Friday...

I don't want to miss out on the chance of having a good time...

Could not sleep too well.  Lucky me I was able to see the sunrise here in Horten.

We have 3 full days left here in Norway.  Suddenly time is escaping us and it has

become real that we will soon be leaving.  Bittersweet like always.

One looks forward to going home, but when the actual moment is so near makes you sad.

As always there are so many things I would have wanted to see and do, but sadly we

 did not seem to have enough time to do it all.  We have spent many good moments

with friends and family and in the next 3 days man more to come.

Saturday we will be going to Victoria and Michael's for a BBQ.  Like I have 

mentioned before, best food in Norway I have had and we have been to a few restaurants.

The last evening is becoming a tradition of spending it at Michelle's and Emil's.

That day Michelle makes her dad one of his favorite meals.  Something his mom made

for him when he was growing up.  He looks forward to the meal and we all look forward to

spending some more time together.  As usual my meal will be chicken and rice.  Tradition also.

Today we have a few things pending.  Of course seeing his mom and the grand kids 

are topping our list.  It is also Friday.  Usually at home we go out  for

an evening of music.  So far here in Norway we have been pretty good at that. 

 We have been out a few times already listening to music. 

 Unfortunately July is the month almost the entire county of Norway shuts down. 

 Just about everyone is on vacation so there is not that much going n in little Horten.

Of course the day we leave everything starts happening once again. 

 The Blues Festival in town will be in full swing at Saxon Pub and life/activities begin to pick up. 

 Weather even appears to be getting better, but that's after we leave.  How typical is that?

It is a quiet morning here.  Little drizzle, but better than heavy rain.

I hear the seagull already and I can tell it is going to be another very good day.

Little Loffen is still missing.  Michael and Victoria are frantically looking everywhere

for him. As I have asked before please send them some good vibes so Loffen comes home.

Good morning everyone.  Wishing you a very good start of the weekend.

We already had a little taste of it yesterday.  We are on vacation after all so everyday

is actually "weekend" day for us.   Soon we will have to get back in "home" mode and,

start gearing up for "reality"  sounds just perfect to me and looking forward to going back to

"normal" life again.  Getting into our routines and driving.  Miss our cars.  Most of all miss Brutus.

Happy Friday all.

Employers are at their happiest on Mondays.  Employees are at their happiest on Fridays.

If you're really not having a good time, it's not worth it...

~Nadiya~

Rain! Rain And More Rain...

Rainy days, rainy nights, wash the world, set to right.  

Cleansing streets, set apart.  Rainy days cleanse the heart...

Norway where it seems summer lasts for about 2 days if one is lucky.  Seems like

 Autumn has already begun.  Since coming here a little over 3 weeks ago the

 temperatures have been staying at a highs of the 60's and lows in the 50's.  

There has been more days in the 50's than in the 60's, but we were very lucky to have 

had 3 days where it it the low 70's.  Blessed we were indeed to have had 

a little summer this year. Yay! for summertime in Norway!

Our main accessory is an umbrella.  A BIG umbrella.

This week has been depressing as far as the weather goes.  Everything is blah, but when

 the sun has a minute to peek out we catch a glimpse of beautiful blue skies.

That puts you in a completely different frame of mind.  You see possibilities, 

but lately all we want is to go home.  Pack  our bags and just leave.  As 

Arvid keeps telling me not, that many more days before we are back

 to the land of Sunshine, palm trees and the sound of the ocean.

4 more days to go.  Who says we are counting down the days until we go home?

Hoping for some better weather today.  Would like to go to a city called Tønsberg.

Maybe we will meet with Victoria and Michael and have a few hours together.

She is still looking for her kitty.  Loffen as of now is still missing.  Please keep your

 fingers crossed and send her some good vibes so that Loffen returns home safely.

Today is looking very good for a change.  As a friend said, it is the best day of the year.
Summer in Norway, unpredictable and definitely keeps you wondering.
Good morning everyone.  Stay dry and warm, and have a good day.

I love falling asleep to the sound of rain...

~Nadiya~

Loffen Is Missing...

Cats are intended to teach us that not everything in nature has a purpose...

There is a little kitty missing from his home since last Monday here in Norway. 

 The kitty belongs to my step daughter Victoria and Michael.  

Kitty's name is Loffen.  As you can see he is black and white and just adorable. 

