Tuesday February 1st ~

 It’s not the mistake that matters,
 it’s how you interpret the lesson...

From the looks of it we are in for a very cold week, 

but I have been lucky the last few days to have been able 

to get out a little and not slip and fall.  Will be a little cold 

some days this week.  Roads will be "tricky" to navigate.

There is still frost on everything right now, and the lake

 is partially frozen.  Not rock solid ice, but slushy ice.

This post won't be complete without my Sniff Sniff.  

He wishes everyone a very good day.  He's happy because he's 

already rolled up in fresh warm laundry.  I do a lot of laundry

You don’t learn to walk by following rules. 

You learn by doing, and by falling over...

~Nadiya~

Sunday October 17th ~

 Close some doors today. Not because of pride, incapacity
 or arrogance, but simply because they lead you nowhere...

Sniff is getting into the Halloween mood.  Already glaring 

at me and I love it.  He's a cutie and he makes me happy.

Seem like the weather forecast is wrong.  The sun is

 shining and I see no rain right now.  Hoping it stays this way. 

 We have had enough rain already.  October should not have 

so much rain, but when you live in the Caribbean, there is no 

norm to follow.  Except of course, it's always warm 😍

Last night we made it to the movies.  Arvid said he was not 

taking any chances on being cold.  He had on his "heavy" jeans. 

 T-shirt and took 2 additional sweaters and his jacket.  What 

you know, last night it was pretty warm at the movies 😂

Looking forward to catching up on some more reading.

  Arvid and Sniff will be watching soccer games 💙.  As 

Sundays go, it's a darn good one.  A happy day to all.

We are the products of our past,

 but we don't have to be prisoners of it...

~Nadiya~

Tuesday November 24th ~

Die with memories.  Not dreams...

 
It has rained on and off already a few times.  Nothing

 drastic, but when it rains it's a downpour.  It lasts just a few 

minutes and then it's all cleared up again.  Happy for

 that, and it is warm rain, so not that bad either.

Tuesday, nothing extraordinary planned.  I am getting

 feedback from friends from all over the country on the 

shortage once again of toilet paper.  The world is going 

to hell fast.  Hopefully the journey will end soon.

My morning walks keep me happy and I have

 motivation.  To make sure the little kitties are fed. 

 Some mornings even when it's raining I feel like I have

 to get out just to make sure they little ones have their

 foodies.  Yesterday, I got wet, but the kitties ate.

The kitties get three cans of foodies a day plus dry

 food, every morning that I am out walking.  Yesterday

 two of the babies, one pictured above were crying their eyes 

out because I did not walk the day before.  They were 

starving.  Now I am always guilty when I do not walk.

Happy Tuesday all.  Today I have Brutus and Shadow

 in my thoughts.  So many memories.  I would really

 love right now to hold our Brutus for a little while.

Life brings tears, smiles, and memories.

 The tears dry, the smiles fade, but the memories 

last forever.  Some memories never fade...

~Nadiya~

New Week ~

The week is yours.  Own it...

We have had a happy week and an even

 better weekend.  The new week is looking 

very promising and all is good with us.  

Yesterday the world was shocked when  it 

heard about Kobe Bryant. It goes to show that

 we never know what tomorrow holds.

KOBE BRYANT

My sister Rima summed it up really accurately. 

 She said, "Fame & fortune but you can’t beat fate."

So everyone just remember, tomorrow is not promised.

Let's make our todays count. Everyday always.

The new week begins. One day less with my

mom and dad. One day closer for our Norwegian

family to be here. Life gives and life takes.

I am thankful always for everything.

Happy Monday all! Start your week 

and each day on a positive note.

Life is an adventure; 

we get out of it what we put into it...

~Nadiya~

Having One Of Those Days ~

Don’t  judge me because as far as I know I
 haven’t let you borrow my shoes to walk in...

This morning Arvid said to me, "you know 
maybe we should get Sniff another condo
 at home in Fort Lauderdale.  The one
he has right now is kinda shaky."  

At first I thought what a great idea, but then
 I said to him, "but that's the same condo Brutus
 used and also Shadow.  It still has their hairs
 on it."  Before you know it I was crying. 

