March 31st ~ Life Happens

 The simple things are also the most extraordinary
 things, and only the wise can see them...

Starting is the most difficult thing to do at times.  I have

 been telling myself that I need to get out and do my morning 

walks.  Finally started today. 5:30 a. m.  All was quiet.  

Ever since coming back I have been on the lookout for 

"my" kitties.  No luck 😢  On Sunday we saw another kitty

 sitting by our car.  Of course I ran right back up for foodies.

  Kitty was fed.  So far I have not given him/her a name as yet.

On my walk this morning I looked for "my" kitties

 in their usual spots.  None were there, but I did see 

several babies.  I had food for them so today they 

were fed well.  One looked just like a baby Sniff.

As I was coming back home I saw an orange

 tabby. Looked familiar and he was in the same spot 

ShyBoy would wait for me.  It was ShyBoy 😻

  He heard me calling and he came to see me.

  Made my day.  I love ShyBoy and hopefully tomorrow 

the others will show up.  I now have new kitties to feed,

 but I am also hoping to see my regulars as well.  I'm happy.

Sniff is doing a little better, make me feel better also. 

 It has been extremely windy here , but nice and warm. 

 Last night we had no rain so we finally enjoyed some time 

on the balcony.    Wishing everyone a great day.

No matter who you are it's the simple things in life

 that lead you to believe that you can achieve anything...

~Nadiya~

A New Beginning... Again

 The next chapter begins.  Every new beginning
 comes from some other beginning's end...

I am missing my home.  I really am.  I just don't understand it.  

I have gotten used to moving so often with Arvid.  It has 

never affected me this way.  I'm sure it will soon  pass.

The above was my last look at what used to be our living room.

The above was our bedroom.  I loved our views

 and I enjoyed our time there.  I did not want it to

 come to an end so soon.  I really liked it there.

Before leaving Fort Lauderdale we did go out and eat 

at 2 restaurants.  I insisted.  We went to Flip Flops for

 chicken wings and J Alexander's for a steak. 

Arvid is happy in Puerto Rico.  I won't say I'm 

unhappy.  It's just that I want to go back to what

 was my home.  My home will always be Florida.

The last three nights in Fort Lauderdale were spent at

 Holiday Isle Yacht Club.  This was where Arvid lived when

 we first met.  As he said, we have come full circle. Holiday Isle 

is beautiful, but I am glad we did not live there for too long.

It has rained quite a lot since we arrived,

 but luckily for us mostly during the night and early

 hours of the morning.  We have been very busy 

for the last month and a half.  I am tired.

Sniff has not adjusted as yet.  He has been sneezing a 

lot and not eating well.  Of course I am worried, stressed 

and makes me want to go back home even more.  Except 

we no longer have a home in Fort Lauderdale 😢

I do love Puerto Rico.  The people, the food, the beauty. 

 Everything about it is great, but home is Florida.  In the 

meantime, we will enjoy our time here because one day 

when we have to leave I will also be very sad.  Life.  We 

make it complicated when it really is very simple.

You've got a new story to write.

  And it looks nothing like your past...

~Nadiya~

Monday March 29th Puerto Rico ~

 Home where your feet may leave but not your heart...

Bittersweet times for me.  Heartbroken because we left 
Florida, the place we have called home for as long
 as I can remember.  I always knew we had a 
place to come back to.  Not so as of now.

It's been home to Brutus, Shadow, Sniff,  Arvid and I. 

Too many memories left there, but in my heart I 

know I am coming back.  That is a given.

On the bright side, we are back in Puerto Rico where

 the sky is blue and the waters even bluer.  I love it here. 

 We all do.  For now it's home until further notice.

To all a happy day.  We are back in

 Puerto Rico and it sure is beautiful here.

If I can see it then I can do it. 

 If I just believe it, there's nothing to it...

~Nadiya~

Goodbye For Now ~

 There is always sadness about packing.
  I guess you wonder if where you're going

 is as good as where you have been...

