Sunday April 30th ~

Life is like a wave crashing in the ocean.

It happens fast, but makes its mark in the sand...

 Branson Landing is a beautiful place, but at nights just like most 

places, it is extra beautiful.  As I always say, our most favorite

 place in Branson, and to enjoy it with friends, even better.

Many a times the outings that are not planned turns out to

 be the the best of times, and last night was one of those.

Living in Fort Myers these last few months has been 

an amazing time and we can't wait to be there again.  One

 of the many things we/I have discovered  was this little 

Eagle family.  It started out on the evening news. 

 Harriet was pregnant.  From there two eggs.  Harriet disappeared 

in February and these two baby eaglets were and are being raised

 by M15 their dad.  Let's just say, I love everything about them.

Sundays are for soccer and for relaxing.  The three of us here at 

home are all doing what we enjoy best.  To all a good and restful day.

A good life is a collection of happy moments...

~Nadiya~

Saturday April 29th ~

There are so many things in the world that could be invisible

 to the material eye, and when you take a moment to stop,

 to pause, to be present and notice them—that’s gratitude...

 Caught slipping.  Yup, Sniff kinda dozed off on the job 

of bird watching.  In his defense, there were no birdies at that

 moment 😂 so he figured it was okay to rest his eyes.

The day is warming up nicely.  Feels so good to be home again.

A good day to all.  Today Michelle, Arvid's youngest daughter hits a milestone.  

She turns 30.  Born the same year as my nephews Max and JC.  One word for 

Michelle, AMAZING.  I have watched this girl grow up from a child to a 

woman, and I am in awe of her.  Happy birthday Michelle.  We love you.

This "little" girl made us grand-parents times three.

While you may not have planned to have a stepdaughter,

you can’t seem to imagine what life would be like without her.  

She has become a part of your life, your family and your 

heart and there is nothing that will ever change that. 

I thought I was lucky to marry your dad, but it turns out that I’m even

 luckier to have you as a step daughter and the mother of our grandchildren...

~Nadiya~

April 28th ~

There’s something about arriving in new cities, wandering 

empty streets with no destination. I will never lose

 the love for the arriving, but I'm born to leave...

 
After a few days in Las Vegas it sure feels good to be 

home again.  As we opened the door last night Sniff was right 

there waiting for us.  Sniff sure makes me happy.  He survived

 tornado alley and now we are all back together. Happy 😍

Vegas was good.  One of my most enjoyable time was watching

 a woman flirt with Arvid while I was sitting right by his side.  

This was during the social gathering so everyone sat at random seats.  

She assumed we were just co workers 😂 until Arvid said to her,

 "we've been married for 22 years now"  I'm weird, but this 

was the absolute funniest part of the evening for me.

Still lots to catch up on and lots of brushing for Sniff.  

For the two of us, home isn't a place.

 It is a person. And we are finally home..

~Nadiya~

April 27th Las Vegas ~

 Alone time is when I distance myself from 

the voices of the world so I can hear my own...

It's been a few good days here in Las Vegas.  I still have part 

of today, but my mind is already on home and on Sniff.  I can

 just picture his little face and I smile.  He makes me happy.

Wishing everyone a good day.  I'm all set to start my day.

Sometimes you need to be alone.  Not to be lonely, 

but to enjoy your free time being yourself...

~Nadiya~

April 26th ~

 Las Vegas is the only place I know where 

money really talks – it says Goodbye...

And I am so ready to find out a little more 😂

A few days is all I need, after that I am ready to go home.  

But for now I am really enjoying my time here.

Sadly I don't gamble.  Maybe that's actually good.  My money is still fairly intact 😂

Having a good time on your own is refreshing and it makes your soul happy.

Being happy never goes out of style and I try my best 

to always see the positive in life no matter what.

Life sure takes you places and with each new experience life 

takes on a different focus.  At least for me.  Maybe because I

 am getting older, but I sure see things a little differently today

 than I did lets say in 2014 @ Hoover Dam, in Nevada

To all a very good day.  Looking forward to my outing and

 to what new insights I will have today.  Even I surprise myself. 

