Aug 31, 2019

Canada Bound ~

Happiness is having a large, loving,
 caring, close-knit family in another city...

Looking forward very much to the next few days. 

 Going to Canada for a cousins (Josh's) wedding.  One of the few 
times just about all of the family gathers together.  

The special occasion is the wedding of my cousin. 
The last time I was in Canada what also for a wedding.
  At that time it was Josh's brother Andrews
 wedding.  I have a lot of cousins.  

Unfortunately, I can't go to all of their weddings,
 but Canada is where our grandmother lived and hopefully
we will be able to go visit her at the cemetery.

My parents and 2 of my sisters will be there.
  Another very good reason to go.  Best part is that Sniff 
will be home with Arvid.  They will have some 
bonding time.  That's how Arvid looks at it.



You are born into your family and your family
 is born into you. No returns. No exchanges....

~Nadiya~

Sunrise or Sunset ~

When the sun has set, no candle can replace it...

Too of my favorite times of the day. 
 Sunrise and sunsets.  Love them both.

Yesterday's sunset from our balcony.  
Had me looking at it for quite some time.



What everyone says it so true, there's a 
sunrise and a sunset every single day, and they're
 absolutely free.  Don't miss too many of them.

Then waking up this morning I managed to see
 a bit of the sunrise.  Both Sniff and I are awake
 and enjoying the silence of the morning.


The day is looking to be a great day.
 A little on the chilly side, but will warm up
 a little more.  You can feel fall is in the air. 
 Summer is just about over for Chicago.


Wishing everyone beautiful days.
Good morning all.  Rise up, start fresh and
see the bright opportunity in each day.

Fall asleep with a dream 
and wake up with a purpose...

~Nadiya~

Aug 30, 2019

Friday ~

I woke up.  I have clothes to wear.  I have running water. 
 I have food to eat.  Life is good and I am thankful...

I don't think I will ever get tired of the view from our 
apartment, and as such I keep taking pictures all day
 long.  It's as if I am memorizing every single detail.


  Soon we will be going back to Florida.  It will
 not be until next year that we will be back, so I'm 
enjoying this view for as long as we are here.


Last night we decided to go listen to some music. 
Buddy Guys Legends is always a favorite and that's where
 we went.  Always a good time, good food and drinks.


Today Arvid decided he will do some "much needed cleaning"
 I have no problem with that.  He can clean all he likes. 
I do it everyday as is.  Sniff is never far from him.


 He loves to help his dada.  Just like Brutus did
 and I'm sure Shadow would have as well.


Not much planned for today.  But that's OK.
The other day we went to a place that served Peri Peri
 chicken.  Arvid tried it in Portugal many many
years ago and said it was one of the best meals
he has ever had.  Well it was not bad at all.

Wishing everyone a happy day and may your weekend
be filled with all things good.  For many Hurricane Dorian
 is on its way.  My sister in Puerto Rico has been spared.


  Grateful for that.  The fate of many is still unknown as
 Dorian picks up speed.  Florida may be hit.  I hope not
because many of my loved ones live there.  Please everyone
 be careful and never underestimate the strength of a
storm.  Hope for the best, prepare for the worst.

Life is good because I decided to make it that way...

~Nadiya~

Aug 29, 2019

Too Early For This ~

Whoever said that money can't buy happiness
 simply didn't know where to go shopping...

Yesterday was one of those days where a little shopping
 was called for.  Somehow it makes everything seem so much
 better, even when one does not actually buy anything.  


Lucky me, I actually did find something that caught my 
eye, and this was after almost two hours of intense looking.
I always say shopping is cheaper than a psychiatrist.


Sniff enjoyed sniffing my bag and at the same time
 checking out the commotion that was happening below us
 on the street level.  He is always looking and hearing 
everything.  Yesterday it was another fire truck.


I got out of bed at 1 A.M.  Why?  I have no idea.  
I have tried and tried to go back to sleep, but it's 
been 2 hours now and it's not working.  Sniff is 
sound asleep with his dada, as it should be.


Hoping to go back to bed and hopefully get some sleep.
Guess I went to sleep a little too early last night, now I pay
for it.  It's going to be another very long day if I don't manage 
to get some sleep.  For now it's goodnight everyone.

If you want to make your dreams come true,
 the first thing you have to do is wake up...

