Always Something ...

Insanity is doing the same thing, over and over again, 

but expecting different results...

A big part of yesterday was spent at a doctors office... doing what I seem to be doing 

quite often waiting.  This time the extra long wait time was all my fault.  I thought I had

a 1pm appointment so got there early 12:30 to fill out the necessary paperwork.  Always a chore.

When I got there the waiting room was empty.  Imagine my delight thinking that this would be one

 of the first times ever that I would be seen on time.  I sat for a while and after about half hour still 

was waiting.  An older couple arrived around 1:15.  The first thing she said was, "you go sit there."

This was directed to her husband who happily sat.  The moment she sat we started to talk.

I mention to her that soon I would have been waiting for almost an hour.  She looks at me and 

said, "honey, you know they take lunch between 1 and 2pm?"  OOPS!!  I was over an hour early.

The time went by really fast because the lady and I just talked and talked.  She thought I was 

20 years old.  I did ask her at that point if she had eye problems as well as the others she had 

mentioned.  She looks at me and said, "I do"  Well burst my bubble, but I was still smiling.

I eventually saw the doctor.  He decided that I will have to take the radiation pill.

The process is not as easy as it sounds.  Two weeks before I take the pill I will be on 

a rigid low iodine diet.  Lots of explanation.. bla, bla, bla.  The only thing I heard was,

"you MAY lose a few pounds."  I looked at him and said "I'm in."  Knowing me, I would 

probably gain weight.  After that I have to have 2 injections on different days to prepare me

for the iodine pill.  Boy I sure hate injections especially these that will be on the butt.

As with everything radiation, there are a few precautions that need to be taken.

Already Arvid and I are making contingency plans and I'm liking them.

I also did something out of my norm the other day, I went to the beach 

to see the sunrise.  Liked it so much so hope to do it soon again.

For now another beautiful morning here.  

It's going to be HOT.  I know for many this is a welcoming thing especially when you live 

in the cold as do my sisters, for us it's just a little too hot, but even so I already have 

lots fun things planned for the day combined with work. 

 Another doctors appointment later on today. 

Not so keen on going, but what you're going to do?

Wishing you all a good day.

Don't be like Grumpy Cat :)

A day without sunshine is like, you know, night...

~Nadiya~

There Again....

So long as the memory of certain beloved ones lives in my heart,

 I shall say that life is good...

Yesterday was another day of cleaning and cleaning.  Pretty soon I think I can hire out my 

services.  Part of cleaning does of course involve sifting through stuff that one has had tucked

 away for years.  In my case there was a lot to look through.  Have barely started, 

but what I saw brought back memories.  Some were good, others were sad. 

 For a few moments there I was taken away to some place far away.

One of my five kitties.  When we lived in California.  Only a few months old

Long time ago I had five kitties.  Long long before Brutus.  I found an album with pictures

 of them. It amazes me how many pictures I have taken of them and stored in an album.  

Today one hardly looks at albums since we keep everything online.  Seeing them made 

me smile and made me sad because when I met Arvid I had to give them up for adoption. 

 To this day it breaks my heart and it's something I would NEVER EVER do again 

if faced with the same circumstances.

In one of the worst times of my life these kitties were my salvation.  They brought joy

 into my life when my life was just full of sadness so seeing them made me smile and

 sad at the same time.  To this day I still miss them and feel guilty about giving them up.

  Today they are all dead.

Going down memory lane was sad for me.  There was a lot of loss and a lot of tragedy 

in my life.  At the same time I also saw moments that will forever live in my heart and 

always bring a smile to my face.  Life it's not always a bed of roses.  It's made up of 

moments good and bad and what we decide to do with it is our choice.  I have been 

given second chances in many things.  For that I will always be grateful  and will 

always appreciate what I have..

14 years ago I met Arvid.  Life has never been the same again and for that I
an grateful everyday.  The little girl in the picture is Michelle, Arvid's youngest
daughter.  She was only 7.  Today she turns 21 and she also has a little daughter
already one year old.  Our grand-daughter Aleah.  Memory lane can also be beautiful.

Wishing you all a good day and remember,
  Everyday is another memory in the making.
Make it count.

Memory... is the diary that we all carry about with us...


