Friday November 5th ~

 Be happy.  Be yourself.  If others don’t like 

it, then let them be.  Happiness is a choice.  

Life isn’t about pleasing everybody... 

As mentioned before, Arvid came home on 

Wednesday. He was not supposed to, but with 

Arvid everything is possible.  He then left 

again yesterday morning for Sarasota.

Yesterday Gabs and I went on the dolphin 

tour from Fort Myers Beach.  It’s a hit or miss 

if you will see a filling, but so far, the two 

times I have done it I have seen dolphins.

On yesterday’s tour we saw manatees as 

well and of course many species of birds.  

The captain told us that about two weeks ago

 they saw a crocodile.  This is not normal,

 but seems to be happening more and more. 

The below pictures taken by yours truly🐬

The dolphins are really fast so it’s really 

difficult to get a picture of them.  They did

 put on a good show by flipping several times 

for us.  Was amazing to see. No pictures 

because I was busy watching them.

Gabs loved every minute of it. On the tour 

I spoke to several people of course. A couple

 came from St Louis, Missouri, another family

 was from Chicago. A lady came with her girlfriend 

from Idaho and there was another young couple

 from California.  Quite interesting.  Gabs

 of course came from way of Virginia.

Not sure what it is about Gabsy, but the

 older ladies like him. Maybe it’s the way he talks

 to them.  Very respectful of just those gorgeous

 brown eyes, but whatever it is they like him.

After the tour Gabs and I had lunch at

 Parrot Key. Lunch was delicious and 

we had a good time. So relaxing.  

Afterwards we went to Publix, picked up a 

few snacks for the evening and some other stuff. 

 Sniff as usual is very cautious when someone else

 is around. Sniff does not like us having company, 

but at least so far, he has not hissed at Gabsy.

It was a very beautiful day. I am loving the time 

we have with Gabsy.  I even went to feed Legacy 

so this made for an even better day.  Afyer that we 

watched movies and chatted. A good day to all.

When you’re up, your friends know 

who you are.  When you’re down, 

you know who your friends are...

~Nadiya~

Thursday December 4th~

 Don’t look for someone who will solve 

all your problems; look for someone 

who will face them with you...

Back home from the funeral.  Though a very sad time, 

it was also a time we will forever remember.  Meeting 

family and friends which it seems we only see at funerals

 or weddings was good.  What a beautiful time it was.

Rima showed up and many cousins we have not seen in 

such a long time.  It was as if the distance meant nothing 

once we were all together.  We even talked to one of my

 cousins in Canada and sang a little happy birthday to him.

Seeing so many family members felt so good. 

Reconnecting with them even better. The most 

cherished moments will be the evening we shared 

with my mom’s siblings after the funeral services.

 We all stayed at the same hotel. We sat chatting,

 and enjoying a few treats my mom and an aunt 

provided, until the light were turned off in the wee 

hours of the morning. I even had a few glasses of 

wine making the evening even more memorable.

  It was a time we will forever remember.

Coming back home is always my favorite thing to do.  

Gabs and I were just getting ready to go to the movies 

when Arvid surprised us and walked through the door. 

 We skipped the movies and Arvid then went to show

 us (mostly Gabby) all the things he traded for.

A beautiful sunset greeted us and of course I 

did not forget to go feed Legacy.  She was there waiting, 

but not necessarily hungry.  Many take care of her.

Gabs took these pictures of Sniff and I yesterday. 

 I love them.  My Sniff is my happy place.

If you expect the world to be fair with you because 

you are fair, you’re fooling yourself. That’s like expecting 

the lion not to eat you because you didn’t eat him...

~Nadiya~

Wednesday December 3rd~

So much of life, it seems to me, 

is determined by pure randomness... 

 I can hardly stay still, and if there is nothing

 interesting to take pictures of, I just randomly 

take pictures of passing cars. Makes me happy.  

Most get deleted by the end of the day.

Obviously that means I also take pictures of boats,

 motorcycles you name it, I have a picture of it.  

