Friday ~ July 31st

Wishful thinking is one thing and reality is another...

A trip to the Swap Shop is always a treat.  I get

 all the fruit I want and enough to last me a few extra days. 

 Happy as can be. It's the simple things that make me the

 happiest in life.  Always has and always will.

Another quiet day awaits us.  Nothing wrong with that, 

but I am sure looking forward to the day we can live life 

the way we used to.  Seems like a long long time, and

 from the way it looks, seems like it will take a long time

 before life gets back to a semblance of what it was.

Life sure has changed.  I don't know if it will ever

 be the same again, but I hope it gets better soon.  I miss 

doing the little things we used to do.  Small things we may 

have taken for granted, now seem like different life.

When you take things for granted the things
 you are granted get taken.  The things you take
 for granted someone else is praying for...

~Nadiya~

And Life Goes On ~ July 30th

Slow down, relax, take it easy, enjoy life...

San Juan, Puerto Rico — Tropical Storm Isaias 

battered Puerto Rico on Thursday morning as it continued

 on a track toward the U.S. mainland, unleashing small

😢 landslides and causing widespread flooding and 

power outages on an island still recovering from 

previous hurricanes and ongoing earthquakes.

My sister Nirvan is in Puerto Rico.  Again all alone.

 Just about a week ago Kimsy left for Connecticut.  

Due to COVID, Kimsy was home in Puerto Rico since 

March.  Yes, a weekend getaway for her turned 

into an almost 5 month stay in Puerto Rico. 

 Not that she was complaining. 

Kimsy was home with her mom and her dad in

 Puerto Rico and she got a job researching cures 

and vaccines for COVID.  Not bad at all.

Soon we will be getting soaked by tropical storm 

Isaias.  Just another summer day in paradise🌴

If you are a Floridian, you go with the flow.

Other than this not much more happening.  COVID

 continues to dominate the news, but now with tropical 

storm Isaias, who knows?  Something new in the horizon. 

 For all you know it might wipe out COVID 😁🤷

Good morning everyone.  We patiently wait to

 see what the day holds.  The highlight is takeout today, 

Sniff and to see how the new exaggerates everything. 

 Life is good and it sure is time for it to get back to a 

semblance of "normal"  We just have to wait and see. 

Hope is seeing light in spite of

 being surrounded by darkness...

~Nadiya~

Pandemic Times~😬

You are braver than you believe, and stronger
 than you seem, and smarter than you think...

Many businesses are still booming even with the 

pandemic.  Construction is still going on in the 

🏠 downtown area of Fort Lauderdale  If the
clientele is there or not, that's another story. 

 Not so long ago I read that more and more people

 wanted to move out of the downtown area and into

 the suburbs.  Why?  Because with this  pandemic most 

people have had to work from home.  A new norm now.

Many say they prefer not to be in the city because 

of the traffic, noise and other stuff.  They would rather

 buy something in the suburbs, work from home and

 enjoy peace and tranquility.  Of course not everyone 

feels that way, but many do.  To each their own.


Good morning everyone.  The helicopters are already
 hovering over our area.  Looking for another criminal
probably.  Since COVID has surged here in Fort
Lauderdale/Florida, the crime rate has escalated.

Every night on the news you hear of someone 😲
murdered in Fort Lauderdale.  Crime is not unusual
here in South Florida, but to see so much violence,
 murders close to home is something else.  Hopefully
 one day things will be better again.  Has to right?🤷

The things you can see only when you slow down...

~Nadiya~

Tuesday July 28th ~

When a new day begins dare to smile gratefully...

Arvid says every so often he has very blurry vision.

  I say he watches too much TV and stares at the TV 

screen and his laptop too much.  Whatever the reason, 

he feels that wearing sunglasses at night while 

watching TV will help with his "problem"

There are strange people, and then there is Arvid 😁

And by the way, nothing is wrong with his eye, but being 

an adult male, well that says it all.  Extremes are called for.

Sniff is taking it easy and so happy that we are 

back home.  He continues to follow Arvid around more 

than ever and hardly leaves him alone.  At nights 

Sniff is all cuddled up next to us.  Love 💓💜

Nothing spectacular planned for today, but even so, it is 

a beautiful day and I am sure we will have a good one.  

Wishing everyone a happy and safe day.  There are

 so many beautiful reasons to be happy today.

If you cannot do great things, do small things 

in a great way. Give everyday the chance to

 become the most beautiful day of you life...

~Nadiya~

Monday July 27th ~

You have to fight through some bad 

days to earn the best days of your life...