~Nadiya~

Reminders....

Assume responsibility for the quality of your own life....

Just when you feel that life was unfair to you.
 Stop and think for a moment.
Before blaming someone else.

We did not have much in the material sense,
but we had and have unconditional love.

There is always something we can do.

Sometimes we complicate life more than we should.

If we take a moment to remember what really matters 

and who really count, we will see that life can be 

a little less complicated.

Wishing you all a good day.

Life is made up of little things.
To gain experience, one must live....

~Nadiya~

Happy Sunday...

Let a series of happy thoughts run through your mind.

They will show on your face...

From my home to your home good morning.  May your day be filled with

sunshine, warmth and laughter and it be better than the day before.

Good morning everyone.  Sunday morning.  Relaxing day for all.

For us a little detour for our usual Sunday.  Today we will be busy.

As Realtors one never can really say today I will take off.  If you have

the customer then you work.  For us it's all good.  Just rearrange things a little and

do what we have to do.  Mostly busy all morning long and a little in the afternoon.

Yesterday evening we went to listen to reggae music, unfortunately the band never showed

up.  Yep..loved the place.  Was just like being in the Bahamas again.

Have a good day everyone,

and think happy thoughts.

Take every chance you get in life,

because sometimes things only happen once...

~Nadiya~

Garage Sale...

Another person's junk is someone's treasure...

What a day and it still as many hours to go.  We woke up early this morning in preparation
for our first garage sale ever.  More like getting rid of all the junk we would otherwise just
throw way, but instead Arvid and I decided to give a try to this garage sale
that attracts quite a crowd.

We got tho our house fairly early and set out a few tables in the drive way.

There were two more tables with similar junk.  It's 90 degrees and we were ready

to wait for the people we knew would soon flock to our junkyard sale.  Did not have 

long to wait.  The first was a guy on a tiny bicycle.  He rode around three times before i said 

to him, "you coming to look or not?"  He came and looked at everything, but said he needed 

not a thing.  I said nothing.  He then picked up those big shiny pots you see at the bottom of the table.

Looks at them, feels them and says, "well these are not that great"  I said, "for $1.00 a piece

did you expect gourmet pots?  He looks at me and mumbles something, but takes them.

Most of the things we were getting rid of belonged to the previous owner of the 

house.  We just bought the house and never got rid of much.  We never lived in it.

Just let friends and family use it.   Since it had a little of everything everyone was happy.

Now the house is rented so we need to actually get the junk out hence the garage sale.

The guitar belongs to Arvid, for $100. it could belong to someone else.  Many

actually liked the guitar, but did not want to pay for it.  Arvid did not want to give

 it away either since he does lots of trading and we will use the guitar in trades.

We had quite a few other things for sale. The king size bed was too large for most

homes.  I was very surprised at the junk people would buy.  Have no clue what

they would do with this stuff.  We got rid of just about everything on the tables. 

I was just giving it away at the end because we really were going to trash it anyway.

Well the day went by fast.  A little haggling and joking with the people

made it for a pretty interesting time.  I was happy, Arvid happy so all's well.

Now time for a little soccer for Arvid and depending on how we feel later

on today we may go and listen to some Reggae music for a change.

Hopefully we will go and the music will be good.
Always good with music...

Hope your day so far has been good.

Remember, be inspired by curious things.

One good thing about music, 
when it hits you, you feel no pain...

~Nadiya~

Hello Friday...

I haven't been this excited about Friday

since last Friday....

Friday already and what a good feeling.  

The weekend is upon us, and I think we should all take time to do

 the things we love and be around our most cherished family and friends!

Since Arvid's birthday was on a Wednesday, we will celebrate today.

Today I take him to one of his favorite places and mine.  Raw bar here we come.

I love the peel and eat shrimp at Monty's and I also lover their crab claws.  Sadly each claw

is $20.00 and I don't only eat a few.  When at Monty's I indulge and indulge.  Can already taste them.

I haven't been this excited about Friday

since last Friday...

Going here is always a treat because not only do we enjoy the food,

but we also get to watch the boats go by and being Friday we see the container

ships with maybe some of  our merchandise heading to Norway.  Very enjoyable.

We also get to see the cruise ships on their way out of the port of Miami.  Very relaxing.

