Saturday December 20th~

What you leave behind is not what 

is engraved in stone monuments, but 

what is woven into the lives of others...

Another aunt of mine died, many years ago.  

Today there is another Celebration of Life for 

her.  This time I'm heading out to Orlando. 

They say that our legacy is really the lives we

 touch, the inspiration we give, altering someone's 

plan - if even for a moment, and getting them to

 think, cry, laugh, argue. More than anything, we are 

remembered for our smiles; the ones we share with

 our closest and dearest, and the ones we bestow 

on a total stranger, who needed it right then.

Make sure today and everyday you live a life 

that when you look back you can confidently say,

 "I gave it my all.  I did my best, and I had fun."

Yesterday Arvid and I went downtown for

 Music Walk.  As always we had a great time. Everything, 

everyone, is a bit more festive now at Christmas time.

There was music at all corners.  What's not to like?

We had a very good time.  Stopped on our way to

 feed Legacy, but she had so much food out.  Even so,

 I cleaned up her area.  Ants everywhere even though I

 had gone there one day and cleaned the entire area 

with bleach and water.  No she was not there.  I went 

early in the morning so it dried up right away.

To all a very good day. Orlando next for me. Wishing

 everyone a happy holiday season.  Christmas is right 

around the corner.  Make it a Merry Christmas.

Let your life be your message. 

 What we once enjoyed and deeply 

loved we can never lose...

~Nadiya~

Friday December 19th~

Mistakes are always forgivable if
 one has the courage to admit them...

Christmas in Florida, you see some pretty

 interesting things/signs.  Florida is a diverse state

 and you see a little of everything.  One does not 

have to agree or disagree.  It's just how it is.

This particular sign is everywhere on the road.

  Making sure that we stay safe, drive carefully and 

have a Merry Christmas.  Florida does it right.

Mom and dad have this really tiny tree 

they bought last year, now it's all decorated 

with lights and as you walk into their home 

you can feel Christmas.  It's a very cozy.

 Here at home we don't do much.  Just a few

 decorations is all we have, but I like them.

Yesterday after lunch Arvid surprised me with a 

little trip to the Eagle Nest.  Yes, home of M15 and 

F23 (Lady)  It was my lucky day because I saw one of

 them flying back and forth to the nest with grass. 

 I believe it was M15 because at that same moment

 one of the eaglets, E26 was in its hatching mode. 

 Last night around 7:30 PM we all welcomed E26 

to the world.  Definitely a happy day for all of us. 

 Welcome to the world lil' one.  You're so loved.

My favorite Christmas decoration/present after all is

 said and done is Sniff.  He's always my Happy Place

 and I love him more than words can ever express.

If you love life, don't waste time, 

for time is what life is made up of...

~Nadiya~

Thursday December 18th~

Remember that not getting what you want

 is sometimes a wonderful stroke of luck...

We've been waking up to "cold" mornings.  Cold 

for Florida that is, but within a few hours the day sure

 warms up nicely.  Yesterday we went of our walk and 

of course on the way we stopped to feed Legacy. 

As mentioned before, Christmas in Florida 

is special.  Warm weather and lit palm trees 🌴

everywhere.  It's a very happy time of the year.

Thursday, no cooking for me today.  So happy. 

 Though I prefer home-cooked meals best, I also 

like a day without all the clean-up afterwards.

Sniff is good.  He has been puking quite often recently. 

I'm in haveway panic mode already. These last few days

 I have been thinking a lot of my Brutus and Shadow. 

 Life- so many memories.  Good and not so good.

Wishing everyone a good day.  Christmas

 is just 7 days away, so is our moms birthday.

Our lives begin to end the day we

 become silent about things that matter

~Nadiya~

Wednesday December 17th~

It was just a normal day, a day like any 

other. But most of all it was a day in which 

everything was exactly the way it should be...

 My day yesterday started out with me going to 

Trader Joe's, yes more bread for Arvid and to 

Whole Foods Market.  They have things I don't

 find in other stores.  For me it was a good 

outing, and I enjoyed it very much.

Sniff has been acting strangely.  He used to love 

being brushed.  Just the word brushing and he'd run

 into his room and wait for it.  Now he seems to not

 care at all for brushing.  He did get a little in the

 morning, but took off after just a few strokes.

Arvid washed the car.  We had lunch at home and 

in the afternoon we went for a walk.  It was a windy

 day, but beautiful.  Yesterday we went again to mom 

and dad's.  Arvid still has plenty work to do there.

A good day to all.  Christmas is just around the 

corner, and mom and dad are doing their part.

Morning is here and from the looks of it,

 we sure are going to be having a very nice day.

Today, may we make every moment count,

 and then we'll see that we have turned a 

'normal day' into a spectacular one...

~Nadiya~

Tuesday December 16th~

There are 9 more shopping days until 

Christmas. So, guys, that means 8 more

 days till we start shopping, right?...

 Christmas is right around the corner.  It's the most 

wonderful time of the year.  Here in Florida we may not

 have a white Christmas, but we sure have a beautiful 

Christmas season.  My favorite time of the year.

Everyone has their special take on Christmas.  Florida

 is no exception to that.  It's all about having a good time.

Back in Norway our three granddaughters are 

loving the Christmas season and going to lots of fun

 parties at school and with friends.  It's a jolly time.

To all a very good day.  May you 

find joy everyday.  My joy is my Sniff.

Christmas is a tonic for our souls. It moves us

 to think of others rather than of ourselves.

 It directs our thoughts to giving...

