Tuesday October 15th~

Today is a beautiful day to begin again...

 Every new day brings an opportunity to start again

 and make your dreams a reality. Instead of assuming that 

your fate is sealed solely based on one dreadful day, believe

 that the sun has set on your bad luck and that the new 

day will bring a bounty of beautiful moments.

After the last few days, we all need to look

 forward to a new day and to believe that there is 

something better waiting for us.  The last few days have

 been stressful, not so much for us, but for so many people 

affected directly by Hurricane Milton and not so long 

before by Hurricane Helene.  We all need a break.

Too early to say, but our weatherman Matt is keeping 

us posted.  Will there be a Nadine in the picture in the next 

week or so?  All I know is that right now the days are a bit

 cooler.  For now we enjoy that and take little walks again.

Yesterday we had a busy few hours.  Arvid more because 

he washed both cars.  Says it relaxes him.  We also enjoyed

 a nice walk, but it was sad to see how many trees were 

knocked down by Milton.  They look bare right now.

There will be bad days, but they won't be your 

every days. Believe that today will be better...

~Nadiya~

Monday October 14th~

 Today is your opportunity 

to build the tomorrow you want...

A new week begins.  October is almost halfway done.  

We've had some very good moments, and also very bad times 

already.  The good times are those we share with loved ones, 

and the bad times right now have been all the storms to 

hit the nation.  Mainly Florida and North Carolina.

I am grateful for our families and friends and to know 

that they are always there for us no matter the time nor 

the distance   Many right now are still wondering where 

family members are.  These Hurricanes are no joke and they 

leave a path of grief and destruction everywhere they go.

Yesterday we had a very good outing at Rumrunners.  

Views are good, food is good, and it's the perfect time 

right now for being outdoors.  The temperature is a bit 

cooler, with the breeze, it made for a very good Sunday.

Going to be another busy day here for us, but no complaints

 from Arvid nor I.  Better to stay busy than to be idle.

You define your own life.  Don't let other people 

write your script. When you change your thoughts, 

remember to also change your world...

~Nadiya~

Sunday October 13th~

The night taught me never to fear the dark times,

 by giving way to the dawn of a new day...

 This has definitely been a very long week. 

Seems like it was never ending.  Does not

 help having no TV nor internet. boring!

Even so we stayed busy.  We had lunch out yesterday. 

Both Arvid and I were craving pizza.  After pizza 

we decided to have a drink at Hideaway Bar. 

 That was a very smart move on my part.

Aside from that all is good. Xfinity (brand of Comcast)

that’s our internet and cable service is working diligently to

 restore our services. We just have to be patient.  As you 

all know, that’s not Arvid and I.  No other choice 😎

Sniff is doing great. Having lots of attention

 and a little extra of everything. He’s a really

happy boy and my very own happy place.

Still no internet nor TV, but it’s Sunday and

 we will still enjoy our outing. Always good to get

 out and do something.  To all a beautiful day.  We 

take for granted too much until we don’t have it.

Every day is a new day, and you'll never be able

 to find happiness if you don't move on...

~Nadiya~

Saturday October 12th~

Making memories on her special day. 

Life is better with sprinkles and birthdays...

 Today our youngest niece turns seventeen.   Lilly Vade 

also happens to be the youngest member in my family.  The

 years just flew by and this little girl is no longer a little girl.

Her one and only request for her birthday: 

"please do not make a fuss over it."  She also does not 

want anyone to sing her happy birthday.  We would 

have been there today to celebrate with her, but 

Milton changed everyone's plans.  For many this

 is life changing, and not in a good way.

Some of my most vivid memories are of her as a "baby"  

She grew up with her doggies and she's a fierce protector

 of them.  Mess with them and you mess with her.

How?  Why did she grow up so fast?  I feel as if I have missed 

a chunk of her growing up.  She's soon done with high school.  

Next thing you know it's college and who knows what else?  Like 

all the girls in the family, I know she will also be unstoppable.

