Saturday Feels ~

The only thing you can do is prepare the best

 you can and then just accept... stuff happens... 

Yesterday we decided to go to Costco 😂.  Surprise!  

It was packed.  No matter where you go in Puerto Rico 

there are hundreds of people.  Especially when it comes 

to grocery stores of sorts.  People here eat very well.

Arvid and I were not members.  All we wanted to do was to 

check out and see if we could find a few things we are not able

 to find in the grocery store.  No sireee.  We had to be members.  

No day pass or anything is allowed.  Members or nothing.

Driving around different areas of Puerto Rico,

 I can't help but notice how rundown the houses are.  

How rundown everything is, yet here we are.

Then of course the other side.  The island is

 definitely beautiful.  The people are warm, welcoming 

and always so very affectionate.  Puerto Ricans love 

people and they live live and are happy people. and the

 fact that there is a beach at every corner definitely

 makes it a little piece of a tropical paradise.

The beach above is called Tortuga Beach.  Located in the 

gem of Culebrita Island.  Yes, Puerto Rico.  Accessible 

only by water taxi or of course boat.  There are not 

many facilities, but it's what draws many to it.

  Arvid usually says to me, "I don't have an island 

feeling when we drive around."  That's because we are 

surrounded by mountains and lots of vegetation.

Then there is this.  White sand beaches and palm trees.

Definitely a tropical paradise with so much more.  We've

 been to Hawaii before and I would choose Puerto Rico 

over and over again.  More affordable and accessible.

  Definitely as beautiful if not more. People friendly.

Where we live we are fortunate to watch the sunrise everyday.

I see it everyday when walking.  I know when we leave one 

day I will miss it very much.  Home calls, at the same 

time I'm torn.  What will become of "my" kitties?

To all a good day.  Bright skies and beautiful sunshine right now.

  Can also change in the blink of an eye.  Island living at its best.

Home isn't a place, it's a feeling...

~Nadiya~

Friday May 14th ~

 Whenever I am missing you, I also remember

how fortunate I was that you were in our lives.  I

 wouldn't trade those moments for the world...

Yesterday we walked on the beach.  So much to see and

 always very entertaining.  One girl was jumping rope 

like a maniac.  She had good coordination and style.  

When she took a break I told her so, and we chatted a 

little.  No clue who she was but our chat was interesting,

 and she said was OK to take the pictures.  She's a good rope

 jumper.  With a lot of style.  She made it seem so very easy.

The island also has a lot of chickens running around.  

Now all the mama chickens have babies.  Of course now

 I am going to start taking food for the mamas and their babies

 as well.  The homeless population of animals is sad.

The other day Arvid could not get the TV to work it 

was stuck.  Everyone who knows Arvid, knows he loves his

 TV time.  He tried everything, unplugging, hitting the 

TV, hitting the remote, but nothing worked 😂.

  Finally he checked the batteries and what do you know. 

 We just needed new batteries for the remote.  The night

 was saved.  I just watched waiting until he realized why 

the remote was not working.  Pretty entertaining because 

Arvid got all worked up. Then he was happy again 😂.

The day is sunny and of course warm.  The waves are

 splashing, the skies are blue.  Life is good and we are

 grateful for the time we have here in Puerto Rico.

The heart remembers most what it has loved best...

~Nadiya~

Thursday May 13th ~

 Don't be afraid to share your story.  It could be

 the key that unlocks someone else's prison...

My second vaccine was on May 6th.  On May 9th 

I started to have lots of aches.  I don't know why, but hope 

 it's because of the vaccine, a side effect or something, 

but come Monday May 10th I was in a lot of pain.

  My left arm hurt like hell.  Not the usual pain, intense. 

 Intramuscular  It's the arm I had both vaccine shots on. 

 From my shoulders and up the pain has been consistent,

 and worse from the middle of the day on.  Tylenol helps

 a little, but yesterday it felt as if I was just about to die. 

 My heart rate accelerated a million beats an hour. 

 Felt like that.  My head felt like it would explode any

 minute, and when I stood up everything went black.  I 

was dizzy as hell.  This lasted for a long time.  Scared 

the living daylights out of me.  I don't handle pain well.

