Saturday December 24th ~

 Among the things you can give and still keep

 are your word, a smile, and a grateful heart...

'Twas the night before Christmas, when all through 

the house.  Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse; 

 the only one on the prowl here at home is Sniff.  And he 

makes the quietest of moves.  He is out little happy boy.

A very good morning to all of you, and a merry

 Christmas Eve.  Rise, shine and spread joy.

May this day be a magical and blissful one.  May we 

always remember that a thankful heart is a happy heart.  Being 

thankful for what we have, that is a good place to start.

It's cold and getting colder.  The good thing about

 Florida is that this cold just lasts for a few days.

May you never be too grown up to

 search the skies on Christmas Eve...

~Nadiya~

Friday December 23rd ~

 Start each day with a positive thought and a grateful heart...

And so soon begins another day of radiation.  

Now I am looking forward to it being done with.

After today it's just five more treatments to go.

As of right now the temperature has not begun to drop. 

 Arvid still plans to be in shorts most of the day.  After that...

well if we get out that would be something else.

Looking forward to these few days "off"  I am getting 

tired easily and the burning is increasing.  Makes 

for a little crabbier me, and that is not so nice.

To all a good day.  It's the most wonderful time 

of the year 🎄May your cup overflow with peace,

 love, and pure awesomeness today and everyday.

I always believe things are going to work out...

~Nadiya~

Thursday December 22nd ~

If I had to give one life advise it'd be: stay busy in your own life...

When it comes to food Arvid and I are so very predictable.  

At each place we go we have a favorite and we almost never

 try anything different.  Mainly Arvid.  He likes certain food

 in certain places; therefore whatever else is on the menu will 

never get tried by him.  I am a tad bit more flexible. But 

at this place I will only have the Kung Pao Chicken.

Arvid really does not like the holidays.  Says it's the most

 boring time in the year.  He's never been fond of Christmas.  

Something to do with his childhood?  Depending on how 

you look at it, Christmas can be the most wonderful 

time or for many the wort of times.  Talking Arvid. 

 He is so bored that he's taken to scrubbing the floors.

  Yes on his knees with a little brush.  I'm happy.  Floors

 are looking very clean.  He has also scrubbed the showers. 

 I'm even happier.  I just hope this phase lasts a long time.

As we all know, no sunrise nor sunset is ever the same.  

I love them and I can't kelp taking pictures all day long. 

Sniff is doing great.  Getting a little braver each day. 

 He now goes to the balcony on his own 😍without any

 supervision.  For Sniff that is one big accomplishment.

Always gotta keep busy or the voices start telling me to

 do wild things.  No one wants to see a wild Sniff nor a wild Arvid 😂

To all a good day.  Surround yourself with people who

 are positive and who lift you up rather than those

 who drag you down with their negativity.

Arvid is now set for Christmas; hat and all 😂

Sometimes you just have to stay busy so you don't have time to feel...

~Nadiya~

Message of Hope ~

Hope is going to get us through it.  When you have hope, 
you have everything, Nothing can stand in your way...

The poinsettia tree has made its appearance in 

 Fort Myers beach since its founding in 1995.  After hurricane Ian, 

it's existence was up in the air, but the community was not about

 to give up on something as special as this tradition.  So they

 took on the task of building it back up and succeeded.  It's a 

symbol of hope in the middle of all the devastation.

People both on and off Fort Myers Beach brought over poinsettias.  
They used a total of 365 of them to complete the tree.  What started 

out as a "cute" idea so many years ago is a symbol of hope and unity

 of a community all coming together in the face of adversity 🎄.

Hope is a word so many people are using after Ian.

 It's a symbol across southwest Florida that can be seen

 through many monuments, including the poinsettia 🎄

 Christmas tree now standing tall on Fort Myers Beach.

A little something like this tree is a big something right now

 for the people in Fort Myers Beach and all Fort Myers.

Hope is being able to see that there is light despite all of the darkness..

~Nadiya~

Wednesday December 21st

 No matter how far you have gone on the 
wrong road, you can still turn around...

A lot has happened and a lot is happening. My best 

advise is if you want to have peace in your household,

 tell your guests, that is both friends and family that 

they are welcome to visit but if they need a place 

to stay, there are many hotels to choose from.

  I know why I saying this.  Especially now during the 

holidays everyone one wants a “free” place to crash.  I love 

my family, but when it comes to spending the night at their homes

 we draw the line. As Arvid says the only place we every spend

 time is with my parents.  In order to keep relationships running

 smoothly do not take advantage of someone.  We all appreciate

 our privacy.  I love you, but please stay at a hotel. 

Not sure if it's a side effect from the radiation, but lately 

I have been freezing.  Something not very common for me.

  I don't mind the cold, but even when it's in the 70'sF I am

 extremely cold.  I am going through changes, and I don't 

know if it's all due to radiation.  I just am guessing it is.

During this "cold" spell that we are having, Arvid has already 

made us hot chocolate twice.  He does a good hot chocolate.

To all a very good day. One more day soon down.  I can soon see the end.

Enjoy the journey and try to get better every day. And

 don't lose the passion and the love for what you do...

~Nadiya~

Tuesday December 20th ~

 We are always getting ready to live but never living...

The other day while chatting with my radiation friends we 

all agreed on one thing.  Never wait until tragedy strikes to decide to

 live your best life. I have been guilty of that.  Tragedy is a sharp awakening

 of how fragile life is.  But I remind myself and now even Arvid says it 

 "we need to live for today" we cannot guarantee what tomorrow holds.

On that sentiment, cheers to everyday and to enjoying life.

Even though day 11 of treatment was not a good day for me.