Well for now quite a bit to do before we can call it a day.  As usual our mornings

are very hectic.  Today seems even more crazy than usual, but soon.. relaxation.

Wishing you all a good and productive day.  May the weekend

find you in good spirits and good health and remember everyone,
keep calm and smile for it's FRIDAY!!!

Hello Friday, I've been waiting for you...

~Nadiya~

The Things you See...

Kindness, the most valuable gift you will ever give someone.

One never know what to expect, especially when it comes to people.  Here we are at

home just doing work and checking out the boats as they pass by.  Suddenly something 

catches our attention.  We look out and we see two older gentlemen by the pool.

One is just lounging and the other, even though not that clear is serenading him.

The story behind this is that recently, the gentleman who is lounging lost his partner

to some unknown illness.  Very sad.  So the other guy is being nice and trying to cheer him up.

Both Arvid and I watched this for about 10 minutes.  The man with the guitar

never stopped trying to cheer the other one.  We thought it funny, but at the 

same time it was very touching to see this interaction.

It's just a little reminder to all of us.

Kindness comes in many forms, shapes and ways.

Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a harder battle...

~Nadiya~

Happy Birthday To The One We Love....Arvid

And in the end, it's not the years in your life that count. 

It's the life in your years...

Today is Arvid's birthday...unlike most people who look forward 
to birthdays  he does not.  Very strange man but, I love him so very much. 

 He has unique qualities that make him totally irresistible to me.

He never wants gifts but is happy to just go to a concert as we did last Friday night.

For Arvid, anything involving the Blues Music is enough to make him a happy man.

Another thing Arvid enjoys very much is just going out and having a quiet dinner.

Just the two of us.  He is not into parties and that sort of things.  Likes it quiet and relaxing.  

Sometimes I think of throwing him a party but, he tells me that he would not show up. 

 He is so wicked.....(in the best of ways).  Impossible to surprise him.

On Friday I will be taking him out to dinner.  Plan to go to Monty's in Miami.  

We both like it very much there.  For him dinner is not so much about the food

 rather it's about the ambiance.  Good thing is we both enjoy the food at Monty's.

Brutus has already wished him a very happy birthday and is now happily 

sleeping in his corner.  Arvid's family has also wished him birthday wishes

 and so has mine.  Very nice start for a very beautiful day.

Lets see where the rest of the day leads.  He says he does not want 

to do much today since it is Wednesday.  With Arvid it's all about timing.

Even so, we will have a good day.  After he is done running around.

Happy Birthday my dear I love you and we are very lucky to have you in our lives.

Remember everyone:

Love is when the other person's

 happiness is more important than your own.

Two souls with but a single thought,

two hearts that beat as one....

it's us..

~Nadiya~

Hello Tuesday...

Don't give up before the miracle happens...

For a while there I had a long break with out going for tests and to doctors' office.

That was so very nice, but like all good things. this also came to an end.

Today I once again begin to do more tests.  this will not be routine in my life.

Also I will be going to different doctor's for second opinions regarding what

is the best way to continue with my thyroid treatment.  I hear the word radiation.

My first appointment was at 8am this morning.  Good because I could not eat nor

drink before the test.  Getting it done early was great because I did not have 

that much time to starve :)  As I was waiting, you always have to wait.  Appointment

or not, there were quite a few people there already.  What caught my attention was the 

two older gentlemen also waiting.  They were busy playing games on their phones. 

I thought this was "cute"  I mean one usually think that just the "young" ones 

are caught up in their phones and with the games on it.  Not the case.  I watched 

them for a long time until I was called in.  They never lifted their heads up.

On a better note, Brutus is doing very well.  See for yourselves.

We are so happy.  There are no words to express what we are feeling

right now.  It has been over a yer without improvement.  Today we are looking

at a miracle.  That's what I think it is a miracle.  And we are grateful!

Someone said, there are only two ways to live your life.  One is as though nothing 

is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle.  For us each day is a miracle.

Sometimes we have to hit bottom 

before we figure out how to really enjoy life..

~Nadiya~

New Week Begins...

I want to live my life in such a way that when I get out of bed in the morning, 

the devil says, "aw shit, he's up!....