Right now all I feel is aches everywhere.  Should be 

getting better any day now.  Still has not stopped me 

from my walks, but I have to say I have been much 

slower and out of breath. A lot out of breath 😕.

Kitties have to eat, and I sure love the morning walks.

  Peaceful.  Just me, the kitties, the birds, sunrises and

 sometimes someone else walking.  yesterday I met Stacey. 

 We have crossed paths many a times, but aside from good

 morning we didn't have much conversations. She listens to 

music as she walks.  I listen to the sounds around me.

Stacey is from Arizona and she and her husband decided to

 move permanently to Puerto Rico after one visit.  She said

 she has lived in many other Caribbean locations, but

 when she came to PR she just knew this was it.

In my family all my sisters and spouses have been 

vaccinated.  The only two left are Sachin who already has an

 appointment and Lilly Vade who is just 13 years old.  Lilly

 has an appointment for her first vaccine on Saturday.

Hopefully soon all the family in Norway will 

also be vaccinated.  They say the vaccine works.

  Let's just say I am vaccinated because it makes 

everyone feel safer and more at ease. 

 I have nothing against the vaccine, and based on the

 numbers of Covid cases daily, it looks like it's working 

to slow down this pandemic, and that's what matters.  

Soon life/restrictions should begin to taper off.

Good day to all.  Time is flying by.  Arvid and I 

will be grandparents for the third time come November 2021.  

We already have 2 granddaughters, and are hoping for a grandson,

 but it does not matter boy or girl, he/she is already loved.

Sniff is my happy place. He makes everything better and I love him.

You may be tired and exhausted, but you 

woke up today.  Someone else didn't...

~Nadiya~

Life Is What You Make Of It ~

It isn't where you came from.

 It's where you're going that counts...

Morning walks and furry friends.  Beautiful start of each day.

It's the simple things that make me happy, and when it

comes to food, just about all of it makes me smile, and happy.

 Life is simple, yet we tend to make it complicated.  

To all a happy day.  Keep it simple and you will 😍

realize what a beautiful life this is.  I do everyday.

You do not find the happy life. You make it...

~Nadiya~

Tuesday May 11th ~

 There are two great days in a person’s life – the
 day we are born and the day we discover why...

In Arvid's world, hot chocolate is only had on 
very cold days.  Living in Puerto Rico that for sure
 will not happen much.  The cold days I mean.  I was
 in the mood for hot chocolate, and after Victoria
☕ mentioned it on Sunday, even more so. I don't 
live by set rules.  I do as I want when I want. 
Arvid says I am a "wild card 😂." Funny 

 Arvid is set in certain things, but he gets around seeing 

it my may sooner or later.  Sometimes much later😂

Bottom line we had hot chocolate on a warm day.

It rained heavily most of yesterday, but by five o'clock 

it stopped and we managed to get a little walk in.  Yesterday 

we just walked within our complex area in case the rain came, 

and come it did, but fortunately we were back in and dry.

No rain as I walked this morning.  All the kitties were fed.  

Litt5le Marbles keeps getting friendlier and friendlier.  I picked 

her up very briefly this morning, but she didn't stay long.  Dark

 clouds are rolling in, but hopefully will be clearing up soon.

Sniff's doing good.  He has decided to eat again so 

for the next few days I will not be stressing so much 

him 😂.  Not sure what the day hold, but as long as

 it's bright and sunny there are endless possibilities.

Life is essentially an endless series of problems. The

 solution to one problem is merely the creation of the next one. 

Don’t hope for a life without problems. There’s no such

 thing. Instead, hope for a life full of good problems...

~Nadiya~

Monday May 10th ~

Today I will not stress over the things I can't control...

 What are you waiting for?  Let's get this day rolling.

The rain is coming down hard and and harder by

 the minute.  The rain started early this morning 

and yes, I was caught in it during my walk.  

There was nowhere to take shelter.  In less than a

 minute I was soaking wet.  It eventually eased a little and

 the kitties came for foodies. Marbles is super friendly.

I am restless.  Nothing I can do about that this minute.

