Tuesday March 21st ~

Bad stuff does happen sometimes, always remember that 

but remember that you have to move on somehow. You 

just pick your head up and stare at something beautiful

 like the sky or the ocean and you move the hell on...

 Hopefully yesterday was my last visit to the radiology department. 

 Hopefully no more scans nor X-rays in the next few months.  Still have

 doctors visits, but those are not bad.  A few side effects from yesterdays X-rays,

 only because it had to be done with contrast.  Metallic taste in my mouth, 

but I'm used to that.  Nausea from it, not a big deal.  I have had it before

 and within 24-48 hours I'm "new" again. Ready for the next round.

Cheetos makes me feel better so I did indulge in some

 snacking together with Sniff.  We both love Cheetos.

Sniff and I have been awake since 4am.  Not the worse. 

 Seems like winter is hitting us this morning.  The temperature 

here in Fort Myers is expected to drop another two degrees by 7 am.

  Yes, cold for us Floridians.  We are wimps.  Arvid should be making his 

famous hot chocolate when he gets up.  Always better on a cold day.

Fort Lauderdale is a good 12 degrees warmer than us right now.  

Arvid will have some thoughts on that.  Definitely 😂  I like it a

 bit cooler than he does. Makes for better sleep.  Based on the picture

 below the temperature in Fort Myers has already dipped in the 40's

 Good morning to all and may spring be here soon. 

 My family in the different states are sure not experiencing

 any spring type weather as of today.  Still too cold.

It was one of those March days when the sun shines

 hot and the wind blows cold: when it is summer

 in the light, and winter in the shade...

~Nadiya~

Monday March 20th ~

 A wise man once said: "Don't be afraid to start

 over again.  This time, you're not starting from

 scratch.  You're starting from experience...

 This  (above) is something both Arvid and I can really identify with. 

 I honestly do not wish to be starting all over again at this age. 

 I want to be settled in a place for more than 2-5 years.  Not 

sure why I am saying this now, but then I know Arvid.

The week begins again with a doctor's appointment.

  I am really looking forward to a little break from

 all of this.  Hopefully when we get to Branson, 

these appointments will not be as many.

Arvid is marking the days off in his calendar and reminding

 me everyday of how many days are left before we leave.  He's

 already started packing away the outdoor furniture.  I told

 him it was a little too soon, but he said not soon enough.

This week we will again be going into Fort Lauderdale.

 If I am lucky I can get to the Swap Shop and get my 

fruit and coconut water.  This is something I miss a

 lot in Fort Lauderdale.  Everything else I am 

good with and can live without.  For now.

Good morning all.  We begin the day on the chilly side,

 but that will soon change.  Happy first day of spring to all.  

Even though for many it continues to be very cold.

A friend who holds you accountable is better than a

 friend who will sit by and silently watch your bad habits 

destroy you.  Keep a real one around you.  Always...

~Nadiya~

Sunday At Home ~

If you do what you love, it is the best way to relax...

 I love our Sundays.  Quiet and peaceful.  I am  very

rested today and looking forward to a relaxing day with Arvid, 

Sniff and our little Sunday outing. It's a little chilly to sit out,

 so Cuban sounds good.  We all love Cuban foodies 🍚.

We have had some very nice outings with family

 and some even better times laughing and just bonding.

We also had good food and even better drinks🍹

Next couple of weeks we will be going again to Fort Lauderdale.  I 

don't like the drive, but I like the idea of going to lunch at restaurants we

 do not have in Fort Myers, and that we really like and miss.  The plus side, 

we will have good company and many good memories will be made.

May your day be a bright and happy one.  We all have "problems" 

in life, but how we deal with it is what makes the difference. 

 For Arvid this was his happy thought for today, "we only have

 one more bacon meal before we leave for Branson." 😂

The more you feed your mind with positive thoughts, 

the more amazing things take root and happen.  This is

 because you attract what you think about most...

~Nadiya~

Saturday March 18th ~ t done

With the right vibes and the right people, 

it’s easy to create something magical...

 Early in the morning with my Sniff.  Once again, 

we are both awake too early for our own good.  

It's going to be another very long day. 

 Yesterday I slept almost nothing.  Thank goodness we had 

a very good day, but even so I was so exhausted, and I did 

not even have any alcohol.  Go figure.  I am not

 that tolerant of alcohol on a regular basis.

