Saturday in Branson ~

The day is full of possibilities and I will make the most of them...

 Back home in the USA and it feels so good.  Can't seem to 

stop saying this to myself.  Now the next step  will be to get back

 to Florida, but for now I am enjoying Branson, my wildlife

 friends, but not so much the heatwave.  It's really hot.

The first two days back home the phones never stopped ringing. 

 The home phone, Arvid's cell phone and my cell phone.  Pretty hectic

 start of our back to home.  Unlike Arvid I do not turn off my cell phone at

 nights, so I continued to receive messages.  Thank goodness no one actually

 called in the middle of the night like they did while we were in Norway.

I am missing Aleah, Vanessa and Amelia.  I picture Amelia's 

little face and I smile.  She makes the funniest of faces.  I miss 

her hugs and her laughter a lot.  I miss her running up to me and 

holding on tightly.  Good to be home, but at the same time..

A typical Branson morning.  This little squirrel came for foodies

 yesterday up on the balcony.  Usually I would chase the squirrels away

 (they have food I give to them on the ground), but this baby looked so sad.

  I just let him eat the sunflower seeds.  Hopefully he shows up again 

this morning.  Left him lots of peanuts and sunflower seeds.

  All is good in our world.  Have a happy day everyone.

Living is the art of getting used to what we didn't expect...

~Nadiya~

Another Day at Work ~

 Sometimes the best way to appreciate

 something is to be without it for a while...

Almost Home is full, it’s very quiet and we are

 getting caught up on what needs to be done.  Feels 

good and relaxing.  Makes for a peaceful day.

The other we made contact again with the guy who

 does the pest control every month.  He was surprised, and

 glad to see us.  And he also vacations in Florida. Preventive

 maintenance is what we are doing right now since everything

 is quiet.  Better now than when things do go wrong.

I have already learnt the names of all the tenants

 and their room numbers.  Arvid not as yet.  Names are

 not his strong point, but keeping the accounts in order,

 no one like him.  Together we work really well.

It feels good to be back and at the same time 

it’s strange.  Was definitely not what we expected

 when we came to Branson.  Life happens.

After almost nine days we are done cleaning the 

previous owners' room.  The condition it was in 

was terrible.  Today you could eat off the floors. 

It’s spotless. I know I could live in it.

I have been laying down the rules on a few 

people 🤫, Arvid said I am “meaner than a junkyard 

dog”. I am just firm. When Arvid is mad, the tenant

 is OUT!  We complement each other well.

I’ve been trying to bring my lunch to work rather

 than eating out everyday.  So far it’s a 50/50 thing.

Our days are busy. We get home and there is

 still more to do, but in the big picture all is going 

well, and Almost Home is running smoothly. 

 Can't and won't complain.  Could be worse.

Find peace, mindfulness and 

conscious purpose by being grateful 

for what you have in your life...

~Nadiya~

Wednesday September 22nd ~

At times, our own light goes out and is

 rekindled by a spark from another person... 

Sniff says hi to everyone.  Says it's a beautiful sunny 

day and he's going to make the most of it.  Right now he's just 

basking in the sunshine enjoying it for as long as it lasts.  

It lasts for a long time, he's a happy happy boy.

As for me, I'm still smiling.  Had a wonderful time in

 North Carolina.  Seeing Gabsy was a beautiful surprise. 

 I love this boy as if he were my very own.  

On the other hand, I love them all as if they were 

my very own.  How lucky I am to have wonderful nieces

 and nephews, two amazing stepdaughters, and soon to be 

3 granddaughters.  I must have done something right.

I wake up, and always say to myself, "there is always 

something to be grateful for."  I am grateful, always even

 though sometimes I have to navigate my way through the fog.

Gratitude turns what we have into enough

~Nadiya~

August 1st ~ A Brand New Month

August rain: the best of the summer gone, and 

the new fall not yet born. The odd uneven time...

A little under 5 months until Christmas.  

Hello August.  Please be kind to us all.
So far 2020 has not been a great year.

Good things are going to happen  Welcome August.

Kind words can be short and easy to speak, 

but their echoes are truly endless.  As a new month 

begins, why not aim to show a little more kindness

 to one and other?  Kindness costs nothing.

