Monday October 26th~

The pain of losing a pet 

is the price we pay for the joy

 they bring into our lives...

 Lately I have been thinking a lot of the five 

kitties I had in San Bernardino, California.  They

 were my first time kitties, Reba was my first love, then 

came MacGyver, Lil Mister, Buddy and Tiger. I loved

 them, and I always will. They were my therapy

 when my first husband Paul Riley died.

My heart does not forget.  Sometimes I wish

 it would for certain things. I still think of all 

the kitties that came into my life.  I loved

 them all and I remember them all 🐾

As the new week begins, I reflect a little on my 

life.  I don't stay there too long. I have beautiful

 memories, and some very painful ones. Truth is,

 who does not.  I am not unique in that sense. 

 Life has give us all a story no one knows.

Arvid and I had a very nice outing yesterday.  

Once again we were able to enjoy The Landing

 and all that if offers.  Soon we will be gone, 

so for now we will make the most of it.

To all a very good day and a productive new 

week. Our time in Branson is coming to an end 

for this summer. So far it has been really good.

A new week brings a fresh start, 

new goals, and endless possibilities

 to help you reset and refocus...

~Nadiya~

Sunday October 25th~

Happiness is the first bite of a well cooked 🥩 

 We left the best for the last. The best steak🥩 

 ever is at Capone's Speakeasy.  Arvid and I make

 it a point to go at least two times every summer.  

Never disappoints. I like everything there, their

 caesar salad is one of the best I have ever had. 

 I say that every time we go because it is a fact.

Now the music scene there is not something

 I would rave about.  Once again "Dean Martin" 

made his appearance, luckily we had already begun

 with our meal so we did not have to endure that 

much, plus there was another group finishing up

 right before we started our meal.  Much better.

 That being said, everyone else seemed to really love

 his performance.  He said he was doing it for over 

40 years, most of it in Las Vegas, then Branson.

We look forward to going back home to Florida, 

especially now that it is starting to get cold.  I also miss 

my mom and dad and looking forward to seeing them. 

I know it is still hot in Florida, but at the end of the 

day, it's home. Also miss my little stray kitties.

To all a very good day. Not sure what 

we are doing today.  Sniff on the other hand 

knows exactly what he's going to do 🐦 

Thank you for another very good summer. 

 Still have a few more days, but also looking 

forward to going back home to Florida.

The decisions you make every day are shaping 

your life. Make sure you're choosing wisely...

~Nadiya~

Saturday October 24th~

The night is when dreams come

 alive and the world slows down...

 One of the places we will really miss is 

The Landing. We try to go there at least once a 

week while here in Branson.  It is beautiful, but even 

more so at night.  Most places do look better at night, 

with all the lights. Everything has a soft glow.

We have really been there quite often this 

summer, and if all goes according to plans we may 

even go there again once more before we leave.  I 

love how it looks at night.  Even the nondescript

 looks interesting, at least I thinks it does.

We have two favorite spots. For a Friday

 outing we like Landshark Bar and Grill.  Yummy 

drinks, views of the lake and the fountain show.  

Makes for a perfect relaxing and pleasant time.

Another favorite place is Saltgrass Steakhouse.  

We like to go there for our Sunday dinner, it is also 

a very good spot for a Friday outing.  It's quiet and we 

also lookout onto the lake.  Both Arvid and I like it quiet

 when we eat.  When it's just the two of us we get that 

quietness, when others are involved it's very loud.

We are all happy with our summer in Branson, 

but we are also ready to go back home to Florida.

As our stay comes to an end, there are always a

 few things we want to do before leaving. Right now 

with Arvid not feeling 100% a lot of that is debatable.  

Just have to wait and see how things go.  The worst 

part for him are the sleepless nights.  Sadly, for

 me it's the norm, but Arvid is not doing that great

 without his eight hour sleep. Not an easy time.

I want to sleep but my brain won't 

stop talking to itself.  That moment when 

tomorrow is here and you've been trying

 to go to sleep since yesterday...

~Nadiya~

Friday October 23rd~

 Almost everything will work again if you 
unplug it for a few minutes…Including you...   

Out of the "office."  Will be back tomorrow 😂It 

is very important to recharge our batteries to uplift our 

spirits and refresh our perspectives towards life. It is

 often said that the best way to recharge yourself

 is to unplug yourself from the daily duties for 

sometime.  It's what I plan to do today. 

To all a good day and "see" you tomorrow. 

Taking a break helps you understand yourself

 better and recharges your drained battery.

It is Friday and though I say I want to do 

absolutely nothing, the day is still young.  Today 

Arvid can run around as much as he likes. I just

 need a little time for myself with myself.