I thought it was bad enough being in Chicago and

 having to use our masks all the time.  In North Carolina

 at least you can come out of the house go to your car, go for

 a walk and not have to be using the mask.  Yes, you have

 to use it in all public establishments, and that was OK.

We come back home to Fort Lauderdale, and 

it seems as if in the span of 2 weeks it got even worse.  

So we do have to wear the mask as we leave our

 apartment, but we can take it off in the garage. 

 Could not do so in Chicago.  Crazy world.

The signs are all over the city now.  More than ever.

Now as we drove around a little yesterday in 

the city I have noticed more and more people are 

wearing their masks.  Seems like not everyone feels 

safer using them.  Do they help?  I don't know,

 I do know we also use them all the time.

Ordering take out, not the same now.  Everyone is

 masked up and I think many like it.  I hate it.

The "crap" we brought from Chicago is slowly 

"disappearing"  Not even sure where everything is, but

 at least it's packed away somewhere, and no we have not 

opened many of the boxes nor suitcases as yet.  Then we

 would really have a problem finding a spot for everything.

If you look 👀 really good you can see all the 

stuff scattered all around the living room and the

 bedroom.  That I will deal with today, and hopefully 

find where to put it all.  One can always hope 😉

Monday here again.  July is soon over.  

This pandemic is just getting started.  Life has 

sure changed and I am not liking it at all.  

Check out Arvid with his gloves.

It broke my heart seeing my parents and not 

being able to give them a hug.  We did it for their 

protection.  I hated, hated leaving and not hugging

 my mom and dad.  Horrible feeling😢, but we 

did it because it was the right thing to do.

Always hoping for better days to come.

There are more glorious days ahead, this 

should be your joy for today. Bad days always

 promise a better day tomorrow...

~Nadiya~

Busy Days ~

Stay busy.  If you keep your grind 
right, it will keep your mind right...

For some days until we get it all sorted out, 

we will be living in "chaos" again.  Our home looks

 like it has been bombed.  Unfortunately, I know the 

feeling too well.  Arvid and I are what you might 

call constant movers😬. Not sure where to put

 all the stuff we brought from Chicago.  

Yesterday morning I was awake way to early trying

 to figure out what to do and where to put stuff. 

I was very happy to see my mom and dad.  

Arvid and I surprised them with a 50" TV.  Was worth it.  

Made my mom super happy.  Arvid set it up and we all

 watched a few movies.  Was a very good time  

It was and always is very peaceful in North Carolina.

  When we got back to Fort Lauderdale we both looked at 

each other and said, "wow, this sure looks like a battlefield".

I can't help but miss them.  On the other hand very

 grateful for the time spent with them.  Short but good.  

At least I have seen my parents 3 times for this year 🙌.

  Arvid has not seen his mom since summer of last year 😢

It's already been a busy day.  Still so much to pack
away, and now Arvid is back with his Puerto Rico 👀
 fascination.  I am just waiting to see how this unfolds.



Hello Sunday.  Hope the day is as good for you and
I am sure will be for us.  We are home, so that is
 already a good thing.  No place like home.

Always gotta keep busy or the voices
 start telling me to do wild things...

~Nadiya~

Home With Sniff ~ 💙

Where we love is home.  Home that our 

feet may leave, but not our hearts 🧡🧡...

And just like that we are home again  And couldn't

 be happier. There's no place like home. I mean,

 where else can you walk around without

 pants and not break any rules 🏡

I have missed Sniff so so very much. 

 I've grown accustomed to his face ❤️💙

Love begins at home, and home we are.

Sniff has not left our side since we got home.  He missed
us as much as I missed him.  I love our Sniff 💜.

If you go anywhere, even paradise,

 you will miss your home...

~Nadiya~

Thoughts Of Branson ~

You and I have memories longer

 than the road that stretches out ahead...

Branson, MO is never far from my thoughts, and 

these past 2 weeks it was even more so.  We were so close
yet so far from Branson. I am missing it right now 😢.

 Branson kept me going in one of the most difficult times

 in my life.  Brutus died and staying busy like we did in

 Branson was the best remedy ever.  I miss it.

Sniff had a great time there.  The birds, the squirrels

 and the deers kept him happy and busy also.  He loved

 his window by my home office.  I miss it today.

I love where we are right now, but every so often 

Branson and the time we had there pops up.  The people,

 the place everything makes it unforgettable for me.

We all love a good trip down memory lane and 

yesterday was that day for me. Sometimes all it 

takes is a familiar smell or a certain taste to evoke an 

old memory, making you feel like you are back in 

time in that moment where it was created 😃.

