New Day...

Have you had one of those days when you're holding a 

stick and everyone looks like a  piñata...

Sunday was a very good day.  Relaxing and peaceful.  As usual Monday began with 
lots to do and a big rush.  Looking forward to a more relaxing rest of the day.

Having company over for lunch today.  That should be good.  Hope your day
is going well and that the rest of your week is a very good and productive one.

Monday, new week.  New challenges.  Let's do it!

Don't wait for extraordinary opportunities.  Seize common occasions 
and make them great.  I keep myself busy with the things I do, but 
every time I pause I still think of you.  Mama misses you Brutus!

~Nadiya~

Relaxing Sunday....

Make some time for yourself today,

to relax, reflect and revive your spirit...

Another very interesting trade session has come to an end. Arvid and I are pretty happy 

with the trades made yesterday.  Looking forward to the next one in the months to come.  

  February is soon over. Time has gone by fast.  March 5th will be 4 months since Brutus died. 

Not a day goes by that I don't miss him.  Brutus will forever be my baby.  How I love that kitty.

I do pretty OK or at least try to give the impression that everything is good, but suddenly I don't

 know what happens. I miss him. Grief takes over and I'm back again to square one. I don't 

know how to move on.  Shadow needs us. We need him and he is such a playful kitty cat. 

 When we left him on Friday he looked a little sad. Just the way Brutus used to look

 when we left. For a few minutes there I looked at him and I was sad for him.

We had a very interesting time in St Petersburg.  While Arvid traded I had a few hours at the 

mall, but came back to the trade meeting and spent a few hours with everyone. It was a lot

 of fun to see how everyone just trades and trades.  Even I get into the spirit of trading.  

Thanks to me we ended up with 10 Norman Rockwell posters.  Made me happy!

Sunday already.  Today Arvid and I relax and have some time alone. Seems like we have 

been on the go for so long.  Hardly ever in the same place for long.  Soon we will be me

 heading to NC to visit my parents. Can't wait for it.  Nina and David already took a few

 days off to go as well.  Makes it even more exciting.  It will be cold, but who cares?  

To all a very good Sunday.  Soccer and more soccer for Arvid.  Shadow was super
excited when we walked in the door last night.  He slept a little with us this
morning, and now he's sound asleep, and the boats are passing by
non-stop. Life is good and always something to be thankful for.

The best cure for the body is a quiet mind...

~Nadiya~

Greetings From St. Petersburg, Florida

Blessed are the curious for they shall have adventure.
One's destination is never a place, but a new way of seeing things...

One of our favorite places was The Pier.   The view at night always spectacular 

as seen here.  Unfortunately the Pier is under construction right  now and this beautiful

 sight is no longer there, but the new look promises to be quite a stunner

Here is where the Tampa Bay Blues festival takes place every April.  

The setting is perfect.  Boats come by and "park" on the water listening to the music.

Today hopefully we will do some good trades.  Both Arvid and I are excited 

because last night I found quite a lot of stuff that I will be trading today. 

 Not sure for what, but like Arvid,  I just like it.  Lotta fun today.

Wishing everyone a very good Saturday.  Staying busy is great, but no matter what
Brutus is always on my mind.  Life is good.  Arvid and I are good.  Shadow is part of "us."
Like I say, I am always grateful for something.  Always.  I may want more (Brutus),
but at the end of the day I will be the first to ask, "what are you grateful for today?"

Happy Saturday everyone.  Forget all the bad things you have
 encountered this week and have a great Weekend...

~Nadiya~

On The Road Again....

I haven't been everywhere, but it's on my list.
It's good to be on the road again...

And so begins another road trip for Arvid and I.

A big part of our "job" is trading.  There are huge organizations dedicated to this, and of 

course Arvid is a member of them.  Our next trade meeting takes us to ST. Petersburg, Florida.

February so far has been pretty busy as far.  Quite a few trade meetings we have
been to.  March promises to be much more relaxing.  Looking forward to going to my
mom and dad's.  The last time I saw them was November at my aunt's funeral.

To everyone, a good weekend.  Make the most of it. Tonight Arvid and I will
 be having a few cold ones in St. Petersburg.  Happy Friday to all of you.

