Birthdays...Nirvana's and Sachin's...

Birthdays give us the opportunities to stop and 

appreciate all the little things we have been blessed with...

Today we celebrate 2 birthdays in our family.  My sister Nirvana's and my nephew Sachin's.

Nirvana is sister number 3 of 5 girls.  Mother of Kimsy and J.  My niece and nephew.

Here they are.  Many years ago, but somehow it always seems not that long ago.

They live in Puerto Rico and though I don't see them that often I always have
 them in my heart.  J am Kimsy are now in college.  Away from home.

Nirvana today on your birthday I just want you to know that a day does not go by

without me thinking of you, loving you and missing you.  For you and all my other 

sisters nothing is too much to ask for.  I only wish we were closer especially today.

From a little girl she was always a beauty.  Today she is even more beautiful, but 
the beauty is not only from the outside.  The woman she is is exceptional.  I am 
happy and fortunate to have her as my sister and my friend. Though 
distance may separate us, I always carry her in my heart..

You know the saying, you can kid the world, but not your sister. She is wiser than

 her years and she is my sister and my friend.  I love you and that is forever.

Sachin was born just just two days after 9-11.  Today the little boy born during one of the 

worst times for the US turns 13.  He is all boy.  There is no sport that he will not play.

As a little boy we were fortunate to have him and all his family live close to us in 

Florida.  Those days are forever cherished by me and are part of memories that will

never leave me.  Sachin like all my nieces and nephews holds a very special place in my heart.

From very little he knew how to relax and find a comfy spot.  In Florida that

was his favorite spot to sit and watch TV or play games.  I miss that face.

Sachin and I many years ago in his Florida home.  Wish I could also

spend the day with you Sachin.  I love you so much and uncle Arvid always
 remembers all the good times we have had together.  

  Little Sachin is on his way to manhood.  Have no idea where and how time has gone
 by so fast. One day he was little today he is a big boy and as he told his uncle
 Arvid, he plays soccer and uncle Arvid called him the next Messi.

Little Sachin is no longer little.  He's now a 14 years old. 
Happy birthday to my sister and my nephew.

To my sister Nirvana, Count the age, not the wrinkles you have. 
Count the blessings and the wonderful experience not the
 mistakes you have made.  Love you both.

May your birthday and every day be filled with the warmth of sunshine, 

the happiness of smiles, the sounds of laughter,

 the feeling of love and the sharing of good cheer....

~Nadiya~

Chilly Saturday...

Nothing burns like the cold...

Our Saturday started out cold and wet.  It is still chilly, but no longer wet.  The sun is out 

and Arvid and I just had a long nice walk in the park and along the lakefront.  In the 

sun yo are warm.  Reminds me of being in Norway, except the scenery

 is so much prettier here in Chicago.  Today we were bundled up.

Not used to this weather.  For us Floridians this is just a wee bit too cold, but on

the other hand it is beautiful and I sure don't miss the humidity.

Last night we went to The House of Blues.  Was a chilly night, but again so very beautiful.

The evening is still young.  Most likely we will go to the hot tub and stay in.

It is after all a little too cold for us.  Movie time at home with Brutus.  Sounds good.

Hope your day has been a good one so far.  Happy Saturday all.

Baby it's cold outside.

Happiness is a hot drink on a cold day...

~Nadiya~

Friday In Chicago...

But when I go to Chicago, I know I'm home...

Watching the news last night, Arvid said to me, "there is so much going on in this city. 

 It's unbelievable."  This is so true.  There is a 17 day musical festival in various

parts of the city.  We are sure to find some of it and enjoy listening.

Yesterday we went to the Farmers Market.  Every Thursday we do this. We get 

bread for Arvid and for me a few things to satisfy my sweet tooth.  Absolutely delicious. 

