when I told my parents and sisters we were not going to Mexico
they were all so happy for us.  The said we needed to relax more and be home
more.  My mom says our life is too hectic and we need to slow down.
Right now I will definitely agree with her.  We need to slow down!!

Yes we are home with Brutus.  Right where we should be.  All is good,
and we are happy.  Hectic, raining but home together.

Hope your day is going good so far.  Molly all is good.
 We are home and Arvid will call everyone on Sunday as usual.  Hugs from us.

The best things in life are not only free, but the line is shorter.

~Nadiya~

Monday Morning....

Waking up this morning, I smile.  24 brand new hours are before me.

I vow to live fully in each moment and to look at all beings with eyes of compassion...

Travelling is exciting, but at the same time very exhausting.  Right now if someone should 

ask me I would have to say that I never want to travel again.  I know it will pass, but

 I am so very tired and soon we will be going away again. I don't like leaving 

Brutus this much, especially when his paw is not looking good.

Our life is pretty hectic and I think it is catching up with me.  I must admit that I prefer
 to be home than live out of a suitcase and go from hotel to hotel. I am also starting to
dislike very much the unpacking that comes afterwards, guess today I'm tired.

We all have our work and then some more,  No exception here, but somehow it
seems that my housework never ends.  The loads and loads of laundry and
then all the folding that follows; takes up quite a bit of my day.

Brutus was so excited to see us that he could not get enough of us.  He snuggled as close
 as he could get to Arvid and I.  Kept us warm all night long. When we arrived he ran
 to his mat and just threw himself down so that we could brush him. Arvid,
not one to go down on his knees does it all the time for Brutus.

Seems like our days at home are always hectic.  We both have tons of things to take care
of before we have to leave again.  Sometimes i wonder what it is like to have a quiet
life, but then i remember how easily bored I get and stop wondering.

Good morning everyone.

Greetings from Fort Lauderdale where the sun is shining and the  day is
looking promising and full of possibilities.  And who knows
 maybe we be home for a while now.  YAY!!!

Start everyday with a new hope, leave bad memories behind
and have faith for a better tomorrow...

~Nadiya~

Fake People...

Some people are REAL. Some people are GOOD. 

Some people are FAKE. And some people are REAL GOOD at being FAKE.

Fake people have an image to maintain. Real people just don't care... 

If there is one thing I really cannot tolerate is fake people.  Yes fake people.  People who 

say one thing, but then turn around and do a completely different thing.  People who

show one face to the public and then in their private lives are completely different.

We all know someone like this.  Be it a family member, a friend or an acquaintance. 

I think that of all qualities in a person this one really pisses me off the most.  At 

least right now that is the way I feel.  Why is it that some pretend to like a 

person, but in reality they are seeting with rage,
 envy or just hatred towards that person.

I see this so very often that I just wonder if there is something really wrong with these 

people.  Why can't a person just be themselves without having to put on an 

act for the world to see?  As far as I am concerned, I like you better

when you are you and not when you pretend to be someone you aren't.

Why is it that some pretend to be this really good person, almost a saint when in reality 

you rally hate everyone or are just too dammed envious of everything and of everyone.  

Too many people portray this big smile and this happy, loving attitude towards 

others when in reality they hate that person.  Why?  If I say I like you then 

I do or at least I am trying really hard to like you.  If I say I am happy

 about your accomplishments then rest assured I definitely am.

For many the words just slide out of their mouths.  So easy to say this and that, 

but never really meaning it.  Arvid is always telling me that I should

try and curb my words.  he says that I don't always have to speak what's 

on my mind.  I look at him and I say "why not"?  

Agreeing with someone even if you may sometimes disagree is

not the same as pretending to like someone when you actually

don't.  I would much rather have a person be honest and open with 

me rather than have them pretend to like me.  Fake people!

Horrible and the worst kind!!!

Remember whatever you do, do sincerely otherwise don't do it just because you want
 someone to like you, or you want to be in with the popular crowd. Not worth
it and in the end you may be the one who ends up losing...
 Also remember that Life is full of fake people, 
before you decide to judge them, make sure
 you are not one of them.

Good morning everyone.  Good to back home where it is real.

Some people think that the truth can be hidden with a little cover-up and decoration. 

But as time goes by, what is true is revealed, and what is fake fades away...

~Nadiya~

And So It Ends..

And then I realized that Adventures are the best way to learn...

Our road trip has come to an end.  We have had a very good time, but like always,

 we are happy to be going home to Brutus.  No matter how good a time 

we are having he is always in our thoughts and in our hearts.  

I have had quite a lot of time to do some things on my own and I did enjoy it a lot.  I have 

walked and walked so much, I believe that I have covered every part of the Las Vegas Strip.

  Both Arvid and I are quite tired of eating out so it will be nice to be back home and 

have home cooked meals again.  Strange how it's the little things we miss a lot.

The last 4 days Arvid was busy in meetings so that gave me lots of "free" time.

We would meet for lunch and for gathering in the evenings with friends.

On our last night we went to see John Fogerty in concert.  As usual he never disappoints.  

We have been lucky to see him once a year.  One of our favorites of all times.

Our road trip started in Dallas.  Then it took us through Arizona to the Grand Canyon 

and lastly to Las Vegas, Nevada.  To all I would highly recommend exploring

more of this great country of ours.  The journey has been amazing,

but now we are both ready to head back home to our Brutus.

Going home and spending time with loved ones keeps you grounded...

~Nadiya~