 Victoria and Michael are going crazy with worry over their baby and of course I am

 heartbroken because I can feel their hurt and desperation to find there fur baby.

Heart breaking for me because we also have a kitty and I can imagine exactly what they

 must be going through.  Fingers crossed that Loffen returns from his extended "vacation."

LOFFEN IT'S TIME TO COME HOME TO YOUR MAMA AND DADA.  

THEY MISS YOU AND LOVE YOU VERY MUCH.

And then suddenly I became sad and the tears just kept rolling down my face...

~Nadiya~

Scenic Beautiful Day...

Collect beautiful moments...

Our day started with a nice little walk through town where
Arvid met with some friends and enjoyed some catch up time with them.

Trip to the grave site where we visited his dad.

Clear blue skies today in town.  Perfect for a visit to his dad.

Time well spent.

Admiring Norwegian artistry.

Relaxing at his mom's.  Having cafe and admiring her view.

Never hurts to pick your own fruit.

Flowers in bloom everywhere you go.  Beautiful and fragrant.

Always time for some sweet temptations.

Swans gracing us with their presence in  Løvøya.

A trip to Arvid's old summer house.  Where I first lived with him in Norway.

And so we come to the end of another very good day here in Norway.

I bid you goodbye until next time.  Have a good day everyone.

Don't wait for the perfect moment. 
 Take the moment and make it perfect...

~Nadiya~

Monday Morning In Norway...

Monday is a fresh start.  

It's never too late to dig in and begin a new journey of success...

Our last week in Norway. Yes we are ready to go home. Back to the warmth, 

sunshine and back to Brutus.  Yes, back home where we belong.
Leaving is always sad because we leave behind loved ones.
Who said life was that simple?  It ain't

Monday morning the skies are gloomy looking. Cold weather predicted. Most likely 

rain also.  Here it's summer and we are bundled up with our sweaters and Arvid always 

has his leather jacket on when we are out.  Summer time in Norway.

Last year we had close to 100 degrees Fahrenheit.  Then it was hot as hell and 

very much unbearable.  No A/C made for the most uncomfortable time.  

I am OK with the cold. Better than the heat as far as i'm concerned.

What the day holds is not always known. As usual Arvid has lots of things going on no

 matter what part of the world we are.   He knows how to stay busy.   

All I know is that we will be running around again.  

The bright side is we will see our grand daughters today. Little Vanessa with that

 gorgeous smile and Aleah with her zest of life keeps us busy.  Happy 

moments that we will definitely miss when we are gone.
Yes we will miss the girls, the grand kids and family.

Our evening was quiet and relaxing.  Here there is not that much to do.

We stayed in and watched movies, had some snacks and a very pleasant time.

Good morning everyone.  

Wising you all a good start of the week and may it be a good one. 

 We have already started packing away little stuff in preparation to going home.

You define your own life. Don’t let other people write your life’s story for you. 

The difference between who you are and who you want to be, is what you do...

~Nadiya~

Quiet Sunday....

Quiet is peace. Tranquility. Quiet is turning down the volume knob on life. 

Silence is pushing the off button. Shutting it down. All of it...

Prognosis for the remainder of the next 8 days we are here in Norway:  COLD AND WET.

Sure makes us wish we were home already.  Both of us have had a good time.  We have 

enjoyed everyone's company but we both agree it's time to go home.  Will we

 remember to not stay this long next year?  NOPE!!  Same happens 

every year and I doubt it will ever change.

For a change our day started out relaxing.  No running around to go here or to go
there.  Very nice indeed.  We all need some alone time once in a while

 and usually Sunday's are perfect for that.

The remaining of our week seems to be filled with something everyday.  Not bad.  

Looking forward to time with the grand kids, Michelle and Victoria.  Arvid of course 

sees his mom a little everyday.  Good for the 2 of them to have a little alone

 time and good for me to have some as well.  Every one's happy.

Yesterday we spent the day in Oslo with Arvids brother and girlfriend.  Started off 

looking like rain all day, but we managed to have a few good hours before 

the rain came.  We did find a place to listen to some music, but was 

very strange to hear them singing the Blues in Norwegian.

Here in Norway Arvid and I seem to eat hot dogs like crazy.  Every gas station sells

 hot dogs.  In Oslo of course we had a hot dog before going out to listen to music.

  After the music we did have a good meal so again everyone was happy.