Sometimes it's just a little mention of Brutus
 and it all comes back to me.  I love our little
 Sniff, but my Brutus took a piece of my heart. 

 I will forever be grateful to have had him
 in our lives.  I will forever miss him and
 wish he was back home with us. 

Sniff had his visitors yesterday.  He was his 
usual friendly self, but at the same time a
 little aloof.  That's Sniff.  Not afraid 
but indifferent at the same time.  

That's a cat for you.  Everything on their 
terms.  Love him.  Love him.   Katrina took
 with her a picture I had of Sniff and she 
brought him some special treats.

Sniff had two other visitors in the afternoon.  
He was very happy to see then and fell all over
 their feet.  Sniff is loved by everyone who
 meets him, he's just a bundle of love.

Life goes on.  We are happy, but every so
 often I think of this little kitty that stole my heart, 
and the memories are beautiful and at the same 
time extremely painful.  Life.  It is what it is.
Morning will come, it has no choice.

Its a beautiful cooler morning here right now 
59 F (15 C) but it will sure be warming up a little more. 
 Perfect start of this day.  Good morning all, and may
 your day be filled with all things good.

There are moments which mark your life. 
 Moments when you realize nothing will ever
 be the same again and time is divided into
 two parts, before this and after this...

~Nadiya~

Sisters ~

A sister shares childhood memories and grownup dreams...

My sister Nirvana will soon be visiting Florida.  She

 practically is here every month since J her son now 

lives in Miami.  I could not be any happier. 

 Now I get to see her a lot, and of course whenever 

she's here we always get together all of us and do

 something fun. So happy and excited.

 Usually Arvid and I will meet them for lunch

 somewhere in Miami, and of course we will try to 

see if they can come to us for dinner.  Time is always 

short so am happy with whatever time we get

 to spend with her. Can't wait to see her.

A perfect sister I am not, but very thankful for the

 ones I've got.  Life blessed me with 4 sisters.  Through

 thick and thin we are each others best friends.

Of course we are already making plans.  

Both Arvid and I are excited. Everyone loves Arvid, 

and I am happy that he also gets along very well with my

family.  My family is simple and real.  Not pretentious at all. 

Makes it easy for all of us to have a great time  together.

What you see is what you get.  No hidden agendas.

The best of times are always those spent with loved ones.

We had good times with Arvid's family not so
 long ago as well.  Lots of good memories made as well.

Sisters are probably the most competitive relationship

 withing the family, but once the sisters are grown, 

it becomes the strongest relationship...

~Nadiya~

Dark Clouds Rolling In ~

You're not going to master the rest of your life in one day.

Just relax.  Master the day.  Then just keep doing that every day...

No matter how you look at it the day is filled with dark clouds.  The air is cooler

and right now it is quiet and very relaxing.  I'm having a very good day.

This is looking across the street from Almost Home.  A favorite of

mine on a Friday.  Any day is good, but somehow on Fridays it is even better.

Sniff slept close to me.  How I love that.  Waking up in the mornings with his

warm body tucked next to me is one of the best way to start our day.

My day is not as busy as Arvid's is.  Arvid like to be on the move and

run around no matter what.  I don't think he wants to have a non

busy day. Arvid has more energy in him than someone half  his

 age.  I love him, but sometimes wish he would slow down.

Happy Tuesday all.

Women and cats will do as they please,

men and dogs should relax and get used to the idea...

~Nadiya~

Hello Wednesday...

You don't always need a plan.  Sometimes you just need 

to breathe, trust, let go, and see what happens...

Weather wise it's strange here in Branson. For instance yesterday morning

 started out in the 30's by 3 pm it was closer to 70 degrees and sunny

 as can be.  For sure I did not know how to dress.

I had a little outing to the outlet mall and just walking in and out of stores

 was enough to work up a sweat. It was that warm.  I don't miss the 

Florida heat but I miss the sunshine, blue skies and the water.

One of the things I like about this cold weather is the change I have noticed in my hair. 

 Most of the times I'm happy with it. It's much tamer.  On the other hand I have 

lost most of my curls.  Oh well not complaining because now I don't have to 

do anything with my hair.  Does not even require gel products.

