Wednesday April 8th~

Success is liking yourself, liking what

 you do, and liking how you do it...

 Yesterday we went over to mom and dad's to help

 them set up a few smaller details in their new car.  Arvid

 spent time first with my dad showing him all the necessary 

gadgets and how to customize/set up a few things.  

After he was done with my dad, it was mom's turn.

 He showed her the same.  When he wants to, Arvid

 is very patient.  When Arvid was done with his "lesson"

 it was my turn.  I was in charged of the phone setup, the 

navigation and how to navigate the media player.

We were caught in a lot of rain yesterday.  Seems like 

the rainy season has begun early.  No complaints because 

we sure need it.  Too bad that I had a soaking going to 

the grocery store.  Somehow the umbrella that's always in 

the car was not.  Another example of Arvid tidying up.

 I did no see Legacy yesterday.  I went, 

left her some foodies and cleaned up her area.  

So many ants.  People are being kind, but they

 leave food on the ground by her mats all the 

time.  By afternoon it's swarming with ants.

Back home it was more rain in the late 

afternoon early evening.  Made it a cozy evening 

for all of us.  Especially Sniff, he gets to pick 

who he sits with and when.  He's very loved.

To all a very good day.  With the rain the 

flowers are blooming even more prettily and

 our sunrises are always picture perfect.

If you're not watchful, the wonderful

 is made mundane. But on a good day the 

mundane can be made miraculous...

~Nadiya~

Simple Pleasures And Food..

Simple can be harder than complex: You 

have to work hard to get your thinking clean to 

make it simple. But it’s worth it in the end because 

once you get there, you can move mountains...

They say that the simple things are the most

 extraordinary things and that only the wise can see 

them.  I guess I am one of those wise ones for I enjoy

 the simple things in life more than anything else.

Some of my favorite times are walking on 

the beach.  When we lived in Fort Lauderdale, it

 was very easy to go for walk on the beach.  It gave me 

time to just be with myself and to just let my imagination 

take flight.  If only for an hour or so.  It revives the soul 

and prepares me to face whatever the day holds.

Arvid and I used to enjoy going to Monty's in 

South Beach.  Not a fancy place but the sunsets are 

impressive.We saw the cruise ships pass by as we enjoyed

 our favorite seafood.  Only restaurant where both 

Arvid and I actually order from the raw bar.

Food makes me happy.  When I eat I enjoy it. 

 Arvid eats because he has to.  For me it's just a 

delicious experience.  Time after time.  At Monty's 

it was just a truly delightful time.  We both love it 

there and it had become "our" spot.  I do miss it.

Many say that food is our common ground.  

A universal experience. I truly believe so for

 laughter is brightest where food is best.  Food brings

 everyone together and puts people in a happier better 

mood and state of mind.  Does it for me, always.

To all a very good day.  You know they say that

 you have to taste a culture to understand it.  I want

 to understand many cultures in this lifetime.  Good food

 is good mood, and I always want to be in a good mood.

A good day to all.  Every so often it makes me happy

 to take a little stroll down memory lane.  There is laughter,

 joy and tears.  I have enjoyed every (almost) chapter 

in my life.  A few I could do without, but over-all, 

 life has been good to me.  And it still is.

Legacy was waiting for me again.  Just

 chilling on her mat. It rained a bit in the evening.  

Her mat will be wet, so today I have to go and hang 

them in the sun to dry out.  Always something to do. 

Life is really simple, but we

 insist on making it complicated...

~Nadiya~

New Week- Monday April 6th~

Begin this week with an 'I get to' mentality 

instead of an 'I have to' thought process...

As the new week begins so does most of my 

doctors appointments.  April and November are

 the months I usually have most of my doctors 

follow-ups.  Arvid also has a few scheduled

 this month.  Combined with a few other things,

 the week will be busy.  Always good, and 

BTW, April is going to be really HOT!

Once again I went a bit earlier to feed Legacy.

 The sky was black and it looked like rain any minute. 

 Luckily she was there.  No Newbie though. She 

was patiently waiting again on her mat.

Our day was quiet yesterday.  Just a little 

walk downtown for some ice-cream, and a

 little stretching of the legs.  Always good.

The new week begins on a positive I can

 do note.  Wishing you all a good one as well.

You can't go back and change

 the beginning, but you can start where

 you are and change the ending...

~Nadiya~

Easter Sunday April 5th~

Take it slow and give your soul 

a chance to catch up with your body...

 Yesterday we both enjoyed a very relaxing day;  

that is if I don’t think about the zoo that grocery 

shopping was. I went to Publix and then had to go

 to Walmart to get some food for Sniff and Legacy. 

Meanwhile this is happening in somewhere near you.

Walmart is the only place I find Sheba pate 

individually sold.  Seems like everyone was at

 Walmart yesterday.  I keep telling myself to never

 go there in the weekends, however that seems to

 be the best time for me no matter what.

 I also pick up my meds from Walmart.  

This way when we go to Branson it’s easy to 

just transfer them.  In Branson one mostly

 gets everything also at Walmart.

On Friday when I went to feed Legacy she was 

not there. A lot of work is going on in the area 

where she lives. It is after all Legacy Marina, and it’s 

in full renovation mode. I went there yesterday before 

we left for the concert.  I was so happy to see her just

 relaxing on her mat. She waited until I cleaned up put 

fresh water and food before jumping up to eat. 

Sniff is acting up with his foodies. He won’t eat

 unless Arvid “begs” him.  Arvid does have this unique

 knack to make him eat.  Glad for that. He's still  puking 

quite often.  Might have to take him to the vet.

Last night Arvid and I went to a concert.  As 

my sister Rima says, “he’s still alive?” He is and 

not a bad performance for an old man.

