Saturday September 28th~

There is some good in this world, and it’s worth fighting for...

 On this day two years ago as Arvid and I were watching 

Hurricane Ian devastate Fort Myers (right before we lost power), 

my phone rang.  It was my doctor's office in Branson, Missouri. 

 The call was to inform me that my breast biopsy came back

 positive for cancer.  And just like that, I was diagnosed with 

breast cancer on the same day Ian hit Fort Myers. Now just two 

days ago Hurricane Helene devastated another part of Florida.

At first it did not really sink in to me.  I just replayed the 

message over and over in my mind.  I didn't tell it to Arvid right 

away, because we were watching Fort Myers Beach and surrounding 

areas just being wiped out by Hurricane Ian.  My first thought

when I heard the news was, "it will break my mom's heart."

Today I am doing good.  I have a five year "treatment" 

I am following and I do regular check ups very often

Yup, the doctors' offices are now my second home.  When 

breast cancer is detected early, in the localized stage, the 

5-year survival rate is 98%.  The odds are in my favor.

There is nothing special about me and this cancer diagnosis. 

 Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women in the 

United States, except for skin cancers. It accounts for about 

30% of all new female cancers each year.   About one in 

eight women will get breast cancer in their lifetime. 

Take the time to do a few simple things.  It could 

save your life.  I am grateful my cancer was detected

 at an early stage.  Many are not so fortunate.  The key

 here is to #getchecked.  Breast cancer sounds terrible, 

but it does not have to be.  If we all take the time 

to get checked, early detection can save lives.

Keep a Breast

Yesterday Arvid and I decided to go downtown and 

check out what Helene did.  It was business as usual 

everywhere.  We've been lucky, we were spared.  Our 

building had no damage.  No flooding either.  Grateful.

Yesterday I convinced Arvid to go to Capones. 

 He did not have regrets.  I have a feeling this will become 

a new hangout.  At least now we have 2 favorites rather 

than one.  Little by little I will work in more favorites. 

many "favorites" on my own.  With Arvid you

 have to introduce change VERY slowly.

It was a beautiful afternoon/evening.  It was also good

 to see that there was no damage from Hurricane Helene.  

People were having a good time.  Same as the pets.

The day ended with the most beautiful sunset,

 luckily we were right there to capture is😎

Our parent had the after effects of Hurricane Helene in 

North Carolina.  Seems it was pretty bad.  They lost power

 early yesterday, and we, their five daughters have not been able

 to get hold of them.  They have been hit by severe weather.  

Hail, tornadoes, flooding, trees everywhere (google)

Nirvana has called police department, fire department you

 name it we tried, but all power lines were and are still down so we

  have not gotten far.  Roads are in bad conditions (google search). 

 Most likely they are fine, but until we hear their voices we

 are very worried.  I won't use the word panicked as yet.

It's been a really bad day yesterday.  Before the day was over 

Wally Popeye was out for a walk with his mom and dad, Danielle

 and Andrew.  Suddenly he was being mauled/attacked by a Pit Bull 

whose owner just let him run free.  Bottom line Wally was taken 

to emergency vet, Danielle who tried to get the Pit Bull off Wally

 was bitten also, taken to the emergency room.  Not a good day.

Wishing everyone a very good day. I hope

 today is much better than yesterday was 🙏

No matter what sort of difficulties, how painful experience is,

 if we lose our hope, that's our real disaster. The very least 

you can do in your life is figure out what you hope for. And 

the most you can do is live inside that hope. Not admire

 it from a distance but live right in it, under its roof...

~Nadiya~

September 1st ~ New Month Begins

Nothing in the universe can stop you

 from letting go and starting over. A new month 

marks a new beginning and a fresh start...  

My Brutus, Sniff and Shadow.  My life has been so much better with 

them in it.  We no longer have Brutus nor Shadow,  but we have our Sniff 

and he fills my days with happiness.  There is no better way to start my

 day than to see his little face and those big eyes looking at me. 