As they say, sometimes the only way to find ourselves is to get

 completely lost.  Today I plan to explore Freemont Street again.

I can’t wait to be ashamed of what we do in LAS VEGAS!..

~Nadiya~

April 25th ~ Las Vegas

 Goodbye reality, hello Vegas...

Las Vegas is a world-class destination and famous around the 

whole globe. Whether you’ve been or not, it’s a mesmerizing and

 exciting place. Those who’ve been know it’s secrets, and those who 

are yet to visit are intrigued by all the glitz and glamour it evokes.

Las Vegas has been featured in so many movies – known 

as America’s Playground and Sin City amongst other names,

 this is a city bound to entertain everyone! Even if you leave

 with one giant hangover, a few regrets and an empty wallet.

That being said, I always enjoy our short trips to Vegas.  While 

Arvid does his trades I get to enjoy time by myself and do whatever 

it is I like.  From around 9 to 5 the day is all mine and I cherish every 

moment of it.  After that we meet up and also have a good time.

Looking forward to a few days on my own.  I find that I am

 very happy with being on my own.  I like my company and

 the quietness and peacefulness of it.  More so every day.

You can't buy happiness, but you can go
 to Vegas and that's kind of the same thing...

~Nadiya~

April 24th~ Hello Las Vegas

The best teacher is experience and not 

through someone's distorted point of view...

Ready for a little warmer weather right now.

 I did say if I didn’t travel anymore I would still be a

 happy person, but then a trip to Las Vegas presented itself 

and how could I not go 😂 the best part of the trip  

 is that both of us get to do what we like.  

Arvid goes to the trade meetings and I get to explore the Strip. 

 I have two and a half days on my own to do what I want

 at my own pace and just enjoy my "free" time.

  Of course Arvid also gets to do what he wants.  Make 

connections and do trades.  Win-Win for both.  Evenings I  mingle 

and socialize with the crowd as in all the traders 😉, but what I really

look forward to more than anything is going back home with Sniff. 

 But since I will be in Vegas I do plan to have a very good time.

 As they say what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas. Arvid

 does not need to know everything that goes on 🙈

I was surprised, as always, by how easy the act of leaving was,

 and how good it felt. The world was suddenly rich with possibility...

~Nadiya~

April 23rd~ Happy Birthday Sniff Sniff

A cat doesn't care if you are smart or dumb, 

give him your heart and he will give you his..

It's a very cold morning for the birthday boys,

 but that will not stop it from being a good day.

 Today is my Sniff-Sniff’s birthday. My little dude

 turns 8 today. Having Sniff in my life is a blessing I will

 never take for granted.  To say I love him more than

 anything and anyone is an understatement.

  He brings me joy and he makes my life a better and 

happier place.  As I have always said, Sniff is my happy

 place.  I look forward to the day Sniff and I do not have 

to travel anymore. He just hates being in a plane 🛫.

Lately these last few flights have not been good for him 

at all, and absolutely exhausting for me; because of that 

I want to settle down in just one place.  It's been a long time 

coming and now seems like the perfect time to do so;

Fort Myers’s is calling and I am really listening.

Today Sniff gets extra brushing and a few extra treats. 

 Of course he will enjoy lots of naps and quiet times. To 

be a cat like Sniff… not a bad life at all.  No worries

ever 😻.  I can actually  fancy that right now

Wishing everyone a relaxing day and good

 times always.  My Sniff Sniff is getting older💙

My Sniff came out of nowhere and became my everything...

~Nadiya~

It's Almost Birthday Time ~ April 22

A cat does not want all the world to love him.
Only those he has chosen to love 🐾 ...

Someone is soon having a birthday.  8 years old tomorrow.

Both Sniff and I are already awake and of course he's 

back to some much needed naptime.  Here in tornado alley 

life is good and my Sniff is sleeping peacefully again.

After Brutus died I never thought I would love another kitty the

 way I loved Brutus.  I love and miss my Brutus everyday, but my 

Sniff has filled my heart and my life with a joy I did not expect. 

