Wednesday January 22nd~

Paradise is when your mind is in a perfect state...

Breaking NEWS! It snowed in Florida yesterday!

January 21st, 2025. A major winter storm slammed the 

southern United States with record breaking snowfall in 

regions largely unaccustomed to extreme winter weather.

 Yesterday a friend of mine posted a picture from sunny

Puerto Rico.  Arvid happened to see it, and right away he said, 

"this is where we should be right now."  We had such a good time 

living in Puerto Rico during COVID.  Unfortunately we could 

not go this year as yet because we did a few trips to Branson 

instead.  Cold vs. warmth.  We must not be right in the head.

We sure miss this island, the food, the drinks and the scenery.  

I miss being close to my sister as well.  Life is still good.  No 

regrets, just a little longing at times to be right back there. 

 I think of the kitties I left behind and my heart is sad.

We sure had an amazing view from our balcony.

So far, Arvid and I have led an extremely interesting life.  

Sometime too "interesting" for comfort, but none the less exciting.  Looking forward to what the years ahead hold for us.  All I can say it that it is not predictable.

Looking back to the places we've been, the things 

we've done is always good time.  Make me even 

more thankful for all the blessings in my life.

Here at home in Fort Myers it was a wet gloomy yesterday.  
No walks, no outings.  Just a good day to stay in and do some 

indoor work.  Of course Arvid as always was very busy.  Part 

of his "busy" day was spent watching some soccer games.

A good day to all.  Remember if you're cold so

 are your pets/animals.  Please bring them in and 

if you can help a stray even better.  Welcome to the 

Sunshine State, where the weather has gone berserk!

Lighten up, just enjoy life, smile more, laugh more, 

and don't get so worked up about things...

~Nadiya~

Tuesday January 21st~

You don't burn out from going too fast. You burn 

out from going too slow and getting bored...

Our week began with a bang, as in busy and hectic. 

 I really wanted to watch Trump get sworn in.  I almost 

missed it because Arvid had so many "chores" planned that 

according to him "needed to taken care of ASAP."  With 

Arvid everything is always ASAP.  There is nothing else.

Every so often both Arvid and I have this "talk." 

 We tell ourselves that we need to slow down a bit

  We need to take it easy and not always rush into things.

  So far it has not worked for us, at the same time life 

is always interesting albeit a tad bit hectic.

 It has been raining now for a few house.  We really 

need the rain, and have not had much even when rain is

 predicted.  Many may say that's good, but without rain

comes drought among other things.  That we don't want.

January is slowly drawing to an end. It has been a cold

 January.  Heck December was also very cold, but definitely 

nothing like what the other states in the nation are having. 

 Heck yesterday Branson had a low of 3F (-16C) 

 with a high if 20C (-7C).  Now that's cold. 

Maybe all of Arvid's ranting about climate 

change is manifesting right here in Fort Myers, but 

joking aside we do have it good in Florida.  Especially

 in the winter months.  Summers not so much.  That's 

why we go to Branson and Norway in those months. 

To all a very good day.  Wishing Spring to 

arrive early this year, especially for those 

experiencing extreme cold right now.

 Bad weather always looks worse through a window...

~Nadiya~

Monday January 20th~

A beautiful week begins with a beautiful mindset: 

Starting the week with a positive outlook

 can help you make the most of it...

It's a new day.  It's a new dawn.  New beginnings. 

 Another week begins.  Just last week we were enjoying

 our time in Branson.  Getting us a little place to call home

 for the summer.  I wonder what this week holds?

Yesterday we had dinner out with my parents.  They 

invited us to Outback.  The meal was delicious, but the 

best part is always the company.  I enjoy the stories 

Arvid and my dad share.  Many are new to me.

As the new week begins the temperature will begin to 

drop again.  It's been a cold January for Florida.  Today 

is also the inauguration for President elect Donald Trump. 

 This will be his second term in office.  Not consecutive.

Come noon Eastern time President Biden's term ends, 

and the president elect Donald Trump is sworn in.  The 

world (much of it) will be watching this.  Be it to their 

liking or not.  America the Beautiful, will be performed by 

Carrie Underwood together with the Armed Forces Chorus, .

I don't practice any particular religion, but I was

 born Hindu.  Arvid and Sniff  like it that way.

Looking forward to the week ahead and to spending more

 time with mom and dad.  I was also able to spend a few hours 

with them on Saturday.  Was relaxing and always a good time.

You don't have to see the whole staircase, just take the first step...

~Nadiya~

Sunday January 19th~

If you are working on something that 

you really care about, you don't have to 

be pushed. The vision pulls you...

 I want to prolong the festive season for a few more days.  

I love my Christmas mugs so I plan to enjoy them for a long time

 to come, even if Christmas is over.  Makes me happy. Coming 

back from Branson I realize Christmas is still going on.

Words don't always cut it, but life goes on.  There are 

days when I just sit and remember, and I have no guilt about it 

because what was will always be one of the best memories/times 

in my life.  Our Brutus took a huge piece of my heart with him.

It's going to get cold again; and I am ready for warmer days.

  We both are.  That's why we live in The Sunshine State🌞🌴 

Last night was bike night Downtown Fort Myers.  You 

know who was there.  We had to go check it out.  We were

 told that it was always a big gathering, but then COVID 

hit and we all know what happened after that 😭

There were many bikes, but one stood out more than the

 others.  Everything about this bike was just bigger and yes

 better.  It drew a crowd.  The speakers were humongous.

