Saturday June 14th~

 It rained on and off most of the day, but since 
we did not have to go anywhere all was good.

 Yesterday Sniff saw his first squirrel on the deck. The

 squirrel came back a few times driving Sniff crazy,

 but it sure kept him "busy" for quite a long time.  

I also saw my first Daisy, the female Cardinal.

 The afternoon turned out to be really nice. Though

 the clouds were dark, we went out for a bit. Enjoyed 

some yummy drinks and then I decided to go back

 home so that Arvid and Roger can have their

 Friday bonding time. Works for all of us.

Friday was good. Relaxing and enjoyable. On 

the way back home I saw a little duckie.  Definitely

 taking him some foodies next time. He was so cute.

Sniff and I had a couple of hours alone while 

Arvid was out. Relaxing and peaceful.  I watched 

whatever I liked on TV.  Had some snacks and 

a good time.  I like my alone time very much.

Wishing everyone a happy Saturday.  Weather is

 beautiful and our evening is already planned.  Game 5 

Florida Panthers vs. Edmonton Oilers.  Let's go Panthers.

These are the moments I'll look back and smile...

~Nadiya~

Friday The 13th~

It may be Friday the 13th, but it is 

still Friday and a reason to dance...

 Friday the 13th, often seen as a day of misfortune, 
can also be viewed by many as a time for transformation, 

reflection and spiritual growth. In 2025 there is only one

 Friday the 13th, that of course is today.  A Friday the

 13th can occur one to three times each year.

It is a widely recognized superstition, particularly

 in Western cultures, where it's associated with bad luck.

 This belief stems from a combination of negative associations 

with both the number 13 and the day Friday, but we can

always put our own spin and make it a good day 👻

Yesterday Arvid and I tried out a "new" place for lunch. 

 Cheddars in Branson, MO, opened on September 14, 2022. 

 The Cheddar's Scratch Kitchen chain's history began in

 1979 with its first location in Arlington, Texas. 

The Cheddar's Scratch Kitchen in Branson,MO

 is all about good food, made well, for a good price. 

How do we pull that off? By cooking from scratch.

 That’s our secret ingredient, and it makes for

 great tasting food at an even better value.

A good day to all, enjoy your one and only Friday 

the 13th in 20225,  make it your lucky day.  By the way,

 our Florida Panthers lost to the Oilers (5-4)   It was a close

 game, but the Oilers took the game in overtime.  Not happy.  

Taylor Swift made an appearance with her boyfriend, KT

May your coffee be strong, your laughter 

be loud, and your weekend be legendary...

~Nadiya~

Thursday June 12th~

Life has no limitations, except the ones you make...

 Yesterday as Arvid and I were leaving Target 

I looked around the parking lot and sure enough there 

were many just sitting with their car engine running. 

One lady had all her windows down, seat completely 

reclined and was sleeping. One car had a family of 

four just sitting in the car all windows down and

 looking at their phones.  It’s blazing hot right now

 so not sure how this even makes any sense.  

We had a quiet day. Did a little shopping. 

 Had lunch at home, relaxed and caught 

up on our own things. Always good.

Sniff is trying to catch a bird.  A fly got into

 the apartment and Sniff right away zoomed in 

on it, but after a few sways he got bored. 

The fly took off and of course I have been

 looking for it ever since. I dislike flies.  I still 

haven't  found it, nor have I seen it flying around 

or dead on the floor.  Busy day trying to get that fly.

Arvid and I have been watching a few different 

short series on Netflix.  Nothing too spectacular 

but entertaining enough.  Today promises to be 

another very nice day with some sporadic rain.

Today is game 4 of the Stanley Cup Finals.  

Panthers again play at home.  Of course we are all 

hoping for a repeat of game 3 where the Panthers

 destroyed the Oilers in so many ways.

A good day to all. No sunshine right now.
  Bit on the gloomy side, but warm.  Thursday, I do 

not cook today.  So happy, does not matter that I prefer a 

home cooked meal.  All I know is today I don't 

have to cook and clean up after lunch.

Mistakes are a fact of life. 

It is the response to error that counts....

~Nadiya~

Wednesday June 11th~

The most beautiful things are not associated 

with money; they are memories and moments...

