Monday Again ~

Life moves so fast. You gotta document the good times, man...

One day closer to seeing my parents.  I'm super excited

 and happy.  My parents are getting older, and every

 chance I have to see them is a blessing I count.  

At the end of the day, the most overwhelming key to 
a child's success is the positive involvement of parents. 

To my parents, I will always be grateful and thankful for 
all you did and continue to do for us.  Anything I can do to 
repay that is never going to be enough.  Thank you for 
loving us in the good and sometimes not so good times.

We had a great day yesterday.  Arvid helped
 a friend with some cars, and then we had some
 quality time for ourselves.  Always good.

As the new week begins there is lots to do.  Staying busy 

is something we thrive on.  Another week is here.

  Time sure is going by fast.  Suddenly before

 you know it, February will soon be over.

Wishing everyone a productive week ahead. 

 As always whatever it is you do, do it with enthusiasm. 

 Put your heart and soul into it.  That's the only way.

Enthusiasm is the mother of effort, and without it nothing

great was ever achieved.  If you have passion, there is no

 need for excuses because your enthusiasm will trump 

any negative reasoning you might come up with. 

Enthusiasm makes excuses a non issue...

~Nadiya~

Hello New Day ~

Life is all about having a good time. When you realize 

nothing is lacking, your whole world belongs to you...

In just a few days Arvid and I will embark on another 

of our much loved road trips.  We will be heading to 

North Carolina to see my parents.  As you can imagine, 

I can't wait.  For me visiting family is the best.  

After a visit with mom and dad we go to Georgia.  

Jekyll Island to be specific.  Every year in February there

 is a trade meeting and now that we are back in Florida we

 hope to go every year.  That of course is also based on what 

Arvid has left to trade.  Hopefully always something because

 it makes going to visit my parents more of a possibility.

We have had a very relaxing week and look forward

 to more of the same in the coming week.  There is always

 something to do, so we are always kept busy.  

Yesterday we went to the car auction for a few hours. 

 Interesting, but we did not buy any. On the other hand,

 one of our customers picked up 6 cars, and who knows how 

many more he will buy before the auction ends today.  

Good for us because we get his business.  We are in the 

shipping business as well.  Mainly shipping to Norway.

Sunda again.  Another beautiful day here at home.  The "boys"

 are relaxing and all is nice and calm.  A few errands to run

 today and then it's time for Arvid and I to enjoy our Sunday outing. 

Yes, life is good because we decided to make it that way.

I woke up.  I have clothes.  I have food to eat. 

 I have running water. Life is good and I am thankful.

It is up to you to see the beauty of everyday things...

~Nadiya~

Life Is Good ~

Enjoy your own life without comparing it to that of another...

No questions about it.  Sniff has the best seat in the 

house everyday all day long, and both Arvid and I love it.  

To know Sniff is to love him.  He has this calmness about him 

that you can feel and sense right away.  He soothes

 our hearts and fills our home with love.  

Every evening his first favorite spot is right between Arvid's legs.

Just like with Brutus, Arvid does not move.  He watches TV and 

stays still until Sniff decides to get up and move over to my side.  

This is every night.  A little routine the 3 of us have. We love it.

Coming back to Florida and to the life we had has been good.
We do things we used to do and some.  I still stay in touch
with my friends in Branson.  Yes, I do miss Almost Home
and the people, but I am sure loving our life here.

Like many, we enjoy the simple things in life.  Those bring
us the most happiness and for that I am always grateful.

People who delight in simple pleasures and manage to smile
 in spite of the difficulties they face have the clearest vision of life...

~Nadiya~

Valentines Day ~

 You know when you have found your prince because you 
not only have a smile on your face but in your heart as well.....

Everyone looks forward to Valentines Day even if you

 are or aren't in love, it gives us hope that something special

 can happen on this so called most romantic day of the year.

 With that in mind here a few tips I read about that will help 

to make it even more special for you....there will be people who say, 

love is not based on external looks but the truth is that if one comes

 specially dressed for you and wears your favorite color, it adds 

on to the mood of the day. Thus, fashion is the need 

of the hour, as cupid is just round the corner. 

1. A Cute Dress – This day is a the day you 

spend together and are in complete ease, away

 from the hustle and the tensions of life. Thus,

 flashy fashion is not for Valentines Day.

 Be yourself, wear something cute. A T and a skirt, 

a frock, a pair of jeans with a cute top etc. Look 

feminine with your cute dress and relive the 

admiration of the first day once again.  Long

 time ago I had my favorite red dress.