The beautiful journey of today can only begin when we learn to let go of yesterday.
Happiness is found on the way not at the end of the road...

~Nadiya~

One Of Those Days....

Gratitude means to recognize the good in your life, be thankful for whatever you have, 

some people may not even have one of those things you consider precious to you 

(love, family, friends etc). Each day give thanks for the gift of life...

I don't normally buy "presents" for anyone when we travel.  Did that many years ago,

and realized that most people really will not use these so called souvenirs.  I know I won't,

 but while walking around the shops in Jekyll Island I could not resist these little bottles

 filled with sand and shells.  Especially since it had the names Victoria and Michael

 on them, and the fact that they are currently visiting in Florida from Norway 

made it even more appealing.  Bottom line, I had to buy them.

We are happiest when we are busy.  We love running around and being on the move.
Today is no exception.  I think Arvid thrives even more when on the move.

Arvid is always making me laugh and he says I do the same for him.
We have a good time.  What more can one ask for?

Just the other day Arvid looks at me and says, "what happened to her lips?  

She looks like a bloated fish."  He saw some woman with puffy lips and he thought

 it looked weird.  That was his way of expressing it.  Always different and interesting.

Shadow is growing fast.  He loves to play and he plays non-stop.  It's very cute to 

watch him and see all the things he does.  He sure is a good little kitty.  Still likes to bite,

 and jump us, but that just makes him even cuter.  I'm still not able to hold him for long.

He just does not like it.  Still I pick him up and will continue to do so until hopefully he likes it.
He follows me everywhere, and even wants to jump on the treadmill with me.  Very cute.

My heart is missing another little kitty.  My Brutus who is dead and gone forever.

There is not a day that goes by that I don't question why he died.  Why? 

If only I can get over that "little" hump maybe I can move on.  I'm stuck.

You know they say that sometimes memories are the reason we can't move on.  My 

memories will forever be with me, but I just hope the day will come when it will be a lot less 

heart wrenching for me.  I need to love Shadow.  I like him. I take care of him, but he's not Brutus.

Love leaves a memory that no one can steal, but sometimes it leaves 

a heartache that no one else can heal.  I miss you Brutus.

I'm still trying to move on,  but every night I can't stop myself from crying over you.

Six letters, two words, easy to say, hard to explain, harder to do  MOVE ON....

~Nadiya~

Busy Days...

No one is always busy.  It just depends what number you are on their priority list...

It never fails.  Whenever we are on the road things happen, so when we come back home 

there are urgent business needing to be taken care of.  We were only gone from Sunday

 to Tuesday.  Luckily we are flexible and this morning that really came in handy

 since Arvid had to just drop everything and take off right away to Miami.

  Arvid is a problem solver and in our business he has sure made things run smoothly for

 so many of our customers.  He's good at it and he loves it, hence we are constantly on the move.

Mondays are busy days for us no matter what, but today more so.  I did not run around 

with him today because thee were other things that also needed to be done here at home.

One thing about Arvid is that he like to eat at home.  No matter what he always tries

 to come home to have lunch with me.  Unless we are on the road out together.

This morning before Arvid was even awake I was already out doing grocery shopping,
 and of course had to make a quick coffee stop.  Too much to do so best to start early.

Wednesday already halfway through the week.  A busy month on the road for
Arvid and I, but no matter where we go my favorite place is always home.  My favorite
part of every trip was coming home to Brutus.  Now we come home to Shadow.

My Brutus is never far from my thoughts, but Shadow is here with us, and we think he was
 pretty happy to see us walk in through the door last night.  He ran non stop for about an hour.

To all a good day.  Sometimes one has to stop realize
 life is not all about being "busy"

Never be so busy as not to think of others...

~Nadiya~

Hello's From Jekyll Island...

Don't wait for the perfect moment.  

Take  the moment and make it perfect...

Another trade meeting takes us once again on the road. Once again we are in Jekyll Island,

 Georgia. We have been coming to these meetings for a few years now. 

 Always something happening. We arrived Sunday night, and over dinner and drinks Arvid 

sealed a deal, and with the possibility of sealing more in the following days.  Always glad to help 

with this.  My contribution to these deals is my ability to talk and my research into them. 