 I know today will be better, but yesterday  it sure kicked my butt. 

 I have the burning of the skin, the nausea, the pain of my left side, a bad 

headache and that taste in my mouth that just does not go away.

Day 12 I am sure today has to be better.  Just wish the nausea

 and the bad taste in my mouth would go away.  So what

 if my skin is burnt?  Given time it will unburn 😂

You only live once, but as they say if you do it right

 it's all that matters.  This beautiful creation is another 

one from my sister Narima.  She does life RIGHT.

Good morning and a good day to all.  Countdown to 

Christmas begins and Sniff is all ready to rumble.

Some days all you need is a little alone time, and a beautiful 

sunset does not hurt.  Simple things in life are the best.

Brave thoughts, but am I ready to follow through on them...

~Nadiya~

Monday December 19th ~

It’s not whether you get knocked down, it’s whether you get up... 

A new week is here again, which means I'm closer to 

soon being done with radiation therapy.  Week number

 three for me, and so far I can't complain one bit 💕

Over the weekend we checked out one of the flea markets in our area.
  My interest in flea markets is mainly the fruit section.  One of the only places

 I find the tropical fruit I like.  Coconuts and guavas mainly.  They had both,

 but the coconut was up to me to cut 😐😕  So for now that was a pass.

If you're interested in buying junk, definitely the place to go 😂

Just a few more days and it is Christmas Day.  I am grateful 

for the wonderful childhood I've had.  We may not have had

 much, but we never lacked love and time from our parents.

Good morning and a good day to all.  As Pat Riley said:

 If you have a positive attitude and constantly strive to give your best

 effort, eventually you will overcome your immediate problems

 and find you are ready for greater challenges.

You only live once, but if you do it right, once is enough💕

Inspiration comes from within yourself.   

Those who don’t believe in magic will never find it...

~Nadiya~

Because There is Something Good in Each Day ~ Sunday December 18th

 There is so much life to be lived...

This is currently my favorite teacup and I am

 using it everyday until Christmas is over.  Makes me 

happy to have cafe or tea in something pretty.

I am really enjoying how easy it is to get around here in Fort Myers, 

and the fact that traffic is so much less than in Fort Lauderdale. 

 For now at least.  I rarely get lost because no matter where we

 go our building is always visible and I just follow it to home.

Life is full of wonderful moments and I want 

to think that we are making the most of it.  No matter

 what we do, we enjoy it and we always have fun.

Sniff continues to be beautiful and pampered. 

 Like it should be.  A good day to everyone

 and whatever you do, do it with joy.

Remember life is short. So do the things that make you 

happy and be with people who make you happy.  Don't ever

 forget to look for the good in every day even if some 

days you have to look a little harder 🌞.

For Arvid no matter how far he has to go for 

that burger (BK) the distance is irrelevant.  BK trumps all other 

burgers in Arvid's world 😂  Every so often even I like it.

She is clothed in strength and dignity and 

she laughs without fear of the future...

~Nadiya~

Saturday December 17th ~

 Every sunset brings the promise of a new dawn...

December is more than halfway done.  Unbelievable how 

fast this year has gone by.  Many things have happened this year. 

 Of course many good and many not so good.  It's life.

Whether you're sitting on the beach, hiking in the mountains,

 or even relaxing in a rocking chair on your own front porch, watching 

a breathtaking sunset never gets old.  Each day ends with a unique sunset 

that is unlike any that has come before or will come after. Sunsets no matter 

where you live are breathtaking, with a promise of a better day to come.

We try to walk a few times during the week.  Usually

 there are no kitties around, but the other day we made a new 

friend.  He's super friendly and I hope to see him again.

My friend Sharon is back in Fajardo and she has already seen 

MacGyver and Shygirl.  There was no Marbles around and she 

always is with MacGyver.  I am so happy about MacGyver and Shygirl,

 but my heart breaks for the others.  Marbles is no longer around 😢

I just can't get the memory of my PR kitties out of my 💔There 

are days I think of them forever and it still hurts.  I loved Marbles. 

 Heck I love them all, but Marbles and MacGyver they were

 siblings and always together.  She loved shredded chicken 💔

My heart is hurting.  It just can't seem to catch a break. 

Arvid keeps telling myself day after day, "you cannot get 

involved so deeply all the time.  You cannot save the world."  

My Sniff is always there to make me feel better.  I just love him.

  Currently 61 degrees Fahrenheit or 16 Celsius.  I think the ⛄

 temperature is perfect right now.  Nice cool crisp in the air.

My sister, the baker in our family.  Check her out @Narima's Homemade

A good day to all Christmas is right around the corner  Be happy and jolly.

Yesterday was all about the rain.  Today looks much, much better.

Grief drives us into a darkness like nothing else can...

~Nadiya~

Friday December 16th ~

 I choose to make the rest of my life the best of my life...

Sniff continues to love outdoor living and with the weather

 cooling down a bit we also get to leave the sliding doors

 open for "natural" fresh air.  Win-win for everyone.

No matter where our walks take us, there are boats stranded on land.

I wonder what Fort Myers will look like when

 all the boats are cleared away.  Tight now all open spaces, 

has boats waiting to be rescued.  Deadline to cleanup 

is December 31st, but it could be extended.

Friday, today is Music Walk downtown.  We are hoping 

to go there, all depends on what else our day holds.

 Also another reason to go is for PIZZA 🍕

Today another 2 weeks of radiation therapy will be over and done with.

We may be having a "cold" front, but in Virginia and 

many other places, my sister is having an ice storm.

What you do makes a difference, and you have to

 decide what kind of difference you want to make...

~Nadiya~