Yesterday after all, I also did not cook. I was not

 really feeling it, so we went to Dannas right next to

 us.  Burgers are always good.  Happy Friday all.

Give yourself permission to unplug and regroup, 

without feeling guilty ❤ . You can’t be there for

others if you don’t take care of yourself first...

~Nadiya~

Thursday October 22nd~

Sunrises offer a powerful symbol of hope,

 fresh starts, and the beauty of a new day...

 Unless you see it you may not believe it.  

Same day just a few minutes difference.  Sunrises 

are amazing to watch and I am grateful that I am 

able to appreciate them no matter where we are. 

Every sunrise is special in its own way 🌅

Our time is nearing an end, in the meantime Sniff 

keeps a good eye out for his wildlife friends.  Keeps 

him busy and also gives him more time to be 

"active" rather than sleep all day long.

It's Thursday and I do not cook today, but since 

we had quite a few things to do yesterday, so 

it became my "no-cook day."  Lately I have

 been craving pizza a lot.  It was very good

Wishing everyone a very good day.  Quiet day today.

 I like it.  Be honest.. is it perfectly acceptable to wear

 pajamas all day if you're staying home?  I say yes😍

Happiness is a quiet day at home. 

 I am exactly where I want to be. 

 At home, avoiding people..

~Nadiya~

Wednesday October 21st~

 Remember to include yourself in the list 

of things you need to take care of today...

Yesterday we both took it easy. Neither of us

 went out.  That’s not so usual for us.  Rested my 

knee.  Made lunch at home and we watched some TV

 during the day and of course our evening shows.

Sniff slept quite a bit, as always.  He missed 

all the birdies that showed up. Lately he has not 

shown such great interest in them.  It was a beautiful

 day. Temperature just perfect. Sunny with blue skies. 

This is a very good time to be here in Branson. 

October is soon over.  Before you know it, 

Christmas is here.  I love the whole Christmas 

season. It's such a happy time.  For now we have

 to finish with Halloween and Thanksgiving.

We have a few things to do today.  Will be good 

to get out of the apartment for a little and enjoy 

the beautiful weather.  Wishing everyone a good

 day.  Below, one of the first Christmas trees to

 be up here in Branson, not far from us.

Whatever you do today 

do it with the confidence of a 4 year 

old in a Batman T-Shirt...

~Nadiya~

Tuesday October 20th~

It's not the miles.  It's the moments...

 Arvid and I still have ownerships in Almost Home Lodge

 and The View.  Two extended stay hotels here in Branson, MO.  

We do not do any active running of the hotel, but when help

 is needed and we are in Branson, we show up. Arvid was 

once again there, trying to help out with a few things.

  He says it keeps him busy. Even when Arvid is not 

feeling well, he wants to be busy.  It's in his DNA.

Every so often I have this craving for something

 sweet.  Maybe more often than I would like to admit 

to myself. I felt like having a donut.  Nothing too

fancy, just a plain glazed donut.  My to go place

 in Branson is Hurts Donuts. Definitely hits the

 spot, and best of all, I got Sniff's approval.

It is warming up nicely already.  The sun is out 

shining and both Arvid, Sniff and I had a good night's sleep;

 so much better than the day before. Today is going to

 be a good day. Wishing everyone a good one also. 

One small positive though in the 

morning can change your whole day...

~Nadiya~

Monday October 19th~

Everyone stumbles; what 

defines your character is how you 

react and learn after it happens...

 As the new week begins, I just hope that

Arvid does not get the cold. I want us to do

 a few things before leaving Branson, but

 now I am not too sure how that will go.  

Arvid is not feeling well. All I can say is that men 

handle pain differently, and not in a good way.  

Arvid not feeling good means Sniff and I have

 to be tippy toeing around until he's better.

This time however, Arvid is definitely not

 over exaggerating.  He's uncomfortable, achy, 

and if you can't sleep that in itself is a huge

 problem. Arvid is not used to not "being 

well."  Makes it more difficult on him.

Julius Caesar once said, "It is easier

 to find men who will volunteer to die, than

 to find those who are willing to endure pain 

with patience."  From experience, I can

 tell you men do not handle pain well. 

Sniff is always hovering around even 

more so when Arvid is not feeling well. 

 He (Sniff) always knows when we need 

him.  He does not leave Arvid's side.

The week is wide open.  Anything can

 happen it all depends on how Arvid is feeling.

 For the sake of all three of us I really hope 

Arvid feels better soon. We did go to urgent 

care yesterday and he was given some 

medication to help with pain.  As of right

 now, he claims to not have pain.

Arvid and I did have a Sunday outing after all.

 We did not sit outdoors, too cold right now for that, 

but we did enjoy another of our favorite places. 

 The food is always good, never disappoints.