One very beautiful place for sunsets and drinks that we 

really like is Chateau on the Lake.  If ever in Branson and you 

have the opportunity to stay/go there, you won't regret it.

Chateau on the Lake Branson, Missouri

The other day I was deleting pictures, I have so many 

of Branson and the two hotels we ran.  76 Inn was Arvid's baby. 

 He worked like a dog to get that place cleaned up and fit to be

 lived in.  He did it  in under a month and had it at full capacity

 in under two months.  When we took it over it was a mess.

Today we are mainly silent owners in two hotels. 

 It's okay to not have to work 12 or more hour days.  We 

did it, we were good at it, but now we are older and that 

lifestyle is just not for us anymore.  Someday's we talk

 about it, Arvid gets excited about some hotel for sale,

 but so far I have managed to talk sense into him.

Almost Home Lodge was my baby.  Neither of us ran a 

hotel before, but I loved every minute of it.  It was hard work.  

I cleaned rooms, I scrubbed toilets, I picked up cigarette butts

 from the parking lot, cleaned windows, and ran the office. 

 Yes we had a maintenance person, but we always wanted it

 cleaner and better.  You name it Arvid and I did it.  Arvid did 

most of the maintenance.  He was always better and faster.  He

also did most of the heavy lifting as well.  It was a different time.

Branson has been good to us, maybe that's why we 

keep coming back.  Not many will understand this.  

A good day to all.  Sometimes it's the little things 

that make the biggest difference in our lives.

To all a beautiful day.  For us it's looking good.

Memories are like little time capsules, each 

one holds a story of our journey through life...

~Nadiya~

Tuesday June 10th~

Life is a succession of lessons 

which must be lived to be understood...

 I don't know if this is something that happens

 everywhere, but I seem to notice it all the time 

here in Branson.  I'm referring to people sitting

 in their cars in parking lots and never moving.

  They are on their phones.  Sometimes I go into the store 

and come back out and they are still sitting in their cars talking. 

 For me this is pretty strange.  It's not just every once in a while.  

It's all the time.  I just find it strange especially when at times

 it is just so hot.  They have their windows down as well.

Explore Branson- Yakov Smirnoff 6-10-25

I can understand that people sometimes sit in their cars in

 parking lots to find a moment of solitude, take a break 

from their day, or use their car as a transitional space, 

but I just don't get it that they sit in it for so long.

Oh well just had to get this off my chest.  

Now I feel better and am ready again to see them 

sitting in their cars for hours basically killing time. 

 I sure can think of better ways to spend my free time.

Last night was game 3 of the Stanley Cup finals. 

 The Panthers wiped the floor with the Oilers.

To all a very good day.  Yesterday was busy.  Arvid was in and

 out several times.  In meetings as he says.  Hopefully today's 

pace is a bit more relaxing.  Waking up to 51F almost 11C

Attitude is a choice. Happiness is a choice. 

Optimism is a choice. Kindness is a choice. 

Giving is a choice. Respect is a choice. Whatever 

choice you make makes you. Choose wisely...

~Nadiya~

Monday June 9th~ New Week

 Believe in yourself and your abilities. You have

 everything it takes to conquer this week...

As the new week begins Arvid and I are looking forward 

to more warm days and some sunshine. We had beautiful

 weather yesterday and today is looking good as well.

Sniff is getting comfortable and very cozy here in

 Branson.  He has found his good spots and loves them

 all.  As always I have tons of "Sniff" only laundry.

Arvid and I enjoyed an outing at The Landing.

Like I always say, it is our favorite place to go.

The best part of the outing was that we were able to sit 

outside, enjoy a cool breeze and watch people go by. 

 Little things like this is what makes us happiest.

As the new week begins our mon continues to go 

through a lot of medical appointments.  She is the mos

t positive person I know.  My mom never complains, 

and if she does then I'm really scared.  Right now 

life is not so easy, but hoping it will get better.

In a world full of choices, let’s 

choose excellence this week...

~Nadiya~

Sunday June 8th~

Your mind will answer most questions

 if you learn to relax and wait for the answer...

