Day of our Lives ~

 Be like a postage stamp, stick
 to a thing until you get there...

Some days Sniff just finds a spot and focuses on it no 

matter what we do or how much we try to distract him.  

The other day he kept watch for hours.  What he was

 seeing or hearing we still do not know, but he sure 

was concentrated.  He never missed a beat.

It's not yet six AM and I have been up for the last hour. 

 Not unusual, but today it's raining like crazy.  Very hard 

with extreme lightning and thunder.  Sniff is just scared

 out of his wits, and staying as close to me as he can.

At least it is not cold.  Yesterday temperatures hit 77F (25C) 

made for a very beautiful day.  Hopefully this will be the trend 

from now on.  Everyone is looking forward to warmer days.

Having my own car once again sure makes a big difference.  

Yesterday I was able to leave work an hour earlier than usual while

 Arvid stayed back.  I sure got a lot accomplished in that hour.

Good morning everyone.  The rain continues, but now it's

 just a soothing sound.  The weekend is already looking up.

If a mind thinks with a believing

 attitude, one can do amazing things...

~Nadiya~

💚 Kiss Me, I'm Irish ~ March 17th

 If you work, if you wait, you will find

 the place where the four-leaf clovers grow....

Working nine to five.  What a way to make a living 💚

If I had green I may have worn it, but I don't 💚

I try to be grateful for the abundance 

of the blessings that I have, for the journey

 that I'm on and to relish each day as a gift...

~Nadiya~

Wednesday March 16th ~

 Success doesn’t just find you. 
You have to go out and get it...

Meanwhile back home in Florida, the days are bright, the

 palm trees are swaying and everyone is just having a jolly merry

 time in the sun.  How I miss the Sunshine State this minute.

Believe it or not we have seen a few cars here in our 

area with Florida plates, and a few of our neighbors in our

 complex are currently vacationing in Florida.  And to think

 we lived there.  Don't get me wrong, I like Branson, but it is 

definitely not as beautiful as Florida, nor Puerto Rico

For over a year, we woke up to this every morning while 

we lived in Puerto Rico.  Yes, this is the view from our then 

balcony in Puerto Rico.  How I miss that island, my sister, Kimsy 

and my kitties.  In the blink on an eye, our lives have changed.

Change is not bad.  It makes you grow and takes you

 out of your comfort zone.  We are ready for it.  Always. 

 Good morning and a beautiful day to all.  Life is good

 and everyday is an opportunity to strive and do better.

The only limit to your impact is 

your imagination and commitment...

~Nadiya~

Tuesday, Just Another Day ~

 The world is full of people

 looking for spectacular happiness 

while they snub contentment...

For those who know a little about Branson, MO,

 you know it’s a seasonal town.  Season begins mid March,

 and goes all the way to December 31st. Some 9 million 

people come this way during the season.  Not bad.

This past weekend Branson was already buzzing. 

 Spring break has begun and the town was full.  Most of 

the attractions are open though it is still cold, as far as we

 are concerned everything was full and people were enjoying  

water activities among among other things in short sleeves.

Arvid and I drove around a bit and witnessed some of it.

  Traffic was heavy and there were cars everywhere.  Even the 

restaurants are packed  Fortunately, we eat earlier than

 most, 😍 so we did not have too long of a wait.

Our life is out on hold again.  For now our entire

 focus is on running  Almost Home Lodge and to continue 

on making it a place everyone feels safe and welcome.

I am still helping with the cleaning  I cannot 

believe the amount of trash one one alone can have, 

but everyday is a new learning experience.

Sniff is not used to us being gone this much, but 

he’s such a good boy, and I brush him first thing in the

 morning and as soon as we get home in the afternoons.  

No matter how tired I am  sniff is never neglected.

To all a good day.  Time to tackle a room we

 have been cleaning for quite some time .  Until 

I feel I can live in it, I will not rent it out.

Think of all the beauty still 

left around you and be happy...

~Nadiya~

Monday, New Week ~

Wake up with determination. 
Go to bed with satisfaction... 

Monday morning.  A new week.  And so

 begins the craziness of a new work week.  Slowly 

but surely we are getting back into the rhythm.

Sniff is a little disoriented as to what's happening.  
Some days Arvid has to come back home in the middle 

of the "work day"  Sniff just stares at him wondering what 

is going on.  Routines are important for his as well.

Sunday brought us beautiful sunsets.  Makes you 

know that everything is going to be OK and that there

 is always something wonderful waiting to happen. 