2.  Accessories – Simple and sleek jewellery will suit 

your cute dress the best. A bracelet which rests elegantly

 on your wrist and a chain which lays beautifully around 

your neck, adds on to your delicate beauty. Jewellery 

brands have loads to offer this season. Accessories both 

for hair and matching your dress is now available.

3.  Footwear – Footwear fashion tip for Valentine's Day

 is to follow the high heels trend. Heels make you look 

elegant and also matches your cute dress. Footwear's 

are also going retro this season. Polka dots, strips, bright

 colours include in the fashion tip for Valentine's Day. 

4.  Hit The Beach – The best place to be on this day
 is on a romantic beach. Wear hot pants, with a tuck in shirt,
 shades and red jewellery. Look stylish, sexy and cool on 
the beach with your guy holding your hand beside you.

 Definitely piling on the makeup to go to the beach 
looks tacky and cheap.  Unless of course all you
 plan to do is arade yourself around. GO EASY 
ON THE EYES.  LOOK NATURAL

5.  Light Make-up – The last but not the least fashion

 tip is to be yourself. Flaunt your natural beauty and preserve

 it from all the heat and sun, with a light makeup. Keep 

your make up to the minimum. As for lip colour, stick 

on to a light colour lip gloss. The lip colours in trend 

are peach, pink etc. Nude Make-up is the fashion tip 

this Valentine's Day.  Go easy on that eye makeup.  

Follow these tips and and get ready for the 
most romantic day of the year...  For my 
Valentines for life ( Arvid) I say to you:

There are only two times that I want to be with you – 
Now and Forever.  Come live in my heart, and pay no rent...

~Nadiya~

Home Sweet Home ~

Every day is a journey, and the journey itself is home.
Home is not a place…it’s a feeling.  With you, I'm home...

The boys are relaxing as usual.  Watching TV and the boats go by.

Every so often a little nap in between.  Happy as can be.

In between the game, Arvid enjoys the view, as does Sniff.
Home is where love resides, memories are created,
 friends always belong, and laughter never ends.

 Coming from Branson, I thought Sniff would miss the birds
and the squirrels, but here he found other interesting things
 to keep him busy.  He still sees birds, and he now sees people
 walking their dogs.  He loves to look at the boats pass by and he
 likes to watch the leaves on the balcony.  Sniff is very happy.

What I love most about our home is who I share it with.

Where we love is home- home that our feet may
 leave, but not our hearts.  This is our third home 
in less than 3 years that Arvid bought sight unseen.  
He bought it online.  Same as he did with our home in
 Branson and our current apartment in Chicago.

Happy day all.  The secret to humor is surprise.

It's all the little moments that make life a big adventure.
Only someone special can make ordinary moments seem extraordinary...

~Nadiya~

A New Week Begins ~

The purpose of life is to live it, to taste experience

 to the utmost, to reach out eagerly and without 

fear for newer and richer experience..

A new week begins and definitely looking good.  

Beautiful weather and looking very forward to family 

visiting us.  Yes, it's a beautiful start of the week.

Pretty relaxing week as well.  Hopefully not as hectic as most.

Always nice to have time to relax and enjoy with loved ones. 

 Like I said we have been gone for the last 2 winters from 

Florida, so it will be good to entertain at our place again.

Lots of little errands to take care of today.  Planning 

on making the rest of the days as open as possible.

Sniff is happy and will also enjoy having visitors. 

 He is a people "person"  Not afraid of anyone,

 unless of course they come with hostility.

Wishing everyone a great week ahead. Remember 

life is either a daring adventure or nothing at all.

Life is like a roller coaster.  Live it, be happy, enjoy life.

Be happy. Be yourself. If others don’t like it, then let them be.

Happiness is a choice. Life isn’t about pleasing everybody...

~Nadiya~

Hello Sunday ~

Believe in yourself.  Listen to your gut, and do what you love...

Open House again today.  Always positive 

that the right buyer for this house will show up.

Open House days are fun.  We meet lots of interesting 

people.  Even if not the right buyer for the house, 

they become potential buyers in the future.

February is a busy month, but good busy.  With friends 

and visiting mainly from Norway one stays busy.  It's

 been 2 years since we were last in Florida for "winter"  

It will be nice to see everyone again here at home.

Sunday is looking good.  Last night Arvid and I checked
 out a new place.  Not the Blues, but Jazz.  Reminded us a little
 of living in Chicago. Good ambiance, great food and drinks. 

To all a good day. happiness is enjoying the good things in life.
 Live for the moments you can't put into words.

Just play.  Have fun.  Enjoy the game...

~Nadiya~

Winter In Florida ~

I live in Florida and when people ask how close to the

 the beach I am, I say, "Twelve minutes or twelve hours. 

 Depends on which beach you want to go to."...

