September 30th~

Life's a journey; I'm making it an incredible one...

 It's good to be back home in the Sunshine State.

A very different lifestyle from Branson.  Different does not

 always mean better, but we like it and definitely happy to be home.  

Sniff is back to his little spots.  Like as if he never left.  Last night

 he had a little Cheetos for snack time and was happy as a clam.

Back in Branson my wildlife will soon be looking for 

me, the good thing is that many others in the neighborhood 

feed and also take care of them.  I feel good about that.

It goes without saying that there is a lot of cleaning up to do, 

and of course figuring out where everything is again.  I was hoping 😂

Arvid would be home a little later, that way I would have a little more 

peace and quiet.  Once he's around it's constant movement😬, but glad

 he's home.  We all like it best when we're all three of us together.

A good day to all.  Sniff and I are awake, actually

 was awake. but now sleeping again.  The start of a 

beautiful day begins.  Have a good one all 🙋.

Living life unapologetically and loving every moment...

~Nadiya~

September 29th ~ Florida Greetings

Florida, where summer lasts six months, twice a year...

 Good morning and greetings to all.  Sniff and I are back

 home in the Sunshine State.  Branson was good, but now it's 

time to enjoy the palm trees and the Florida lifestyle.

Sniff is already used to being in two different places.  Though 

he's not happy being in the plane, he sure loves both his homes. 

 Good morning and a good day.  Coffee no matter where

 we are always is the best way to start the day ☕

We got in early yesterday.  After getting Sniff all settled

 in I decided to go out and sample a little seafood and sangria. 

 I have been looking forward to this for a long time.

You know what they say, A bad day here in Florida is still

 better than a good day anywhere else.  This was Sniff's last day 

in Missouri for now.  My wildlife back in Branson are probably 

waiting for me.  It's a good memory, I can't nor will I ever erase 

it from my mind.  At the same time,  it also rips my heart apart.

Good morning all.  It's time to get back into the Florida

 state of mind.  Next stop is Publix.  That's our grocery store.

I'm all about the palm trees and the 80 degrees.  I like Florida.

 Everything is in the ’80s. The temperatures, the ages, and the IQs 😂...

~Nadiya~

September 28th ~ One Year Ago

Life consists not in holding good cards

 but in playing those you hold well...

Today marks one year since hurricane Ian devastated Florida, 

mainly Forth Myers.  Arvid, Sniff and I had just moved there a little

 over a week.  Little did we know what was coming our way.

 Looking forward to going back to Fort Myers Beach and checking

 out the progress made after Hurricane Ian basically destroyed it last year.  

It's been a year now.  This picture below was February 2023.  Hurricane Ian's 

deadly path through Fort Myers was September 28th 2022.  September

 28th 2022  I was also diagnosed with breast cancer.  September 

28th 2023, Sniff and I are flying home to Fort Myers.

The destruction we saw from our bedroom window is vivid.  

I have never seen something like it.  An entire marina with

 hundreds of boats just crashed into each other, and most sunk.

When we left this past April, bots were still scattered all of the place.

Fort Myers beach after Ian.  The loss is heartbreaking.

As Sniff and I make our way back home today, I can't help

 but wonder what has happened in the 6 months we've been gone.

Sniff's last nap here at home in Branson.  I am glad

 we're going home.  I am also a little sad.  Life.

Transformation is a process, and as life 

happens there are tons of ups and downs...

~Nadiya~

September 28th~

My relationship with Florida is fraught 

because I didn't want to be living there always, 

but then after I left I really missed it...

 Today Sniff and I return to Fort Myers, Florida. 

 Arvid will soon follow.  Sniff and I fly, and Arvid 

will drive .  For now our stay in Branson is over. 

 Bittersweet, but I'm also very ready to go home.

As soon as we arrive I will be once again busy with

 doctors appointments.  Just some more tests and rechecks.  

Nothing to worry about, just have to get it done.

I am excited to be going back home, at the same time 

sad as well.  Many things I will miss in Branson.  Definitely

 my wildlife, but I will also miss Mary from Almost Home.  

I do worry about her and I hope she will be okay.

Life as the say is a long lesson in humility.   I am ready 

to go home, but the life and experiences we had in Branson will 

forever be with me.  Thank you Branson and Almost Home 

for these memorable times.  Until we meet again 😍

As Sniff and I get ready to leave, a part of my heart is heavy.

The "good" thing about Florida is that there is nothing

 to get attached to.  It's beautiful, but so are many 

other places.  That being said, we're going home.

Find out who you are and do it on purpose...

~Nadiya~

Leaving Branson, Missouri ~ September 27th

Every new beginning comes from some other beginning's end...

 Leaving is never easy, but it is something Arvid and I have

 gotten very good at doing.  This does not sound right, but it's a fact. 

 We came to Branson in November of 2016.  Arvid had traded 

for 2 hotels, and just like that we began something new.

By the end of 2017 we sold one of the 2 hotels.  July of 2018 

we sold the second hotel.  At that time I had gotten very attached

 to Branson and Almost Home.  Coming back now in 2023

 that changed.  I no longer felt like I belonged here.

For the years we've been in Branson, we have not really visited 

nor explored the tourist attractions.  Most are of no interest to 

us, but they do attract millions of people year round.  I always

 wonder why, but at the end of the day, it's good for business.

I have enjoyed so many things here, and one that I will definitely 

miss will be my wildlife friends.  I loved waking up to them and

 seeing them throughout the day.  Not all pretty, but all interesting.

The birds kept us all entertained.  Mostly Sniff and I. 