To all a great week ahead.  May it be

 everything and more than you expect.

It’s going to be hard, but hard

 does not mean impossible...

~Nadiya~

Sunday March 13 ~

 Never bend your head. Always hold

 it high. Look the world straight in the eye...

Let's just say I hope we do nothing at all.  Right now

 just being home is good enough for us.  Time with

 Sniff and a yes cleaning.  Not as if I have not been 

cleaning since getting back to Almost Home 😱

The ice from our hopefully last snow fall and freeze was

 still around as of yesterday afternoon when I went out to fill 

the bird feeders.  With all the sunshine we are having and the

 warmer weather, it has already melted or will melt by today.

Arvid and Sniff already started their daily routines.

  All is good here at home.  Our days are much busier than

 we expected, but life is definitely NOT predictable.

Great things never come from comfort zones...

~Nadiya~

Saturday March 12th ~

I stumbled, but I rose back 
up and continued my journey... 

Saturdays are not that hectic. We do get to relax 

a few hours in the morning, "work" a little in the middle 

of the day, and then enjoy the rest of the day leisurely. 

 Right now, I will take just being home, and enjoying

 a good book with Sniff and  Arvid by my side.

Life is on a fast track right now.  I know one day it will

 get back to a semblance of "normal" whatever normal

 is in our life.  For now it feels as if I am on autopilot.

Everything could be better, on the other hand it 

could also be much worse.  In the big picture, we are 

doing quite OK.  Always grateful for the little things

Some people wait a lifetime

 for a moment like this...

~Nadiya~

Friday March 11th ~

 Step by step, moment by moment,
 we live through another day...

This week has gone by so fast.  I guess when you're

 busy time just runs away.  Another successful work week.  A

 lot accomplished, but still lots more to do.  Little at a time.

The sun was out yesterday and today it's not looking 

that good as of right now.  Snow is still in the forecast, but

 hoping it goes away. We are not ready for more snow.

Friday.  Used to be so different, just two weeks ago.

  Now it's back to the grind and just busy, busy.

Practice like its competition and compete 

like it's another day on the practice court...

~Nadiya~

Thursday March 10th

Sometimes sitting and doing nothing

 is the best something you can do... 

The squirrels are at it again.  They have already "destroyed"

 2 of the feeders, but this particular one is holding up so far.  I 

have bought a few different ones.  They claim to be squirrel proof, 

and so far those have been holding up to the the squirrel attacks.

All things considered we are doing good.  I am really exhausted,

 but that's to be expected.  Everyday is better and I know that 

together Arvid and I can accomplish what we set out to do.  We 

always have a game plan, and a time frame.  And we always 

hope for the best, but plan for worse case scenario.

No matter how busy we are, Sniff always gets a lot of attention.  

Maybe not as much as he's used to, but I brush him early

 in the mornings and in the evenings.  He's loved.

Life being so busy right now, I find that I do not

 spend as much time thinking about my PR kitties, but  I

 do miss them, and no matter what I look for posts from

 my friend in Puerto Rico often hoping to "see" them.

Good morning all.  It's cold, but as of right now there is

 no snow today.  Tomorrow snow is still in the forecast.

It's a busy time.  There will be a lot of changes...

~Nadiya~

Wednesday March 9th ~

 A flower cannot blossom without sunshine,

 and man cannot live without love...

Even though the cold is back, I know spring is struggling

 to make its' presence.  Tiny little flowers 🌼are blooming,

 and that is already a good sign that the warmer weather is

 approaching, also pollen is around the corner.  You have

 to take the good with the not so good.  Called life.

Life is busy.  Some days I just feel like it's a little too much.  I feel

 as if there is a lot of pressure on me, Arvid says I put that pressure 

on me.  On the other hand, it's just the way I am.  When there is

 something to do, I don't feel comfortable just taking off.

Sniff is not having any of that.  He's relaxed happy and 

always enjoying his heating bed.  Yes, its been very cold these 

last few days.  Friday snow is predicted.  Hope that's wrong.

A blooming flower means nature is beaming...

~Nadiya~

Tuesday March 8th ~

 Tomorrow is often the busiest day of the week...

Last week the temperatures reached the the 70's (F),  21(C).

  Suddenly it is dropping again and the cold is back.  As far as

 we know, snow is a possibility.  Hopefully not, but one should 

always be prepared for worse case scenario.  This time neither

 a broom nor a machete can do the job, should we get snow.