There were many more bikes out there, but non as eye

catching as the one above.  It was a pretty cool bike.

As usual Arvid and I had a very good time.  Always fun checking

 out what people are doing and see them have a good time.

A good day to all and to all a good rest of the weekend.

Lessons in life will be repeated until they

 are learned.  Wisdom is your quiet knowing...

~Nadiya~

Saturday January 18th~

Every day is a journey, and the journey itself is home...

Yesterday we woke up to a very cold morning.  I 

had to scrape snow off the windshield before we could 

take off.  Arvid was too cold to get out of the car, so I did it.  

I was not that cold, and it was a very beautiful morning.

This was the sunrise right outside our front door, and 

I will get to see it a lot in the upcoming months.

Arvid and I have had a very good time in Branson. 

 We always do.  We got many things taken care of making 

it much easier for us the next time we're there.  We even

 managed to get new furniture delivered in one day,

 and get rid of everything that was in the condo.

What I found "interesting" is that Branson still has all things

 Christmas out.  Many places have not taken down their Christmas 

trees, and restaurants still have Christmas decorations all over the

 place.  I'm still curious as to why they are waiting so long.  

Branson never fails to keep us busy.  One of the reasons 

we keep going back.  Of all places,it feels like home.

As always the best part of any journey is being 

back home with Sniff.  Where Sniff is, that's my home. 

 A good day to all.  Good to be back in The Sunshine State, 

even though there is no sunshine right now; it is warm.

All journeys have secret destinations of

 which the traveler is unaware.  A journey of a 

thousand miles must begin with a single step...

~Nadiya~

January 17th~

There is nothing like returning to a place 

that remains unchanged to find the ways

 in which you yourself have altered...

Our search for a place in Branson began almost four

 months ago.  Once Arvid got back from Norway he just kept

 talking about Branson.  I don't always pay attention to everything 

he says because many is just because he's restless or bored.

But then every so often (too often) he would say "we need

 a place in Branson so that we can get away from the summers 

in Florida."  I just looked at him and said, "that's why we have

 the apartment in Norway."  From what I understood when we 

got the apartment in Norway, Arvid was going to spend most 

of the summer there.  To get away from the Florida heat.

I love Branson, but Arvid had it really bad this time. 

 Everything he talked, everything he did was Branson related. 

 He was so busy looking for places for us.   I thought it was 

just another of his phases, so I just went along with it.  

Of course I wanted to go back to Branson, but at

 the time I was not sure I wanted a place there.  I was 

happy with Airbnb, but then Arvid started talking about 

being there for months.  I started to get concerned.

  My first thought was Sniff.  No way was I leaving 

him that long.  Going to Norway for almost three weeks is 

long enough.  I do not like being away from him for so long.  

He's my baby.  I miss him too much and worry about him.

After much back and forth I said okay to an apartment 

only because then Sniff would be with us.  Otherwise I told

 him I would only go for about a week and he can stay on 

alone if he so wished.  Compromise.  We bought a little

 condo in Branson because now Sniff can come as well.  

Everything in Branson is so familiar.  It feels like we 

came back home.  When Arvid asked if I would like to have 

a hotel again, there I drew the line.  Absolutely not.  It was 

good while we did it, but now we are older and it's gotten 

tougher to do the things we used to do.  Well almost.

Though it's winter, the weather has been amazingly

 good to us.  The sun is bright and the skies are always 

blue.  Makes winter feel like a permanent vacation.

To all a very good day.  Always the simple life is the best.

 A home is a place where we feel safe; it is our fortress

 that shields us from the troubles in the outer world...

~Nadiya~

Thursday January 16th~

The only time you should look back is to see how far

 you've come. Looking back can be a helpful way to 

learn from past experiences, both good and bad...

 The other day Facebook reminded me of some of our 

times when we lived in Branson.  Arvid and I became hotel

 owners by the end of 2016.  We were in for a surprise. 

 Not only have we never done anything like this, 

but that was the least of our worries.

The shock was how cold it was.  Of course this 

was January.  Winter is in full swing, but everyone had 

said how mild the winters have been in the last few years. 

 Seems like no one had told winter that back in 2017.

We were definitely not prepared for the cold much

 less snow and sleet on the road.  I would wake up to go to 

work in the mornings and the windshield of the car was iced. 

 I remember Arvid telling me to start it up and let it sit there 

for a while so it could heat up.  Took forever it seems.

Definitely do not miss it.  No maybe about it, but we 

sure had a great time when living in Branson even when it 

was so cold.  We were busy and we were doing something

 different.  A new challenge it was for us and we both learned

 so much.  Not all good, but the experience is one that will 

always be cherished and remembered.  To this day we still

 think of Branson as home and because of that we would 

always go back for visits.  Of course when it's warmer.

It's okay to look back once in a while.  We have done so 

many different "stunts" that it does get complicated at times 

to remember it all, but Branson is one we will never forget. 

 My wildlife is there and I miss them.  To all a good day.

You never know what the future holds.  We both agree 

that Branson has left a huge impact in our lives.  That's why 

our families are not surprised that we have decided to call it 

home again, at least for a few months in the summer.

It is cold here, but the weirdest thing is both Arvid and 

I were much colder this summer in Norway.  I know

 I was and when I mentioned it to him he agreed.

Our pasts may not be perfect, but there are

 lessons there that we can carry for a lifetime. The 

past may be gone, but it lives on as we look...

~Nadiya~