~Nadiya~

Aug 28, 2019

Wednesday In Chicago ~

Be kind to yourself, then let your kindness fill the world...

I have already had my coffee.  Fed and
brushed Sniff, who's already back in bed
with his dada.  Those two love their sleep.


I also saw some of the sunrise.  I love being awake early.  
Sometimes I would like to sleep in a bit longer, but
 for some reason it does not happen anymore.


The new day has already started and here in Chicago
 it is looking better than it did yesterday.  Suddenly it's blue 
skies again.  For at least today it's summer again. 
 Looking forward to what the day holds.


Good morning all.  Wishing you
all warm and sunny days as well.

At the end of the day I am thankful that
 my blessing are bigger than my problems...

~Nadiya~

Aug 27, 2019

Life ~

Every single day I found something to be
 grateful for and that's a powerful lesson...

One is never too old or too young to enjoy candy.  
What better place than Sugar, which also happens to 
be a Cafe and Bar.  Then you know life is good, when 
you can enjoy all of your favorites in just one place.


Everyday there is something new to "discover"  
for us it is always the simple things that bring us the
 most pleasures.  Little walks, a nibble here and there, 
feeding the duckies.  Just simplicity at its best.


Arvid keeps going to the theater looking for something,
 anything that we could go and see.  So far he has not had 
much luck, but knowing him he will find something.


Simple things.  A man and his dog cruising along the 
Magnificent Mile just enjoying the sights and each other's
 company.  Life...the best things are the simple things.


Good morning all.  Sniff and I have been awake
 for a while now.  It's looking to be a very long day.
 Good thing we have a few chores to do.


I discovered that sitting leaves little spaces for 
grief to get in, so I keep myself as busy as I can.

Joy is really the simplest form of gratitude...

~Nadiya~

Aug 26, 2019

Monday Begins ~

Life is short, and if we enjoy every moment of 
every day, then we will be happy no matter what 
happens or what changes along the way...

We walk this way pretty often.  Michigan Avenue. 
 We walk by beautiful building, the lake and interesting 
people all day long, but now every time I walk this
 way a smile comes to my lips.  This is where 2
 very special people stayed not so long ago.


Tucked in the center of all these beautiful
 buildings is London House.  I will always think 
of Victoria and Michael when I see this building.
  What an extremely beautiful time we had.


Life is made up of beautiful moments, and
one of these will always be here in Chicago.

A new week begins.  Looking like fall today so
most likely will be mostly an indoors kind of day with
a little outing to the hot tub later today.  Good day
 to cozy up and catch up on my reading.


Wishing everyone a happy start of the week. 
Always remember to focus on the positive.

Enjoy small moments as they come. 
At the end, That's what makes life worthwhile...

~Nadiya~

Aug 25, 2019

Life On Your Terms ~

People will always have an opinion, but you 
have to live life the way you want to. It's very easy 
to tell others what to do, but difficult 
to implement it on yourself...

Cooler temperatures are here already.  We are fortunate that 
when winter comes we will be enjoying the warmer climate in
 sunny Florida, and while it is now sweltering hot and humid 
in Florida, we are also fortunate to be here in Chicago.  
Cool air without the AC.  Not a bad way to live.


Of course during the day it warms up, but for some
 reason Arvid is still cold.  No matter where we go if the 
temperature is not above 75F Arvid is wearing a sweater.


On these warmer hours a little cold drink is always 
something to look forward to.  Yesterday we went to
  Margaritaville, but for some reason the waiting 
was more than we were will to do, so we ended
 up in another of our favorite spot by the lake.

Sundays we take it easy, and then we go out for a leisure 
dinner and a walk.  Arvid is not so keen on taking a taxi 
or Uber, but I'm sure if it's "cold" enough he will want to.


There is a Triathlon going on, but the swim
 portion of the Chicago Triathlon was canceled 
Sunday due to “unfavorable swim conditions,”
 according to event organizers.  Too dangerous.

Participants instead are competing in a duathlon
 — a run followed by a bike ride and another run —
starting from the swim start area on the lakefront path .


Soccer back on.  Means Arvid has to time 
everything in between the breaks and the games.
That being said, there is always time for Sniff.


Wishing everyone a happy and relaxing day.  

The past explains how I got here, but the future
 is up to me - and I love to live life at full throttle...

~Nadiya~

Aug 23, 2019

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~

Aug 22, 2019

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~