Amazing Day Ahead ~

You've got to get up every morning with determination
 if you're going to go to bed with satisfaction...

Yesterday was our last Sunday outing for this summer 

in Chicago.  It was not the greatest of weather, but 

at least when we went out there was no rain.  

I took a few hours to go and do a little shopping 

while Arvid stayed home watching soccer.  Afterwards 

we met up and went for dinner.  For our last Sunday outing 

we chose one of our favorite spots.  The food is always 

good and Arvid has his favorite beer there.

  Well one of his favorites.

We took our last walk for this summer along

 Michigan Avenue.  Our walks are always a favorite 

part of our day.  Arvid, Sniff and I are ready to go home.  

Home to some sunshine.  Sniff definitely is having

 the winter blues.  In Branson our home was bathed in 

sunlight, and Sniff was always happy and stretching 

out in it.  Here it's rare for the sunlight to come into the 

apartment.  Yes, it's time to go home and we are ready.

Today we go one more time to Navy Pier.  I hear a
Pina Colada and the spinach and artichoke dip
 calling me.  Definitely will miss Chicago.

A new week begins.  I am happy and excited.
  This is our last night here for this summer.

Woke up very early to get the laundry done.
 Now I can concentrate on packing and doing some
 cleaning.  Soon it's homewards bound for us.

It's Monday.  Don't forget to be awesome.

Every morning you have two choices: continue to
 sleep with your dreams or wake up and chase them.  
Forget yesterday – it has already forgotten you. Don’t 
sweat tomorrow – you haven’t even met. Instead, open your 
eyes and your heart to a truly precious gift – today....

~Nadiya~

Rainy Sunday In Chicago ~

In this home… We do second chances. We do real.

 We do mistakes. We do I’m sorrys. We do loud really well.

 We do hugs. We do together best of all...

We did end up going to the movies after all. 

 Two hours of intense killings, and we even saw a 

heart being ripped out of someones chest.  

Last night I slept like a baby, and now I am 

very rested.  Does this mean I sleep better 

after violent movies?  Who knows...

It's not the clearest of days as of right now, but we

are hoping it will get better in a few hours.  Winter is 

on its way and it shows.  Last night going to the movies I

 was cold even thought I had on my "winter" sweater.

Arvid is also ready to back home to Florida, even

 though he does not voice it as much as I do.  Sniff is 

missing sunshine.  I know so because whenever there 

is a ray of sunshine in the apartment, and lately it has 

not been often.  Sniff seeks it out and just lays there.

Our last Sunday here in Chicago.  Not sad about that.

  Though a beautiful city I am more than ready to back

 to The Sunshine State.  To hot and humid. Hmm...

The magic thing about home is that it feels good

 to leave, and it feels even better to come back....

~Nadiya~

Saturday Vibes ~

When everything seems to be going against you, 

remember that the airplane takes off 

against the wind, not with it...

Sniff and I woke up early again.  Yesterday it

 rained all day and most of the night.  Sniff was scared

 so he slept in the curve of my back the entire night.

  Made it difficult to move and though I was a little

uncomfortable, I did my best to stay still.  I love when 

Sniff sleeps close to me.  His warm little body kept me

 nice and toasty and when he purrs I can feel it.  LOVE!

Woke up to a wet morning.  Hopefully today will

be better.  Arvid and I have plans of going to the 

movies, but if it rains I know Arvid will hesitate.  

He does not like going out at all in the rain.

Being indoors all day is pretty boring. 

 To make it better I was experimenting with 

different nail polishes.  Mainly glitter.  

In preparation for going back home to Fort Lauderdale, 

there is a mess everywhere.  Mainly my stuff.  I am 

choosing what to take and what to leave.  

Not an easy task because I want to take 

back all my clothes, but at the same time 

I know I can't.  What a conundrum.

Definitely going to miss waking up to this view, 

on the other hand our view back in Fort Lauderdale is

 also pretty nice.  I'm thankful and grateful.

Wishing everyone a Saturday filled with happiness,

 laughter and all things good.  Remember it's our

 attitude that dictates how our day goes by.

Never whine, never complain, never try to justify yourself.

A man sees in the world what he carries in his heart...

~Nadiya~

Friday Again ~

It's your game, make your own rules...

When we moved into our apartment in Chicago 

 we never really got rid of all the things it came with.

  We just moved in and sorta "forgot" that we 

needed to give away few items.

  Luckily for us there is a donation drive organized

 by the salvation Army.  Perfect time to give 

away what we don't need, and best 

of all it's going to a good cause.