I like these Nor-Tech boats.  We see them very 

often when we go to Fort Myers Beach.

My most favorite "person" to take 

pictures of is my Sniff makes me happy.

The world is governed by chance. 

Randomness stalks us every day of our lives...

~Nadiya~

Tuesday December 2nd

Wherever a beautiful soul has been,

 there is a trail of beautiful memories...

 Today is a very sad day.  We bid our final goodbyes

 to my mom's eldest sister.  I loved her very much and 

will miss her.  I hope I will still hear her voice in my 

head throughout the years.  She was sure not perfect, 

but she always treated me like her own daughter.

When Gabsy was a baby, my aunt Savi and Uncle Paul 

took care of him.  Gabsy is a Florida born boy.  Gabsy 

is now 27 years old and its been too many years since he

 last saw our aunt.  He came from Virginia to attend the 

funeral, and at the same time spend a few days with us.

Today is a sad day, at the same time it is also a day so 

many family members are here at the same time.  Strange 

how a funeral brings us all together.  A little gathering with 

food and family will cheer the soul during this sad time.

Although it's difficult today to see 

beyond the sorrow, May looking back in

 memory help comfort you tomorrow...

~Nadiya~

Monday December 1st~

To appreciate the beauty of a snowflake,

 it is necessary to stand out in the cold...

 A new week and a new month begins today.  

December is one of my favorite times of the year. 

 I love seeing Christmas decorations everywhere 

and I enjoy seeing the Christmas joy is people.

It is was a heavy heart that the December begins 

with a funeral.  One of my favorite aunts died almost 

two weeks ago.  At the same time having Gabsy 

stay with us for a few days is good for the soul.

 Today is the wake and tomorrow the funeral. 

 I am going with my parents for both. Arvid and 

I had planned to go to Tampa and Sarasota for

 one of his meetings, but I will be attending a 

funeral instead.  Life is unpredictable.

The last month of the year.  Christmas is just 

around the corner.  I love December because 

 my mom's birthday is on Christmas day and 

our niece Danielle's birthday on the 26th.  

Looking forward to what the week holds because

 even though we are going to a funeral we will also

 be seeing relatives from all over.  I have relatives coming

 from England, Canada, Guyana and of course all over 

the United States.  Yeah a little family gathering.

To all a very good day and may December 

be good to all of us.  We can sure use some good

 will. You can have whatever you want if you

 believe in yourself and keep your feet

 firmly planted in the ground

December is a month of lights, snow,

 and feasts; time to make amends and tie

 loose ends; finish off what you started

 and hope your wishes come true...

~Nadiya~

Sunday November 30th~

Focus on cherishing moments, creating

 memories, and appreciating happiness, 

even amidst life's challenges...

Yesterday was a beautiful day made better because

 Gabsy came. Arvid and I got to the airport almost a 

half hour before he arrived, and waited almost an 

hour before Gabsy came out. A first for Arvid.  

We had to do a little shifting of things around 

because we have not had anyone stay with 

us here in our condo in Fort Myers. 

Having Gabsy will do us a good.  It’s just

 for a few days so we will have a great time all of

 us. Of course Arvid showed him around.

  The two of them had a little alone time 

together.  Arvid of course showing him our guitars.

  Gabsy plays the guitar, afterwards, we went downtown

 for pizza, one of Gabsy’s favorite food.  On our 

way to downtown I of course stopped to feed 

Legacy she was there waiting for her food.  

After pizza we walked around a bit, then it 

was back home where we watched a movie.  A 

very good start of Gabsy’s stay with us. 

Sniff has been good .  Sniffing Gabsy out, 

testing out the bed Gabs is sleeping on and just circling 

around him. We also moved one of Sniffs bed into the 

living room.  Sniff jumped up right away on it and 

slept there for the night.  Sniff is such a good boy.

Good morning and a very good day to all. 

Be kind to those you love for you never

 know what life has in store for you.

Every moment is an opportunity 

to create a handcrafted memory to 

be replayed for years to come...

~Nadiya~

Saturday November 29th~

Family means no one gets left behind or forgotten...

