Wednesday May 21st~

A new day has greeted us with no 

rules; unconditional opportunity...

 After a few hours in the morning of yesterday without

 power, Arvid and I used that time to do a few things.  He 

ran around as usual.  When in Branson Arvid is super 

busy.  Truth is he's always keeping himself busy.

When I was back home in Florida he would call me 

all excited to tell me the new places he has discovered.  

Yesterday when he was busy, I took the opportunity to stock up

 on groceries and just about everything else we need.  We only 

have one car, so at times we both go with each other and I get 

"dropped off"  then Arvid takes off to do what he does.

We were not sure if we wanted to leave Sniff home 

alone since it's a new place, so we were back very fast.  Sniff 

is still not used to it.  He come out and eats and follows us 

around a bit, but then would retreat under the bed.  He's feels 

safe there.  Hopefully he will soon come around more.

Towards the end of the day Sniff was a little more 

comfortable with his surroundings.  We both made 

sure to give him lots of love and pets.  He loves it.

As another day begins, I just want Sniff to feel at home. 

 Arvid and I are doing good and happy to be back in Branson. 

 So happy Sniff is here with us.  Glad to be in Branson and

 "cooler" temperatures.  Florida right now is HOT!

When you're wide awake, say it for

 goodness sake, it's gonna be a great day... 

~Nadiya~

Tuesday May 20th~

 In the end, it's not the years in your 

life that count. It's the life in your years...

Sniff and I made it safely to Branson; we almost 

did not come due to bad weather.  Arvid was checking on 

the weather in Branson all day long because of the tornadoes,

 hail and lightning that was predicted at around the same 

time Sniff and I were going to be in the air.  

Arvid kept communicating  me all during the day 

because he knows how I feel about turbulence in the air, 

as in the plane dropping often, and I mean turbulence

 where the plane feels as if it were splitting apart. 

 We’ve had it before on flights from Florida to 

Springfield and vice versa.  Not good at all.  Even 

though at one time in my life I was a flight attendant

 in Palm Springs, California, I have not experienced

 turbulence as bad as the ones on this route.  

 Having Sniff with me made made me even 

more stressed.  Mostly for him.  Arvid called me and 

even said that I should reschedule the flight because it 

was going to be bad.  Arvid was very worried for us.

We don’t reschedule, and though there were some 

not good moments we landed and as soon as we did the bad 

weather hit. All incoming flights after that were looking

 at either being cancelled or rerouted.  The Midwest has 

bad tornadoes and of course they have gotten worse.

Sniff was super good on the flight.  I guess it helped 

that I sprayed his carrier with something called Feliway 

which is a calming pheromone spray.  This was recommended 

to me many years ago by my friend Anna.  At the time I did not

 need it, but lately Sniff has not been a good traveller.  I also

 called our ver and she recommended the same.  It works.

   Sniff is such a good boy.  As soon as we got him home 

Arvid showed him the litter pan.  After a few minutes Sniff

 used it.  He walked around a bit and then ate some foodies.  

When we used to travel with Brutus it took him at least 

an entire day if not two to eat and use the litter pan.

We lost power this morning.  Right at breakfast time. 

 Everyone who knows Arvid knows that breakfast is 

his favorite meal, and can never be skipped.  Thank

 goodness for Denny's, the day started out great.

Looking forward to the day and to see how Sniff adapts.  

Arvid has been really busy while we were gone.  He even
 met a guy whose mother is Norwegian and father Swedish.
  What a small world.  Arvid has already found a group of 
people for us to socialize with.  Interesting indeed👏

Life is a mirror: if you frown at it, it frowns back;

 if you smile, it returns the greeting...

~Nadiya~

Monday May 19th~

Cats are not our whole lives,

 but they make our lives whole...

 Today Sniff and I travel to Branson.  I just hope 

that he does not howl throughout the entire flight.  

Thankfully it's a direct flight.  No stopping in Atlanta, 

which is always a nightmare even without a pet.

Sniff as usual knows something is going on.

  He keeps giving me the stinky eye ever since we got up.

Arvid is always the lucky one.  He does not have to put

 up with all the howling.  It's almost the same as when parents

 travel with little kids and the misbehave.  Everyone looks

 at you and wonders why the hell you don't do something.

Once we get to Branson, Sniff has a lot to discover.

I ended up not going to the Indian restaurant 

yesterday.  Instead I went to Ford's Garage downtown 

and just sat outside for a bit while I enjoyed people 

watching and a little something sweet while there.