~Nadiya~

Monday December 15th~

I may not be there yet, but 

I am closer than I was yesterday...

The new week begins, and I have to tell you this

 past week sure as not a good one for our families.  

Tragedy does not distinguish.  It hits us all the same. 

 Our family in Norway is having a rough time, 

and our family here in the USA as well.

Positive thought for the day.  We always

 tend to see faults in others, rarely do we look 

close enough to see our own.  How about 

we give ourselves a closer look?

We have to all remember that if we think

 positive then positive things are more likely

 to happen.  Why not start right now?

Have a great day and may the rest of the week

 be even better.  Sniff is loving his Florida home, 

and we are happy about that. We are also loving

 it right now as well.  Perfect weather everyday. 

 We enjoy watching Sniff chase around 

everything and love the way he constantly "talks" 

to us.  A new day with new opportunities begins

 for all of us.  Let us make the most of it.

We all enjoyed a good day yesterday with my parents. 

 As always our time together we relaxing and lots of laughs

 going around.  Easy going, just the way we like it.

To all a very good week.  For all our

 sakes, may this be a better one than the last.  

Another beautiful sunset yesterday🌞

A bad attitude is like a flat tire.
You can't go anywhere until you change it...

~Nadiya~

Sunday December 14th~

The key to immortality is first 
living a life worth remembering... 

 Sunday once again. Today mom and dad are 

taking us out to dinner. Going to Pinchers. We all

 really like it and most of all mom also enjoys the 

sangria as much as I do.  It’s a win win outing.  

Yesterday was grocery shopping day. As always

 I went to a couple of different places to get what 

we needed. Walmart is the only place that carries 

Sniff’s Sheba pate that he likes.  Thank goodness 

that yesterday was a pretty “easy” Walmart day.  

I love going to Publix; I go there 2-3 times a

 week for just about everything else. I love their 

buy one get one free deals. Mostly because

 I use most of what they have on sale.

As usual I went to feed Legacy around 4:30,

 but she was not there I waited around. Cleaned 

her area but she didn’t show up.  Instead I met Abe.

 We chatted and I find out that he also feeds her. 

 Many people do.  She’s probably over fed.  

Sniff is just spending a lot of time sleeping. Nothing

 unusual.  He loves all his beds and he uses them 

all at different times. A few games today and

a lot of relaxation time as week.  

Always be yourself, express yourself, have

 faith in yourself, do not go out and look for

 a successful personality and duplicate it...

~Nadiya~

Saturday December 13th~

 Keep it simple and focus on what matters. 
Don't let yourself be overwhelmed...

Starting off with some interesting statistics.  Be it 

true or not, I cannot really verify, but I saw it posted so I 

decided to share it.  I believe most of it is true because

 very often we do see this being reported on the news.

Yesterday was an interesting day.  Arvid met an 

older gentleman in his last trade meeting in Tampa.

 The man is a smooth talker, but invited us to go

 and see his trade collection in Naples, Florida.

This gentleman can definitely talk/brag.  As soon as

 he started to tell how much money he has, I believed nothing

 he said.  Nothing much impresses me.  Least of all when someone

is bragging about how rich they are.  He showed us this coin,

 said it was worth 7M dollars.  Like I was born yesterday.

No questions that he was an interesting man.  Very

 likeable, but boy he sure made himself to be the richest

 man on the planet.  He went so far as to say that he and

 Donald Trump, as in President Trump spoke 3-4 times a 

week.  He also claimed to have sold a huge piece of real 

estate to the president.  By then I was really bored.

The best part of the trip was being chauffeured

 in his bulletproof Rolls Royce.  The car was real and 

the ride was smooth.  Granted he has some money.

Arvid and I were just happy to be passengers for the day.

  Granted we had to put up with non-stop bragging.

Once we got back home we decided we needed

 to get out a bit and clear the chatter in our heads

😂  Downtown is always our choice place.

Back home we all enjoyed Arvid's Friday shows. 

 Gold Rush and The Woodsmen.  Mostly Sniff.

Happiness does not consist in having what 

you want, but in wanting what you have...

~Nadiya~

Friday December 12th~

Take things as they are. Punch when you 

have to punch. Kick when you have to kick...

The day once again begins on the cooler side.  

Us Floridians not too good dealing with it.  Today

 we will definitely pull out some "winter" gear.

 Yesterday we spent a few hours at mom and dad’s. 

 Once again dad had many things for Arvid to fix.  I 

felt sorry for Arvid because he looked tired, but he 

keeps going no matter what.  I told him he has to 

take a break, so did my parents, but he does not

 listen.  He says he thinks of it as exercise.

Arvid was too tired (and I don’t blame him) to

 go for a walk.  I went to feed Legacy around 4:40 

in the afternoon.  She was there waiting,

 but still won’t get too close to me.

In the early evening I decided to make me a 

watermelon Cosmo. I had all the ingredients.  I blended 

the watermelon.  Extracted the juice and used some

 of the pulp. Best watermelon 🍉 Cosmo ever. 

 You know I will be making this soon again.

As always our evening are spent with the three of 

us watching some TV.  It was a good day until it wasn’t.

 As we were leaving my parents’ home Nina, 

my sister texted.  David’s mom had just died. David 

is Nina’s husband, and like a son to my parents. He 

is one of the kindest most generous persons on this 

planet. David always gives. My heart breaks for him.

My family has had many deaths and tragedies 

this year. 2025 has not been good to my relatives. 

Not good at all😢One hopes 2026 is a better year.

Good morning and a good day to all.

The life of the dead is placed 

in the memory of the living...

~Nadiya~