Our trip to Oslo had to be cut short because of the rain.  Guess my next time will be

 next year.  Oslo is a beautiful city and I enjoy going there at least once every 

summer.  As mentioned it is very cold here.  Dreary looking and 

very depressing.  That is compared to The Sunshine State 

and Chicago where we usually spent our summers.  

 Boy how I miss that city.

Not sure what we will do today.  Maybe not much. Can be heaven for a change.

  I invited Arvid out to lunch today, but he is so fed up with eating out that right now 

he is undecided.  Still have the whole day to work on him.  I miss food at home,

 I miss the sunshine though I rarely go out in it.  I miss the happy people.

  I miss waking up and not having to rush from place to place. 

 Most of all we miss our little Brutus.  I miss him so much.

So far there are at least 2 confirmed bright spots in our week.  Saturday we all go to 

Victoria's for a BBQ and Sunday we all go to Michelle's.  Of course we will see 

them in between, but those days are set and confirmed.  Yep.  All good.  

8 more night before we head home.  Time is running away.

Today we had a relaxing day driving around Horten,
and pizza at our favorite spot.  Very relaxing day.

Peace:  It does not mean to be in a place where there is no noise, trouble, or hard work;

it means to be in the midst of those things and still be calm in your heart...

~Nadiya~

Saturday..

Time stops for no one, make every moment count, be happy 

and don't waste a day being sad because tomorrow is NOT promised...

Not sure why or what happened yesterday, but by 6pm Norway time I was ready 

to go home.  Was ready to call the airlines change my flight and 

go home back to Brutus, back to the good old USA.

Not like anything happened to warrant his, but suddenly I felt homesick.  We have been 

here 18 days already.  Both Arvid and I are restless now.  I know we will do the 

same every year and around this time we will be ready to go home, but won't.

Yesterday was actually a very good day.  We spent time at the each with Michelle and family.

We payed with our 2 grand daughters and Arvid had some time in the evening to bond

 with Emil, Michelle's boyfriend.  They had a great time. So that was nice.

While Arvid was visiting his mother, I had time to go to the mall.  Always good.  Did 

a little shopping, had a little cafe.  Was very happy to have this alone time. We have 

been rushing from one place to another since we arrived.  We are a little tired. 

Today we will have a day out with Arvid's brother and Siv.  We go to Oslo for the day.

Oslo is a beautiful city so I am looking forward very much t it.  Of course there

is music involved.  Arvid googled the place a month ago.  Before we came.

I love walking the streets of Karl Johans.  This is the main street of Oslo.

Unlike Arvid's hometown of Horten, Oslo is bursting with life and vivaciousness.

Let's just say that is is a very nice way to spend a Saturday.  Music, good good, good 

company and a few drinks for the gang.  Being the designated driver, I drink only coke.

Win-win for all of us.  I get to go to Oslo for the day and we all ave a good time.

SOON!  SOON!

Good morning everyone.  We have 9 more nights to go.  Time to make

these days count because before you know it the time comes to an end.  Still

 lots more good times in store for s with the girls and the grand daughters.

Life is filled with the unknown and uncertainties, each day is a mystery, not knowing what the 

next day may bring, so we have to hold ourselves accountable for the choices we make.  We need 

to make every moment in our life count, every second,minute, and hours. Life is precious 

and the people in your life that love you should be cherished and not taken for

 granted. Spread the love, free your mind of negativity, and insert positivity.

~Nadiya~

Another Good Day...

Happiness is never stopping to think if you are. ...

We had another very god day in company of family.  Yesterday we visited Victoria and 

Michael. We also met p with Victoria's twin cousins.  To this day they call Arvid uncle.  

Was very very cute to hear them.  Reminded me of my family a little.

Every thing was as always perfectly done.  Food good.  Company entertaining,

and the scenery breath-taking.  And yes, for a change we had excellent weather. Perfect day.

Afterwards Arvid took me around for a little drive.  As you can see we took the

 scenic roads.  Norway is a pretty country.  It's not home, but it is pretty.

Today is Friday.  We have one more Friday here in Norway and a total of 10 more days

 to go until we see Brutus again, but as Arvid told one of the twins, "who's counting?"

It has been good so far, but home for me is back in the USA.  I am enjoying spending time 

with the girls and everyone very much that is a fact, and look forward to more of it in the 

remaining 10 days we have.  Today we see Aleah and Vanessa again.  Happy.