Yesterday was such a beautiful day. It felt good to be in my Florida clothes. 

 Miss those days of tank tops and flip flops, but hopefully not for long.

If one were to see Arvid and I living in these colder temperatures you'd think we have been

 doing this for years. The cold has not bothered us much. Yes, we say it's cold but then

we just go on like nothing.  I think it's odd. Us, who always lived in the warm climate. 

 My family are so surprised at how well we have adapted. My sisters and parents 

keep asking, "Arvid's not cold?"  What can I say?  We're as surprised as them.

I'm getting used to Walmart shopping. Have not really missed Publix much but every 

once in a while if I'm honest with myself nostalgia kicks in.  I try not to think of

 our home in Florida because then I think I will just pack up and go home.
I was the one who asked for a change.  Arvid listened and we made it.

  Now I just have to stick it out and make the most of it.

Our routines have not changed much.  The scenery on the other hand is something I am still

 not used to.  Dry. Brown. Gray and dull.  Some days I see rabbits running in the front 

of the house next to the trees.  One day as I was driving home from the store I 

saw 7 deers.   I like all of that, but when evening comes and we are watching 

TV everything is dark.  I miss the sight of boats passing by!

We still do our Sunday outings, but maybe I'm spoilt.  It is still taking some time 

form me to get used to the restaurants here.  I will honestly say that the restaurants at

 home are better.  On the other hand Arvid says that the food here is very good.  

Go figure.  We have agreed to disagree.  On may as of things lately.

Sniffer is doing well. He loves it here. His favorite part of the evenings is sleeping 

between Arvid legs as we watch TV.  During the day he sharpens his hunting skills.  

I think he would make a good outdoor kitty.  So unlike Brutus.  

Brutus was an indoor boy.  Outside life was not for him. He was afraid of flies.

  My Brutus.  How I miss him.  I know Shadow would have also made an excellent hunter.

  He was fast and fearless.  My heart just can't seem to let go.  Memories fill my days. 

Sometimes it's overwhelming.  Last night I hardly slept. I just kept rewinding everything

 about Brutus.  How I miss him.  Arvid does as well.  Lately he talks about Brutus.

As a new day begins, I have no clue as to what it holds as yet.  That's good because

 right now I want it to just be quiet and relaxing. No running around.  Not that cold either.

Happy Wednesday, already halfway through the week.  Almost Friday.  Yay!!

Two things prevent us from happiness.  Living in the past and observing others.

In life yo keep your balance you have to keep moving, no matter what....

~Nadiya~

Sunday... To Relax

Make sometime for yourself today, to relax, reflect and revive your spirit...

Sundays..ohh so relaxing for all of us. 

 Sniff woke up ate and is back to dreamy land.

I have some bookkeeping to catch up with, but otherwise the day is open for anything.  

Sundays we detour from our "usual" days.  Means breakfast is an hour or so later than our

 usual days.  On Sundays we live dangerously.  Hahahaaha...Even I find it funny.

More soccer planned for today.  With the Euro Games going on our days are 

as I have said before scheduled around them.  Not a problem, cause I get to do some 

fun stuff I like; Arvid gets to watch the game; Sniff enjoys playtime with both of us,

 and then we do something together. This way everyone wins.  Everyone's happy.

Relax time comes/came easy for them. I can picture my Brutus all stretched out
right now.  How I wish I could just hold him again.  Shadow was such a baby.
From the day we got him he never had any trouble adjusting to us.  He just
loved life and was always a happy boy.  I miss my Brutus so very much.

Sniff Sniff as you can see is also a very happy kitty.  He makes us happy.
One day I want to get back to the stage in life where I am peaceful again.  When I
will learn to accept Brutus is no longer with us, and to deal with the way Shadow died.
 It's not always present, but at the same time it's never far from my thoughts.

To all a very happy Sunday, and keep on enjoying the long July 4th weekend.
Remember sometimes the most productive thing you can do it relax.

Life is a Sunday.  There are bad days ahead and behind, but it's all OK if you
 live for today.   A Sunday well spent brings a week on content..

~Nadiya~