Friday June 30th~

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

 Definitely looking forward to going back home to Fort Myers, Florida. 

 The months are whizzing by and before we know it, October is her 

and homewards bound we go. Fridays downtown Fort Myers is 

something both Arvid and I enjoyed very much, and 

we can't wait to get back and "live" again.

Back home we just walk to everything, and that is part of the 

charm of living downtown.  Here in Branson we also have The Landing, 

which we really like, but lately it has been difficult to get there.  

Work is taking keeping us really busy and most of the work is physical, 

and always running from one place to another.  Keeps you in shape,

 and by the end of the day all you want to do is NOTHING 😂

My leg is really becoming problematic.  I do not think I have ever

 had this much pain.  It irritates me because I have so much to do and 

no time for this.  I still do everything, but slower, and that irritates 

me even more.  I'm not a patient person, least of all with myself.

Good day to all.  The weekend vibe is around the corner, loving it, 

even though I will be working it.  On a different note, the doctor in the 

emergency room asked me if I was using a can or a walker to ease

 some of the pain.  I looked at him and just said, "I'm sure that's next"

If life were predictable it would cease to be life, and be without flavor...

~Nadiya~

Thursday June 29th~

You will face many defeats in life, 

but never let yourself be defeated...

 It's been almost three weeks now that I am living 

with excruciating knee pain.  It all began with the sound 

of a pop, and before you knew it I was down.  Hurt like 

hell, but nothing compares to how it hurts right now.

After weeks of unbearable pain, I finally decided it was 

time to get it checked out.  I really thought I was having

 a mayor blood clot.  My leg all the way from the knee

 down has no circulation and feels like lead.  Yes, its 

heavy and nothing helps with the pain.

I have to work at Almost Home. I am up and down 

the steps several times a day, and yes during it all my knee 

is swollen and every so often it pops and I go half way down, 

but I have to work and no matter how much my knee

 hurts, there is nothing I can do right now.

I finally gave in and went to the emergency room. 

 I woke up at 4 in the morning just so that I can be

 done in time to get to work for 9am.  After X-rays and

 an ultrasound, I found out I had no blood clot.  That was 

definitely good news, but the pain has not gone away.  

In fact today it hurts in a VERY, VERY bad way.

The X-rays showed that I have a pretty huge cyst in the 

back of my knee.  The remedy is draining the cyst or getting 

a cortisone shot.  The reality is that I have not had time as

 yet to even call and make an appointment.  Today I will 

definitely try because the pain is pretty unbearable.

I don't have the luxury right now to not show up 

at Almost Home.  Our goal is to get it up and running 

and in there, I do not have the time to be "sick"

To all a good day.  Let's hope your day is better than the

 ones I have been having most of this month.  Time to take

 a bunch of Tylenols and hope I get a little relief, because

 today is going to be another busy day at Almost Home.

It might sound obvious but ups and downs of life are just part of life...

~Nadiya~

Tuesday June 27th~

Sometimes it feels like my life is just one long day...

 June is soon over, and we could not be any happier

 about that🙌.  For us it has been a LONG month.  Going 

back and working at Almost Home has not been that easy this 

time around.  We still do what we have to, but boy our body sure 

aches at the end of the day. Age is catching up on all of us😂

Food has a way of making me forget about my

 long days, about the body aches and everything else,

 at least for a little.  Those outings we have together 

always relaxed us and recharges us.  Just thinking 

about food and I am already smiling.  Happy

The next time I am bored and I want a job, I will

 think of this past month, and who knows maybe then my

 desire to have a job won't be so great, although I doubt it.

Just the knowledge that a good book is waiting one

 at the end of a long day makes that day happier...

~Nadiya~

Monday Again ~

The light at the end of the tunnel is well

 worth the journey it took to get there...

As the new week begins I am ready to tackle it and make

 it an amazing one.  Arvid and I have a goal in mind and we are

 working very hard to make sure we do not have to take back 

Almost Home Lodge.  If this means I work seven days a 

week, then so be it.  I am visualizing the end line.