She does not like taking pictures so most of my collections

 are of when she was just a tiny thing.   Happy birthday 🎊

Lilly Vade, I was so looking forward to celebrate with you, 

even if you didn't want a celebration.  You are loved.

 To all a goo day.  Spending time with family 

is always a priority.  When all fails, family is always there.  

Hopefully we can reschedule our trip soon again.  Of 

course Arvid is whining about how cold it is already.

Before I forget, last night was delicious. Sadly we 

were not there to enjoy it, but Rima was kind enough 

to send me a picture of what we missed😭 She had the 

margarita machine waiting for us.  Next time it will be.

May every moment be filled with joy, laughter, and

 love on your special day. Happy Birthday, Lilly Vade...

~Nadiya~

Saturday October 12th~

Uncertainty is the refuge of hope...

 Arvid, Sniff and I are doing good.  We have power, 

we have water.  We still do not have internet service 

and at times depending on where we are we have no 

cell service.  It has taken me many tries before being 

able to connect to my hotspot.  It just won't let me 😬.  

Finally it did last night.  The connection is not strong,

 but I'm happy.  Compared to others we have it made.

We stay busy doing a few things in the house. 

 Between that and running all the time to Home Depot, 

our days are full, but the evenings are pretty boring because

 we have no cable service and like I said no internet.

Being Friday we did have our Friday outing.  Not our

 usual downtown, but we found another place close

 to the house.  Arvid is testing it out so he can go 

there with my dad.  The drinks are very good.

Another beautiful day awaits us.  More things to do at the 

house so at least we stay busy and not miss the fact that we do 

not have internet that much.  That is until we're back home.

To all a very good day and may each

 day be better than the one before.

We must accept finite disappointment, 

but we must never lose infinite hope...

~Nadiya~

October 11th ~ Not Happening

Other things may change us, but 

we start and end with the family...

 Rima, George and family live in Virginia.  As she 

puts it nicely, "the nosey neighbors are out after a bit

 of rain.  In just a few hours we would have been seeing 

them all. Sadly, Hurricane Milton changed our plans.

They live on a 10 acre property.  As she calls it, their last

 forever home. Arvid and I have waited almost a year to see their home. 

 I think Arvid is more excited than anyone of us.  He loves real estate

 and as he says, "this is an interesting property they own."  

Things happen, so we will have to do it another time. 

 Rima decided that the best thing to do was to cancel the 

open house for now.  Too much going on with everyone.

Mom and dad are still affected by Helene, as in the roads are 

still not all that safe to travel.  Rima made the right decision, 

but I am disappointed we're not going to be seeing them.

Lilly sure enjoys the outdoors and as for Marley their black Labrador, 

and Kingston their golden Labrador, life could not get any better.  We 

were so looking forward to seeing their home and their property.

I was also looking forward to some pretty stunning Virginia 

sunsets.  To all a good day.  Family time will have to wait for now.

The bond that links your true family is not one of 

blood, but of respect and joy in each other's life...

~Nadiya~

Friday October 11th-

Wednesday October 9th 9:45PM

It comes on waves ebbing and flowing.

 Sometimes the water is calm, and sometimes it is

 overwhelming. All we can do is learn to swim...

 We spent most of the day waiting to see what 

Milton will do, and where Milton will make landfall.

 Waiting is very stressful.  The wait is over and Milton 

made it’s landfall🌴😢earlier than expected, which

 is good.  It made landfall in Siesta Key, Sarasota.

Floridians know how to weather a storm.  They do it 

best with humor.  It lightens the situation, but at the same time

 we all know that its just a way to cope and to forget if only 

for a few minutes the anxiety of what's happening.  The waters 

are rising right now, but it will be less than Ian and Helene.

Today Fort Myers breathes a sigh or relief.  Sarasota 

sadly not.  Let's see what the water damage is later

 on as Thursday rolls in.  For now we are grateful.