 Sometimes a little deeper than what Arvid would do.  Unfortunately, there have been times we

 have had to walk away from the deal based on my findings. In the long run only good.

During the day Arvid is usually occupied from 9-5. Yes. It is our job.  In the evenings I join for

 the less formal part of the trade.  It's called the Cowboy Auction.  As far as I am concerned

 the most exciting part of these meetings. Here everyone trades personal property. Even I
have done a few trades in these Cowboy Auctions.  Did a few last night so very happy.

Our hotel is within minutes of the beach. Connected by a boardwalk.  Makes for the perfect 

setting to rise and see the sunrise.  Well that's exactly what I did.  It was pretty cloudy so not
 much of a sunrise yesterday, but even so it was beautiful. Last year I got a very good
picture of the sunrise.  No matter what just being able to walk on the sand, and have
some quiet time all I need.  That alone makes everything worthwhile for me.

The birds were out, and people were out walking the beach.  I usually like being alone at
times like this, unfortunately I was followed by one of the other men attending
 the meeting.  Yeah. Had to talk to him, fortunately he left after 10 minutes.

After that I took my time and just enjoyed it all. Was chilly, but I was bundled up.
 I love these walks on the beach. Me and my thoughts. Most of the day was my own to do
 as I please so I checked out a few more of my favorite places.  Took many pictures.

 Made a few new friends and just had quiet time.  Had lunch at Tortugas Jack then drove
around a little more.  Checked out a few of the new developments and discovered that
there is a Starbucks wishing walking distance from our hotel.  Yay!

Last night I did not sleep well.  My thoughts kept wandering to Brutus.  In the car Arvid,
and, I talked about him a lot.  It was good to talk about him, and also heartbreaking
 at the same time. Not a day goes by without me wondering why.  Why???

Another thing that made me  sad and guilty was that when we left home I did not say goodbye
 to Shadow.  Usually with Brutus we both will tell him goodbye, we will also pick him up
 and say, "I love you."   We did not do that with Shadow. I feel terrible about it.

 At least Arvid did tell Shadow we were leaving,
and Liliana does take good care of him also.

Today started our with rain.  Not exactly what yo want when in a hotel room.
n the other hand gives me a chance to relax.  Enjoy my coffee and read a little.  Not too
much running around that I want to do in this weather, but as soon as it stops I'm out of here.

Good morninng everyone.  Greetings from Jekyll Island, Georgia.

Life goes on whether you choose to move on and take a chance into the unknown.

Or stay behind, locked in the past thinking of what could have been...

~Nadiya~

Sunday...

There is all kinds of love in this world, but never the same love twice.
Sometime we just have to let things go.  No matter how difficult it may be...

Sunday, easy, quiet relaxing and hopefully a taking it easy kind of day.  In our life you
never know what the day holds.  Arvid is a danger once he starts surfing the Web.  I love it.

Quiet days are not always my friend.  It takes up too much of my thoughts.  Luckily
there is a lot going on right now so we are constantly busy.  Couldn't be better.

Arvid loves routines.  I do as well, but he is much more of a stickler for it than I am.
Breakfast at home is always 9:am  Give or take a few minutes.  Same when we travel 9: am
Our exception is Sundays.  The day he calls his family in Norway.  Then we do breakfast
 around 10-10:30 depending on how the night before went.  Always the same.

We eat lunch at the same time almost everyday and same with dinner.  Rarely a
variation.  Evenings are the same as well.  Most days he turns off the home phones
 at 6 pm.  He believes no one can get hold of us, but many a times he's mistaken.

Little Shadow is doing good.  Getting to become more and more part of our family.
He loves being around us.  He still jumps us every chance he get, but it is so very cute.
He allows me every so often to give him a little brushing.  With Brutus I did it
 all the time. Brutus sure loved his brushing.  I miss my Brutus a lot.

Yesterday as I was cleaning I came across Brutus' travel water bottle.  This was enough
 to set me back.  Little things do it.  What can I say.  He's not easy to get over. My
 heart grieves for this kitty.  Yes, I have good moments.  Many of them, but
like I say when night comes, and I am laying in bed next to Arvid my thoughts
 are always with Brutus.  That's when I miss him like crazy.

Day is looking good.  Arvid talking to his mother.  Typical Sunday
 morning.  Good morning world.  Wishing you a pleasant Sunday.
Remember morning will come it has no other choice.