 Every so often even Arvid would be amazed at how pretty

 they were.  Yes, I will miss my birds a lot.  Especially my

 red cardinal I call Fatboy and the female I call Daisy.

Aside from Daisy and Fatboy there are so many other birdies that 

visit everyday.  I have grown attached to them.  Will miss them, but I 

have gotten used to missing so much in my life.  I still miss my PR kitties.  

That all being said, my life has also been enriched by each new experience, 

and I will always have beautiful memories of this time in Branson.

Sniff as always has the best spots no matter where we live.

  We always make sure he has the sun in his face.  Sunshine and 

warmth is all he wants.  Sniff is after all a Florida boy.

I even got used to the pigeons.  I am even friendly with the little squirrels.  

Yeah, they steal all the food, chase away the chipmunks but...  Before I

 would be mad at them, but I figured they are also hungry so why not.

I loved watching the sunrise from our deck and hearing the birds sing.

  Sunrises as I have always said, are beautiful no matter where you are. 

 There is just something about the peacefulness and the promise of 

new hope that makes it always special.  Place does not matter.

I definitely will miss our outings at The Landing.  This is our 

favorite place in Branson and it has always given us good times. 

 Being by the lake is special and Missouri has amazing lakes.

Pictured above is Table Rock Lake.  Table Rock Lake is

 a beautiful, clean and clear lake covers over 40,000 acres 

with nearly 800 miles of shoreline covering from

 Southwest Missouri into Northwest Arkansas.

The people in Branson.  Definitely some of the kindest and 

with the biggest hearts there is.  I will miss them, but I will 

always stay in contact with a few of my "special" friends. 

 Neither time nor distance can break the bond we made, but at 

the end of the day, I do feel it's time to go and to let someone 

else care for Almost Home the way I did and still do 💚.

I have grown attached to so many things here.  Some I will 

miss more than others.  I will definitely be missing my Gerald's

 (groundhogs)  They come every morning and wait for their carrots

 and sweet potatoes.  Seeing them stand and eat is always a pleasure.

Sniff loved watching the birds and all the wildlife around us. 

 That saddens me a little, but we get use to everything.

In Florida Sniff gets to go out on the balcony with us

 and his condo is always sunny during his afternoon naps.

It feels right. But it’s emotional. Saying goodbye to anything 

you’ve done that long is hard, and I have given Almost Home my

 everything from day one.  Branson has been very good to us.

  Even though it was not the longest of time we spent here the 

friendships we developed will always be with us.

Our backyard has provided us with hours of entertainment

 and enjoyment.  Another of my wildlife I am really going to

 miss are the deer.  They look at me as I talk to them.  They

 do not run away.  Both Arvid and I love watching them.

It was always a beautiful and scenic drives, and a little speed

 never hurt anyone.  That is of course if you don't get pulled over.

Will definitely miss these scenic drives, but the palm trees

 in Florida and the blue ocean will sure make it better.

Last night we had dinner and drinks with friends.  They had just 

returned from Puerto Rico, and yes they love it.  It was a good time.

  Lots of good memories made here in Branson.  I also had my last

 strawberry mojito for now.  In Branson.  It was delicious.

Home is and will always be Florida.  No matter where we go, 

at the end of the day we want to go back home.  Home to Florida. 

 Thank you Branson, Missouri for an experience I will never 

forget, but it's time to go home.  I will miss you.

You can kiss your family and friends good-bye and put

 miles between you, but at the same time you carry them with 

you in your heart, your mind, your stomach, because you do 

not just live in a world but a world lives in you...

~Nadiya~

September 27th~

I'll always cherish the memories of our time here...

 We're wrapping things up for the summer in Branson.  Time to

 soon head home.  Our car is already on its way to Fort Myers, 

Florida.  Soon Arvid, Sniff and I will be doing the same.

Between cleaning and getting ready to go home,

 Arvid has been at Almost Home and The View just about 

everyday.  He is 10x the energizer bunny.  He does not know 

when to stop.  Yesterday after a busy day he sat and then 

he was tired.  He has been on the go non-stop.

The last few days we have had dense fog in the mornings.  

Soon we will be home.  I still have a couple of mornings with

 my wildlife, and for that I am happy.  I will miss them so much.

To everyone we came in contact with in Branson, thank you 

for the memories, they will always bring a smile to my face.

My memories mean a lot to me, and I hold them close to my heart. 

You can close your eyes to reality but not to memories... 

~Nadiya~

26th Goodbye Daisy, Fatboy ,Gerald ~ All My Wildlife Friends

 So for now I say goodbye to this chapter in 
my life and I look forward to what comes next...

As it's getting closer to the day we will be leaving I am getting

 a little nostalgic.  Don't get me wrong, I look forward to going home, 

but I have also grown attached to a few things here in Branson.  I will 

miss my Daisy and my Fatboy very much.  They have brought 

me lots of joy and happy moments and kept our Sniff busy.

Goodbye Daisy.  Goodbye Fatboy.  I will now hear 

about you from my parents and my sisters for they also have 

their own Daisy and Fatboy coming to their home.

I have enjoyed every minute I had with 

Daisy and Fatboy.  I will miss them very much.

If the eyes are the window to the soul, something tells me 

that animals have one, too, because only they know how 

to speak with that language that does not need words: it 

is the language of affection and the most sincere respect.

It's been said that new beginnings are often disguised as painful endings.

  This is not a new beginning, but it is for sure a bittersweet time for me. 

 I have gotten used to seeing and caring for my wildlife friends.

How lucky I am to have something

 that makes saying goodbye so hard...

~Nadiya~