 Most of our evenings go this way.  Sniff always ends up 

curled up on Arvid's lap.  Arvid is much better than me at not

 moving so Sniff prefers to be with him.  I don't mind, as long 

as everyone's happy.  Sniff's happy and Arvid is happy.

The first part of the evenings Sniff stays with me, that is

 until I get restless.  Arvid has more Sniff time than I do.

Yesterday once again we went to Capone's Speakeasy.  

What a nice place.  We went to listen to music and

 we also invited Roger with us.  He's something else.  

Interesting and always something to tell.

  Roger knows just about everyone.  I mean everyone, and 

everyone knows kim.  Felt like we were out with a celebrity.  

Come to find out, he is kind of a celebrity/big deal in town.

To all a very good day.  The day is looking good.

Sunday clears away the rust of the whole week...

~Nadiya~

Saturday June 7th~

Happiness is not something ready-made. 

It comes from your own actions...

 Let me begin by saying that the Florida Panthers

 beat the Edmonton Oilers 5-4 in the second overtime.  

Not an easy game. The Oilers are a fierce contender 😭 

It is not only raining right now, but it feels like all the 

floodgates have been open.  The rain just keeps coming down.  

Yesterday we went for a drive to another favorite places of

 ours.  Big Cedar Lodge.  It's beautiful there.  Big Cedar

There is usually a little area on the lake that had sand, 

chairs and umbrellas.  A little beach, but because of all the

 rain this area was flooded.  All you saw were the signs almost 

completely submerged under water.  Fascinating to see.

It is just a very pretty place.  The drive is winding and 

beautiful scenery.  We saw deers and groundhogs on the way 

there.  The greenery is amazing and the views of the lake always

 a welcoming sight.  Being tourist season, it was very busy.

Arvid and I had a very good outing.  We enjoyed their 

frozen custard and the views.  We saw wildlife and we just 

relaxed and watched people go by for a while.  It was a relaxing

 and very peaceful time.  Looking forward to our next time.

To all a very good day.  Hopefully

 the afternoon/evening will be rain free.

One of the secrets of a happy 

life is continuous small treats...

~Nadiya~

Friday June 6th~

If you don't have a dream, how are 

you going to make a dream come true?...

The other day we went for another drive. Arvid got restless 

and wanted to go and look at houses on the lake again. He did

 this when I was in Florida. He really wants a lake house.  

Missouri/Branson has some amazing homes and we saw

 many of them. Some of the homes were just amazing.

  We are seeing another side of Branson life.  There is

 of people with money right here in Branson. 

I liked all the houses we saw.  Do I wish to have a lake house?  

Truth is nope, I do not.  I like our cozy little condo just fine.  We're 

comfortable in it and have all we need.  Same like our condo in 

Norway.  It's not big, but it is comfortable and has a great view.

On one of our other drive we spotted three baby groundhogs.  Two

 ran like hell, but this lil dude stuck around for a bit, but then ran 

into the sewer.  Of course I bout sweet potatoes and cut it up for

 them.  We take it to them as we head out of our complex area.

Arvid has been "loosening" up a bit on his dress code. 

 He actually had on a short  sleeved top the other day.  For 

him that's saying a lot. It's been years I have last seen him 

without his usual long sleeves.  Be it summer or winter.

Yesterday we saw Chris and Debbie.  At one time 

tenants of Arvid's at 76 Inn, now friends.  Always 

good to chat with them.  Debbie is very funny and 

makes me laugh.  I always enjoy chatting with her.

Yesterday early evening we got restless again and 

decided to check out a place I have been reading a lot about. 

 It's Called Capone's Speakeasy.  It sure did not disappoint.  

We have a similar one in Fort Myers.  As Arvid said,

 "could become our new favorite place."  At this rate, I'm 

starting to wonder which place is not our new favorite😂

Friday again and a lot of what we do depends on if it will

 be raining or not. As of right now it's bad weather.  Crazy lightning 

and loud thunder, even so, Sniff is right by my side. Rain is 

predicted right around our "happy hour" time. Darn.

Game 2 tonight Edmonton Oilers vs. Florida Panthers. 

 Let's go Panthers!  Tonight is the  night!

Rainy days should be spent at home 

with a cup of tea and a good book...

~Nadiya~