I feel as if I am neglecting Sniff even though I give him brushing,

 playtime and lots of love when we get home in the evenings.  

I love him so much that I am already stressing about him 

being alone, and I am already missing him so very much.

I have great expectations for this week and I will be doing my best 

to make it happen.  Good morning and a good day/week to all.

If you need something to believe in, start with yourself...

~Nadiya~

Sunday ~

Sleep did not honor me with its presence...

 Sniff seeks the sun wherever it may be.  He has specific 

spots everyday and makes the most of the sunshine in each

 of them.  Everyday he does the same thing.  Today I want to

 be just like Sniff.  I just want to let the sun warm me up and 

do nothing else.  That right now sound like a perfect day.

Sniff knows how and where to find his sunshine and

 boy doe he find it.  Today should be our relaxing day.  Let's

 see how that goes 😂 Lately it's been a hit or miss so far.

Today I am going in for a few hours to being training

 the new office manager at Almost Home.  A good day to all

I feel like I am already tired tomorrow...

~Nadiya~

Saturday June 24th ~

There are no shortcuts to any place worth going...

A short day at work today.  Happy about that, and hopefully

 nothing "unexpected" happens, but on the other hand just about

 everything that happens has a touch of the "unexpected"

Yesterday was a long day, but it was productive and a lot 

was accomplished.  Arvid and I expect the people working for us

 to be as hard working as we are.  I think we expect too much.  

Lately my patience level has been almost non existent.

  Today I had to tell the maintenance man that he spends too 

much time talking and doing absolutely NOTHING!

When Arvid and I work we just work with no breaks an 

stopping in between.  We both even forget to drink something

 during the day.  We don't expect anyone else to work this way, 

well maybe I do, but that will never happen.  Unless people

 are told what needs to be done NOTHING gets done.

We are back to fully running Almost Home.  

That I don't mind, for now because as long as it's not 

permanent we will both do and give everything we

 have to bring it up back to the way we had it.

Saturday.  Definitely hoping it will be a short day.

  Good day to all and may your day be peaceful and relaxing.

  As they say, either you run the day or the day runs you.

 

It's not the size of the dog in the fight,

 but the size of the fight in the dog...

~Nadiya~

Friday June 23rd~

Do the hard jobs first. The easy jobs will take care of themselves...

 Morning is here and I am recharging for another long

 day ahead of us.  Ever since we got here at Almost Home many 

changes have taken place.  One always hopes for the best.

We have already hired a new maintenance man and we are in 

the process of doing the same for the front desk/office manager.  

This is our third Friday at Almost Home.  The last two 

we were just too tired to do much more than come home, 

shower, watch some TV, sleep and get ready to do the same the 

next day.  Nothing is different today, but we always say, "today 

we will definitely do something.  Just the two of us."

Arvid and I really enjoy quiet time alone with each other and

 after a week of hearing people talking and listening to everyone's

 clash of  personalities we look forward to being all alone. 

A good day to all.   I remember when the weekends were 

approaching how excited I was to see what it holds.  Today

 I am still looking forward to it, but we also work some of it.

The best preparation for good work

 tomorrow is to do good work today...

~Nadiya~

Thursday June 22nd~

 If you aim for nothing, you will hit it every time...

Even though we go in to work everyday, I still manage

 to make lunch so that we can eat at home.  I start early

 in the mornings and finish it up when we get home

 for lunch.   I have a window of half an hour if so

 long to finish up lunch.  We're both hungry 😂.  

Today I have not made anything for lunch.  We plan on

 checking out a place recommended by one of our tenants. 

 The grilled cheese sandwich is supposed to be amazing, and I

 plan on trying it, that is if we don't change our minds and 

go elsewhere.  At least today I don't cook.  Nice break.

The days are beautiful.  Weather is great and lately

 we have been running from one hotel to another. 

 Arvid and I are also part owners of a second

 hotel here in Branson.  Called the View.  

It a very distinctive building.  Very hard to miss. 

 It's really cute and looks like a castle.