As always there was music full blast at the Farmers Market.  Makes you want to stop 

whatever you are doing, take a seat and just stay put enjoying it all.  Many of the workers 

from nearby businesses do just that in thier lunch hour.  There are tables set out so you

 can either bring your own food or you can buy from some of the vendors.  Either 

way it is quite relaxing to just sit and for a few minutes, hours get lost in all 

that this wonderful city offers.  Arvid and I sure are making the most of it.

WALK THROUGH THE PARK

We do lots of walking here.  Not having a car for a few months is OK.  I see it

as a way of getting lots of exercise.  The best part is that our walks takes us through the 

park with its amazing scenery.  Of course all over in the park there is music all day long.

Fridays in Chicago means music and more music.  Our favorite hangouts are

House of Blues.  The food is great and so are the drinks and of course the music.

We also love going to Buddy Guys Legends.  Both places are withing 

walking distance from us.  Most likely tonight we will be heading out to one of them.

Happy Friday all.  Today marks 14 years since the bombing of NYC Twin Towers.
Sept. 11, 2001, brought Americans closer, however briefly, as many looked to one another
 for strength, courage and comfort.  Some gave a lot.  Others gave it ALL.

It's Friday.  Let's rock...

~Nadiya~

Just Having Fun....

Some people drift through their entire life. They do it one day at a time, 
one week at a time, one month at a time. It happens so gradually they 
are unaware of how their lives are slipping away until it's too late...

Arvid and I decided long ago to live for today and enjoy our lives to the fullest as if it
 were our last day here.  We have been doing this for a while, but since getting 
to Chicago we have been so relaxed and happy and we have realized that
 we do not need as much as we think we do to make us happy. 

 Here in Chicago we have a very small apartment.  It is enough for Arvid, Brutus and I to 
be happy.  The truth is, it will not accommodate guests.  Too small, but both Arvid 
and I have made a tiny exception.  No matter how small this apartment is, 
we will always have room for Danielle, my niece.  

Somehow she and Arvid have developed this special bond which of course makes me happy. 
 I love that he bonds with all my nieces and nephews.  Danielle is not shy to say what
 she thinks of anything, and of him.  I think that's what he enjoys, plus they have this
 betting thing going on with some games.  She beats him at  it then he practices
 until he can better her score.  Took him close to 3 years to better her scores.

  Of course now she told him to beware cause in just a few moves she will tumble him
 from the top again.  It's fun to see them together.  That's why Danielle has a spot 
here in our apartment in Chicago.  Yep!  He says "bring it on."

In Chicago, we have no car, we walk everywhere we want to go to and we are really
 loving it. We are located of course in the best location even if I say so.  Everything is within a
 few minutes walking distance.   For being downtown there is so much greenery and 
beautiful parks everywhere, and it is all just steps away from us.

We will of course have to one day return to Florida, which is also home but for now
 we are just having the time of our lives.....even Brutus is so relaxed.  

To everyone out there all I can say is no matter
 what enjoy life and live it to the fullest...

The price of anything is the amount of life you exchange for it...

~Nadiya~

Learning Experiences....

I look for these qualities and characteristics in people. 
Honesty is number one, respect, and absolutely the third would have to be loyalty...

They say that experience is the teacher of all things and what better way to learn than
 living and experiencing life in the good times and in the not so good times.
 Experience: that most brutal of teachers. But you learn, my God do you learn. 

I have come to learn that many are not really who/what they claim or appear to be.
I have learnt that not because someone says they are your friend means they have
 good intentions towards you.  I have learnt that many people are just fake
and that they only pretend to like each other just because it is simpler.

This I have never understood.  Why someone would pretend to like another person
 when in reality they actually hate/dislike that person.  I guess we are all at some
time or another guilty of this.  I sometimes wish we could stop pretending we
 like each other and just accept that this is not always possible.

 I wish we could be honest with each other and just say,
"I really don't like you."  Does this make a person bad? 

Even I at times have encountered people I don't really like that much.
We all have that person/persons in our lives we would rather not, but again
life is not perfect and we have to deal with what we are given in the best
 possible way we can.  I mean we just can't make them disappear.

