Wednesday September 17th ~

When I am sad there is no greater comfort

 than the devoted companionship of my 

cat and the sweet sound of a PURR...

 Truer words than these I can't imagine what they

 would be.  I loved my Brutus like no one before.  I still

 and always will love and miss him, but my Sniff occupies

 so much of my heart today.  I cannot begin to imagine 

what my life would be  today without my Sniff in it.

A little more on our day in Cherokee Village, 

Arkansas.  Arvid and I look at everything as a little 

adventure, though sometimes it's far from it. 

Yesterday for instance we started out happily

 on the road.  A bit cloudy so was a perfect day

 for an almost 3.5 hours drive.  Lucky me this 

time Arvid did all the driving to and from.

We did what we set out to do.  Put signs on 

our lots.  I did get a few cuts here and there, 

but as Arvid puts it, "it's all in a day's work."

As we were both relaxing doing our own thing,

 I heard what sounded like someone pelting rocks 

on the roof, the windows and sliding door. I look 

out and what do I see? Yup, a hail storm.  

The storm lasted just about ten minutes but the 

hail kept coming g like crazy. Golf sized hail fell

 on the grass. I was so tempted to run out and capture 

a few but common sense prevailed. I did open the front 

door and managed to get a few small ones. I was

 excited,  even when some of the hail hit me 😅

We did not have any damage by our condo.  Not

 sure as of right now what-if damage happened elsewhere. 

We just lost internet for a while, but otherwise all is good.  

Another good day is here.  Wishing everyone happy time. 

 Fall is around the corner, just look at the color on the trees.

A little Florida shenanigans.  Looking forward to being home.

 Friendships must be built on a

 solid foundation of alcohol, sarcasm, 

inappropriateness, and  shenanigans...

~Nadiya~

Tuesday September 16th~

A man can spoil his wife by giving her the 

best of his love. But a woman can also spoil her 

man by giving him the best of her heart...

 Nothing makes Sniff happier than clean laundry, and 

me being weak, I always make sure he has it everyday.  Every

 morning I put his linens in the dryer and refresh them for about 

fifteen minutes.  This way it is always nice and warm.  He also

 gets a change of linens three times a week.  Yes, I spoil him.

Just look at that face.  When Sniff looks at me 

with those big bright eyes I just melt.  He brings me 

happiness and joy, so anything I do for him will 

never compare to what he does for me.

Every so often Arvid and I indulge in a little 

sightseeing.  Branson after all is beautiful.

Yesterday's little job took us to Cherokee Village,

 Arkansas.  Arvid and I own a few lots there and we drove 

to them to put up some signs.  It usually always works.   

Arvid is happiest when he is busy.  I am also, but Arvid glows.

I'm not spoiling my cat; I'm just 

giving him the life he deserves...

~Nadiya~

Monday September 15th~

Monday is the day to set the pace for 

a productive and joyful week ahead...

 As the new week begins, arvid and I have a few 

things to do. Time is winding down fast and pretty

 soon our days in Branson will be over. That’s of course 

until next summer.  I'm ready to soon go back home.

We had a very pleasant outing yesterday.  Arvid

 always says to me, “ I  like our Sundays just by 

ourselves.”  Says that with just the two of us there

 is no need to babble(his word) all the time.

I have not seen Charley around much. Truth is

 I have not been looking out for her.  Every so often 

I still find myself looking for Oliver.  I know where 

Oliver lives now, and I am so tempted to go visit him,

 but so far I have not.  Arvid says to leave it alone.  He's 

probably right, but for some reason the only reason I

 listen to is mine.  Not always the right thing to do but...

Arvid and I have a busy morning.  Yes we have

 a job to do and could not be happier.  Good morning

 and a good day to all.  Make it a memorable one.

Every morning starts a new page in 

your story. Make it a great one today...

~Nadiya~

Sunday September 14th~

Never underestimate the power of your voice and 

the impact you can have on the world when you

 speak up for what you believe (Charlie Kirk)...