Sniff calms me whenever I am troubled.  He is my happy 

place and I love him more than words can express. 

Happy soon to be birthday Sniff Sniff 

mama and dada love you very much.

My Sniff's purr is the sound of love...

~Nadiya~

Saturday April 22nd ~

 Winning doesn’t always mean being first. Winning 

means you’re doing better than you’ve done before...

Not awake this early by choice, but why not make the most of it. 

 I can catch up on my book, and I have already played with Sniff.  

He's still liking his new toy.  Now he's back to sleeping on his 

heating bed, and can you blame him?  The cold lingers.

Even though yesterday started off cold it did warm up a bit.  

Not enough to allow us to sit out and enjoy a little Friday outing, 

but even so, we did have a good time.  It's always an enjoyable

 time at Branson Landing. Our favorite spot for sure.

As we were leaving a sign on one of the cars caught my attention. 

 I had to turn around just so I could take a picture of it.  We are

 in the Midwest after all.  I sure had a good laugh as well.

There is a little something for everyone here in Branson.

  You just have to find out what it is you want to do.

A good day to all and a little reminder to all of us:

Live life to the fullest and focus on the positive.

Whoever is happy will make others happy too...

~Nadiya~

Friday April 21st ~

Be like a tornado and wind that no one can mess with you...

 Sniff is still interested in his toy.  Usually he loses interest 

by day 2.  He took after me in that 😂Here in "tornado alley" 

all is well even with some bad weather coming this way.

 Good morning everyone and greetings from Branson, Missouri

  where the cold weather seems to linger on for now.  Usually it warms 

up nicely during the day.  Hope today is one of those days as well.

I have learned in life that no creature is as stubborn

 as a mule, except the man who says so.  Some people will 

have their own way even when they don't know what it is.

Like most I am also stubborn, but I know or believe 

I do know where and when to draw the line.

Happiness is an attitude. We either make ourselves miserable,

 or happy and strong. The amount of work is the same.

~Nadiya~

Thursday April 20th ~

 Life humbles you as you age.  You realize

 how much time you wasted on nonsense...

Waking up to warmer morning and warmer days.  

Everyone is loving it.  Especially Sniff.  He is after

 all a Florida boy and loves his sunshine everyday.

Thursday already.  The week is sure going by fast.  Thursdays 

are always good days because today I don't cook. Today we eat 

out and it makes for a nice break in the middle of the week.

Eating out is not just about the food. It's about 

the experience and the company that counts.

  Food is one of my many weaknesses.

Good morning everyone.  Already a brighter and 

warmer day here.  Sniff loving his early birthday toy

 here in "tornado alley" as someone called Branson 😂.

The greatest glory is not in never being wrong, 

but in being able to rise every time you fall...

~Nadiya~

Wednesday April 19th ~

Our business in life is not to get ahead

 of others, but to get ahead of ourselves...

Branson has a fairly high elevation above sea level.  Does 

this means that if we get torrential rains we may stand a 

good chance?  Arvid is surer of that here in Branson than of 

the same in Florida.  That is of course the flooding that would

 come.  Climate change is coming.  Arvid reminds me of this

 fairly often.  I'm not a doubter but, I'm not Arvid either😂

Fort Myers is 10 feet/3meters above sea level.    Fort Lauderdale 

is almost the same elevation at 9 feet almost 3 meters above

 sea level  Just a comparison as Arvid likes to tell me 😂

A few of my wildlife friends are showing up.  Makes me happy.

  Gerald is not consistent as yet, but I'm sure as he learns that food

 is waiting for he he will be.  Have not seen Chippys as yet either, 

but one very fat squirrel is already there eating all the peanuts

 I throw out.  My birdies are showing up more and more.

Good day to all.  Allergies are extremely bad right now, 

but I have taken the allergy medication so it should get better 

and as long as I don't step out of the house I will be fine.  Yup! 

Prisoner in our own home 😂 Life sure has its moments.

Life doesn’t always go exactly as we expect it to.

Things turn out best for the people who

 make the best of the way things turn out...

~Nadiya~