If  life were that simple.  My dad always said that honesty is the best policy.
  Sometimes I think we all lack some degree of honesty.  Seems that for some it is
 much better to hide behind the truth that to come straight out and say it....

As they say, "Everything we hear is an opinion, not a fact. 
Everything we see is a perspective, not the truth."

Have a good day all and remember,
 "For every good reason there is to lie, there is a better reason to tell the truth."

Life is Chicago so far is great.  Loving every moment and we're happy.

If you tell the truth, you don't have to remember anything. 

~Nadiya~ 

Feels Good...

Life is what you make it.....

It's good to be the 3 of us again.  Been 10 days we were in different states.  Was good 

to be in Florida and do a few of the things I don't normally get to do, but it's even

 better to be here with Arvid and do the things we like to do together.

As it is with Arvid, whenever I am not around he does something crazy to surprise me. 

 He's just a romantic at heart.  More so than me actually.  I love him for it 

and though he does not always know it, I love his surprises.

Brutus adapted to his new surrounding right away.  He found and used his litter without

 problems not help from us.  He eats well and drinks his water.  We are happy that this is so. 

 He was the perfect kitty in the plane.  He never "said" even a meow.  At the airport 

everyone was complimenting me on what a beautiful kitty he is and how shiny

 his fur is.  Of course I agreed with them all.  It is after all the truth.  

Brutus is beautiful and he is well cared for and that you can see.

He was very happy to see his dada.  The first night he checked out every corner of the 

apartment.  The apartment is not big so it did not take him tat long to see it all and

 claim his spots.  He has many of his same beds here so for him it is all familiar.

Arvid is super happy to see us.  He's still in his happy stage.  Haha. Have to make the 

of it.  He took me to this very good steak restaurant.  One of our favorites when 

in Chicago.  Smith and Wollensky.  Just great food.  After dinner we went to 

our favorite restaurant at the Marina and listened to some very lively music 

from the 70's and 80's.  Was very good. I even had o Hawaiian Mojito.

We had such a good time on Sunday we decided to go there again yesterday. 

 Once again there was music, great weather and good food.  You can say that

 we are enjoying Chicago very much.  Best city during summertime.

In between all of the fun we are also working very hard. Right now we are 

working on fixing up the apartment and making it cosier for us.  Arvid works

 and works all day long.  I work as well, but he does all the hard stuff.

Yesterday was just perfect. We accomplished quite a bit and we also enjoyed 

ourselves.  Today more of the same so to all of you, have a great 

day and don't forget to make each day count.

The day is what you make of it, so why not make it a great one?....

~Nadiya~

Confidence....

If you really put a small value on yourself,

rest assured that the world will not raise your price...

It has been said that self-confidence gives you the freedom to make mistakes and 

cope with failure without feeling that your world has come to an end or that you 

are a worthless person.  Self confidence is that person who is willing and

 capable of laughing at themselves and able to joke about themselves

 without feeling as if they have done anything wrong nor having

 to worry what the rest of the world thinks of you.

As a child I was extremely shy...some may have mistaken that for lack of confidence. 

 Wrong.  Growing up in Puerto Rico and then experiencing life in New York made

 me a very confident person.   This being said, it does not mean that everything

 I do is correct, does not mean I am never wrong, it does not mean I do not 

make mistakes...what it means is that I am capable of recognizing my

 faults and of trying to always improve myself. 

 Does it always work?  Probably not, but it never stops me from trying 

and to keep moving forward.  The key is not to be afraid of

 failure...just pick yourself up and keep going forward.

I know it does not come easy for everyone.  I notice that many who lack self 

confidence are very envious and jealous of others....this can also be due to

 being immature  I am not sure how it works, but I know it does not accomplish much.

  Instead of spending your time brooding about other people's lives my suggestion 

is to live your own.  Don't long for what others have, be it your best friend, 

your sibling or some other person.  Strive to make the most of you... 