Coming from Branson we have lots of winter 

clothing,  including shoes.  In a bag and ready to

 donate.  Also lots of canned items I bought this

summer and did not really use.  By next summer

 for sure they will not be good so away they go.

Arvid has also found quite a lot of clothes

 he has not used for years.  I really did not 

want him to give them up, but the truth is

 he has not used them in a very long time.

They are still neatly ironed from the dry cleaners.

  I told him to take a few back to Florida, but

 his answer was "I don't have more hangars"

It's not the warmest of days right now, but will

 be warming up soon.  Today looks like

 a typical fall day.  Coldish and grey.

Looks like the rain, thunder and lightning is 

about to start.  Sniff is already running to Arvid.  

Hello Friday, hope you treat us good today.

Welcome to Friday. In preparation for takeoff, 

please ensure all negative attitudes are properly stowed. 

On behalf of your captain, Jack Daniels and myself, 

welcome aboard. I expect sunshine and good 

attitudes today for our trip. Enjoy the ride...

~Nadiya~

Having One Of Those Days ~

Don’t  judge me because as far as I know I
 haven’t let you borrow my shoes to walk in...

This morning Arvid said to me, "you know 
maybe we should get Sniff another condo
 at home in Fort Lauderdale.  The one
he has right now is kinda shaky."  

At first I thought what a great idea, but then
 I said to him, "but that's the same condo Brutus
 used and also Shadow.  It still has their hairs
 on it."  Before you know it I was crying. 

Sometimes it's just a little mention of Brutus
 and it all comes back to me.  I love our little
 Sniff, but my Brutus took a piece of my heart. 

 I will forever be grateful to have had him
 in our lives.  I will forever miss him and
 wish he was back home with us. 

Sniff had his visitors yesterday.  He was his 
usual friendly self, but at the same time a
 little aloof.  That's Sniff.  Not afraid 
but indifferent at the same time.  

That's a cat for you.  Everything on their 
terms.  Love him.  Love him.   Katrina took
 with her a picture I had of Sniff and she 
brought him some special treats.

Sniff had two other visitors in the afternoon.  
He was very happy to see then and fell all over
 their feet.  Sniff is loved by everyone who
 meets him, he's just a bundle of love.

Life goes on.  We are happy, but every so
 often I think of this little kitty that stole my heart, 
and the memories are beautiful and at the same 
time extremely painful.  Life.  It is what it is.
Morning will come, it has no choice.

Its a beautiful cooler morning here right now 
59 F (15 C) but it will sure be warming up a little more. 
 Perfect start of this day.  Good morning all, and may
 your day be filled with all things good.

There are moments which mark your life. 
 Moments when you realize nothing will ever
 be the same again and time is divided into
 two parts, before this and after this...

~Nadiya~

Wednesday Vibes ~

When I hear somebody sigh, ‘Life is hard,’ 

I am always tempted to ask, ‘Compared to what?...

Yesterday was our last time at Smith and Wollensky

for this summer.  As always the food did not disappoint, 

nor did the views.  Everyone left satisfied and full.

While everyone had the steak, I had my other favorite. 

 The crab cakes.  They were delicious. I think it's my favorite.

Yes I am happy to be going home, at the 

same time I know we will definitely miss this 

beautiful city.  The views are one of a kind.

One of the most photographed buildings for me is the 

Trump building.  It sticks out, and it has grown on me.  I just

 can't seem to resist taking pictures of it from every angle.

Most of our outings lead us to the Lake.  Nothing 

more beautiful than the skyline of Chicago.

Definitely had a great summer and many good

 meals at Smith and Wollensky.  Everyone we have

 taken there has enjoyed their meal immensely.

Just a few more days left in Chicago.  Already I

 have had calls of Sniff's pet-sitters wanting to come 

and say goodbye to him.   If I were not sad then this 

has made me sad.  Little Sniff is loved by many in the 

building and today he will be having  a few visitors.  

Sniff is already in a playful mood.  Guess he's

 all ready for company.  The next few days will hopefully

 be quiet and relaxing.  Hopefully we can eat at home

 and not have to eat out that much.  It gets tiring.

Wishing everyone a happy day. Talk with people
 who make you see the world differently.

Look at the sparrows; they do not know 

what they will do in the next moment. Let us 

literally live from moment to moment...

~Nadiya~

Another Day To Be Thankful For ~

Life offers you so many doors, it is up to you

which to open and which one to close...

I have been a wake since 4 A.M.  Not happy about that, 

but to make the most of the day I did go down to the

 laundry room and did 6 loads of laundry.  In less than 

2 hours I was done.  Arvid and Sniff are still asleep. 