A good day to all.  I had a good Sunday and we are

 soon going to be ready to head out to Branson.

This is your Monday morning reminder that you 

can handle whatever this week throws at you...

~Nadiya~

Sunday May 18th~

Develop enough courage so that you can stand 

up for yourself and then stand up for somebody else...

 Just a couple of days alone before Sniff and I fly to Branson. 

 I can't wait to see how Sniff reacts to being back, and how he likes

 his new home in Branson.  He's never had a home with stairs, so I'm 

curious to see what he does.  My California kittles loved the stairs. 

 They would just sleep on it and roll down.  Maybe Sniff would too.

Yesterday I had a little outing on my own.  I once again went

 to 3 Fishermen.  I had to go back for that delicious pain killer 

I had with Arvid not so long ago.  Again it did not disappoint.

Today I plan on taking it easy.  Hopefully going to my 

favorite Indian restaurant for lunch.  On the weekends they 

have a buffet and it's delicious.  Yup.  That's what I think I 

will do, and then just relax, do a bit of cleaning and get 

a few things ready for Sniff's trip to Branson.

Nothing can dim the light which shines from within...

~Nadiya~

May 17th~Happy Heavenly Birthday Brutus and Shadow

I should know enough about loss to realize that you 

never really stop missing someone-you just learn to 

live around the huge gaping hole of their absence...

 If Brutus were alive, he would have been turning 18 

years old.  Brutus died when he was just 9.  It's been 10 years

 already, and my heart still misses him.  If our Shadow were alive, 

he would have turned ten today also.  We only had Shadow for four

 months before he died.  I trusted someone to care for him while 

we were visiting my parents in North Carolina.  She didn't.

Brutus died and he took a part of my heart with him.  Because 

of Shadow's horrible death it, tears us apart just thinking of it.  

Arvid holds a lot of anger to the person who caused his death, 

and the truth is so do I, even though I try to believe I don't.

My heart will always be grateful for the years we 

had with Brutus and the 4 months we had with Shadow. 

 I won't lie, I wanted more.  So so much more with them.

Everytime I think I have found peace, something disrupts it.  A

 memory comes flooding back and it takes me back to ground zero. 

 I don't stay there, but my heart grieves all over again.  It takes a lot 

more courage to let something go than it does to hang on to it.

I am so grateful for my Sniff.

  He saved me and he's my happy place.

Brutus, we miss your soothing purrs and the way

 your presence turned every house into a home.

One of the hardest lessons in life is letting go...

~Nadiya~

Friday May 16th~

 The Internet is so big, so powerful 

and pointless that for some people it 

is a complete substitute for life...

I always wondered what we did before the Internet.  

Glad I don't have to wonder anymore. Depending on how 

you use it, the Internet can be dangerous to so many. 

 I find it entertaining, hilarious and a must have.  

Getting to Branson is always good.  As soon as we neared 

the state line Arvid said to me, "I already feel like we're home."  

We passed through many states, and as usual I took pictures 

of most of the welcoming signs.  Makes me happy.

Today I go home to Florida get Sniff.  I miss him and 

it's not fully home for me if Sniff is not here.  He and I fly

 back on Monday.  We can't wait to see how he likes his

 new home in Branson.  I think I'm more excited 

about that than anything else right now.

A house is made of bricks and beams. 

A home is made of hopes and dreams...

~Nadiya~

Thursday May 15th~

Your return is your chance to create a whole new story...

 Greetings from Branson.  There are a few things 

that are unmistakably Branson.  The cross and all the 

signs leading up to the theater district.  And every time

 we pass them I feel the urge to take pictures. 

It feels good to be back, even better to be in our

 own place where I know Sniff will also be happy.

The day has begun once again with a beautiful

 sunrise just outside our front door.  I'm an early riser 

so for me it's just the best way to start my day.

Sometimes you can't explain what you see

 in a person or a place.  It's just the way they 

take you to a place where no one else can...

~Nadiya~

Wednesday May 14th~

We travel not to escape life, but for life not to escape us...

 We  still have some ways to go before we get to 

Branson. This time Arvid and I are driving.  We've 

packed up the car and once again loaded it up with 

all things for Branson.  Until next time Alabama.

We have done this move so many times that it has

 now gotten to be something of a routine.  That's not

 really good, but Branson keeps calling us back.

Looking forward to getting there.  Unpacking and 

making everything ready once again for Sniff.  In a few

 days I fly back home to Fort Myers to get Sniff.  Busy 

times, but it's not home unless Sniff is here with us.