To wish you were someone else is to waste the person you are.

Below are some cool sayings I found, and to me they tell exactly what it is to have 

confidence in yourself....basically you don't really give a damm what the world

 or others think of you because you know you strive to be the best person

 you can and you never go out of your way to hurt another human being....

 LOVE ME, HATE ME - EITHER WAY YOU'RE THINKING OF ME!

I DON'T PRETEND TO BE SOMEONE THAT I'M NOT... BUT IF YOU'D LIKE TO SEE ME

 AS SOMEONE WHO IS GORGEOUS, RICH AND FAMOUS THAT'S FINE WITH ME.

 WARNING: I HAVE AN ATTITUDE AND I KNOW HOW TO USE IT!

Yep!  Still smiling at these funny sayings.  If you know my sister Rima,

 then you know these would be her exact words.  She is amazing and unique.

Confidence does not mean you are perfect it means you are capable of recognizing 

your faults and never afraid of trying to always improve and better yourself. 

 It means you know when to tell the rest of the world to mind their own 

business and not bat an eyelash...just because you can!!!

OUR SUNDAY TOGETHER

It's Labor Day.  Hope the long weekend has been good to everyone.  I am sure many made 

the most of the "fantastic" sales and "savings" going on in the retail world, but most

of all I hope that so far you have all had a good time with family and friends.

My family like many other American families are having a BBQ day.

Confidence comes not from always being right but from not fearing to be wrong.

The late Estee Lauder says you can never wear white shoes after Labor Day.

 But of course, in today's world, that does not exist...

~Nadiya~

A Good Day...

There are so many beautiful reasons to be happy...

Woke up very early.  Lucky me, again I got to see the sunrise again.

Today is day 10 of Brutus' pill.  I'm very excited and happy because 

after today he gets a 5 day rest from the pill.  I know he will be happy as well.

I can tell this is going to be a good day.  Brutus is looking better and that 

for me is always reason to celebrate and to be happy.  Feeling always positive

that I can manage his infection.  I just have to be around and be home with him. 

 Not always possible, but sure will try to coordinate it better.

The day is filled with possibilities and it's looking beautiful from where I stand.  I'm happy

 and I am considering going to the beach for breakfast.  No Liliana today.  Just me.

Happy Saturday all.  Who says one can't have a good time all alone?

I'm too positive to be doubtful.  Too optimistic to be fearful.  And too determined

 to be defeated.  I say looking on the bright side of life never killed anybody...

~Nadiya~

Stormy Friday...

Mondays are a good day to make statements, not Friday..

Another Friday and no Arvid.  Been 10 days now and I am missing him, but at the

 same time I am having a good time doing things I normally would not do.

Yesterday I met my cousin for lunch. She and I spent a few hours enjoying Cuban cuisine

 and telling each other things we probably have not shared with many.  I had one of 

the best times ever. We are more or less the same age. Our mothers are 

sisters and though we don't get together that often, when we do

 it just feels right. It feels good. We laughed and we also

 have some moments of shared sadness.

She is also a grandmother of an 18 month Old little girl. Something else we have

 in common.  I talked about Aleah and Vanessa and she talked about hers. 

 We have experienced many similar times with our grand daughters.

I made a promise to myself to do this with her more often and I intend to keep 

that  promise.  We shared something special and I plan to make sure we don't lose it.

After lunch I spent a few hours in the mall.  I walked and walked around all the stores

 even came back with a little something for me and best of all I indulged in my 

favorite flavor of Haagen-Dazs ice cream. Pralines and cream  

was delicious.  I was bad.  Dessert twice in a day

Back home Brutus was anxiously waiting for me by the door. He thinks I won't come back

 and gets really tense.  He had his afternoon pill, still eating which means the appetite 

stimulant pill is doing its job.  Arvid and I are happy.  As it has been his routine 

since I'm home alone with him, he curls up next to me when I watch TV.