Yesterday we had a little tour with family.  We drove by Sanibel-Captiva

 Island and through Fort Myers Beach.  The devastation always gets

 to me.  To "soften" the blow, we had a good stop for lunch.

Hopefully you are having a more restful morning 

and enjoying your sleep.  Wish I could say the same,

 but there is tomorrow and  it will be better.  We just look 

forward to a quiet day at home.  Always the best.

The greatest weapon against stress is our

 ability to choose one thought over another...

~Nadiya~

Friday March 17th🍀 ~

May you have all the happiness and luck that life can hold🍀

 and at the end of your rainbows may you find a pot of gold...

Plans for today = a drive through Fort Myers Beach.  Tonight 

we stay in with Sniff.  Downtown is always an option, but it will

 sure be crowded.  Maybe I want to maybe I don't want to, but 

we always have the option of taking a walk on the "wild side"

Every St. Patrick’s Day every Irishman goes out to find another 

Irishman to make a speech to.  A happy St. Patrick's Day to all.  Yeah, it's 

St. Paddy's Day. Everyone's Irish tonight.  Luck is believing you're lucky.

I have been awake since midnight.  Just laying in bed.  Why does

 sleep seem to elude me so often?  Here goes another long day. 

 Hopefully tonight I will catch up on lost sleep 😂

You never know what worse luck your

 bad luck has saved you from 🍀 🍀

~Nadiya~

Thursday March 16th ~

Granddaughter, you're all the good things I believe about life.

 Granddaughter, my favorite thing in life is when you wrap 

💗 your arms around my neck and kiss my cheek...

 Summer can't get here soon enough.  Was looking at my 

calendar, the one with the grandkids and saw their smiling faces. 

 Have not seen them since 2020.  I have never seen little Amelia

 and can't wait to hold her.  Aleah our eldest granddaughter says 

she will teach me Norwegian.  Well that made my day, my week. 

  I want to be able to communicate with then so badly.  I am 

grateful and so happy life has given me so many blessings.

Today is going to be a beautiful day.  Yes another beautiful day 

here in Southwest Florida.  Today we expect sunshine all day. 

 No haziness, no clouds and no rain (which we need)

Sniff is in the St. Patrick's Day groove.  Relaxing and just 

breezing through the day.  Exactly how it should be.

Last night as we were watching TV, Arvid got up for a few minutes.  

 Sniff right away "stole" his chair.  Arvid being Arvid sat elsewhere

 as to not disturb Sniff.  Well Sniff decided he wanted to

 be near his dada so that's where he ended up 🐾

Walks continue to be pretty and always something to see.

I look forward now to seeing my wildlife friends in Branson. 

 Meanwhile Arvid is counting down the days as well until

 we leave for Branson.  These are my Florida friends 😂

Today seems like a good day to be here.  Truth is any day is a good day.

We woke up to 12 degrees cooler than our "neighbor" city 

Fort Lauderdale.  Like it.  Also Arvid spotted an Eagle carrying a fish.  

The Eagle landed just below us.  Arvid, Sniff and I enjoyed watching 

him/her eat his fishie.  Makes for a good start of our day.

Good morning to all.  Hopefully for those living in winter

 wonderland, warm weather is soon coming your way.  

No one ever says that what I like about her is the fact

 that she always feels sorry for herself.  It’s okay to be sad.

 Pity yourself. Cry it out. But don’t get too comfortable with

 these emotions. Because the next step is: LET IT GO...

~Nadiya~

Wednesday March 15th~

Life is made of small moments like these...

 No evening is complete if Sniff is not propped between one of us. 

 He starts out with me and ends up spending most of the time 

with Arvid.  After all Arvid watches more TV than I do 😂

I am not a happy camper today.  Finally all the doctors 

visits, tests, scans you name has gotten to me.  I am just 

a tad bit fed up.  It's seems like an everyday thing.  

What has gotten me even more upset was that when I

 went to do the neck scan the technician was unsure as to what the 

doctor was requesting.  When she asked me what it is I needed done,

 I sorta was not the calmest of people.  No I did not cuss her out, 

but I did have a 20 minute of not very calm conversation.

Good morning everyone.  Sometimes/more times than you 

can imagine, life is not "fair" but the way you deal with it is 

what you will get out of it.  I am not a negative person.  Some

 days you have to push yourself even when you think you can't.  

