Saturday January 4th~

 Every memory created is a chapter in the
 book of our lives, a story worth retelling...

One of the many things I love about the life I share with 

Arvid is that you never know what we will be doing next. 

 The good thing (sometimes) is that Arvid tends to get extremely

 restless, and before I know it we have something going on.

Right now he's focused on making a deal of some sort 

with a friend of ours.  This is all trading.  Arvid loves anything

 and everything that has to do with trades.  Sometimes I don't think

 it really matters what he trades for, as long as he can trade.

I have seen him do his magic, and I will never doubt him. 

 He once traded a stamp book collection with some cash for

 a condo in Montana.  Yes, we had a condo in Montana. We

 kept it for a while and when the time was right we traded 

sold/traded it back to the guy we originally traded for it.

The biggest trade he has done to this day was to trade 

for 2 hotels in Branson.  No cash was involved in this 

trade.  We traded two condos we had in Fort Lauderdale

at the time, and a ton of personal items.  We ended 

up with 2 hotels in Branson.  Best deal ever made.  

 

Had it not been for this trade we never would

 have "discovered" Branson.  This started out with 

Arvid going to one of his trade meetings.  We lived in 

Chicago at the time (summer) so going to Branson

 for the meeting was a short drive so a must do.

I was out checking out the sights in Branson when I met 

up with Arvid for lunch he said, "how would you like to own

 two hotels?"  I looked at him and said, "we've never done 

anything like this before.  Sounds good to me."  We became 

owners of two hotels in Branson.  The rest is history.

Arvid so wants to do a trade right now that he has even

volunteered to go and look at some vacant land for someone 

else.  We take pictures and I email it to the interested party.

  If that person likes what the see (just bush) then we may

 have a three way deal.   Arvid gets to get rid of something he

 does not want, he gets to have something he wants as do the

 other 2 parties involved.  Not as complicated as it sounds.

In the meantime we get to spend the day together driving 

around going places we have not been to.  Do I always find 

this ideal?  Not really, but yesterday I had nothing else 

to do so it sounded like a good time and it was.

What I don't miss about Branson is the cold.  When

 we got there in 2016t hat winter that was just about to 

begin was not mild.  It was also Sniff's first time seeing

 snow.  I always wondered what he thought about it?

Here in Fort Myers it's a cold start of the day,

 but this being the Sunshine State, you know it will warm

 during the day.  The sun is shining and the skies are blue. 

 Today there is a Music and Seafood Festival  by the 

park next to us.  Hopefully we make it there.

The most precious memories in my

 heart are the ones we created together...

~Nadiya~

Friday January 3rd ~

As we journey through life, it's the unplanned moments

 that often become our most cherished memories...

 Yesterday we had a very good day the four of us. 

 Arvid is always finding things to keep everyone busy, and 

sometimes it works out great.  Take yesterday from instance, 

since we don't really have much to do right now Arvid 

and my dad decided we should go and look at cars.  

My dad has a Toyota Highlander, older than God himself.  

This car has over 200,000 miles on it, but if you saw the car

 it looks newer than most cars on the road.  My dad keeps it in 

great shape, and somehow is very attached to it.  He says he 

won't mind looking at some choices, but he's still is not 

ready to give up on his faithful Highlander just yet.

For us it was a good day.  Mom and dad sat in a few 

cars, hopefully one will leave a good impression on them. 

 Arvid and I, plus my sisters told them that when they do decide 

to get another car they should probably go for something a bit 

smaller.  That was the main reason for the outing, so that they 

could check out some other cars.  Smaller but still SUV's.  

After the car outing mom and dad took us to lunch.  Lunch was 

good, best was the company. Everyone had something they enjoyed, 

and of course my dad and Arvid shared stories of their childhood.  

Whenever we're together this is what happens at some point. The

 stories are hilarious so it's always a very fun and happy time.  

As always having Sniff in our lives makes 

everything better.  At least it does for me.  He is always

 my  happy place.  He comforts me with just his presence. 

 My Sniff has been with us for 8 New Years 💙 I cannot 

even begin to imagine not having him in our lives.

The sunsets have been extra special/stunning in 2025.  I took 

this yesterday from one of our balconies.  It never gets boring, and

it never ceases to amaze me. They say when the sun is setting, leave

 whatever you are doing and watch it.  I do that every chance I have.

Sniff is staying warm on his heating bed.  Temperatures will 

be dropping and we will be expecting an artic freeze early 

next week.  At least that's what has been predicted❄. 

   

The memories we make with our family is everything...

~Nadiya~

Thursday January 2nd~

One of the things I learned the hard way was that it 

doesn’t pay to get discouraged. Keeping busy and making

 optimism a way of life can restore your faith in yourself...

 The best part of New Year's Eve was people watching. 

  Aside from having a good time, I really had a kick 

of all the glitter that was passing by.  So many 

were dressed up so festively.  Was cool to see. 

 The shoes were also an interesting watch.  This is 

downtown and a lot of walking is involved.  But they 

looked good.  What caught Arvid's eye was the sign that said 

"cash only"  Arvid is a cash man, and here in Fort Myers 

quite a few still only pay with cash.  Arvid loves that.

With all the festivities going on we still stay busy.

  There is always something to do at the house.  This time 

my dad and Arvid worked together setting up some shelves

 in the garage.  Arvid said he had a good time working 

with my dad.  As always Home Depot saves the day.

Arvid said we should start the year on a sweet note, so 

of course we had to take a walk downtown to our favorite 

ice-cream shop.  Everyone loves it.  My parents and sisters when

 they were here.  I also had ice-cream on New Year's Eve and I asked 

Arvid if he forgot.  Seeing that he had a few drinks, starting

 the New Year's Eve celebrations a little early with my dad.

We had a nice walk.  I fed some birds and the ducks.

  No squirrels were out today.  As always, I look forward 

to the sunset.  It never disappoints.  People gather around 

everyday just to see it and take pictures.  Just like me.

Arvid and I have started to almost binge watch 

The Landman.  Streaming on Paramount Plus.  After all, 

it has Billy Bob Thornton in it.  After all it's about the oil 

business and Arvid and I have a vested interest in it.

We celebrated a little with mom and dad on New Year's Eve 

before we went out later in the evening.  Everyone had a 

good time, and I am always happy to be able to spend

 time with them.  Today we also see them again.

I hope everyone has had a good start so far of the New Year. 

 Remember we make our own choices.  Life does not always 

go our way, but with the right attitude we can "steer" it a little as 

to how we would like it to be.  Attitude makes a big difference.

Life’s battles don’t always go to the stronger

 or faster man. But sooner or later, the man 

who wins is the man who thinks he can...

~Nadiya~

January 1st 2025~

Your present circumstances 

don't determine where you can go; they 

merely determine where you start...

 And just like that another year is upon us.  This is 

a new year.  A new beginning and things will change.

To all.  May 2025 be an even better year that 2024.  

Take a leap of faith and begin this wondrous new year

 by believing.  Happy New Year! Cheers to a year 

where every day is a tiny celebration of life! 

Arvid and I had a little outing last night.  The evening was 

beautiful and the crowd was happy.  I loved seeing happy people.

  I know the holidays are not to everyone's liking, but I enjoy them 

because it makes me happy to see people having a good time.

May the next 365 days be filled with

 love, laughter, and good times...

~Nadiya~