  I love it and I sit very still so he is is not disturbed.  Not easy for me 

to sit still that long.  Arvid does.  Brutus keeps looking for him.

It has been a very busy day for me.  Finally can sit down.  The weather is crazy. Black 

outside.  Rain, loud thunder and way too much lightening.  Brutus is under the 

bed sheets tucked away fast asleep.  Don't think he is scared, but he sure is not

 coming out for now.  Today it is louder than normal.  Lightening that is.

Hope you all have had a good day so far.  Enjoy the weekend.  As for me I am about 

to curl up with a good book, some snack and a movie.  Yep! got everything going at once.

Every storm that comes also comes to an end.

Smile all.  It's Friday...

~Nadiya~

Busy Day...

Life is like a bicycle.  To keep your balance you must  keep moving...

I spent most of yesterday's morning catching up on mail.  Paying bills and organizing 

paperwork.  Was happy to have accomplished quite a bit and finally to get rid of 

tons of crap and clean up my work area a little.  Before 10 am I had already

 spoken twice to Arvid.  Guess he either misses me a lot or is bored.

I know tat we are missing him very much.  Miss his laughter.

Went to the vet to pick up medication for Brutus. Already I can see improvement on his 

appetite.  This has eased some of the stress I have  even having also I can see his 

paw is starting to heal.  At least it is drying up a little. No more oozing. 

 The thing is, I can make Brutus better.  All I need to do is not 

go anywhere.  Not always possible, but when it is 

then Brutus is always going to be well.

The morning was pretty stormy.  It poured for hours.  On and off of course.  Then suddenly

 there would be this extremely loud sound of thunder and lightening.  Somehow 

Brutus was not scared through this.  Arvid thought him well.  Took months of practice, 

but now Brutus recognizes the sound of thunder and does not take off as

 a bat out of hell.  Does help that I was right next to him petting him.

Yesterday I went to a new place for dinner with Liliana.  At he suggestion we went to a 

place called Miyato.  It is a Buffet.  Fairly new place in Pompano according to Liliana. 

Specializing in Sushi, seafood and Hibachi Grille.   It was not bad.  Pretty good 

selection of seafood and if you are a Sushi lover then you will not be disappointed.

  As for Sushi I am just the vegetarian type.  The best part of this was the company.  

We had a few hours of good laughs and we actually learnt a little more

 about each other.  Very nice evening.  Afterwards we sat by the pool 

and enjoyed some more of each others company.  Perfect time.

Once back in the apartment, Brutus got his evening pill.  Was not happy at all.

I sat out a little on the balcony, missing Arvid.  Was too hoot so did not stay out too long.

A little TV, some reading and talking to Arvid before going to 

bed made for a very good day.  Still I'm missing Arvid.

Positive mind.  Positive vibes.  Positive life...

~Nadiya~

A New Day...

Hoping for the best. 

 Prepared for the worst, and unsurprised by anything in between...

And so a new day begins.  Of course it is going to be a good one!  Waking up early and

enjoying the sunrise from the balcony.  Also enjoying my cafe and Brutus' company.

Brutus as usual not too happy with me this morning.  I just finished giving him his pill.

Today is day 6 of his 10 day routine.  Then he has a 5 day break and then we begin again.

Brutus did eat a little yesterday evening, but still not like his usual self.  Going later 

today to his vet and picking up his appetite stimulant.  Of course as with all medicines 

it comes with a lot of side effects.  Nausea and diarrhea being the predominant ones for this pill. 

 Yep!  I remember when he took it a year ago.  He was puking and he had the runs like crazy.  

What shall I do?  I want the best for him, but everything comes at a price.  Hoping for 

the best as always.  What else can we do?  We have to treat him.

After doing all I gad to do, I treated myself to a mani-pedicure.  These days I have been

enjoying a white on m toenails.  Not my usual choice, but was talked into it and have 

now been doing it for the last 3 pedicures.  White is not me, but right now I like it.

