Jul 31, 2020

Friday ~ July 31st

Wishful thinking is one thing and reality is another...

A trip to the Swap Shop is always a treat.  I get
 all the fruit I want and enough to last me a few extra days. 
 Happy as can be. It's the simple things that make me the
 happiest in life.  Always has and always will.


Another quiet day awaits us.  Nothing wrong with that, 
but I am sure looking forward to the day we can live life 
the way we used to.  Seems like a long long time, and
 from the way it looks, seems like it will take a long time
 before life gets back to a semblance of what it was.


Life sure has changed.  I don't know if it will ever
 be the same again, but I hope it gets better soon.  I miss 
doing the little things we used to do.  Small things we may 
have taken for granted, now seem like different life.


When you take things for granted the things
 you are granted get taken.  The things you take
 for granted someone else is praying for...

~Nadiya~

Jul 30, 2020

And Life Goes On ~ July 30th

Slow down, relax, take it easy, enjoy life...

San Juan, Puerto Rico — Tropical Storm Isaias 
battered Puerto Rico on Thursday morning as it continued
 on a track toward the U.S. mainland, unleashing small
😒 landslides and causing widespread flooding and 
power outages on an island still recovering from 
previous hurricanes and ongoing earthquakes.


My sister Nirvan is in Puerto Rico.  Again all alone.
 Just about a week ago Kimsy left for Connecticut.  
Due to COVID, Kimsy was home in Puerto Rico since 
March.  Yes, a weekend getaway for her turned 
into an almost 5 month stay in Puerto Rico. 
 Not that she was complaining. 

Kimsy was home with her mom and her dad in
 Puerto Rico and she got a job researching cures 
and vaccines for COVID.  Not bad at all.


Soon we will be getting soaked by tropical storm 
Isaias.  Just another summer day in paradise🌴
If you are a Floridian, you go with the flow.

Other than this not much more happening.  COVID
 continues to dominate the news, but now with tropical 
storm Isaias, who knows?  Something new in the horizon. 
 For all you know it might wipe out COVID 😁🀷


Good morning everyone.  We patiently wait to
 see what the day holds.  The highlight is takeout today, 
Sniff and to see how the new exaggerates everything. 
 Life is good and it sure is time for it to get back to a 
semblance of "normal"  We just have to wait and see. 


Hope is seeing light in spite of
 being surrounded by darkness...

~Nadiya~

Jul 29, 2020

Pandemic Times~😬

You are braver than you believe, and stronger
 than you seem, and smarter than you think...

Many businesses are still booming even with the 
pandemic.  Construction is still going on in the 
🏠 downtown area of Fort Lauderdale  If the
clientele is there or not, that's another story. 


 Not so long ago I read that more and more people
 wanted to move out of the downtown area and into
 the suburbs.  Why?  Because with this  pandemic most 
people have had to work from home.  A new norm now.


Many say they prefer not to be in the city because 
of the traffic, noise and other stuff.  They would rather
 buy something in the suburbs, work from home and
 enjoy peace and tranquility.  Of course not everyone 
feels that way, but many do.  To each their own.


Good morning everyone.  The helicopters are already
 hovering over our area.  Looking for another criminal
probably.  Since COVID has surged here in Fort
Lauderdale/Florida, the crime rate has escalated.


Every night on the news you hear of someone 😲
murdered in Fort Lauderdale.  Crime is not unusual
here in South Florida, but to see so much violence,
 murders close to home is something else.  Hopefully
 one day things will be better again.  Has to right?🀷


The things you can see only when you slow down...

~Nadiya~

Jul 28, 2020

Tuesday July 28th ~

When a new day begins dare to smile gratefully...

Arvid says every so often he has very blurry vision.
  I say he watches too much TV and stares at the TV 
screen and his laptop too much.  Whatever the reason, 
he feels that wearing sunglasses at night while 
watching TV will help with his "problem"


There are strange people, and then there is Arvid 😁
And by the way, nothing is wrong with his eye, but being 
an adult male, well that says it all.  Extremes are called for.


Sniff is taking it easy and so happy that we are 
back home.  He continues to follow Arvid around more 
than ever and hardly leaves him alone.  At nights 
Sniff is all cuddled up next to us.  Love πŸ’“πŸ’œ


Nothing spectacular planned for today, but even so, it is 
a beautiful day and I am sure we will have a good one.  


Wishing everyone a happy and safe day.  There are
 so many beautiful reasons to be happy today.

If you cannot do great things, do small things 
in a great way. Give everyday the chance to
 become the most beautiful day of you life...

~Nadiya~

Jul 27, 2020

Monday July 27th ~

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

I thought it was bad enough being in Chicago and
 having to use our masks all the time.  In North Carolina
 at least you can come out of the house go to your car, go for
 a walk and not have to be using the mask.  Yes, you have
 to use it in all public establishments, and that was OK.


