Wednesday March 26th~

 My mission in life is not merely to survive, but 

to thrive; and to do so with some passion, some 

compassion, some humor, and some style...

Some days, nothing seems to go right, no matter 

how hard you try. We all have days like these, and 

that's okay.  Life is not perfect and we are all allowed 

to wallow in nostalgia a bit, but not stay there.

I saw this the other day and it made me laugh 

because it is so true.  A good sense of humor is very

 helpful in life.  If we can't laugh at ourselves or with

 ourselves, life becomes so much harder on us.

Another early start of the day.  At least today I did 

not get out of bed until 4am.  Lucky me.  Sniff of 

course is with me.  Asleep on his heating bed.

To all a very good day.  It's already looking good here at home.

The day is what you make it. 

 So why not make it a great one?

~Nadiya~

Tuesday March 25th~

 I can't give you a recipe for success, but I can give 

you a recipe for failure: try to please everybody...

A little more about our time in Branson.  This time 

we made it to Andy's frozen custard.  For me a trip to 

Branson is not complete unless we have some of 

Andy's frozen custard.  It is the absolute best.

The last days were so cold, Arvid made us hot chocolate. 

 Also I took some peanuts for the squirrels.  Lucky me 

they showed up and enjoyed them right on the deck.  Both 

Arvid and I said how Sniff would love this.  No matter

 how cold it was, the sunsets were always amazing.

Here at home in Fort Myers the day has begun on the 

cloudy side.  Rain is predicted, but so far there is none.  

We really need some.  Good morning and a good 

day to all.  Below is Sniff in his happy place.

The excursion is the same when you go looking for

 your sorrow as when you go looking for your joy...

~Nadiya~

Monday March 24th~

 Never believe in a one sided story. 
 It always has some missing pages...

Monday again.  I have been awake since 2am.

 Sniff is also awake with me.  He scarfed down some dry

 food and then puked it all up.  Great start of the day.

Hopefully today will be a quiet day.  I know that I

 will be exhausted by mid afternoon, but nothing new

 there 😂  I used to be able to sleep so well, but it's been 

some years now that sleep keeps eluding me. Today it was

 mainly because my knee was hurting way too much.

Yesterday Arvid and I went to Fort Myers Beach for lunch 

to my favorite restaurant there.  We waited close to an hour to

 get a table.  It was packed.  All the restaurants were packed.

The wait was long, but the food and drinks made up for it.

Wishing everyone a great week ahead.  May your 

coffee be strong and your Mondays be short.

If you don't like the road you're

 walking, start paving another one...

~Nadiya~

Sunday March 23rd~

 Only the pursuit of happiness 

is guaranteed. The rest is up to you....

Yesterday we said we would just relax and take it easy.  

After all we did have a pretty busy week in Branson. 

 The first couple of days there was lots of running around 

and places to see.  Guessing we got restless fairly fast.  

If course we went downtown.  First to some festival

 on the park and later on our favorite pit stop.

It was a sunny and fairly warm day.  At least warmer 

than Branson.  Although I have to say that 2025 has 

been pretty cold so far.  At least according to Arvid

 and I.  As always, Hideaway never disappoints.

Yesterday as we got ready to Facetime with Aleah 

in Norway, Sniff 😭was as always not a happy camper.

  Not sure why, but I think he's jealous.  Whenever it's time 

to chat with the girls he knows and he gets really antsy.

  Today our eldest nephew Max turns 32. Those 32 years

years did go by fast.  Too fast Sunday. Looking forward to 

another relaxing one.  Wishing the same to everyone.

You just have to take a deep breath,

relax and let the game come to you...

~Nadiya~

Saturday March 22nd~

I love my cat more than I love most 

people. Probably more than is healthy...

 It does not matter where we go, as far as I am 

concerned if Sniff is not with us it's not home.  But 

now we are home again.  It's strange, but Sniff 

completes our life.  Sure completes mine.

I may be biased, but as far as I am 

concerned, Sniff is the cutest of them all.  

Today our eldest granddaughter Aleah turns 12 years old.  Boy 

where did those years go by?  This year Arvid and I will not 

be going to Norway.  Instead we're treating Michelle, Emil

 and the three girls to a vacation in Fort Myers.  Can't wait.

Arvid and I got back to Florida/home late last night from

 Branson.  We really had a good time, but as always the weather

 was "acting up"  We arrived to temps in the  80's F almost 27C for

 the first couple of days, after that, it just got colder and colder.

That being said, we had a really good time.  We met 

with good friends and had a really good evening 

out together.  We all enjoyed it, and look forward 

to doing it again next time we're in Branson.

The first two days we had to have the air conditioner going.  

After that we had to keep the heat on.  Branson, unpredictable

 in its weather, but we keep going back.  So yeah we like it.

We visited a few of our favorite places.  Starting out of 

course with The Landing.  No trip to Branson is complete 

without a visit to Landshark Margaritaville at The Landing.

Always a good time in Branson, but nothing beats

 coming home.  Home is wherever Arvid, Sniff and I are.

To all a very good day and to our granddaughter, know we 

love you very much, and look forward to seeing you all in July.  

Happy 12th birthday Aleah.  You're growing up too fast.

Granddaughters are angels sent from above 

to fill our hearts with endless love...

~Nadiya~

Friday March 21st~

 Happiness can be found even in the darkest of 
times if one remembers to turn on the light...

