Wednesday August 31st ~

 I love doing life with you.  There is no one else I 

would rather build a future with.  You give me hope...

Still glowing a little from out trip to the Ozarks. 

 Sure was a good vibe and a feeling of being close to home.  

Nothing like the island vibe to cheer one up, even if it happens 

to be in the middle of the country.  The feeling is the same.

We even had a ride on the golf cart to check out the

 surroundings.  It was amazing how huge this place is.  Hope

 to get there again.  If not this summer then the next.

Here in Branson all is good.  A few "new" birds have 

been coming around.  They are tiny and bright yellow. 

 I have my very own piece of paradise right here.

On another note, we have all heard the saying that friends come 

into our lives for a reason, a season or a lifetime? Some friendships

 last, while others run their course.  I hope this setback is temporary and

 that sooner rather than later the bond we had will be there again 💚.

And just like that August comes to an end.  Sure did go by fast. 

 Looking forward to the day and to see what it holds.

When you come out of the storm you won't be the same 

person who walked in.  That's what the storm is all about...

~Nadiya~

Day Off Post ~

 Almost everything will work again if you 
unplug it for a few minutes... Including you...

From now on I will be taking a day off from my blog post.

  Maybe 2 days who knows on a regular basis.  After all there is only 

so much that happens on a daily basis that is really "new"

This now becomes my standard day off post. 

 You will be seeing the same post regularly, depending

 on how I feel that day 😂  All is well, but a day off 

recharges the brain, the mind and the body.

To all a good day and "see" you tomorrow.

Sometimes I need to go off on my own.  I'm not sad. 

 I'm not angry.  I'm recharging my batteries...

~Nadiya~

Monday August 29th ~

 Never let the fear of striking out keep you from playing the game...

Seems like we are at Almost Home quite often.  Not bad at 

all especially when it's just for "social" visits or just to help 

out with something.  The other day I was there.  I just took a few

 things for one of the tenants, and did a little socializing with

 the new office manager.  No stress, just enjoyable.

Some days I miss not going in and being all the time at AH, but 

then I remember how exhausting those three and a half months were. 

 I don't think we ever had enough hours in the day to do all that

 we had to.  Today with partners/new owners it's a breeze.

I look back and I have to say that the best thing that could

 have happened was Tiffany and Chris taking off in the middle 

of the night from AH without telling anyone, and surrendering

 back the hotel to us.  Today it's better and with the new

 Chris running it, will be even better than before.

Our week is looking good.  Few trips to AH.  Things to 

do around the house which keeps Arvid happy and busy.

  As he says, "there is always something to do."  It's a 

good thing Home depot is not that far from us.

Sniff as always is slacking off.  Catching up on

 his 16 hour a day sleep.  I have a new book I'm reading

 so happy about that.  Looking like a good day.

Good morning everyone.  May this be a productive and 

happy week for us all.  May we all accomplish many if

 not all the things we set out to do.  Happy Monday.

Excited because I finally have a dental appointment

 on September 28th.  This took some time 

😍  I miss my regular cleanings.

Life imposes things on you that you can’t control,

 but you still have the choice of how you’re 

going to live through this...

~Nadiya~

Sunday August 28th~

Time changes everything faster than we can keep track of...

Our niece Lilly Vade just started high school last week.  

Looking back I can't believe she's already a teenager 💗

 I keep saying to myself, "where did the years go by?"  I 

keep thinking of her as that little baby pictured below.

Below is Lilly Vade on her first day of kindergarten

 and on her first day of high school.  I don't see them that often.

  I just hope to make enough memories with them so that

 they can remember how much I love them all.

Yesterday was filled with soccer.  This time Arvid's 

team did really good.  So he was happy all day long.  

Truth is he's always happy.  But even more yesterday.

Today we relax, again.  More soccer.  I catch up on some 

housework, again.  Hope to also catch up on my reading and 

enjoy quiet times with Sniff and my wildlife gang.  There is a 

third Gerald aka groundhog that's been showing up for food.

Sniff has been having some busy days with the birds. 

The black birds keep coming and coming.  There is

even more of them than ever before.  It's getting more 

difficult to chase them away, but I keep trying😮.

.  In the meantime, my Daisys and Fatboys 🐦together with 

many more of the "good ones" also show up.  Overall it is always

 a good day here with so much to see.  Not bored at all 😂

Wishing everyone a good day.  Just remember,

 be happy for this moment in your life.

Happiness is when what you think, what you

 say, and what you do are in harmony...

~Nadiya~

Saturday August 27th ~

 Courage doesn't always roar.. Sometimes it's the quiet voice at
 the end of the day whispering, "I will try again tomorrow."

I seem to be saying this way to often, but where did August go? 

 How did it go by so fast?  The last few days are on us, and just

 like that, we have already been in Branson for nine months.

My calendar for September is already filling up with things to do.

  Among those things is to have a haircut.  This time I scheduled in

 advance because the last time everyone was booked.  same as 

with doctors and the dentist.  I have no clue what is going on.

Today I plan to go for a little visit to AH. We have been busy 

so I have not been there last week.  Arvid seems to go

 more often these days than I do.  Strange but true.

Not much planned.  The day is filled with soccer for Arvid. 

 I have no idea if he even has a so called break from soccer today.  

Good time to get out a little and do something on my own.

To all a good day.  Whatever you do make it your masterpiece.

People are like books: some deceive you with

 their cover and others surprise you with their content....

~Nadiya~

Friday August 26th ~

Be fearless in the pursuit of what sets your soul on fire...

Our outing to Lake of the Ozarks did not disappoint.  It was 

beautiful, one thing it did clear up for Arvid.  We cannot have

 a lake house there.  After the first day, there won't be much for 

us to do, that is unless we drank all day and sat in the sun.

