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~

Tuesday March 31st~

I'm not trying to be everyone's cup 

of tea. I'm my own double-shot espresso...

 Yesterday I woke up early. Could not 

sleep and Arvid wanted me to give him

 a wake up call in Branson as well.  

 In the morning I did a lot of cleaning up

 and some grocery shopping. Everything has 

to be fresh.  Today we're having lunch at 

home.  They are very tired of eating out.

Sniff had his TV hour and at some point

 he was in fluu attack mode. He jumped down from

 his bed. Ran up to the TV and tried to slaughter the 

birdies.  Good thing they were on TV, otherwise 

who knows, could have been really messy.

Arvid and his brother arrived on time. Of course

 I was there earlier than necessary, but better early 

than late. The both looked happy and relaxed,

 even though they had busy days in Branson.  

I was definitely not surprised when Vidar said

 he really liked Branson.  He said there is more to

 do there than here in Florida.  He's probably right, 

it just really depends on what you like to do.

 

We went downtown for lunch.  We wanted to 

take him to one of our favorite spots, but didn't 

realize that they are closed on Mondays. 

  Vidar chose Ford's Garage again.  He found

 something on the menu the first time they went and

 loved it.  Yesterday both he and Arvid had the same. 

 I imagine we will  be going there more often now.

Yesterday as  I was on my way out to feed Legacy 

and hopefully Newbie it started to rain.  I waited

 for a while, but it did not stop.  I did not go, I 

know also that she would not be there waiting

 in the rain.  Hopefully today I see her/them.

Didn't wake up too early today. Sniff and I

 are happy Arvid is home.  Arvid even more.

To all a very good day.  Pretty soon we 

will be on the go again.  Like it.

Start your day with purpose and positivity by 

choosing to see each morning as a fresh beginning...

~Nadiya~

Monday March 30th~

From the moment you were born, 

you were loved that has not changed... 

 The new week begins with another birthday.

 Today our second granddaughter, Vanessa turns 11. 

 Vanessa has a special bond with Arvid and he with her. 

 She is funny, super smart and still a little girl always 

willing to talk to us and to make us laugh.  Another 

special granddaughter.  How did we get so lucky?

Vanessa is a joker.  She is always smiling. 

 Always happy and she finds ways to make everyone 

around her laugh.  To know her is to love her. 

 She always has a trick or two up her sleeve.

Eleven looks perfect on you, keep shining and

 dreaming.  You are loved more than words can say. 

I had a very good day yesterday.  Just took it 

easy and did a few things I enjoyed.  Ate food 

I enjoyed and just relaxed afterwards with Sniff.

I was listening to my music station on TV and suddenly 

Sniff came running from the bedroom.  He stood in front

 of the TV and just kept looking at me, as if asking why is 

it we are not watching the birds.  I switched the channel

 to YouTube right away and he plopped onto his bed. 

 Every so often he got tired and would doze off a bit.

Yesterday I went to feed Legacy a little earlier than 

5pm because it was raining and I just wanted to make sure 

she had her foodies.  She was not there, but Newbie was 

on the other side of the fence.  He saw me.  I called 

for him and he took off like a bat outta hell. 

 He would have come back for foodies.  I hung 

around a bit longer hoping to see Legacy.  Had not

 seen her in the last 2 days.  My patience paid off. 

 She was strolling along on the other side without

 a care in the world.  I know they are not going 

hungry because someone feeds her/them earlier

 in the day.  I usually clean up and leave them

 fresh foodies and water in the afternoons.

Wishing everyone a happy and productive week ahead. 

 Arvid and his brother return home to Florida today.

  They have had a very good time so far in Branson.  We 

still have Vidar for a few days, so we will be a bit busy 

taking him to places.  I like it and look forward to it.

The key is not to prioritize what’s on your

 schedule, but to schedule your priorities...

~Nadiya~