 Soccer was taking a hiatus for a few weeks, but

 since yesterday it has been back on full swing.  As you 

can guess, someone has busy days.  Never leaves

 the TV unless it's to eat or use the restroom. 

As for me I did a few things by myself. 

 Took my time and just had a very pleasant time 

browsing around and having a mani-pedi. Relaxing

 time it was.  I do like my alone time a lot.

After more soccer we decided to go to Jimmy 

Buffett's Margaritaville at The Landing.  As always 

it was a very good outing, but the server told us

 that everyone had to leave by 8pm because they 

have a private fraternity party of 250 people.

Before we left we saw some of the party

 arriving in suits.  Nice to see people well dressed.

  They were so young and cute, and full of life.

As a mark of respect for the memory of

 Charlie Kirk,  as per President Trump the flag 

of the United States shall be flown at half-staff

 throughout the United States and its Territories and 

possessions until sunset, September 14, 2025.

To all a very good day.  Time to make Arvid his bacon and eggs.

If you believe in something, you need to have the 

courage to fight for those ideas - not run away from 

them or try and silence them (Charlie Kirk)...

~Nadiya~

Branson Hit's of the 60's

The '60s was one of the first times

 the power of music was used by a.

 generation to bind them together...

America, you're supposed to be better than this.

 Travel back in time with Branson’s most nostalgic

 show with Branson Show Tickets and get ready to 

twist and shout your way through the decades!

That's exactly what Arvid and I did this week.

  We were invited by our friends Roger and Franceau.  

Two of Arvid's Friday drink buddies.  Russell, the third 

member in their group was not able to make it.

  Roger of course knows the entire cast.

Roger and Franceau have both seen this show several

 times.  Roger claims he has seen it 10 times as of right now 

and will see it again in the future.  Of all the people in the

 audience, Roger was chosen to go on stage.  He loved it.

This talented troupe of ten singers, dancers, and 

musicians will touch on more than 100 songs in a 

total of 100 costumes.  I enjoyed the costume changes.

Arvid was most keen on one of the male singers pants. 

 Claims he used to have a pair just like it, back in the days.

When growing up my mom played most of these 

songs, so I knew all of them.  Made it so cool to hear 

the songs I grew up with again.  Lots of good memories 

came flashing back.  Especially of my mom singing.

Some of the artists covered by the cast of #1 Hits of the

 60s (& 50s, Too!), include The Beatles, The Beach Boys, 

Paul Anka, Petula Clark, Buddy Holly, Mamas & The Papas, 

The Association, Lesley Gore, Dion, The Coasters, Roy 

Orbison, Stevie Wonder, Elvis Presley to The Four Seasons, 

The Monkees, The Supremes, CCR, The Rolling Stones, 

The Eagles, Janis Joplin, Bob Dylan and so many more!

These Boots Are Made for Walking segment, gets 

the audience movin’ and groovin’ along with their high 

school dance.  Everyone was on their feet dancing away.  

We really had a good time.  Much better than I 

expected.  I also enjoyed all the background visuals that

 went with the songs.  Very informative I must say.

Morning is here and it is looking good.  Again.

Today is one of my sister's birthday.  A few years ago when 

we lived in Puerto Rico, we celebrated with her.  I sure miss her, 

and we sure miss Puerto Rico.  Happy birthday Nirvana 🎂

When the power of love overcomes the love 

of power, the world will know peace...

~Nadiya~

More from our Chicago Weekend~

You shouldn't wait for other people 

to make special things happen. You 

have to create your own memories...

 Navy Pier is the top-visited destination in 

the Midwest.  It is a 3,300-foot-long pier on the 

shoreline of Lake Michigan, l in Chicago, Illinois.

Each year, nearly nine million guests visit 

Navy Pier, Chicago’s iconic lakefront destination, 

and learn all that this destination has to offer.  

Navy Pier is home to one of Chicago’s most

 iconic attractions, the Centennial Wheel. 

