Sunday November 17~

Live life with no excuses, travel with no regrets…

 So yesterday evening we went lout to listen to  

some music.  It was a little Blues Fest.  The main 

act was a guy called Lil’ Ed. Arvid and I have seen 

him a few times at the Blues Festival in Chicago.

He’s lively and very colorful.  Always interesting to see 

him. The weather was absolutely gorgeous, and since is was a 

concert under the stars made for a beautiful time, but within a 

few hours it got cold for Arvid and I.  It was a chilly 73F 

(23C).  Yeah it was cold for us, so we called it a night.

Sunday and for us it’s a busy day for us.  Good busy. 

 Looking forward to the next few days. Sort of a little 

mini vacation for our 23rd wedding anniversary.

Both Arvid and I are very excited for the little 

trip we are about to embark on.  Sniff will be home 

alone, but Gail his pet sitter will be checking in on him 

once a day.  Good morning and a good day to all.

Here is Florida we are having a "cold" spell.  Mainly in 

the mornings, but what Floridians consider cold is

 a heat wave in many other places right now.

~The world’s big and I want to get a 

good look at it before it turns dark ~

~Nadiya~

Saturday November 16~

Happiness is seeing life for what it is in all the 

little moments.  Simplicity makes me happy...

 Yesterday we went to visit the eagles. Unfortunately 

they were not visible.  F23 was in the nest but the

 nest is so deep that it was impossible to see her.  

This is our second try and both times we have 

missed them.   There were photographers sitting there 

waiting for  her to pop up and for M15 to come back. One 

told me that he was there for three house and that M15 was

 due to come back anytime. Of course we did not wait. 

We were off to the next chore on our "busy" agenda.

The Eagles have four camera feed that monitor their

 movements in the nest area and around the pond that surrounds 

them.  These feeds are on 24/7 and like I have said before,

 people from all over the world follow them. 

 Just the other day a couple from Australia was visiting

 and one of the first places they wanted to go was to see the

 Eagles nest they have been following for years.  Kinda cool.

  Lately I have not been able to do anything alone.  

Arvid wants to go everywhere with me.   It’s making 

me feel a little claustrophobic 😂right now.  

We were going to go downtown but then 

decided against it since we will be going to listen 

to music today and to visit mom and dad again.  

Today there is lots of cleaning that needs to be done. 

Another load of laundry and Sniffs room needs a little 

spiffing up.  He’s really fussy 😃Been out before 5am again 

to look at the moon.  It’s just beautiful.  I love mornings.

A good day to all.  Do something that makes your soul happy.

 Happiness isn’t a goal… it’s a by-product of a life well lived...

~Nadiya~

Friday November 15th~

The thankful heart opens our eyes to a multitude 

of blessings that continually surround us...

Thanksgiving is right around the corner.  This year is 

extra special because we will be spending it with mom and 

dad in their hopefully one day soon to be Florida home🙏 

Since they have been here we have seen them

 quite often.  Arvid even more than me because he snuck 

over one day without telling me.  We saw them again

 yesterday.  Mom and dad took us out to lunch.

Arvid has been telling them about a place called 

Rum Bucket which is close to their house.  My dad said 

we had to go there and check it out because according 

to Arvid it will become a cool hangout for us while 

mom and dad are here.  The drinks are very good.

The best part though is spending time with mom

 and dad.  After lunch we went back to the house with

 them where Arvid and my dad enjoyed a few more drinks 

and we got to spend more time with them.  I am always 

so grateful for all the time I can spend with them.

After we got home last night we got a message from 

Michelle in Norway.  Their fur baby Felix was hit by a car.  

His injuries were too much so he did not make it.  I don't know

 but I cannot stop crying.  I feel their pain as if it were mine. 

 All over again I am also grieving for Brutus and Shadow.

It's a beautiful day here in Florida, but in Norway Michelle,

 Emil and the girls are heartbroken.  I am heartbroken.