As we prepared to leave Florida my heart was broken.  Arvid has handled

 this much better than I have.  This was our home.  Florida is our home, 

and leaving was not 100% what I wanted to do.  A little glimmer-

hope in the horizon is that I have gotten Arvid to agree that 

one day we will be back.  For now, I will hold on to that.

We will be back.  When I don't know, but hoping for

 sooner rather than later.  I have to think this way otherwise I 

will just cry.  For now we will call home Puerto Rico.  I love 

the island, but my home will always be Florida.

My family has been heartbroken ever since they found 

out we were leaving.  I am heartbroken.  I never thought

 this would be so difficult.  Arvid has taken it in stride 

which has surprised me very much.  If anyone I would 

have thought he would be more devastated.  I am 😢.

You get a strange feeling when you're about to 

leave a place like you'll not only miss the people you love 

but you'll miss the person you are now at this time and

 this place, because you'll never be this way again...

~Nadiya~

Home In No Longer Home ~

 We must be willing to let go of the life we've planned,

 so as to have the life that is waiting for us...

Leaving has never been difficult for us.  This time it 
is for me.  Extremely so.  This is the view Arvid,

 Sniff and I have shared for the last few years 💙.

It's not the view I will miss most, but the life we built

 together here in Fort Lauderdale.  I know we will always

 have a good life no matter where we go, but we both chose

 Florida to be our homes way before we knew each other.  

That is what is breaking my heart. The fact that we now

 left the place we have called home for so many years.

The most beautiful way to start and end the day is

 with a grateful heart.  And grateful I am because 

as I have told Arvid, "this is home, and we are

 coming back." The when is not so certain as yet.

Arvid may say otherwise, but I am certain.  

Florida is my home.  It may take a few years to get

 back, hopefully not, but coming back we are.  

We make a living by what we get.

We make a live by what we give...

~Nadiya~

There Is A Sadness In My Heart ~

 A little step may be the beginning of a great journey...

 I am not sure how ready I was for this.  I thought I would 

handle moving again as easily as we normally do.  After all, we 

move more than anyone we know.  We move more than "normal"

   Arvid always says, "this is our final move" yet here we are moving

 again.  I say now, "THIS IS NOT OUR FINAL MOVE."

I feel as sad as that teddy bear looks.  Who knows by the 

time this blog is posted we may have already moved.  Thank

 you climate change for "scaring" the hell out of Arvid.

I thought when Arvid talked about climate change that 

it was just a joke.  I played along.  I agreed that it's coming, 

but I don't know if I really expected this.  I did not realize

 at the time that we would be saying goodbye to Florida.

I am tired of saying goodbye,  This goodbye is not easy.

This is more difficult for me than for Arvid.

I did not want to leave my home.  Did not 😢

Goodbye doesn't mean the end, it does not say forever.
It just means that we will soon meet again.  That's a promise...

~Nadiya~

Always Something To Be Grateful For ~ Saturday March 27th

 I don’t care how much power, brilliance or energy you have,

 if you don’t harness it and focus it on a specific target,

 and hold it there you’re never going to accomplish

 as much as your ability warrants....

When you start to think how bad you've got it, 

remember others have it even worse 👫.  Some do 

not have a roof over their heads.  For this person,

 this bench is his home.  This is where he sleeps.

Life is not always easy, some have it rougher than others.
  I know that for a fact.  My wish everyday is for a certain 

 person I care for deeply one day gets a break in her life.

 She has and is still struggling more than anyone

 I know.  You know who you are.  You are always in my

 thoughts and my prayers.  You are a true survivor.

Wishing you all a very good day.  Remember, take 

time to appreciate all the good in your life.  Focus on 

the positive and try to let go of negativity.  Easier said 

than done, but something we can all strive to do. 

It is during our darkest moments 

that we must focus to see the light...

~Nadiya~

It Is What It Is ~ Saturday March 27th

 There is no such thing as bad weather, just soft people...

Forever on the cold side.  Be it winter, spring, summer or fall. 

 You would never believe that Arvid is from Norway. 