Thank you for the memories.  I cherish all of it. 

Life brings tears, smiles, and memories. The tears dry,

 the smiles fade, but the memories last forever...

~Nadiya~

💚 North Carolina Thursday July 23rd ~

Life is not a problem to be solved 

but a reality to be experienced...

I'm so happy we are visiting my parents, even

 though with this new norm it makes for a little different 

visit.  Arvid and I have been in and out and around people. 

Always at a safe distant, and with a mask 😞. 

 Even so, for my parents' protection we are staying

 6 feet apart when its possible.  As Arvid said "it's for

 their protection more than anything this time."  How

terrible it is to be next to your loved ones ones

 and not be able to give them a big hug.

Mom and dad look good.  The have a beautiful

 home and being there is always peaceful and calming.  

Arvid and my dad did find time to go and explore a bit. 

 We had take out yesterday.  Chicken wings and pizza.  A favorite of everyone. Since this pandemic,

they have not even done takeout 🍕.

Enjoying time with mom and dad. 

 Grateful and happy always.

So very thankful.  Incredibly grateful.  Unbelievably blessed.

  Gratitude turns what you have into enough 😍😍...

~Nadiya~

Hello's From North Carolina ~ July 22nd

Enough' is a feast...❤️

We are here and we are happy to be here.  What can I say. 

 Life is good, and every opportunity I get to see my parents

 makes it even better.  Good morning everyone. 🍵

Looking forward to having a good day with my parents.
Arvid and I will be treating them to take out today.  Since
this pandemic has started, mom and dad have not done
 much.  Like many they have been hunkering down
at home.  This should be a good treat for all of us.

My dad has already pulled out the Puerto Rican Rum.
It's never too early to start when in the right company.

He is a wise man who does not grieve for the things

 which he has not, but rejoices for those which he has...

~Nadiya~

July 21st ~ Almost There

Enjoy the little things, for one day you may
 look back and realize they were the big things....

I didn't think we were going to make it to see my mom

 and dad in this trip, but we are and soon we will be

 there enjoying their company if only for a a short

 time🙈.  I am grateful and always thankful 😇. 

No matter how late we get in, I know my dad will be waiting

 patiently for Arvid so that we can all have a drink together.

We are lucky we can visit my family.  Not so lucky with 

seeing Arvid's family right now.  For now travelling to 🚗

Norway is off limits for us.  Hopefully this changes soon.

The above was our summer last year in Norway 💜💛💚

Better days are definitely coming.  For now we have to

 deal with the new norm and make the most of it.

You and I have memories longer than
 the road that stretches out ahead. Things end
 but memories last forever...🧡💜💙

~Nadiya~

Farewell For Now Chicago ~ July 21st 💜

You and I have memories longer

 than the road that stretches out ahead...

Time to bid farewell is near.  Once again we will soon be leaving. 

We have had some very good times here. 

 Memories that will last a lifetime.

Due to COVID this year was different.  For starters,

 no Blues Festival🥁 and our going to the city was 

😞delayed because of so many restrictions.  The 

below picture was last year's Blues Festival🎸.

Hopefully next year we can make it.  Chicago is 

a city we will always look forward to returning. 

We started living in this city in 2010.  Brutus was 

alive and it was also home for him.  The times we shared

 with Brutus are always vivid in my heart 💜🖤.  

No matter where we go, one thing is for sure,

 Brutus goes with us.  That is, we have a framed picture

 of him, pictured below, and that's the first picture that gets 

hung up in our apartment.  Wherever that may be 🖤.

Shadow never made it anyplace with us.  He died 

too soon, but he is never far from our hearts either. 

 Just hurts to think o how he died 💔.  Our little 

Shadow will always be a  part of our story 💙.

Yes, Chicago has beautiful beaches within the city. Blue 

waters and skyscrapers combine to make it a one of a kind.

Arvid, Brutus, Sniff and I have created beautiful

 memories everywhere we go, and we plan to continue 

doing so, wherever it is that our paths may lead us.

Chicago is magical and will always be that way.  At least for us.

Danielle has always been a part of our memories made in Chicago.

No matter what happens, some memories can never be replaced.

We have had so many good times in Chicago, and we

 will have more.  As they say, a good life is a collection of

 happy memories.  We have and continue to collect them.

To all a happy day.  Let's not forget, memory 

is a way of telling you what's important to you.

Memory is a way of holding on to the things you love,

 the things you are, the things you never want to lose.

🖤  People say that bad memories cause the most pain, 

but actually it’s the good ones that drive you insane...

~Nadiya~