By the looks of this sunrise early this morning, it is

going to be another beautiful day here in South Florida.  All I know is that we

 are very fortunate to be living in this beautiful state and definitely in the USA. 

As Mondays go today is no exception.  Lots to do and the sooner we

get started the better.  Also today we will Skype with little Aleah, who is

growing up way too fast.  Being Easter yesterday, even Aleah was too busy to Skype

with us.  We look forward to our Sundays just so that we can see the little face and hear her.

Yesterday we saw a few videos of her on FB and made me miss her so very much.

Her laughter is contagious and once you hear it you can't forget it.  July is not that far 

away.  We will have quite a long time to see her, play with her and spoil her a little. 

After all,  isn't that what grandparents do?  Yes, it's a very long stay, but the rewards will be worth it.

Time to get going.  To be productive and to start this week on a positive note.

Wishing you all a very good day and a good week ahead.  Time to go to work.

Remember if you can help it,

Choose a job you love, 

and you will never have to work a day in your life.

I always arrive late at the office,

 but I make up for it by leaving early.

I love deadlines. I love the whooshing noise they make as they go by...

~Nadiya~

Happy Easter...

So is Easter the festival of eggs or of bunnies bro? 

I still can’t understand how the eggs and the bunnies are related...

Sometimes I wish I were a kid again.  With no worries in the world.

Looking at Lilly Vade and Riley running around in mom and dad's backyard

collecting Easter Eggs makes me happy just seeing their smiles.  Right now I can definitely

use a smile.  Wishing you all a very Happy Easter and never forget to be thankful for what you have.

Around the world Easter is a time of relaxation and of having a good time.

At least around the world in our family.  For many I know it's not that great,

but today I just want to focus on the bright and happy times.

Warm greetings from Norway.  My step-daughter does do beautiful

arrangements.  That's you, Victoria.  Happy Easter.

In Puerto Rico my niece and nephew took their boat to another island

for the weekend.  Everyday in Puerto Rico is a day in Paradise.  Love you both.

Home here in Florida, Liliana and I had an early toast to Easter.

Wherever you are, wishing you all a good time.

Happy Easter friends.

On a funny note:

The Pastor said, "You need to join the Army of the Lord!" 

My friend replied, "I'm already in the Army of the Lord, Pastor." 

Pastor questioned, "How come I don't see you except at Christmas and Easter?"

 He whispered back, "I'm in the secret service."

I lied on my Weight Watchers list. 

I put down that I had 3 eggs… but they were Cadbury chocolate eggs...

~Nadiya~

Happy Day...

The beginning is always today....

Good morning everyone.  Waking up to a bit of a tumultuous morning, weather-wise.

The wind is howling, the skies are dark and the rain is already coming down.  Good

thing is that most likely it will not last for too long.  At least I hope so.

Nice to have my coffee in the balcony and feel the wind on my face.  The morning is

quiet and all one sees are the palm trees swinging and making swishing sounds.  Now

you can also hear the thunder roll.  Guess not so quiet after all, but very relaxing on it's own.

Brutus has decided that this was not his kind of morning.  Neither is it Arvid's.

They are both still tucked away in bed under the covers.  Part of Brutus' fear is

that I might just grab him and give him medicines.  He's still very wary about that.

There are still a few brave enough to come out.  Like this dolphin

I just spotted.  Yes!  I always go out to the balcony with my camera in hopes

of getting a picture of something interesting.  As you can see not disappointed at all.

You never know what can happen even on the days that seem to be not so so good at first glance.

Wishing everyone a good day and may your Easter be filled with love.

As they say, all I really need is love, but a little chocolate now and then doesn’t hurt!

When was the last time you woke up

 and realized that today could be the best day of your life...

~Nadiya~

Moments...

Things could be worse.  

You remember that and you go on with your life...

Life is made up of moments, be it good ones or not so good ones.

Does not matter, I believe in capturing them and having a good time.

Like many we do things sometimes we don't want to.  I guess it's called

compromise.  Even so, there is always something to look forward to.

Today I was not so happy about the way things turned out, but then I got to 

thinking and realized that there are many worse things than doing something you

really are not too happy about.  Guess I just have to put it all into perspective.  Life!!