When you can't sleep at nights is because you are awake in someone else's dream.
Enjoy life today.  Yesterday is gone tomorrow may never come...

~Nadiya~

Looking Forward...

Time is free, but it's priceless.  You can't own it, but you can use it.

You can't keep it, but you can spend it. Once you've lost it, you can never get it back...

Saturday morning.  Breezy and a little on the crisp, cloudy side, but always beautiful.

It has been a very exciting and good week for my family.  My nephew Gabby,

received his letter of acceptance to the University of his choice.  His first choice.  Little

 Gabby is college bound.  George Mason University, Gabby's goal is to save the world. 

 Never doubt that he will.  One person at a time.  Gabby is calm, patient and like is mom,

 my sister has a aura of peacefulness around him.  Like her he projects confidence, serenity, and

 an I can do this attitude that makes them both someone who you want to be around with.

My little Gabby is all grown up.  To this day I still have his basketball of when he was

 just 6 yeas old.  In my heart each of my nieces, nephews, the grand kids have

  a special place.  Gabby had just turned 2 years old when Arvid, and

 I met.   Arvid said to me,"I remember that day.  I played with him"

Everyone is growing up.  Just natural of course.  Seems like the years are going 

by faster than I can keep up. Life changes, it moves, no matter what one does or how 

we want it to be.  If you want to make it you have to keep moving along with it.

It's Saturday morning.  Not much planned for today.  Relaxing day, spending a few

hours with family and in between we have a few things to do.  For now Arvid is already 

watching TV.  Saturday is Soccer day.  He would prefer not to get up, but every so 

often things come along and we move.  YAY!  I like to be on the move quite often.

Happy Saturday all.  Remember, you are never too old to 

set another goal or to dream another dream.

You can't start the next chapter in your life if you keep re-reading the last one...

~Nadiya~

It Is What It Is...

A morning is a wonderful blessing, either cloudy or sunny.

It stands for hope, giving us another start of what we call LIFE...

Not exactly sure what the day holds, but if it goes according to the way Arvid and I see it, 

then we have many things to do today.  In our business things change without notice.

Today is Rima's birthday.  My little sister.  Mom of 3 and business woman/entrepreneur.

The 5 of us.  Long time ago in Puerto Rico.   Life has taken us through many a 

journey and it still continues.  Many good, many not so good.  But it is what it is.  LIFE.

Yesterday in between work, I took a little trip to the beach.  I just wanted some time with 

my thoughts and to feel the sand between my toes and the wind on my face.  Peaceful.

Always makes me feel better and for a while I just enjoy some quiet, alone time with myself.

This morning I dreamt Brutus again.  Just for a few seconds he was on the bed next to me.

Before i could dream more with him I woke up.  Was awake for a few hours going through 

all kinds of scenarios of what if.  What if...  Does not matter I guess our Brutus is not

 with us.  Yesterday I really needed to "see" him.  I looked at some videos, and as 

you can imagine the rest of the evening was ruined for me.  I can't let him go.

Shadow on the other hand is becoming a little more attached to us every day.  He lets

me pick him up for more than a minute.  Now I'm up to 2 minutes.  Progress being made.

There are days I am very angry with life, but mostly I am always grateful.  As you know

there is always, always something to be grateful for.  What are you grateful for today?

Happy Thursday all.  Remember no matter how bad a day we think we 

are having, there is someone out there having an even worse day.

Everybody wants happiness, nobody wants pain,

but you can't have a rainbow without a little pain...

~Nadiya~

Hello Wednesday...

Love is what dreams are made of.

Go confidently in the direction of your dreams,

live the life you have imagined...

Yesterday may have started out pretty stormy, but it sure cleared up fast.  The dark skies

 turned blue and the rain stopped.  Here in Florida it rains fast and hard, then suddenly ceases.

There was a parade of boats all day long coming back from the Boat Show in Miami.

Started very early in the morning.  Rain or no rain the boats kept coming.

During all of this Arvid was still asleep.  I am an early riser.  He's not a morning person.