Life is good.  Make it beautiful.  Work for a

 cause, not applause.  Live life to express, not to 

impress.  Do not strive to make your presence

 noticed, but make your absence felt.  Hello 💋

August.  Let's make this an amazing month.

Sometime the heart has it's own rules.

It is not joy that makes us grateful.  

It is gratitude that makes us joyful...

~Nadiya~

June 2nd ~Grateful

You will never look back on life and think,

 "I spent too much time with my family"...

Being apart for a little is good for any relationship.
 Always make me realize how much I love life with
Arvid and Sniff. A few days is OK, and then
 it's time to be home again with them.

I have had a great time in North Carolina.  I
already am missing my parents, but I am happy
 they are just a drive 🚗away.  Arvid is not so
fortunate 😢 his mother lives in Norway,
 and that is one very long plane trip ✈

Wishing everyone a happy day.
What are you grateful for today?

Strive to find things to be thankful for,
 and just look for the good in who you are...

~Nadiya~

And So It Begins...

Set a goal so big that you can't achieve it until you grow into the person who can...

As a new week begins, I find myself wishing for the weekend to be here already.  The past week

 was pretty hectic.  Arvid and I did quite a bit and it seems we never took a break.  We even 

gave up our Sunday outing to just sit back and relax at home with Brutus.  It was 

very relaxing, and yet again we managed to work most of the day.

All day long it was a parade of boats.  Boats all sizes and from all countries passing by.

Overall it was not a bad way to pass the day and to recover from the weeks tiredness.

Brutus as everyone knows is back to being on a not so good path as far as the paw goes.

Yesterday he once again started on the pill.  He now takes two kinds of pills, but given

 together and only once a day instead of twice a day.  Something good.

I'm very tired right now of being in an airplane.  Tired of flying, but with Arvid

I never know what to expect.  I'm afraid to go anywhere for long because

when I get back home I'm always "surprised" by him.

This not a bad thing, but does wear me out especially knowing that Brutus

is not well and that there is really no one who can give him his medications like I can.

I hope your day-week has started with a bang and that it just continues to get better

 and better.  All good here a bit stormy skies but still a beautiful day.

On a very good note, I did manage to satisfy my sweet tooth craving.

Happy Monday all.

Give everyday the chance to become the most beautiful day of your life...

~Nadiya~

Thankful...

Never let the things you want make 

you forget the things you have...

Talking to my parents and to my sisters yesterday, they all tell me that fall is

already in the air.  They already feel the chill of winter approaching..

This is when I am happy to be living in the warmer Florida climate. 

There was a time I lived in New York and though I love the city, I

never got used to the freezing winters.  I hated to be bundled up in so many layers 

of clothing.  I love the fact that here in Florida we can always wear summer clothes.

Or go to the beach all year long (this though, we never do).  Another good thing

is that we can drive the car top down all winter long.  If we so wish.

Chicago is another city we both love.  I think it has become our favorite

city, but there they also have very harsh winters.  One of the reasons we only

lived there in the summers.  Yes, I feel fortunate to be able to have

warm climate all year long.  Many, like my sisters and parents love the change of 

seasons and they enjoy the winters.   Arvid, Brutus and I not at all!  We like warm.

 My parents and two sisters at one time called Florida home.  Today they unfortunately

 no longer live here and seem to be happier in their new States.  The good thing is that since

we have a "spare" house, my parents visit every year and enjoy some of the

Florida sunshine also.  Yes, I am grateful and happy with our life.

Wishing you all a good day and never forget to ask yourself,

:what are you grateful for today?  You'd be surprised.

Gratitude is a habit of the heart...

~Nadiya~

Being Thankful.....

Taking a few moments to be thankful for what is going well 

in your life is an excellent way to dive into the day with a positive attitude...

Last time in the hot tub.

Very lucky we have been to have had the opportunity to 

live in this beautiful city.

Brutus and I had early morning routines watching the sunrise.

Brutus loves waling all over Arvid in an attempt to wake him up.

Don't think that will change when we get back to Florida.

It has been a beautiful stay here in Chicago.  I recommend this city to everyone!

Two more nights and the apartment is no longer ours.

It has been a great adventure!

Never let the things you want make

you forget the things you have....

~Nadiya~