 No matter the season, you will just about always find him 

in a long sleeves sweater, and shorts.  He loves his shorts.

  Reminds him that he no longer lives in Norway ⛄.

"Winters" in Florida are beautiful.  The air

 is fresh and there is a coolness to it.  I love 

it, but Arvid claims it's too cold for him.  

Spring is in the air.  At least that's what I hear 

from our families.  Happy time for all because it's

 soon time for much welcomed warmer weather for all 

who live in cold places.  Been cold long enough

For us in Florida it's just about the same.  Not

 much changes, except the humidity will soon kick in.  

That is not a nice time to be in The Sunshine State. 

 Not as far as we are concerned.  Muggy times.

Knowledge is power.  A little tidbit of knowledge shared.

An investment in knowledge pays the best interest...

~Nadiya~

Friday March 26th ~

 The little things.  The little moments.  They aren't little.
Enjoy the satisfaction of doing little things well...

This bird has been visiting us for some time now.  At first 

Arvid was OK with it.  Thought it was so cute because the 

bird won't fly away when we were on the balcony, but then

 suddenly the bird started to poop all over the place.  Arvid 

was not so happy then.  Suddenly the bird was not that cute 

anymore.  It won't fly away, even when we go close to it.

Sniff has also been spending time people watching,

 and squirrel watching.  He has the perfect lookout 

point in the bedroom, under my desk which is really 

his bed.  I gave up my desk for him to have a bed 

with a view and lots of sunshine.  He just loves it.

Life is strange.  You never know what each day

 may hold.  So appreciate what you have and enjoy it

 to the fullest, for one day it will change.  

Change is not always bad, change is just part 

of life.  Life is a journey and who knows where it

 can take you next.  Happy Friday all.  it is the

 weekend and I am looking forward to it.

It's the little things that make life wonderful. There are 

some things you learn best in calm, and some in storm...

~Nadiya~

Just Another Day ~ Thursday March 25th

 When you love what you have you have everything you need...

To have no worries 🤔 in life. Hmm.. then you have

 to be a cat more like Sniff.  All he has to worry about is how

 much you can sleep and when will you be fed next.

Driving around and the one the one thing you know

 will always be there are the gorgeous palm trees 🌴. 

 People from all over the world flock here.  Can't say I 

blame them.  Who won't rather have sunshine, beaches and 

palm trees rather than bleak gloomy weather and snow?

To be content doesn't mean you don't desire more,

it means you're thankful for what you have and patient 

for what's to come.  Many are not so fortunate.

And so begins another beautiful day here in the Sunshine State.

Someone else is happy with less than what you have.

There is no happier person than a truly thankful, content person...

~Nadiya~

And Suddenly 😢 ~ Wednesday 😢

 I remembered that and remembering
 that I remembered everything...

Today is one of those days when suddenly I feel

 like crying.  Everything is fine with Arvid, Sniff and I. 

Somedays I just contemplate life and then some.

 This sadness has been building up in me for some time 

and today it hit me again.  A combination of so many

 things. I look back and I see the life we have lived. 

 I was remembering all the places Brutus lived with 

us.  There has been so many.  Too many if you ask me.  

Each and everyone has a special memory of our Brutus. 

 That made me sad.  In each place I can picture him, 

and I worry that with time that memory will fade.
Brutus, Shadow and Sniff shared a same

 home, of course at different times. 

 When Brutus died, Shadow came into our lives

 and into the same apartment.  Shadow only lived for a

 few months.  When Shadow died Sniff lived with us in

 the same apartment.   That is the only apartment when 

all there of our babies lived at a given time.

The last few nights I have been awake in bed remembering.  

I still remember everything.  I hope my memory will 

never fade.  Some memories are too precious.

Our life is good.  I will never complain about that, it's just 

that sometimes memories take over and I find myself

  transported just for a little into this other place in time.

 Sometimes a good memory is not always an asset.

At the end of the day, it is what it is.

The secret of change is to focus all your energy not 

of fighting the old, but on building the new...

~Nadiya~