We come back home to Fort Lauderdale, and 
it seems as if in the span of 2 weeks it got even worse.  
So we do have to wear the mask as we leave our
 apartment, but we can take it off in the garage. 
 Could not do so in Chicago.  Crazy world.

The signs are all over the city now.  More than ever.


Now as we drove around a little yesterday in 
the city I have noticed more and more people are 
wearing their masks.  Seems like not everyone feels 
safer using them.  Do they help?  I don't know,
 I do know we also use them all the time.


Ordering take out, not the same now.  Everyone is
 masked up and I think many like it.  I hate it.


The "crap" we brought from Chicago is slowly 
"disappearing"  Not even sure where everything is, but
 at least it's packed away somewhere, and no we have not 
opened many of the boxes nor suitcases as yet.  Then we
 would really have a problem finding a spot for everything.


If you look πŸ‘€ really good you can see all the 
stuff scattered all around the living room and the
 bedroom.  That I will deal with today, and hopefully 
find where to put it all.  One can always hope πŸ˜‰

Monday here again.  July is soon over.  
This pandemic is just getting started.  Life has 
sure changed and I am not liking it at all.  
Check out Arvid with his gloves.


It broke my heart seeing my parents and not 
being able to give them a hug.  We did it for their 
protection.  I hated, hated leaving and not hugging
 my mom and dad.  Horrible feeling😒, but we 
did it because it was the right thing to do.


Always hoping for better days to come.

There are more glorious days ahead, this 
should be your joy for today. Bad days always
 promise a better day tomorrow...

~Nadiya~

Jul 26, 2020

Busy Days ~

Stay busy.  If you keep your grind 
right, it will keep your mind right...

For some days until we get it all sorted out, 
we will be living in "chaos" again.  Our home looks
 like it has been bombed.  Unfortunately, I know the 
feeling too well.  Arvid and I are what you might 
call constant movers😬. Not sure where to put
 all the stuff we brought from Chicago.  


Yesterday morning I was awake way to early trying
 to figure out what to do and where to put stuff. 

I was very happy to see my mom and dad.  
Arvid and I surprised them with a 50" TV.  Was worth it.  
Made my mom super happy.  Arvid set it up and we all
 watched a few movies.  Was a very good time  


It was and always is very peaceful in North Carolina.
  When we got back to Fort Lauderdale we both looked at 
each other and said, "wow, this sure looks like a battlefield".


I can't help but miss them.  On the other hand very
 grateful for the time spent with them.  Short but good.  
At least I have seen my parents 3 times for this year πŸ™Œ.
  Arvid has not seen his mom since summer of last year 😒


It's already been a busy day.  Still so much to pack
away, and now Arvid is back with his Puerto Rico πŸ‘€
 fascination.  I am just waiting to see how this unfolds.



Hello Sunday.  Hope the day is as good for you and
I am sure will be for us.  We are home, so that is
 already a good thing.  No place like home.

Always gotta keep busy or the voices
 start telling me to do wild things...

~Nadiya~

Jul 25, 2020

Home With Sniff ~ πŸ’™

Where we love is home.  Home that our 
feet may leave, but not our hearts 🧑🧑...

And just like that we are home again  And couldn't
 be happier. There's no place like home. I mean,
 where else can you walk around without
 pants and not break any rules 🏑


I have missed Sniff so so very much. 
 I've grown accustomed to his face ❤️πŸ’™
Love begins at home, and home we are.


Sniff has not left our side since we got home.  He missed
us as much as I missed him.  I love our Sniff πŸ’œ.

If you go anywhere, even paradise,
 you will miss your home...

~Nadiya~

Jul 24, 2020

Thoughts Of Branson ~

You and I have memories longer
 than the road that stretches out ahead...

Branson, MO is never far from my thoughts, and 
these past 2 weeks it was even more so.  We were so close
yet so far from Branson. I am missing it right now 😒.


 Branson kept me going in one of the most difficult times
 in my life.  Brutus died and staying busy like we did in
 Branson was the best remedy ever.  I miss it.


Sniff had a great time there.  The birds, the squirrels
 and the deers kept him happy and busy also.  He loved
 his window by my home office.  I miss it today.


I love where we are right now, but every so often 
Branson and the time we had there pops up.  The people,
 the place everything makes it unforgettable for me.


We all love a good trip down memory lane and 
yesterday was that day for me. Sometimes all it 
takes is a familiar smell or a certain taste to evoke an 
old memory, making you feel like you are back in 
time in that moment where it was created πŸ˜ƒ.


Thank you for the memories.  I cherish all of it. 