Today we will take it easy. Our outing will be at home 

and I will be making lunch.  Can’t tell you how happy 

we are to not be eating out.  While Arvid’s brother 

was here we ate out almost everyday. Don’t get me

 wrong, it was good, but we sure got tired of it.

Wishing everyone a Happy Easter.

Easter is meant to be a symbol

 of hope, renewal and new life...

~Nadiya~

Saturday April 4th~

Ready to make memories with the new beast...

Yesterday we spent most of the day at a car dealership.
 Mom and dad bought a new car after 22 years. It was 

not easy to let go of their faithful Toyota 4Runner.

 My dad and mom loved this car. To the end, it still 

was running smoothly and looked almost new. They 

always treated this and all of their cars very well.  It was

 sad for them, but also a happy day. They came to buy a

 black car, but mom saw the blue one and that was

 it for her.  She loved it and that’s what they got. 

They were asked if they would like to test drive

 the car. My dad said sure and then said to Arvid, “you

 test drive it for us.”  He did and they all were happy.

The purchase took hours.  Afterwards mom and

 dad took us out to dinner.  Dad asked Arvid to drive 

the car to the restaurant. They were passengers.  I 

followed behind in our car.  Worked for all of us.

We had a very good meal.  Everyone was 

happy and smiling.  A new toy to play with now.

 Definitely a very good day.  If you know my dad, 

you also know he got the top of the line 🚙

It's a beautiful day here. Having lunch 

at home seems like a special treat now. 

 Good day to all and a Happy Easter.

The very first Easter taught us this: that

 life never ends and love never dies...

~Nadiya~

Friday April 2nd~

The best times are found in shared 

experiences and cherished memories...

 When we were at Matanzas the other day, as we 

were relaxing after a good meal we saw a boter having 

troubles getting his boat out.  The wind was strong 

and his helper was "useless" as both Arvid and his 

brother said.  The brothers thought it would be a good

 thing to help out.  They did.  The boat got back 

on track and everyone was happy once  again.

After doing a good deed it was time to have another toast. 

 They were already celebrating prior to this, but this was

 definitely a good reason for them to have another drink. 

 Being the designated driver I was happy with my coffee.

Spending time together creates cherished 

memories, strengthens bonds, and provides necessary 

emotional support.  Arvid and his brother definitely

 have strengthened their bond and relationship 

with each other.  It has been a very good time.

Yesterday I went to feed Legacy a bit earlier than 

5pm because it looked like the rain was going to come 

down hard and heavy.  I got there she was not there I called

 out for her and before you knew it she was there.  I was so

 happy.  Even though the rain came down she came and ate 

her foodies.  I have not seen her in the last 3 days.

To all a very good day.  Today we 

also have a busy but fun day with mom

 and dad.  We both look forward to it.  

It's the little things in life that matter most,

 and the memories they create are the best part...

~Nadiya~

Brothers Spending Time ~

Life's value is found in shared 
moments, not material things...

We took Vidar to one of the many rooftop bars 

here in Fort Myers.  My favorite is Luminary.

We were fortunate that the skies were clear and 

the sunset was as always amazing.  At sunset hour the

 rooftop is packed.  Everyone, except Arvid of course,

 wants to be there and get a selfie, me no exception.

We enjoyed the view, the sunset and each others company.

The brothers are spending a lot of time together.  

They look so happy in each others company.  It's really 

good to see.  I am sure they are both a bit tired, but the time 

they have spent together so far will forever be special.

I have enjoyed seeing Arvid and Vidar together.

We are enjoying our time with Vidar.  Yesterday 

we even saw a bit of the Artemis II, mainly the 

flash, blast off to the moon from the restaurant

 in Fort Myers Beach yesterday.  Pretty cool.

Wishing everyone a happy day. Your brother is always 

the first male friend you will have in your life.

Once a brother, always a brother, 

no matter the distance, no matter the

 difference, and no matter the issue...

~Nadiya~

Wednesday April 1st~

All women are created equal, 

but only the best are born in April...

 April-born women are often described as fierce, 

confident, and natural leaders, characterized as

 "storms" rather than those who simply withstand 

them.  I will not contradict this because I am an 

April woman and this holds true.  "April girl, they 

whispered , 'You cannot withstand the storm.'

 She whispered back, 'I am the damm storm."

A new month begins. Definitely one of my favorites.  

I you see was born in April.  Nobody is perfect, but if 

you were born in April, you're pretty damn close.

Arvid continues doing the tour guide thing.  He's 

very good and patient at it.  With everyone.  More so 

than I am.  I see him with my parents and I smile.  He's

 so patient.  So kind.  I sure got lucky with him. 

Yesterday we took Vidar to mom and dad's.

  Of course they wanted to cook and have us over 

for dinner, but we said not this time.  They just got 

back from their cruise and I know they are tired, but 

I also know they would have gladly done it.

Yesterday we also had lunch at home.  Vidar

 and I were the cooks.  Arvid a not so interested 

observer.  Vidar made the salmon with a very 

delicious sauce.  I made the shrimp scampi, and

 the accompaniments.  Everything was good.  

Best was the time spent together.  Relaxed. 

Yesterday was a very good day.  Vidar and my

 parents got along very well. They asked him how he

 liked Branson and his response was, "it was fantastic." 

 He told them he would like to go back there another time

 and maybe spend two weeks.  He said there was so much 

to do in Branson.  To that there was another toast/ skål.

 To all a very good day and may April be

 good to all of us.  Many say April is a promise

 of what's to come. Happy New Month.

In family relationships love is really 

spelled t-i-m-e. Gratitude turns what we have into 

enough, transforming ordinary days into blessings

 and unlocking the fullness of life....

~Nadiya~