Doing the 9-5 thing is not easy, but sometimes one

 has to do whatever is needed when needed.  Our days

 are busy, and our "free" time suddenly is limited.

It's already been a long week, and today is just Tuesday.  

Let's see how the rest of the week pans out.  Long is not always

 bad.  We are getting lots done so that is always good.

I just had a super busy day.  Converting

 Oxygen into Carbon Dioxide...

~Nadiya~

New Week.

 You are in control. Never

 allow your Monday to be manic...

As the new week begins, Arvid and I are once again

 going to be very busy.  The last week was exhausting, at the 

same time very rewarding. We pushed ourselves and accomplished

 quite a few things.  It just goes to show that sometime being 

under pressure is a sure way to make one strive to excel.  

Hopefully this week will be a little gentler to us. 

 My body aches, but my brain is once again alive and firing

 away. My goal is to survive the week and to accomplish 

as many of my goals as possible  if I can master just a

 few things I set out to do then I am super happy.

Sniff is good.  Arvid and I are also doing good, just a

 little tired.  On Saturday Arvid and celebrated 22 years

 together   Arvid remembered the date, unfortunately

 🤫 I didn’t.  Next year I will, but everyday I do.

  He surprised me and that’s all I will say.  The 

man is a true romantic and I do love him so ❤️

Last night we had another tornado warning.  Initially 

we had no idea if we would be in the path of it or not. 

 For a while there it was scary to the point where we got

 everything prepared to head down to the basement.  Sniff

 was scared.  Very scared, but we never left him alone.

Wishing everyone a good week ahead;  give it your best shot

 and you’re already a winner.  Hello Monday.  We are ready.

Think smart, work smarter. Achieve

 great results. Live today. Not yesterday...

 

~Nadiya~

Sunday March 6th ~

 Everything can change at any

 moment, suddenly and forever...

You never know when life suddenly throws 

you a curve, on the other hand for those who 

know us know that this is nothing unusual.

  Life once again has thrown us a little twist, 

but since nothing is as one thinks it will be up 

to oneself to on and do the best you can.

Living in Missouri just got a little busier, but as I

 always say, "busy is good."  Sunday.  Hoping 

for a relaxing day.  Today we really need it.

Happy Sunday to all, and a reminder

 that no great thing happens suddenly😍

Why is it, every time I go the mile, 

another mile comes up...

~Nadiya~

Saturday March 5th ~

No matter who tries to teach you lessons

 about life you won't understand it until

 you go through it on your own... 

I can still taste the deliciousness and the

 smoothness of the chocolate.  I love chocolate.  I hope it

 will not be my downfall.  For sure it's my weakness.

When Arvid came back from Norway he brought me

  a LOT of chocolate.  You may think you know all about 

chocolate, but until you have tried the Norwegian chocolate,

 you really do not know anything about chocolate.  I am biased,

 but their chocolate is the absolute BEST.  Once you start

 on it, it's almost impossible to stop.  At least I can't.

No Sniff does not get to eat chocolate, but he sure 

enhances the picture.  Anytime I can get Sniff in my pictures,

 he will definitely be there.  After all he is my happy place.

To all a good day.  These two are just relaxing

 and enjoying some bonding time together.

To all a good day.  Let's not forget that though some days 

may not be exactly the way we want it to be, we must 

not forget that it's just a bad day.  Not a bad life.

I will not lose, for even in defeat, there is a 

valuable lesson learned, so it evens up for me...

~Nadiya~

Friday March 4th ~

 I used to have all these plans and think

 'Ah, I have my whole life figured out', 

but then I realized no matter how much I plan:

 life happens! So I find myself living day to day

 trying to do my best, embracing every moment

 as a learning opportunity and chance to

 get to know myself a little more...

For a change 😂 we having some long days,

 but always good.  Weather is gorgeous and flowers

 are starting to bloom.  Spring is finally in the air.

  Unfortunately, it will cool down next week.

A drive by Table Rock Lake.  Always a pretty

 sight, and now that spring is soon here it will 

be full of tourists from all over the USA.

Wishing everyone a good day.  The other day we had

 lunch with some of our former tenants/friends. Always 

good to catch up and see how everyone is doing.

To all a good day.  Make this an amazing day.  

Still gorgeous weather.  Arvid and I were actually hot 

the last couple of days.  Felt like summertime.

The weekend is almost her, and with the

 gorgeous weather, possibilities are looking good.

I've learned over and over that life

 happens on its own terms, not mine...

~Nadiya~