To all a very good week  Make it a good

 one. In the end, it's not the years in your 

life that count. It's the life in your years.

 Fill your days with purpose, deep 

relationships, and meaningful moments rather

 than just counting the passing time...

~Nadiya~

Sunday October 18th~

One of the best lessons you can learn 

in life is to master how to remain calm...

 Yesterday we had another quiet day at home.  It 

was actually very nice to not have to run around.

   I did go out for a little in the morning while Arvid

 stayed in watching a few soccer games.  Arvid went 

back to Almost Home in the afternoon.  I did not 

feel like going so I stayed in and read a bit.

Another cold morning is here, but the day will be

 sunny with bright blue skies with a definite warming up. 

Another really beautiful fall day in Branson Missouri.

Last night we stayed in, watched a movie, 

Tulsa King and had snacks with a Pepsi. Was 

pretty good.  I also made popcorn. Arvid, Sniff

 and I had a good time.  Sniff likes popcorn also.

Not exactly sure what we are doing today.

 I'm ready to do something, but it all depends on 

how Arvid feels.  Hopefully today he is feeling better.

  That being said, it does not interfere with all his soccer

 games😂 So far he has not missed a single one.

  Truth is he does not sound that good right now. 

The most beautiful way of life

 is to be grateful for what we have

 lived every day, without regrets...

~Nadiya~

Saturday October 17~

It's officially cold weather season! Do

 you know what that means? It's time to prep

 the cozy sweaters and the warm drinks...

 Finally the birdies started coming; I guess they

 were also waiting for the cooler weather to get here.

 We saw so many pretty ones flying g around while

having breakfast.  Sniff slept through it all. So happy will

 get to see them for a bit before we leave.  Daisy, Fatboy, 

Sparrow and some I don't know their names.  Pigeon 

also showed up, but stayed on the grass.  Happy day. 

Arvid and I were invited to take a tour of what 

used to be 76 Inn.  One of our hotels on The Strip.  The

 one Arvid used to be in charged of.  We were very

 impressed with what they have done to the place.

Today it's called Retro Hotel and looks very 

different than the old 76 Inn.  Much better looking.

 Was very interesting to see what we once owned

 has become today. We liked what we saw.

The cool down is here, and yes we complain 

when cold, we complain when hot. Life.  Yesterday 

we had a quiet evening at home.  Arvid says he's

 getting the cold, and when a man gets the cold/flu

 anything; everything has to stand still😭

My guess is that it's going to be another quiet day, 

depending on how Arvid feels. Arvid said that it is cold 

enough to make hot chocolate today. He even told it to 

his brother yesterday when they chatted. For Arvid

 everything has to fall in place.  For me, if it feels right

 I go for it.  Good morning and a happy day to all.

Men do not 'moan' when they have Man-Flu. They 

emit involuntary groans of agony that are entirely

 in proportion to the unbearable pain they are in.

Manflu: An illness that causes the male

 to be helpless and sicker than any other

 family member. In females: a cold...

~Nadiya~

Friday October 16th~

 People wait all week for Friday, all 

year for summer, all life for happiness...

Yesterday was a good day, most days are good 

days, but when I don't have to cook the day is even 

better. Since it was Thursday we had lunch out.  

No cooking, no cleaning.  I do prefer home

 cooked meals, but it is also nice to go out.

The most difficult part of cooking is figuring

 out what to make for Arvid.  Since I can have

 chicken most days, that leaves me looking for option

 #2 for him. Making two different meals every 

time makes for a lot of clean up afterwards.

Today 11 years ago Brutus came into our lives.

 We had gone to the Broward County Shelter 

a few days before and on this day in 2006 we

 picked him up and our lives changed forever.

 I will never forget that day nor all the 

happiness he brought into our lives. Today

 I am thinking g of him a lot and missing

 him.  Brutus took a piece of me, of us.

Yesterday Arvid and I went to Almost Home. 

I got to see a lot of my old tenants and had time

 to talk and catch up with everyone. I also met

 new ones while Arvid helped/showed Kurt 

with a few things.  Overall it was a good day. 

The temperature has dropped.  Big difference

 from yesterday afternoon to right now, and it 

will continue dropping.  Nice change from the 

heat; of course now we are "complaining" that it

 is too cold. Thank goodness for the weather.

It gives us all something to talk about😂

Yesterday we went once again to Andy's. Who

 knows we may not be able to go back for this year. 

May be too cold for us, and you know we are not 

fans of the cold.  To all a good day and a happy start

 of the weekend.  No plans here. The temperature will 

drop quite a bit; staying warm and cozy at home 

sounds like a good way to spend the evening.

Friday: The golden child of the weekdays...

~Nadiya~