 Nothing disturbs their sleep.  How cool is that!

The days will be winding down fairly fast now.  

We have done everything we wanted to do.  Only thing 

left on our list is to go one more time to Smith and Wollensky

 for dinner.  We really like it there.  The food, the views everything.

Arvid of course has gotten Danielle hooked on a 

few of his TV shows.  All our Fall shows have begun.

  As Arvid likes to say, "our evenings are fully booked."

It's looking to be another very beautiful day here.  Fall has 

begun, but here the temperatures are still nice and warm.

Sniff is being extra cuddly with us.  He still 

does not like being picked up much, but he 

loves to lay very close to us.  I love it.

Wishing everyone a happy Tuesday.  Suddenly I feel 

like I should go back to bed, but I know I won't.  Good 

morning all.  Remember to keep your face always toward

 the sunshine - and shadows will fall behind you

Write it on your heart that every 

day is the best day in the year...

~Nadiya~

Perfect Day ~

Make treating yourself a priority and always 

remember your life is happening now. Don't put 

off all your dreams and pleasures to another day.

 In any balanced personal definition of success there 

has to be a powerful element of living life in the present...

We're back home and it sure feels good.  Sniff has 

now bonded with Danielle so when he's running away 

from me her runs to her.  Danielle is happy about 

that as am I.  Home is always the best place to be.

We have had some good days on our road trip.

  Temperatures were soaring between Memphis and Dallas. 

 Let's just say it was hot, thankfully it was a dry heat.

We had great music throughout our stay both in 

Dallas at the Eric Clapton Crossroads Concert and 

at Beale Street in Memphis.  Now we don't have 

to go to either of those places for a long time.

On our way back home to Chicago we were 

caught in a bad rainstorm.  It rained most of the

 way back home, made for slower driving.

We had a relaxing morning, and for lunch Danielle

 and I went to an Indian Restaurant.  Arvid of course 

opted for Pizza.  Everyone was happy and full.

We spent a good time walking around the

 city soaking in the sights.  Soon the rain was about

 to come, so it was time to head back home and 

relax a bit.  Hopefully the hot tub a little later.

Wishing everyone a great week ahead.  

This is our last week in Chicago.  Soon we 

will be going back home to Fort Lauderdale.  Little 

emotional about that, but ready to go home.

Today is not just another day.  It's a new opportunity, 

another chance, a new beginning, embrace it...

~Nadiya~

Homewards Bound ~

I wouldn't change anything. I've made mistakes,

 but thanks to those mistakes, I've learned.

No matter how much we enjoy our road trips, we are

 always happiest when we are on our way back home. 

 Even happier today because Danielle will be home 

with Sniff.  Can't wait to see how they got along.

Seems like while we were gone Sniff was his usual 

relaxed self.  He appears to have gotten lots of sleep 

(same as usual), and I was told that he did protest a bit, but 

overall he behaved really well according to Danielle.

Danielle has been having a blast living in the city

 for a few days on her own, after all she is a city girl. 

 She has lived in Washington, D.C. for the
 last few years, while in college.

And now that she's finishing up her thesis
 in Florida. She still commutes to D.C on a regular
 basis.  So for her these days in Chicago is a much
needed relaxed time off from work and school.

Wishing everyone a great day.  We have had 
a great road trip and have seen and done many of the 
things we love in life, but for now we are heading home.  
Still my favorite place in the whole wide world.

It isn't how much time you spend somewhere that 
makes it memorable, it's how you spend the time...

~Nadiya~

Saturday From Dallas To Memphis ~

Music gives a soul to the universe, wings to the mind, 

flight to the imagination and life to everything...

As long as we are together and we are doing the 

things we love, life is good and everyday is another 

chance to give it your best shot and to enjoy it to 

the fullest. Music makes Arvid happy, and seeing 

him happy is always what I love.  Life is good.

Last night's Crossroad Guitar Festival was amazing.
  Eric Clapton did not disappoint.  Though he only
 did a few songs, they were a few of my favorites.  
Here he's all emotion singing Tears in Heaven.

 Tonight we are back in Memphis, Beale Street 
is once again calling us.  Our hotel is smack in the
 middle of Beale Street so the music is everywhere.  

It's a lot of fun, and we are having a great time.  Sniff is 
home with Danielle and all is well in that front as well. Wishing 
everyone a Happy Saturday.  Let the music never stop.

Life’s true gift lies in your freedom to design it
 beautifully. With each rise of the sun, you get to chase 
the opportunity to fill your days with meaning—
to live your life the way you choose...

~Nadiya~