They say that life takes you to unexpected places

 and that love brings you home.  Sure have to agree

 with that.  No matter where we go, home is always 

where we want to go back to.  For me home is 

anywhere Sniff, Arvid and I are together.

As always we have had a good time in Branson.  This place 

is also home and will be more so so when Sniff is with us. 

 We came to fix it up and make it Sniff ready.  Now it is. 

 Looking forward to seeing our Sniff here soon.

Nothing in the world is as contagious 

as laughter and good humour...

~Nadiya~

Something To Think About~

I'm human. I have weaknesses, I make mistakes, 
and I experience sadness; but I learn from all
 these things and they make me a better person....

Long time ago a dear friend shared with
 me many of these little lessons in life.  Now

 I would like to share them with you.

Striving to become a better person is a goal we 

should all set for ourselves.  It does not happen 

overnight, and the best way to achieve it is 

by living it, by practicing what we preach.

 I will be the first to admit that this is a goal I am

always working on.  It is not something that is 100% achieved.

  It is a work always in progress because everyday we learn

something new.  Everyday we realize that we have room for

 improvement and everyday we set out to become

 a better person than we were yesterday.

In life you will get hurt, disappointed and heartbroken.

 You have two choices. Let it destroy you and make
 you, or let it go and become a better person 
that learns from the lesson it brings...

~Nadiya~

March 19th~ Day Off

  Almost everything will work again if you 
unplug it for a few minutes…Including you...   

Taking the day off.  Will be back tomorrow 😂It is very
 important to recharge our batteries to uplift our spirits and
 refresh our perspectives towards life. It is often said that the
 best way to recharge yourself is to unplug yourself from the 
daily duties for sometime.  It's what I plan to do today.

Some days you just need to slow down and pay 

attention to what's going on around you.  Today 

it's just me, my day off, and a good book.

To all a very good day.  Hope you find peace 

within yourself. Give yourself permission to unplug and 

regroup, without feeling guilty ❤ . You can’t be there 

for others if you don’t take care of yourself first.

It's not always the load that breaks you 

down, it's the way you carry it...

 

~Nadiya~

Tuesday March 18th~

Balance is a feeling derived from being whole

 and complete; it's a sense of harmony. It is essential

 to maintaining quality in life and work...

 Back to the place Arvid and I can't seem to stay away 

from.  There is a pull and we seem to gravitate towards it.

  Branson has a lot of memories, good times we've had 

and experiences that changed the way we view life.

We have been looking forward to coming back since 

the time we left.  All Arvid talks about is Branson and fixing 

up our place.  Making it ready for Sniff to come as well.

We arrived yesterday to a full day, and today is also 

looking to be a pretty busy one.  Arvid and I can't seem to

 sit still ever.  Our minds are always churning with ideas. 

 Currently Arvid's mind is just working overtime.

I look forward to the day we will bring Sniff

 with us.  A good day to all and remember it's 

the little things in life that mean the most.

When you have balance in your life, work becomes 

an entirely different experience. There is a passion that moves 

you to a whole new level of fulfillment and gratitude, and that's 

when you can do your best, for yourself and for others...

~Nadiya~

Monday March 17th~

 May your troubles be few and your friends Irish..

May you have all the happiness and 

luck that life can hold—and at the end of 

your rainbows may you find a pot of gold.

Not all pots of gold are under rainbows.

Hello Monday.  Show us what you've got.  Gonna be a great day!

My goal is to show up when 

my mind makes the best excuses..

~Nadiya~

Sunday March 16th~

The present time has one advantage

 over every other – it is our own...

 He's been looking forward to this day for months now. 

Just the other day he said to me, "I am so ready to go."

 It's almost here.  Missouri is calling and we will be going. 

 Arvid believes that Branson is where he is or can be most 

busy.  This was true when we ran the hotels.  Fortunately,

we no longer run the hotels 🙏We're just silent partners.

Yesterday we had a very good day.  We went to a 

car show.  Let me tell you it was extremely hot.  

Beautiful day but so hot and it's only March as 

Arvid said.  Can tell the summer will be torture.

Of course there were some very cool looking cars.

And yes, Arvid did fancy owning a few,

 but at the end of the day he concluded that 

we have no more room for another car.

Last night was movie night.  We all enjoyed snacks and a Pepsi.

Wishing everyone a relaxing and enjoyable day.

We're not here for a long time.

  We're here for a good time...

~Nadiya~

Saturday March 15th~

Sunsets are nature's way of soothing 

your soul and gladdening your heart...

On our way home from Fort Lauderdale we encountered 

another stunning sunset on Alligator Alley.  Arvid was 

driving so I was able to get a few pictures.  Not too 

clear, but still you can't miss that bright orange sky.  

One of my favorite parts of the trip as well.

Yesterday I did a few little things on my own. 

 The stores, my favorite Cuban Cafe and as

 always a stop at Trader Joe's where I have 

now found a better bread for Arvid.  

Before it was always Whole Foods.  Trader Joe's is

 closer and the bread so much better.  Happy about that 

because they are located in a strip mall so aside from bread

 I can also do some browsing/shopping if I so please.  

Sniff is still in bed with Arvid.  These two 

are not morning people.  Sniff woke up with me. 

 Had his foodies and back to bed he went.

To all a good day.  Enjoy the sunshine 

and all that the day has to offer.

May every sunrise hold more promise 

and every sunset more peace...

~Nadiya~