Yesterday morning I dreamt Brutus.  First time ever since he died.  103 since he died.  The

 dream was strange.  I was sad and somehow both Brutus and I seemed to know he was 

going to die.  Brutus hugged me and he said "I love you mama."  I don't know what dreams 

mean.  I wish I did.  I woke up feeling very sad.  Shadow was on the bed with us.

This morning I had the best chat with Michelle Desiree.  Arvid's youngest daughter.
We met when she was just 7 years old.   I saw her change into a beautiful young woman
and now into an amazing mother of two.  Yes, she and Emil gave us 2 granddaughters.
 For that I am always grateful.  Life may not always be easy for her, for no one for
 that matter, but Michelle makes it look easy.  Her speciality.  At ease always.

 For her being a mother came naturally and she does it with grace and lots of patience and love.
 We admire her for all she is.  He quiet calm and always her patience and just because she's
 Michelle.  She is an amazing woman and I am fortunate to be part of her life.  I LOVE
 you Michelle Desiree and I admire you for all you are!!!  You make us really PROUD!!
Michelle, you made my morning special and it felt as if I was walking on sunshine.

I'm walking on sunshine and don't it feel good.  It is not how much we have,
 but how much we enjoy, that makes happiness...

~Nadiya~

Another Day To Be Grateful For...

Think how different you life would be if you never met 

the person who changed everything...

Most of yesterday was pretty good; there was one period during the day when suddenly

 I got very sad and next thing you know the tears just kept coming.  Poor Arvid, 

his white T-shirt was not so white after that.  He held me and comforted me. 

 The shaking stopped and life as we know it continues it's course.

Yesterday we went to the Swap Show.  The place I go for fruit and the occasional

 vegetable.  Growing up in Puerto Rico makes me crave tropical fruit all the time. 

 Also it's the best place I know where you can always get fresh coconut, which I love.  

Arvid had a chore to do there so while he was busy doing his stuff I was enjoying myself. 

 I love observing people and you can tell that there is something here for everyone.

  I will just say that the quality of the clothes, handbags, etc is not good, but the variety of

 "crap" available for purchase if infinite.  There is always something to catch one's fancy.

Now when it comes to their fresh fruit and vegetables, their selection is excellent.

Yesterday I stocked up on mangoes coconuts, green peppers, ripe plantains, tomatoes,

 and some more.  The mangoes are extremely good and the vegetables crisp and fresh.

Yesterday was warm, but the day itself was ugly.  Dark.  rain.  Lots of wind.

The last 2 months my main accessory in my handbag is my umbrella.  Never before

did I carry an umbrella, but after the crazy weather we have been having here it sure has
 kept me dry many a times.  The week ahead is going to be warm, but combination
 of clouds, rain and yes sunshine.  My umbrella and I are ready.

Good morning everyone.  You know they say, keep your face to the sunshine

 and you cannot see a shadow.  Hope it works for all of us today.

  As for me will be giving it my best shot as always.

Start by doing what's necessary. Then do what's possible.
And suddenly you are doing the impossible.
Good morning world...

~Nadiya~

Mornings...

No matter how good or bad your life is, wake up each morning,

and be thankful that you still have one...

Mornings are my favorite time of the day.  I am an early riser and one 

of the best ways to start my day is to watch the sunrise.

Almost everyday the color of the sky is different, and everyday no matter what beautiful.

Even on the most windy of days, it is still beautiful and of course I am on the balcony.

I believe that the only time I actually use our balcony are the mornings.  On my own.

Peaceful, quiet, the wind, the sky and what used to be with Brutus is now with Shadow.

Today is 102 days without Brutus by our side.  Shadow is my little shadow and I 

am doing everything to bond with him  He is just adorable and I do like him.

Today it is windy, but yes warm.  Can't complain about the weather really when you live

 in Florida.  Wintertime it is one of the best places to be.  Sunshine, beaches, yes some

colder days, but they don't last for long.  Makes the air crisp and refreshing.

I enjoy watching the boats go by.  Any time of the day, but mornings are just so quiet.

Also seeing the Manatees from our balcony is always a special treat for us.

Monday morning.  Looking forward to a good week.  Hope for all it is the same.

From our family to yours.  Have a great day and a very productive week.

Be the kind of woman that when your feet hit the floor each 
morning the devil says, "Oh Crap She's Up"....

~Nadiya~