Florida winter a chilly 76 degrees F today.

Winter is "rough" in Florida.  Wish you were here.

Florida, the only thing frozen is our drinks...

~Nadiya~

Beautiful Days ~

Life isn't simple.  But the beauty of it is,

you can always start over.  It'll get easier...

My day started out with a trip to the laboratory for more 

blood work.  I told the girl that if this continues pretty soon 

I will be needing to have a blood transfusion.  Been having too

 much blood taken from me lately, but it's all part of the "routine"

 check ups, follow us I require. A drag, but it has to be done.

Mid this month I should be done with most of the 

tests/examinations I need regarding my thyroid cancer 

follow up.  Will be very happy when that day comes.  No

 more doctors, no more bloodwork, no more probing 

for a while.  that is until May. Happy day are back.

We have been experiencing gorgeous weather this week 

and it will continue to be so hopefully for the rest of the "winter"  

These are the months that tourists flock into Florida.  Who

 can blame them?  Everyone needs a little break from 

these harsh winters.  Happy times for everyone.

My only pet peeve about these tourist that visit

 (and many are people we know), is that from the minute they

 land in Florida, the posts begin.  Nothing anymore is private.  

Their entire lives are an open book for anyone to track. 

A classmate of mine died a few days ago.  I look into 

Facebook for updates, and to relive a few good memories 

shared with so many.  As soon as I open my page, I am 

bombarded with nonsense.  I mean, who cares where you eat? 

 What you drank last night or where you went? But I guess many 

still do and it gives the person posting something to brag about.  

Our day has been relaxing and quiet for a change.  

Not much running around today.  Few things we both

 had to do early this morning, but now we are home and

 relaxing.  Since coming back from Branson Arvid has 

made it his goal to use the balcony as much as possible.

I'm happy because I just spent over an hour chatting 

with one f my former tenants from Almost Home.  She now

 lives in Colorado and she just called me.  I'm still smiling.

Hope your day has been great so far. Remember,

simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.

I believe that a simple and unassuming manner of life is 

best for everyone, best for both the body and the mine...

~Nadiya~

Special Moments In Life ~

Some of God's greatest gifts are unanswered prayers...

About last night.  As always it's fun to go to the Hockey game. 

Always gives us an opportunity to also go to Sawgrass Mall,

 and to a favorite restaurant of ours. Simple, but we love it.

 Not sure it's because of the food or the fact that they

 carry Kirin draft beer.  A favorite of Arvid's.

Yesterday I was looking through some pictures.  Arvid and
I have done quite a lot of different things.  Above is when we
went to London for a Trade Expo.  We were promoting our
own real estate in Fort Lauderdale and in the Bahamas. 

Yesterday was good.  Was freezing cold at the hockey arena. 

Not something Arvid and I was too crazy about.  Doctors again

 today, so yeah all is well and life continues to do what it does best.

We live it and we make the best of it by always giving 

our most positive attitude to any and everything 

that gets thrown to us.  Happy Wednesday all.

Life brings simple pleasures to us everyday. 
 It's up to us to make them wonderful...

~Nadiya~

Morning Is Here ~

The secret to having it all is knowing you already do...

Once again I am awake really early.  Sniff has been
brushed and fed.  As always.  Truth is if you don't brush
 him he will cry, and he cries very loud.  Love the sound
of his "voice"  It makes us smile and do his bidding.

Every night Sniff and Arvid have this very special routine. 
Sniff knows exactly when Arvid is getting ready to sit
and watch TV.  He waits patiently until Arvid settles in,
and then right away he jumps between Arvids legs. 
And this is how they remain for at least 3 hours.

I have been asked to be the bridesmaid in a wedding and Arvid
the best man.  We are both super excited and happy.  Both the
groom, and the bride could have chosen their own families for
this honor, but instead they choose Arvid and I.  Now to
 find a pretty yellow dress.  Yay!  Something fun to do.

Looking forward to another very beautiful day here in
Fort Lauderdale.  A few things planned so all in all a really
good day awaits us.  Be it work or be it fun, we always
try to find the bright side in everything.

Wishing everyone a beautiful day ahead.  Remember we
 have to make our own sunshine and our own happiness.

When something goes wrong, take a moment to
 be thankful for the many things that are going right.  
Expect nothing and appreciate everything...

~Nadiya~

Monday Again ~

I like to escape to the beach and kind

 of ground myself whenever I can...

When I need some quiet time, nothing like long 

walks along the beach.  Soothes the mind and refreshes

 the soul.  Make you ready to face whatever the day holds.  

That's what it does for me.  It calms and centers me.