From the minute we walked into our room we were smiling.  

It was beautiful and we had the exact view stated on the internet.  

What we didn't expect was for the place to be so ENORMOUS.

We saw three beautiful places.  All in the same day.  All of them 

on the lake and at each place Arvid was all excited about renting

 a cabin on the water and going back for another weekend. 

The first place we checked out was called paradise.  

Forever water/lake views.  The colors of the buildings reminded 

us of the Bahamas.  Beautiful pastel colors everywhere.  just beautiful.  

For a moment you forget you're in the mid west.  Feels as if

 you're transported to a Caribbean destination.

Water mesmerizes Arvid.  He's happiest when he can be close to it.

The second place we visited is called Coconuts.  Even 

more beautiful setting than Paradise.  During the pandemic

 thousands of people gathered here, and now I can see why.

Both pools belong to Coconuts.  This one below has a 

second floor with a DJ.  It is definitely a place one would 

go to party hard.  Lots of drinks, sunshine and water.

Coconuts is an absolute must next time.  Just the scenery is entertaining.

Arvid and I chose to stay at Margaritaville Lake Resort.  

For us this is the place of our choice.  Should we go back for a

 night or two most likely this is where we will end up again.

We've been to several Margaritaville's, this one definitely tops

them all.  It is HUMONGOUS.  Glad we didn't know beforehand

 because then Arvid may have not wanted to stay there.

Like most "hot spots," once the sun goes down the vibe/party picks up.

  Before you know it the place was packed.  The location is just excellent 🍹

  Surrounded by the lake and 2 beautiful pools. Everyone was having fun.

We had a very enjoyable day, and we were even happier 

as we were heading home.  Strange, but no matter how much

 we like a place, we look forward to coming home.

Home is where Sniff is and where we feel happiest always.

Good day to all and happy start of the weekend.  Enjoy.

Not all those who wander are lost...

~Nadiya~

Thursday August 25th ~

 Mañana, mañana, mañana... ¿te has dado cuenta 

de que hay muchos «mañanas», pero sin embargo 

solamente hay un «HOY»? Piensa en ello...

Arvid's way of telling me that today there is "no work"  

time to put away all gadgets and just enjoy life and the views.

Tomorrow there will be time enough to catch up 

and to give my impression of this mini trip. 

 For now it's hasta mañana everyone.

Si mañana fuera tu día de partida, qué harías hoy...

~Nadiya~

Wednesday August 24th ~

 The biggest adventure you can ever
 take is to live the life of your dreams...

Arvid and I continue on our exploration of nearby places.
  Next stop will take us to Osage Beach which gained international

 notoriety during the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic when on Memorial Day 

(May 25, 2020) a large crowd congregated at Lake of the Ozarks.

I have been looking forward to going to The Lake of the Ozarks 

for a very long time now.  Finally we will make it.  One thing more off

 the bucket list.  Both Arvid and I love the lakes in Missouri.  To the point 

where Arvid is debating if we should buy a house on the lake or not.

We have driven around quite a bit looking, and will do a little more 

of the same in the next couple of days.  Truth is, it is beautiful but it 

is also too far from Branson.  If we ever did go for a lake house 

it would be in Branson.  After all, it is where our hotel is.

Today we will be on a mini vacation.  Heading to Margaritaville on Lake 

of the Ozarks.  I am super excited to check it out and to see if it lives up to

 our expectations.  It sure looks beautiful in pictures.  Everything does 😂

The room we have should have a spectacular lake view. 

 That is what we were told and this is what the picture of 

"our" room should look like.  A room with a view.

Hopefully Arvid will not want to sit and contemplate 

the view all night long.  I want to explore and sample a

 little of The Ozarks.  Sniff is home alone today 💚

It is never too early to begin a bucket list, don't

 wait for that someday that may never come,,,

~Nadiya~

Thinking of Mom and Dad~ August 23rd

You’ll never want to look back and wish you had
 said something when you had the chance... 

Thinking of my mom right now.  She is the glue that 

keeps our family together.  Every morning without fail we get

 a message, ok on group text.  She's the first one to "appear" there 

most days with her good morning and wishing us a happy day. 

 Never fails and the day we don't see that text from her all 

five of us, her five daughters panic.  Sounds silly but we do. 

 My mom is consistent, so not saying her good mornings is reason 

to panic.  We think so 💙💗 She brings us all tog💚ether.

Summertime mom and dad are happiest when taking 

care of their garden.  After we all chat a little on group text my

 mom would say, "bye now going to check out my plants."

My parents are getting older, we all are and time is going by so fast. 

 I really wish I could see them a little more often that we do, and yes

 I am fortunate because I still have my parents whereas many don't.  

For that reason alone, I never take a day with them for granted.

Good morning everyone, just take a moment to say thank you for 

all the blessings you have in your life.  You may not realize it,

 but the fact that you woke up is good enough reason.

Sometimes you can never get back what you took for granted....

~Nadiya~

Monday August 22nd ~

It doesn't matter what your present circumstances look like, 

today is a brand-new day. Each new day brings new hope... 

This looks says it all.  Do not disturb.  I need a little

 more time to catch up on some sleep.  The birds have been 

keeping me way too busy, and that's not gonna cut it.

Good morning everyone.  As the new week begins 
we all have many goals we set unto ourselves.  Maybe-most 

likely we don't/won't always achieve all of them, but what

 we can do is  give it our best shot; that is what matters. 

 It may not happen today. but that does not mean

 we give up.  We keep on until we accomplish what

 we set out to do.  This can take some time.

Today is a new day. Even if you were 

wrong yesterday, you can get it right today...

~Nadiya~