Next stop is Branson.  Good morning and a good

 day to all.  Arvid and I are happy to soon be back.

The magic thing about home is that it feels good

 to leave, and it feels even better to come back...

~Nadiya~

Tuesday May 13th~

Remember that happiness is 

a way of travel, not a destination...

 Arvid and I are soon on the road again.  Going

 places we've been to and can't wait to be on the 

road again. Branson, Missouri see you soon.

I will say this once again, no one would understand

 the pull Branson has for us.  I think more Arvid 

these days than myself, but that being said I do 

like it, just not as much anymore as Arvid. 

 Has nothing to do with the people or

 the place.  More to do with  I would rather 

be in one place (Florida) than all over.  

That being said, we are excited to be on the road again. 

 Don't know how long we will be doing this, but 

while we can we will and we are loving every

 moment of this adventure that is our life.  

Never go on trips with anyone you do not love...

~Nadiya~

Monday May 12th~

You only live once, but if you do it right, once is enough...

 May is almost halfway gone.  We've done quite a bit 

so far, and so much more to look forward.  Yes, May is 

such a beautiful month.  May means we will soon be going 

to Branson, and that is something we have been looking 

forward to for a very long time.  Arvid even more so.

Woke up to a beautiful morning.  Always hoping we will 

get some rain.  We have a very severe drought in the area. 

 Florida rain season runs from mid May to mid October 

with the highest rainfall between June and September.

Yesterday I met with Max and Kelsey at Max's 

favorite pizza restaurant.  It's where he first took us 

when we moved to Fort Myers.  Max has made the 

decision to go to medical school and will soon be 

leaving Florida to embark on long long journey.  

Also yesterday he asked Kelsey to be his wife💑

The plan is that Kelsey will hopefully follow in a year.

  Kelsey is a registered pharmacist so getting a job will 

be easy peasy for her.  Kelsey is from Kentucky and 

she would like them to end up living there one day.

It's a busy day/week for us.  Back to my Orthopedic surgeon 

for another follow up on the knee.  I wish he had a miracle cure.  

I am looking forward to seeing my doctor.  He's extremely

 good looking and he spends time talking to me, and yes, 

he's younger than I am.  But he's so cute.  Happy day.

A good day to all and an even better week ahead.

May your week be filled with good thoughts,

 kind people and happy moments...

~Nadiya~

Sunday May 11thth~

A mother is one who can take the place of all 

others but whose place no one else can take...

Here in the United States we celebrate Mother's Day

 today.  I am very fortunate 🙏to have my mom and 

to be able to call and talk to her any time I want/like. 

 Sadly many are not so fortunate.  I take nothing for

 granted and for for my mom, I am always grateful.

Arvid and I took a trip to the house yesterday. 

 Did a little sorting, packing and I did some cleaning.  

There is always something to do, but it keeps us busy.  

Hopefully one day mom and dad will live here.

To all the mothers out there, Happy Mother's Day,

 especially to my mom Valerie Singh and my 

four sisters.  A special shoutout to Anna.

After we were done doing what we had to do 

at the house, Arvid and I went to Boat House.  We like 

it there.  Drinks are good, food is simple but we always

 find something good.  It was a very nice time.

To all a very good day.  Looking forward to a relaxing day

 at home, and later on I will be seeing Max and Kelsey.

Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by

 the things you didn’t do than by the things you did...

~Nadiya~

Saturday May 10th~

Always remember to do everything with an 

abundance of love, so that one day you will

 remember the beauty of every moment lived...

Yesterday I also did a few things on my own.  My friend Gail 
(Sniff's pet-sitter) and I went to our favorite Indian restaurant.  
My treat to her for always being so good/kind to Sniff.  Never 
disappoints. Afterwards we went to my favorite Cuban cafe.

Yesterday we I received beautiful pictures from my mom 

and dad's home in North Carolina.  One of my favorites is 

this cherry blossom tree in their backyard.  One of many.  This

 was taken two weeks ago.  Mom and dad's sanctuary.

I know one day we will all miss going here, but for

 now we can still enjoy its beauty and tranquility.

We all hope that one day they move to Florida.  Not an

 easy decision, but the house is now just too big for them.

A few things to do/take care of today.  Looking forward 

to a very good day.  Wishing the same for everyone.

Live every moment, love every day, cause 

before you know it, precious time slips away...

~Nadiya~