That the difference between a loser and someone willing to fight 

for what they think is right.  Early greetings from Sniff 🍀

There are moments in your life that make you and sets the 

course of who you're going to be. Sometimes they're little, subtle moments. 

Sometimes, they're big moments you never saw coming. No one asks 

for their life to change, but it does. It's what you do afterwards 

that counts. That's when you find out who you are...

~Nadiya~

Tuesday March 14th ~

It's the simple things in life that are the most extraordinary...

 Right now I'm into taking pictures of the flowers we pass on our 

walks.  The building in the background in these is our building. 

Usually I am not the only one taking pictures of the flowers.  Many 

find the same attraction as I do, and appreciate their beauty 🌸.

Usually our home is one "glorious" mess, but occasionally we 

clean up well.  Sniff loves to jump onto everything, and that has left

 scratches everywhere.  Arvid of course freaks out for everything so 

we cover everything hoping it will be protected from Sniff's claws.

Try as I may, I am always awake way too early.  I have no 

idea why.  I thought if I went to sleep later than my normal time

 I would sleep in longer.  Has not worked.  Getting out of bed at 3am

 is not funny at all.  By 2 in the afternoon I'm totally exhausted.

Fortunately, Sniff is always there to keep me company.

Another long day ahead, it's a good thing I have the option 

to take a nap😂 which I most likely will not exercise, that is unless we

 watch TV.  Then I fall right asleep 😂.  The simple joys of life...

The morning is hazy as was yesterday.  We have not had this kind of 

"ugly" weather for as long as I can remember.  Why now? No matter what

 it continues to be nice and warm.  Cloudy is perfect for walks.

On another note, I may be coming down with the flu 😷.  Exactly 

what I can't have right now.  Not with all the tests I have to do.  

I have no time to be sick.  Sick means delays in my different tests. 

 Something that right now ain't that good.  Sick is never good.

Normalcy to me is enjoying the simple things in life...

~Nadiya~

Monday March 13th ~

The more you feed your mind with positive thoughts, 

the more you can attract great things into your life...

 Daylight Savings Time suits us well.  We are fortunate that we 

work from home.  For Sniff, Arvid and I it's "business as usual."

We have had a very nice weekend.  Spent yesterday with family 💚

and looking forward to more time together.  Life is good to us.

As the new week begins, we will still be experiencing glorious 

weather.  Many still not having the warmth as of yet.  No bueno

Sunshine State is just sunny as can be.  For my sisters and 

parents, winter is still hanging on.  Same for so many.

The 25-foot statue, Unconditional Surrender Statue recreates

 the famous embrace between a sailor and a nurse celebrating

 the end of World War II in New York's Times Square in 1945.  

Today it is displayed along the Sarasota Bay.  

 

Today, there are multiple statues, such as in Normandy, France, 

San Diego, California, Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, Hamilton, New Jersey, and 

the original in Sarasota, Florida. In 2010, Jack Curran, a WWII veteran,

 purchased the Sarasota statue and a lease on the bayfront for ten years

 for $500,000 and donated it to Sarasota. The 10-year lease agreement 

expired in June 2020, it now belongs to the city of Sarasota. 

May this be a week of many accomplishments for all of us.  May we 

also remember that when we focus on the good, the good gets better.

Good moods are contagious. Dance in the direction 

of your dreams. Sing a song of rainbows. Listen to 

your heart. Write yourself a happy ending...

~Nadiya~

Sunday March 12th ~ done

Happiness is not something ready-made. 

It comes from your own actions...

 Daylight savings time begins and no one is happier than Arvid. 

 He's always a happy man but more so knowing he will enjoy 

brighter days.  Of course I like it as well, but with Arvid

 it's a big production 🌞 Little things make him happy.

Arvid does not ask for much, but he enjoys life to the fullest.

Flowers are a gift to this earth. As Gerard De Nerval once said,

 “Every flower is a soul blossoming in nature.” They paint 

contrasting colors along the ground and bring joy to many.

Wishing everyone a relaxing day.  Breathe in and breathe out.

Last night was movie night for us.  First time since moving to Fort Myers.

The Japanese say, if the flower is to be beautiful, it must

 be cultivated.  Good morning all.  Next week I start the day

 with a doctors appoint and I end the week with one.  Life

 happens no matter what we want or don't want 😂

Don’t underestimate the value of Doing Nothing, 

of just going along, listening to all the things

 you can’t hear, and not bothering...

~Nadiya~