My day has not begun that well.  My thoughts are

 with Michelle and family.  Three little girls too young,

 but already know about losing a loved one 💔

A good day to all.  Yesterday a friend of mind also lost

 her four legged companion.  The loss of a pet who is your 

everything is almost impossible to get over.  I know.

No matter how far you travel, you

 can never get away from yourself...

~Nadiya~

Thursday November 14th~

Even if we don't have the power to 

choose where we come from, we can 

still choose where we go from there...

 It was another beautiful sunset as we were 

leaving mom and dad's home.  I will never tire of these 

sunsets.  No matter where in the world we are, the 

sunsets and sunrises are always impressive. 

 It's the most perfect time of every day.

So my dad is going around meeting the neighbors.  

He has a knack for that.  Everyone loves him.  He took my 

mom around and started to introduce her to the neighbors.

  Yesterday he introduced her to one of his new buddies.  

A Brazilian man.  The Brazilian asked my mom and dad 

if they drink tea or coffee.  Right away my dad said, "beer."  

The Brazilian said, "I like your style.  Come over anytime." 

 And this was only day 3.  Arvid says in a few days 

my dad will have the neighbors in ship shape.

Another pretty sunset.  This is from downtown 

Fort Myers.  We really love this little downtown.  

It's cute and has absolutely everything we need. 

We're going to see mom and dad again today.  

In the meantime we do some cleaning in the 

apartment.   Sniff as usual is slacking off.

My life is good because I decided to make it 

this way, not because I was handed it this way...

~Nadiya~

Wednesday November 13~

Accept no one's definition of your life, define yourself...

 Loving having mom and dad so close to us.  Hopefully 

one day it will be permanent.  Once can always wish.

Yesterday was a relaxing day.  Arvid did some work 

in the warehouse and I did some "rearranging" at home.  

Arvid comes home and says to me, "I just saw your dad 

and mom."  I just looked at him and he said that he made

 a fast run to the house.  Said he had to take something

 to the house and that my dad was happy to see him.

We mostly stayed in.  Worked from home and watched

 some TV.  Sniff basked in the sunshine.  He has his favorite

 spots.  Same time everyday.  The days are sunny and warm.  

Just another perfect Florida day🌴.  To all a good day.

Challenges are what make life interesting and 

overcoming them is what makes life meaningful...

~Nadiya~

Tuesday November 12th~

It's your outlook on life that counts. If you take

 yourself lightly and don't take yourself too seriously, 

pretty soon you can find the humor in our everyday 

lives. And sometimes it can be a lifesaver...

Mom and dad are here and I'm grateful to have them 

and to spend time with them.  Arvid and I were there again 

yesterday.  Arvid broke his rule of not drinking during the week. 

 After all my dad brought him his favorite rum.  Arvid gave in.

 It's a good thing I am the designated driver.  The only times 

Arvid is the designated driver is when we are in Norway.

Yesterday we showed them a few things that 

they need to know about the house.  Arvid is very 

particular that everyone knows where all the 

valves are.  Just in case there is an emergency

Mom and dad need a few days to themselves

 as well.  They need to get adjusted and settled into

 their new surroundings.  They need to feel at home.  

Plus it's not as close to them as it was last year.

 In the meantime, Arvid is always busy.  Yesterday 

he went to the warehouse and helped a guy load 

boxes of collectibles.  Arvid traded for these.

At the house yesterday Arvid and my dad did the 

walk around the neighborhood. Arvid later said

 to me, "your dad talks to everyone.  He just 

goes up to them and introduces himself." 

 That's my dad.  The friendliest person in 

the neighborhood.  Ever since we were little 

that's how he has always been.  There is not a 

person around who would not like my dad.

A good day to all.  As always we stay busy.

Love the life you live. Live the life you love...

~Nadiya~

Monday November 11th~

We often take for granted the very 

things that most deserve our gratitude...

The new week begins and it's a good one.  Always 

good to see mom and dad. They gave everything to us, 

all I want to do is give back. There has been afternoon 

walks and when I get to see the sun setting, even better.

Definitely what everyone refers to as "Paradise"  Living it right here.