Wishing everyone a very good week ahead.  May it

 be a productive one and may it fill you with joy and

 happiness.  It is still raining cats and dogs here.  

Our Entire week sure looks like a wet one 😦☔

What you get by achieving your goals is not as

 important as what you become by achieving your goals...

~Nadiya~

Mother's Day In The USA ~

 I am a strong woman because a strong woman raised me...

Many years ago in Guyana, South America my dad had to

 leave us all in search for a better life in the United States. 
 Four little girls, and my mom was just a "kid" herself.

Enter Rima and the we were 5 girls and Rajah. 

 He was our brother and my dad said he was their son.

While our dad worked my mom was the one who took care of us.

They both worked hard to give us a better life than the one they had.

My mom was always the one who calmed us when we acted up. 

 The one who was there when we were sick.  The one who 

held our hand and comforted us while we cried and while

 my dad worked.  Together they made a beautiful life.

My mom is the strength of our family and it is mostly
 because of her that we are the family we are.  She is the glue

 that hold it all together.  She is the person I admire the most.  If

 I am ever half the woman/person my mom is, I will be happy.

All that I am or hope to be I owe to my mother...

~Nadiya~

Beach Life ~ Saturday May 8th

 An ocean breeze puts a mind at ease...

If there is one thing Puerto Ricans enjoy it's 

the beach.  And I say this often because more

 and more as we continue to live and enjoy the

 island it brings back memories of childhood. 

 The beach was always our happy place.  For Puerto 

Ricans it is their happy place, then, now , always.

  Arvid and I go for walks or drive regularly by the 

beach and the one thing you will always see are 

families, couples enjoying some quiet time there. 

 Not always swimming, but always by the water.  

There is something about the water that just relaxes the 

soul and washes away one worries at least while there.

  I have always loved the ocean.  I don't always swim in it,

 but just being close to it, hearing the waves splash

 and seeing the blue waters is always very calming.  

One of the best things of living in the Bahamas 

was that our home was on the water.  I woke up and I

 went walking on the beach everyday.  Loved it.

  Before I met Arvid I lived in Hallandale, Florida. 

 My apartment was on the beach.  I also went walking

 and then swimming every morning and every afternoon. 

 It was a different time in my life, but the one thing that

 still holds true is that being by the beach had a soothing 

effect on my then very broken heart.  It still has the 

same  effect today.  It soothes, calms and inspires me. 

We dream in colors borrowed from the sea...

~Nadiya~

Friday May 7th ~

 I've learned over and over that life happens on its own terms, not mine...

Yesterday at Walgreens one of the technicians 
working  with administering the Covid vaccine was not
 taking chances.  He was all geared up as if going war.  
He was wearing a lot of extra protection.  You can never 
be too careful these days I guess, 😱also when you're 
waiting for hours everything becomes more noticeable.

Both Arvid and I received our second vaccine yesterday. 

 As of right now my arm feels very heavy, little hot and a

little sore to touch.  Arvid still asleep so I'm guessing he is 

also experiencing some of that, though he will say he's not.

Now we are gearing up to travel.  In Florida, governor 

DeSantis says that no vaccine is needed to board a cruise ship.

  Norwegian Cruise Lines said, "fine, in that case we will no 

longer come into Florida."  Who know what happens next.

The drive to "my" Walgreens is always "treacherous"

 and "scenic."  Always expect the unexpected.  Such as huge 

holes in the road.  Even though Arvid knows where 

most are, yesterday a few new ones appeared.

Driving in Puerto Rico is an everyday adventure.  

You never know what the other driver will do.  If Arvid is 

constantly being surprised by their maneuvers, then you know 

it has to be "special," and yes very dangerous at times.

I had my morning walk and of all things I saw ShyBoy 

chasing Pooper.  Pooper was so scared, he ran up in a tree.  

Pooper is two times the size of ShyBoy, but so "quiet."

It's a gorgeous sunny and warm day in Puerto Rico.  It's warm

 and sunny just about everyday.  Always the perfect temperature.

  Happy Friday all and to all great start of the weekend 🌴.

Una cosa es perdonar y otra muy diferente volver a confiar...

 

~Nadiya~