One just has to learn to make the most of what life offers and try not to complain too much.  

This is advise I really need to listen to.  Try to make the best of a not so good situation!

Remember:

It is not fit that every man should travel; 

it makes a wise man better,

 and a fool worse.

Things are NEVER so bad,

they can't be made WORSE...

~Nadiya~

She's Gone...

Missing someone is your heart's way of reminding you that you love them...

Reshma left yesterday and I feel as if something is missing.  I know it will pass, but for

my heart is sad.  It happens all the time.  Someone visits and when they leave a little

piece of my heart goes with them.  Guess that's something we can't change.

I have had great time with Reshma.  On her last night we watched Disney's

animated feature film Frozen.  All three of us had a good time with it.  Surprisingly,

Arvid did not even complain.  Well he did say he does not care for the singing parts.

I think he was as caught upp in the movie as was Reshma and I.  Pizza in front of the TV

and we had us a really good night.  

Reshma and I were awake at 5:30 to make it to the airport for her early flight.

Yes, she was happy to be going home and a little sad.  Her friends were

disputing if to throw her a welcome home party.  She told me she was able to talk 

them out of it.  Seems like they will all hang out at the movies instead.  Sounds like fun.

Back home it was a busy day.  As things calmed down Arvid said to me,

"care to go listen to music this weekend?"  Guess I am now better so soon 

it's back to our regular stuff.  Music sounds good, especially since we have not

done too much lately.  Arvid is getting restless and needs to be on the move again

Today Lilian comes over for lunch.  Have not seen her in a while and

looking forward very much to cooking for her and to be spending some

time with her.  I know it is going to be quite entertaining.  Liliana is SPECIAL!!

Good morning everyone.

Sun is shining.  It's a beautiful day to be happy.

My daily routine, get up.  Be amazing.

Go back to bed...

~Nadiya~

Time alone can be time well spent...

It's been a long day.  I'm a little sad because Reshma left, so I decided

to take a trip to the beach and just sit down and have a moment to myself.

From the restaurant where I sat and had something to drink, life

continued as usual on the beach and everywhere.  People all over.

For an hour or so, I was all alone and it was very relaxing to watch people 

go by and carry on with their lives.  One sees quite a bit just by sitting and observing.

Hope you all had a good day so far.  Our home is quiet and feels 

like it's missing something.  Always this way when someone leaves. It's called life.

Life is the greatest journey you will ever be on...

~Nadiya~

A Busy Day...

No matter where life takes me, you'll find me with a smile.

 Presumed to be happy, always laughing like a child. 

I never thought life could be this sweet! 

It's got me cheesing from cheek to cheek!...

As Mondays go yesterday was no exception.  Arvid is definitely NOT a morning person.

I feel sorry for the one who tries to call him early in the mornings.  Of course if your're 

calling about business then he is all smiles and ready to go.  Yesterday, he had to deal

with the airlines.  Boy that was not a pleasant 45 minutes, on the other hand I can relate to 

that because even I when speaking with a booking agent can get nutty.  Good thing is we got tickets.

Once we got over the trauma of booking our flight things progressed more

smoothly.  Arvid calmed down.  He is fast to get "hyper" as he is to calm down.
As I have always said, "to know him is to love him" otherwise.....  hmmm

Lunch yesterday for a change was at home.  So good to eat at home. 

With Reshma here, we are on the move all the time so it is also more convenient

to eat out.  Today she and I will also be shopping and doing stuff all day long, lunch out.

Reshma is such a good girl.  Like I've said quiet and not a bother at all.  She did have

two requests.  She wanted to have a Henna Tattoo and try BurgerFi.
  As you can see not bad at all.  She's happy.

We also visited the Galleria Mall.  Always good things happening at The Apple Store.

Reshma needed a few new gadgets for her Mini Ipad, who better to go with her than her aunt?

Like I said it was a busy day, but so much fun.  More of the same today.
First I take her out to breakfast, then malling some more and lunch out.
Says she likes steaks.  Will see if that's true.  It's her last day and
already I am missing her.  In the meantime, good morning everyone.
Already it promises to be a beautiful day.

Reshma, to have a niece as wonderful as you
makes me one of the lucky few.  I'm 4 times lucky...

~Nadiya~