Life brings tears, smiles, and memories. The tears dry,
 the smiles fade, but the memories last forever...

~Nadiya~

Jul 23, 2020

πŸ’š North Carolina Thursday July 23rd ~

Life is not a problem to be solved 
but a reality to be experienced...

I'm so happy we are visiting my parents, even
 though with this new norm it makes for a little different 
visit.  Arvid and I have been in and out and around people. 
Always at a safe distant, and with a mask 😞. 

 Even so, for my parents' protection we are staying
 6 feet apart when its possible.  As Arvid said "it's for
 their protection more than anything this time."  How
terrible it is to be next to your loved ones ones
 and not be able to give them a big hug.

Mom and dad look good.  The have a beautiful
 home and being there is always peaceful and calming.  
Arvid and my dad did find time to go and explore a bit. 
 We had take out yesterday.  Chicken wings and pizza.  A favorite of everyone. Since this pandemic,
they have not even done takeout πŸ•.


Enjoying time with mom and dad. 
 Grateful and happy always.

So very thankful.  Incredibly grateful.  Unbelievably blessed.
  Gratitude turns what you have into enough 😍😍...


~Nadiya~

Jul 22, 2020

Hello's From North Carolina ~ July 22nd

Enough' is a feast...❤️

We are here and we are happy to be here.  What can I say. 
 Life is good, and every opportunity I get to see my parents
 makes it even better.  Good morning everyone. 🍡


Looking forward to having a good day with my parents.
Arvid and I will be treating them to take out today.  Since
this pandemic has started, mom and dad have not done
 much.  Like many they have been hunkering down
at home.  This should be a good treat for all of us.


My dad has already pulled out the Puerto Rican Rum.
It's never too early to start when in the right company.

He is a wise man who does not grieve for the things
 which he has not, but rejoices for those which he has...

~Nadiya~

Jul 21, 2020

July 21st ~ Almost There

Enjoy the little things, for one day you may
 look back and realize they were the big things....

I didn't think we were going to make it to see my mom
 and dad in this trip, but we are and soon we will be
 there enjoying their company if only for a a short
 timeπŸ™ˆ.  I am grateful and always thankful πŸ˜‡. 


No matter how late we get in, I know my dad will be waiting
 patiently for Arvid so that we can all have a drink together.


We are lucky we can visit my family.  Not so lucky with 
seeing Arvid's family right now.  For now travelling to πŸš—
Norway is off limits for us.  Hopefully this changes soon.


The above was our summer last year in Norway πŸ’œπŸ’›πŸ’š

Better days are definitely coming.  For now we have to
 deal with the new norm and make the most of it.

You and I have memories longer than
 the road that stretches out ahead. Things end
 but memories last forever...πŸ§‘πŸ’œπŸ’™

~Nadiya~

Farewell For Now Chicago ~ July 21st πŸ’œ

You and I have memories longer
 than the road that stretches out ahead...

Time to bid farewell is near.  Once again we will soon be leaving. 


We have had some very good times here. 
 Memories that will last a lifetime.


Due to COVID this year was different.  For starters,
 no Blues FestivalπŸ₯ and our going to the city was 
😞delayed because of so many restrictions.  The 
below picture was last year's Blues Festival🎸.


Hopefully next year we can make it.  Chicago is 
a city we will always look forward to returning. 


We started living in this city in 2010.  Brutus was 
alive and it was also home for him.  The times we shared
 with Brutus are always vivid in my heart πŸ’œπŸ–€.  


No matter where we go, one thing is for sure,
 Brutus goes with us.  That is, we have a framed picture
 of him, pictured below, and that's the first picture that gets 
hung up in our apartment.  Wherever that may be πŸ–€.


Shadow never made it anyplace with us.  He died 
too soon, but he is never far from our hearts either. 
 Just hurts to think o how he died πŸ’”.  Our little 
Shadow will always be a  part of our story πŸ’™.


Yes, Chicago has beautiful beaches within the city. Blue 
waters and skyscrapers combine to make it a one of a kind.


Arvid, Brutus, Sniff and I have created beautiful
 memories everywhere we go, and we plan to continue 
doing so, wherever it is that our paths may lead us.


Chicago is magical and will always be that way.  At least for us.


Danielle has always been a part of our memories made in Chicago.


No matter what happens, some memories can never be replaced.


We have had so many good times in Chicago, and we
 will have more.  As they say, a good life is a collection of
 happy memories.  We have and continue to collect them.


To all a happy day.  Let's not forget, memory 
is a way of telling you what's important to you.

Memory is a way of holding on to the things you love,
 the things you are, the things you never want to lose.
πŸ–€  People say that bad memories cause the most pain, 
but actually it’s the good ones that drive you insane...

~Nadiya~