The other day I fed the birds again.  This time a 

little woodpecker showed up as well.  Made me think 

of Branson and how much I really miss it.  All I can

 say is that Branson left an impact on both of us.

Yesterday was another good day.  Mom and dad are 

in Florida and will be staying at the house, hopefully 

one day permanently.  For now will take anything. 

 Just happy to have them here with us for a while.We 

met at the Boat House for dinner, then to the house.

Sniff has been catching up on much needed rest. 

 I mean yesterday he only slept 16 hours instead of his

 usual 20 to 21.  The lil' dude is exhausted and this being 

Monday all over again has got him even more so.

 

He who is brave is free.  America was not built on

 fear. America was built on courage, on imagination 

and an unbeatable determination to do the job at

 hand.  To all our veterans, Happy Veterans Day.

A grateful perspective brings happiness

 and abundance into a person's life...

~Nadiya~

November 10th~ It's Our Anniversary 💚

 Together we can face any challenges as

 deep as the ocean and as high as the sky....

Life is filled with detours and dead ends, trials and 

challenges of every kind. Each of us has likely had times when 

distress, anguish, and despair almost consumed us, but it didn't.

  We carried on because carrying on is the only thing we can do.

Arvid and I have been together for 24 years, married 

23 of those.  It has not been an easy journey, but one thing

 I can say, it has definitely been an interesting one. 

 One I would not have had, had I not met Arvid.  

He is not your "normal" person, and he says neither

 am I.  We are both grateful and happy for that.

They say that sometimes the roughest roads often lead

 to the top.  When Arvid and I got together, then got married 

there were many who never thought our relationship would

 last, yet here we are.  Life is short, and nobody knows what’s 

around the corner, but I’m up for lots of new challenges. 

Life is full of challenges and surprises and together 

we seem to find them.  It does not get any better than this.  

We may not have the perfect life, but we have each other.

  We have Sniff.  We have our families and friends.  To 

me that  pretty much sums up an almost perfect life.  

When they said that life begins at the end of your 

comfort zone, I want to think that they had Arvid and I 

in mind as well.  We love challenges and are not afraid to 

pursue them.  Some work out others we learn from it 😂

I look forward to what the years ahead have in store 

for us.  I know it will always be an interesting journey

 this thing I call life with Arvid and Sniff.  I would not have 

it any other way.  Life is about the adventures you take and

 the memories you make, and we're not afraid to take them.

I love the part of our lives where we just decided

 on the spur of the moment to trade for two hotels in 

Branson.  Never been there before.  Had no experience 

in running a hotel, but we were "bored" and up for a

 challenge.  One of the best decisions we have made.

Arvid and I met through a dating site when we both

 lived in Fort Lauderdale.  Right after we "connected" 

he asked me out to a concert.  It was the Beach Boys.

  I said no.  He then asked me out to dinner and that 

I accepted.  The rest as they say is history.

For a few years we had a beach house in the Bahamas.

  At first we loved it, we still love The Bahamas, but 

eventually Arvid and I got restless, not to say bored. 

 So we sought another adventure to keep us busy 😂. 

 This was our Lil Red House in Eleuthera, Bahamas.

Arvid and I have lived for over 30 years in Fort Lauderdale.  

In 2022 we decided to change course and moved to Fort Myers, 

Florida.  Life has been/is good to us.  I look forward to many more 

years with Arvid.  Together we are unstoppable.  Just when I think 

we are settling down, we manage to surprise ourselves again.  

We can't seem to sit still for too long, but after moving to 

Fort Myers we got better, and of course we are older.

The years have sure flown by.  How did this 

happen so fast?  Arvid says he will outlive me, the 

way I'm going it sure seems like the case😂

Of all the paths my life could have went on, I'm glad it went

 through the one where it intersects with you.  As Arvid says to me,

 "and it's been you, woman right down the line."  Yes, he quotes from 

songs and sings them to me.  I love this man 💜 and I love our life.

I look at you and I see the rest of my life in front of my eyes...

~Nadiya~