Hopefully tomorrow we will be able to get out and 

about again.  Check out what damage was done.  Already 

Lee County has over 33,000 people without power. 

My sister and husband have one of their homes 

in Tampa.  As of right now the water in her area is rising, 

and this is inland.  They have a pond in their backyard 

so that could cause some issues should it overflow.

This is it for today.  We soon go to sleep. 

 Let's see what the new day will hold for us.

And once the storm is over you won't 

remember how you made it through, but you 

won't be the same person who walked in...

~Nadiya~

More From October 9th ~

Life is a waiting game..

 Everything is at a standstill right now because of 

Hurricane Milton.  It seems if the hurricane does not get you, 

then a tornado sure will.  In wake of the pending hurricane

 we have been having tornadoes all around Florida.  

Once again as of right now we have been spared.

Fort Myers police has been driving up and down all the

 streets using their loudspeaker, telling people to evacuate ASAP.  

The same for all surrounding counties here on the Gulf Coast. 

 Evacuation is mandatory, but some/many like us choose to stay.

So far we have had a little rain and a little wind.

  Nothing extreme.  The worst is yet to come at around

 2am Thursday morning.  I must say so far Sniff has not

 hidden much today, but he's super alert to all sounds.

It's quiet everywhere the equivalent to a ghost town.  We are hunkering 

down at home, Downtown Fort Myers.  We did the same during Ian.  

We're high up and we did good then and hopefully now as well.

Waiting is a game of patience...

~Nadiya~

Wednesday October 9th~

Embrace every new day 

with gratitude, hope and love...

 On Tuesday afternoon our building turned off 

the elevators.  Precautions.  Because during Ian it 

was flooded on the first two levels.  Hopefully this

 time we will be spared more water damage🙏

Arvid and I drove around downtown.  By early 

Tuesday afternoon everything was already closed 

and sandbags were piled as high as they could go. 

 It looks like a ghost town right now.  So quiet.

Mr. Iowa here was passing everyone, with his not so 

good looking Cybertruck, and probably laughing because 

he had no trouble sidestepping debris and flooded roads.

Here is what some are doing to protect themselves.

Downtown Fort Myers

In all this chaos, Sniff was always the one we catered to. 

 He's happy and he was tucked between his dada's legs.  

Not a care in the world.  We are still very quiet here.

In the midst of chaos, there was you. 

With you, even silence feels safe and comforting...

~Nadiya~

Wednesday October 9th~

Never give up, and be confident in what you do. 

There may be tough times, but the difficulties which you 

face will make you more determined to achieve your

 objectives and to win against all the odds...

It does not matter who you are.  How much or how 

little money you have.  At the end of the day life is there to 

teach us that we all have to face many uncertainties and many

 unhappy times.  Our circumstances may be different, but at 

the end of the day we are all have our own demons to face.

I am grateful for my family both here and the ones 

in Norway.  We may not have everything, but we have 

each other.  In times of need they are always there.

Arvid and I had a busy day yesterday.  We shuttered

 up our house.  Imagine closing less than 2 days ago and,

 not knowing if it will be standing there after Milton. I

think it will, but its best to err on the side of caution.

Here in Downtown Fort Myers all is still very quiet. 

 We had a little rain during the early hours of the morning,

 but it has now stopped.  This is a terrible storm heading to Florida, 

but I want to say that I think the odds are in our favor where we live.  

This is how the cone is looking right now, but as Matt Devitt, 

our weatherman says, "this can always change"

To all a very good day.  I leave with you yesterday's 

sunset from Rima and George's deck, picture courtesy 

of Rima since we could not be there. She wanted to 

send us a ray of sunshine. Virginia is very beautiful, 

and I hope we can make it there fairly soon.  

I think you need to go through some stuff to really 

appreciate life and understand what it means to persevere, 

overcome and have faith. I think those tough

 times make you a stronger person...

~Nadiya~