A new week begins.  A new month begins. February,
 the month of my sisters birthday. In February there
is everything to hope for and nothing to regret.

Wishing everyone a happy start of the week and a great February.
Even though February is the shortest month of the year, 
sometimes it seems like the longest for many.  

And the wind whispers, "Don't be afraid.  I am here.  Close your eyes,
 smell the salty air, and let the spirit of the ocean move you."...

~Nadiya~

Sunday Vibes ~

Happiness is letting go of  what you think

your life is supposed to look like...

After a very good dinner at our favorite restaurant, Arvid

said to me, "want to go for a drive by the beach?"  Of course I said yes.

  My favorite Pina Coladas are at Aruba's Beach Cafe.  As we

 got closer, the road was blocked off.  Huge Super Bowl Party

 going on.  Every restaurant was fully booked.  

Arvid saw I was a little disappointed so he said, let's just 

continue driving on A1A.  We cruised along Fort Lauderdale Beach, 

and believe it or not, everything was super quiet there.  There 

was tons of parking and the beach was empty.  No big parties 

that I noticed going on.  Was a relaxing outing. 

So every day we make plans on what we would like to do. 

 Everyday Arvid tells me that we have to live more.  To enjoy life.  

As he puts it, "we have worked hard our entire lives.  It's time 

we reap the benefits."  How can I disagree with his logic?

The rest of the evening we will be watching The Super Bowl.

 As always my favorite part is the halftime entertainment and the cool ads.

Hope everyone has had a great day so far.  Let's go Patriots!

Nobody who ever gave his best regretted it...

~Nadiya~

Saturday ~

Everyone is taught that angels have wings, but the
 lucky ones of us find they have 4 paws.  Sometimes a 
very special cat enters our lives…their presence 
changes our hearts forever.  And we can call 
ourselves blessed for having known them...

A normal day.  Nothing different, but in my heart 

something is stirring all over again.  For a brief moment again

 I felt the same grief I did when we first lost our Brutus.  

Once again my heart is being ripped apart.  I know it 

will pass.  The grief will settle in again, but for a little while 

there I really wanted my baby back with us.  I always want

 him back, but some days it's worse than others.

After the grief washes away, I am grateful to have

 Sniff in our lives.  I love the little dude.  He is special and 

I know that we are very fortunate to have him in our lives. 

 My little Sniff Sniff is just a heartbeat at my feet.

It's a beautiful day here.  The fact that one has moments

 of grief is just our hearts way of telling us we have loved and

 we have experienced loss.  Does not make you weak, it's just

 a part of life, and for those who have never experienced grief, 

it is pretty hard to explain or for you to understand.

Saturday. Arvid has his time to do some trades
 and I have time doing my stuff.  Both of us happy.

Today I have most of the day to do whatever I like.
While Arvid does his trading, I will make use of my time and
 do a few things I enjoy as well.  A little tour of The Pier at
St. petersburg, a little shopping and dining at one of my favorite
 restaurants.  Every so often it is good to have some alone time.

The universe does not give you what you ask for with your
 thoughts; it gives you what you demand with your actions...

~Nadiya~

The Simple Things In Life ~

Every day, I like to wake up and remind 

myself to be grateful of the simple things...

I'm attracted to the 

simple things that

 most people ignore,

 so the other day when 

I saw this it just 

reminded me once 

again that the simple

 pleasures in life 

are sometimes 

the best. 

Even though Arvid and I are 

"semi-retired" we seem

 to be as busy as

 always. If not more.  

It is a choice.  

Neither 

of us can sit around

 all day doing nothing.  Too boring.

 After being in Branson and running 

a hotel each even less so.  I have to 

admit to miss being that busy.  

To always have something to do.

 I loved it.

We now fill our time with going to different

 trade meetings around the country.  We also

 still have our shipping company, and we still do

 real estate.  Overall we manage to stay busy.

I try to always remind myself to never take

 for granted the simple things that life gives us.  

Those simple things are what makes me the happiest. 

 I love being home.  Going out to a quiet diner with 

Arvid, seeing Sniff run around and be happy.

I love the sound of laughter coming from our 

grand-daughters.  See them smiling and happy is enough 

to make any day a good day.  To hear my nieces and nephews

 say "I love you auntie Nad," and to talk to my family often, 

that's happiness right there for me.  The rest is fluff.

Let us not forget that sometimes we should express 

our gratitude for the small and simple things like

 the scent of the rain, the taste of your favorite

 food, or the sound of a loved one's voice.

I think what really people want is just a few things 

done really, really well. And if you think about ever day

 of your life, the things you really appreciate aren't the

 complicated things. They're the simple things that

work just the way you expect them to...

~Nadiya~