September 28th, 2022 I was diagnosed with breast cancer. 

 The same day Hurricane Ian devastated Fort Myers.  Arvid 

and I had just moved there.  Eight days before Ian struck.

As the new month begins, hurricane season is peaking.  Already hurricane

 Idalia has "graced" Florida with her presence, and not in a good way.  There's

 billions of dollars of damage already, and this is just the beginning. This 

time Fort Myers was spared, but even so there was water everywhere.  

The damage though was not devastating as it was with hurricane Ian.

Sadly, many in other parts of Florida cannot say the same.

Whatever the new month is bringing for you, be it good or 

bad, always keep that smile on your face no matter what.

The first step towards getting somewhere is to decide you’re 

not going to stay where you are.  Live life as though nobody is 

watching, and express yourself as though everyone is listening...

~Nadiya~

A New Week Begins ~

A new week rolls in.  A week full of promises,

 potential and endless possibilities.  A week

 for you to pursue your dreams...

The week started out on a gloomy note.  So far 

it has not gotten any better.  The fog is back and today looks

 once again like a fall day.  Fortunately it is still warm

 though a bit on the humid side.  Looking froward to soon 

going back home to Fort Lauderdale.  Yes, I know, 

summers in Florida are the absolute worst.

Arvid and I have spent a few hours binge watching Netflix. 

 Something we would not do if we were back in Florida. 

 Sniff has spent his morning sleeping, and has not

 really eaten much since waking up.  Guess the 

weather is also getting him a little down.

Today is a hot tub kind of day.  

Monday again. Be epic this week.

Show Monday who's the boss.

Finding your passion isn't about careers and money.

It's about finding you authentic self.  The one

 you've buried beneath others needs...

~Nadiya~

New Beginnings...

Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance you must keep moving... A house is made of walls and beams; a home is built with love and dreams....


 The one thing that has been consistent with Arvid and I is our love for moving from place to place and of course always saying this would be our last move.   So for the last few months we have been looking for a new place to call home and yes we found it as mentioned in the previous post.  Started with looking at what is out there, making an offer, buying a new place and of course fixing it up from head to toe.  Not always a piece of cake, but always the results are worth it.  Yes, we have decided that living in a house though with tons of pluses is not for us.  We are the type that prefer living the condo lifestyle.

Living in the house has been a very good experience for all three of us.  Brutus loved every spot and had so many favorite places that it's hard to keep track of which he liked best.  Both Arvid and I enjoyed many things also about being owners of a house.  His favorite I have to say was the convenience of getting in and out, the location to the main highways and yes, the fact that we had a double garage and did not have to go up ramps and ramps to get to our parking space as it was with the condo we lived in before having the house.

What I liked best was to watch Brutus enjoy everyday with the birds.  I loved the fact that our neighbor was as fond of cats as we are.  She has a few she cares for and I loved feeding them treats and talking to them.  I also liked the fact that we had so much space.

just a walk away

 What I missed in the condo was walking to restaurants and places without always having to drive.  I missed the city noises and lights.  What we really do enjoy in a condo is being close to the water and having a little water view.  Arvid is one that LOVES to hear the sound of a boat engine revving up.

life is good together

March was our first outing as locals in our new area.  It felt good to just be able to walk and get to a favorite place of ours.  Truthfully, no matter what we do and where we have lived we have enjoyed it all.  While living in a house, we had a great time, made some wonderful friends, explored a different neighborhood, discovered restaurants and places we otherwise may have never discovered.  It has been a great experience and now we are on our way to a whole new experience.  It's been a few months now and we are having the time of our lives.  As usual my family are now always expecting us to move on a yearly basis..  Of course it's going to be our LAST move!!!  Just like before

I have always been delighted at the prospect of a new day, a fresh try, one more start, with perhaps a bit of magic waiting somewhere behind the morning....

~Nadiya~