Arvid and I are so very excited.  Today Gabsy comes 

to visit.  Arvid has so many things he will be doing with

 Arvid.  Just little things, but it will sure make a big 

difference.  Fun times for all of us awaits us all.

Woke up to another beautiful sunrise.  Let's 

hope this sets the tone for the rest of the day.

We can't wait to see Gabsy.  Arvid has planned

 out so many thing for them to do together. 

 As for me I am just happy to see him.  It's 

been too long. He’s the hippie of the family and 

we could not love him any more than I/we do. So

 many things I would like to also show Gabsy.

Yesterday evening we “braced” the cold and 

went downtown for an outing. On our way,

 I always stop and feed Legacy Kitty.

Someone provided a warm place for her to 

sleep with lots of fluffy blankets. So far I have

 not seen her in the box/bed.  She was hungry and

 meowed quite a bit as we called out for her. I gave

 her fresh water, dry food and a soft foodie. 

As always Arvid and I were very cold even

 though he temperature was in the  mid 60’sF (21C). 

 Arvids hands are always like a frozen block of ice. I 

call him a reptile. Space heaters were appreciated.

 We had a really good outing and we look 

forward to doing the same again today with

 Gabsy.  Can’t wait to have him with us.  

To all a very good day another "cold" start 

of the day, but the warmup is on its way. Sniff

 takes no chances. First he cozies up to me, 

then straight to his heating bed. 

He loves that heating bed and can you

 believe we have none in Branson? He’s 

always on that heating bed. He’s happy 

and warm and I love him so much.

Moments become memories

 when shared with family...

~Nadiya~

Friday November 28th~

The memories we make with 

our family are everything...

 Yesterday mom and dad came over for a cozy

Thanksgiving dinner. We did not have a the so called

“traditional” meal.  Instead I made steak, salmon🐠

shrimp, lobster and lamb, their favorite (not mine).

We had it with mashed potatoes, salad, rice,

 corn and a mushroom gravy.  I made everything 

from scratch and based on what I saw, we all

 enjoyed their meal.  Of course stories were

 told mostly by my dad and Arvid.

Sniff was super good, maybe a little too 

good  he was very quiet and even when Arvid

 vacuumed  the apartment he did not move. 

 My lil' Sniff is getting older and I just don’t 

want to think of it.  He is my happiness. 

Arvid showed mom and dad his office, the 

"new"things they did not see from their last visit. 

 Everyone loves Arvids office.  It's his happy place. 

It’s so neat and everything fits just right that’s

 how my mom expresses it.  My family are all

 amazed of what Arvid can do at his age.

Arvid and I were planning on going 

downtown for a bit, but the weather stopped us

 rain and black skies.  Instead we stayed cozy at 

home.  Arvid had a drink, we had some apple 

pie my mom made and enjoyed time with Sniff 

and our TV shows.  Was a very good choice.

Today not sure what we will be doing  it has

 cooled down quite a bit and Arvid does not like to

 be out in the cold.  Did I forget to mention he's 

from Norway, and yes, it's always cold there.

The day has begun with a beautiful sunrise 

and I look forward to what it holds.  To all a very

 good day.  It is after all Black Friday hope you 

got some amazing deals. I already had my 

Black Friday deals online.  Happy.

Family is found in your heart...

~Nadiya~

Thursday November 27th~ Thanksgiving Day

The thankful heart opens our eyes to a multitude

 of blessings that continually surround us...

 Today I give an extra thank you because I have 

my parents with us.  Today and hopefully for many

 more years to come we will have Thanksgiving dinner

 together.  Mom and dad are once again Floridians.

It is not always a happy time for everyone.  

Many spend it alone be it by choice or just 

the way life is.  I am grateful that this year

 we get to spend it with my parents 🦃

Wishing everyone a beautiful day, and remember 

no matter what, there is always something good in

 each day.  Always something to be grateful for. 

Thanksgiving is not just a day. It’s a 

way we can live our lives every day...

~Nadiya~