To all a good day.  Not exactly sure what the day holds, but I know

for sure at some point I will be seeing Liliana and having lunch with her.

It's amazing how a little tomorrow can make up for a whole lot of yesterday...

~Nadiya~

What A Day....

Being tired and not being able to fall asleep is just ridiculous...

Busy day yesterday, mostly me stressing about Brutus.  Everything else that had to be done

 was easy compared to the constant worrying about Brutus.  Saturday night Arvid "spoke"

 to Brutus.  After that Brutus just withdrew from everything.  He stopped eating. 

 He stopped drinking water and he refused to come out of his hiding spots.

I immediately noticed this, but it did not click to me that Brutus was suddenly depressed. 

 After "talking" to his dada, he went to the front door, sat there and cried and cried. 

 He stayed there until it was time for bed.  I had to pick him up and take him

 to the bedroom.   After that he refused to leave the bedroom.

I'm starting to seriously believe that Brutus is missing Arvid very much.  I am
very concerned about his eating and drinking.  Spoke to the vet today and will be picking
up (yes more pills) some appetite stimulant pills later today.  Hopefully that will
improve his eating and drinking.  Not so easy everyday.  One day at a time.

Last night Liliana and I went to the movies.  We saw Mission Impossible. Not
crazy about Tom Cruise, but the movie was action packed.  I asked Liliana at the end,
"so what did you think of the movie?"  Her response : "Nadiya I'm so stressed."  I asked
 her why and she said, "the movie had too much action."  Go figure her out.
 I would have thought that the drinks would have de-stressed her.

Just coming back from a check-up.  Yeah, it starts again.  Wishing you all a good day.
  Right now I am exhausted and still have to give Brutus another pill later today
 and force feed him some more.  Not looking forward to it at all.
 But yo do what yo have to do for the ones you love.

Ready for my check-up

When a new day begins, dare to smile gratefully.
I take one day at a time, but sometimes several days attack me at once...

~Nadiya~

Awesome Monday...

Either you run the day or the day runs you.

Today is going to be AWESOME...

Erika? Erika who?  Yep! That's the impact Erika left on us.  Happy of course that nothing

happened, but believe me with all the hype that was going on on the news you would have 

thought we were about to be wiped out, but as you know all's good that ends good.

My Sunday was perfect. Woke up late (8 am).  Felt good to sleep in and just relax on the bed

 with Brutus.  Had already started cleaning the day before in preparation for Liliana's

 visit so there was mot much that needed to be done.  A couple hours 

of additional cleaning and I was ready for Liliana.

Not wanting to take the chance that we may lose power today, I had already started 

preparing some of the food, so all I had left to do today was make the 

salad and add fresh vegetables to the the scampi pasta.

The wine was chilled the glasses sparkling all that was left was for Liliana to arrive.  

She likes her wine with ice so there is always lots of ice waiting for her.  

She knows her way around our kitchen so she always helps herself.  

There are not many we allow to do this, but she yes.

Long time ago I created a Facebook account for her.  To this day I think Brutus and

 I are her only friends.  She says she likes to just check out the pictures, but does

 not wish to take an active part in friending more people.  As always I give 

her a few tips on how to do things on her iPad.  It's fairly new for her.

She stayed over close to 4 hours.  The most ever and it was nice.  I like company, 

but I don't think company needs to stay longer than that.  Both Arvid and I agree that

 this is a good enough time.  When we visit we also never stay longer than 4 hours at any

 one's place.  Correction.  We have stayed much longer than that at my parents' place.

Good morning all.  Monday morning already.  Time to get motivated.  Missing Arvid, but

 the nice thing about being apart is that he calls me quite often during the day and we 

actually get to "spend" more quality time than ever.  Feels good to being missed so much.

Of course we miss him as well and can't wait to go back home with him.  Soon.

It's the imperfections that make things beautiful...

~Nadiya~