Happy Friday all.  Back home we would probably be going to listen to music

later on in the evening, but today we spend some relaxing time with friends and family.

Think of all the beauty still left around you and be happy...

~Nadiya~

Thank You Girls....

I'm not feeling well guys...I'm sorry if I don't comment back a lot...

We left Poland yesterday morning very early.  What I did not expect was to be completely 

sick throughout the entire flight.  Not usual for me.  Also, I am sure no one noticed 

because everyone was tired and fast asleep.  Lasted about 7 hours before I started to 

feel "human" again.  Never had this before and hope to never have it again.

Bright side of the day was having lunch with just Victoria, Michelle, myself

and Arvid.  We went to Pizzanini.  Best pizza in Norway as far as we are concerned.

It was relaxing, enjoyable and just talking a little of this and a little of that. Very enjoyable. 

 A little trip to the mall, time with Vanessa, and coffee afterwards made for a very 

good time and a very good day.  Something we hope to d every year.

I am enjoying very much the relationship I have with Victoria and Michelle. Makes spending 

time with them always so much more fun.  Makes me look forward to our times together 

more than ever.  I hope it never changes and if it does, it is only to get better and better. 

I am after all their step-mom and I want them to love me like I love them.

One day hopefully Arvid and I will have our own place in this side f the world. Hopefully 

soon.  It will be nice to entertain them and have them over. Life is strange.  Never in 

a million years would I have imagined me being married to a Norwegian. 

 Having 2 step daughters.  Having 2 grand daughters.  I ask myself,

 "what have I done right to deserve so much?"  Whatever the answer 

is all I can say is THANK YOU!!!  THANK YOU!!!

I have learned it is not what I have in my life,
 but who I have in my that counts...

~Nadiya~

Leaving....

We do not remember the days.  We remember the moments...

Our time in Gdansk, Poland has come to and end.  We have had as always a very good

time, but in many ways we would have also preferred to be back home.  Though beautiful,

Arvid and I cannot "idle" so much.  We want to constantly be doing something.

I had the opportunity to have a manicure and truthfully I was very impressed and 

happy with the outcome.  Also loved the color.  Not my usual but so pretty.

Have had some very stressful days here wondering how Brutus is doing.  Wendy,

his sitter right now is doing everything she can to give him his pills, but sometimes

he is so bad he hides from er and makes the task more difficult and more challenging.

I am still very worried.  I want to go home to him very much.

We have 13 more days in Norway before we o back home.  Looking forward to
seeing everyone again.  Going to Victoria and Michael's to see all the new things they
have done to their already very improved home.  Seeing the little ones and everyone again.

Hopefully I will have good news that Brutus is doing better.  Depending on
that I will either stay the rest of my time in Norway or go back home to Brutus.

Here it is very, very early inn the morning.  Back home in Florida it is still not yet
Wednesday morning.  Early flight which gives us most of the day back in Norway.

Until next time everyone.  Hope your day is a good one.

We never can just stop time. Or take moments back. 
Life doesn't work that way, does it...

~Nadiya~

Missing You...

One day I caught myself smiling for no reason,

then I realized I was thinking of you...

Do you have one of those days when time suddenly stops and memories come crashing

back to you as clearly as if it was yesterday?  Having one of those moments now.

Sometimes memories can be our best friends.  Other times...hurts like hell.

I just wondered how you are and if you miss me at all...because I miss you a LOT!

Hello everyone.  Make sure the ones you love know it before it is too late.

My heart is missing this little face.

I miss you.   A little too much, a little too often, 

and a little more every day...

~Nadiya~

Life Is Good...

You only live once, but if you do it right, once is enough....

And so the day begins.  Great breakfast and a little Polish gossip.

The nights here have been pretty amazing.  The scenery spectacular.

While the others are looking for places to listen to music and have some Tyskies,

I am taking in the sights and capturing the moments.  Love it!

We have already had a sample of the Blues Music in Poland.  Was actually very OK.

For a tourist coming to Poland, the food is cheap.  

The drinks even cheaper.  So for a good time come to Poland.

Yesterday we discovered a Norwegian restaurant.  Of course we went there.

No we did not have Norwegian food.  Actually the menu was not Norwegian.
 It had a little of everything, but nothing Norwegian as far as I could see.

Happy Monday everyone. Day 14 already.

I may not have gone where I intended to go, 

but I think I have ended up where I needed to be...

~Nadiya~