For Arvid and I, a trip to Chicago means a must to 

Navy Pier.  When we lived in Chicago, Navy Pier was

 just a little walk from our condo.  We love Chicago and 

we really enjoy going to Navy Pier.  Then and now.

Brutus was a huge part of everything we did.  He travelled 

to us to The Bahamas when we lived there, and of course

 to Chicago.  Brutus never made it with us to Branson.

A must for us is dinner at Smith and Wollensky.  

Aside from good food we enjoy the view.  Watching 

the boats pass by as we dine is a pretty cool thing.

I enjoyed a few delicious cocktails while there.  So yummy.

Arvid and I enjoy short getaways.  We do not like

 staying in a hotel, but for a few days, and when you

 are in a place you really love, it works just fine.

Already Friday.  Another weekend is upon us.  The 

day is looking good.  Birdies are already out and there 

is sunshine with clear skies.  Hope your day is also

 a good one.  Friday has become "the boys" day.  

Take care of all your memories. 

For you cannot relive them...

~Nadiya~

Thursday September 11th~

If we learn nothing else from this tragedy, we learn 

that life is short and there is no time for hate...

 It has been 23 years since the 9/11 terrorist attacks, which 

occurred on September 11, 2001. This milestone was observed 

in 2024, with officials and victims' families honoring the nearly

 3,000 people who lost their lives at the World Trade Center, 

the Pentagon, and in Shanksville, Pennsylvania.

The attacks resulted in the deaths of nearly 

3,000 people, including passengers on the planes, 

people in the affected buildings, and courageous

 first responders who rushed to the scenes. 

September 11, 2001, revealed heroism in ordinary

 people who might have gone through their lives never 

called upon to demonstrate the extent of their courage.  Let's

not forget that one of the worst days in America's history

 saw some of the bravest acts in Americans' history.

The attacks of September 11th were intended to break

 our spirit. Instead we have emerged stronger and more unified. 

We feel renewed devotion to the principles of political, economic 

and religious freedom, the rule of law and respect for human life. 

We are more determined than ever to live our lives in freedom...

~Nadiya~

Wednesday September 10th~ Chicago

Life's too short to wait.  Do something 

today for a better tomorrow...

 Our weekend I Chicago was amazing. In many

 ways it was like returning home, at the same time I do 

not think I would like to go to Chicago next summer.

As I told Arvid, “we have seen all there is to see.”  I 

would now like to see some other place.  Definitely 

one of the most beautiful cities we have been to.

We arrived and immediately began revisiting some

 of our favorite spots. It’s definitely a walking city, one

 of the many things we love about it.  We walked quite

 a bit, and because of my knee we also Ubered a bit. 

There was a lot of drinking going on during weekend, 

but boy was it delicious.  We even managed to do a

 fast little shopping at Macy’s.  For me always a

pleasant time.  I love to just browse around.

 It's a beautiful store and this time even Arvid 

wanted to go and do some shopping.  He didn’t

 find what he was looking for, but I who was not

 looking for anything found stuff.  Happy.

We just had a couple of days in the city so we had to pick

 and choose where we would go.  I chose House of Blues

 this time rather than Buddy Guy's Legends, not an easy 

decision, but we had to pick one. So did Arvid. Said the

 music over the weekend was better at House of Blues

   Never disappoints. I just like the ambiance in there. 

 Something to eat and drinks with music made for a very

 good time.  I had to visit their merchandise store. 

I don’t need anything but I love to check out what 

is new.  Since I already have quite a few of their items

 I just ended up getting a House of Blues tank top.

  After that we explored the city some more. It’s

 beautiful during the day, and spectacular at night.

  I don’t think I can ever get tired of it, but like I

 said I also do not wish to go there next summer.  I believe

 I love to explore and take my time looking at things more 

than Arvid. He is almost always in a rush to do things.

That's it for today.  Tomorrow a little more on our

 Chicago weekend.  For now a good day to all.  

Life is a collection of 

moments, make them count...

~Nadiya~