My "baby" is and will always be Almost Home, but I am

 wanting to run it on a daily basis.  For now whatever needs to be 

done we are helping with.  Sniff is getting a little neglected.  He still 

gets brushing and playtime, but now everything is more rushed.

A long day awaits us again, but the end result is worth it. 

 My day always begins on a beautiful note. 

If you don't build your dream,

 someone will hire you to build theirs...

~Nadiya~

Wednesday June 21st~

One part at a time, one day at a time, we 

can accomplish any goal we set for ourselves...

 Age is definitely catching up on me because I come home 

drained from Almost Home.  I know it's not all physical.  Most

 of it is mental stress for Arvid and I.  There is so many things

 going through our minds right now, it sure ain't funny.

While Arvid deals with getting the actual building 

and the maintenance back to what it was, I deal with the

 tenants and payments.  What's missing are guidelines, which

 we have been implementing daily together with Kurt.

Halfway through the week. but I feel as if we have been

 put through the wringer, but we are definitely seeing our efforts

 have not been in vain.  Always a good feeling and it makes 

each day a challenge to see how much can be accomplished,

 and if it can't then there is always tomorrow.  But we try for 

as much as we can in one day.  Some days are harder.

I look forward to the early evenings when I get to spend

 more time with my deer friends.  Mornings are now rushed,

 but evenings I have a tad bit more time to "talk" to them.

The only limit to the height of your achievements is the

 reach of your dreams and your willingness to work for them...

~Nadiya~

Tuesday June 20th~

A recipe has no soul.  You, as the cook,

 must bring soul to the recipe...

 On Sunday we were invited to a Bavarian restaurant

 in Eureka Springs, Arkansas.  We were 7 and this turned out to 

be one very pleasant evening.  The food just kept coming.  I even 

had sauerkraut soup, and I have to say it was not bad at all.

We started with an appetizer that was different from any I

 have ever had, and that was also delicious.  Between

 the soup and appetizer I was was already full.

The main course was a selection of duck, which I have to say

 was super moist and tender. Steak Madagascar, of course I had this

 and was delicious.  Arvid decided to go with the jager schnitzel. 

 Everything was super delicious.  Company was excellent.

Dinner was later than what we are used to, but well worth it. 

  The drive to get to the restaurant was a little over an hour, 

but also well worth it because we sure had a very good time.

Sniff is already in his spot.  Today will be another good day

 for bird watching and a few catnaps in between.  He's a happy boy. 

 There is nothing in the world that good food cannot fix...

~Nadiya~

Monday June 19th New Week ~

There are still many causes worth sacrificing

 for, so much history yet to be made...

 Today is a Federal Holiday here in the USA, called Juneteenth 

commemorating the emancipation of enslaved African Americans. 

 This is a fairly new holiday so not very well know as yet.

Aside from more work, nothing else is new here.  Still 

working at Almost Home trying to get things back in order.  We have

 long days with no pay 😂but we have the satisfaction of knowing

 things will run well again when we are no longer in Branson.

No matter how busy our day is, Sniff never misses out 

on playtime, brushing and a loving.  He's my happy place

 and for him nothing is ever too much.  I love my Sniff.

In case you need a reminder, in life there are no set rules.

Good morning and a great week to all.  Setting goals is 

the first step in turning the invisible into the visible.

Extraordinary things are always hiding 

in places people never think to look...

~Nadiya~

Sunday June 18th ~

It's the little things that make life big...

 Looking forward to an entire day at home

 with Sniff.  Just like the good ol' days 😂

Getting ready for the week ahead.  My wildlife is well stocked for now.
  Have to do a Walmart run later today and stock up on sweet potatoes and

 carrots for the groundhogs.  This Chewy delivery had nothing Sniff.

Yesterday my little friend ate his foodies and decided to just relax for a little. 

 I chatted with him and he/she just looked at me with those big beautiful eyes.

Looking forward to a relaxing Sunday at home.  Today we 

have been invited to a Bavarian restaurant.  Looking forward 

to that.  Happy day to all and enjoy it to the fullest.

When you go through something, you learn to

 appreciate little things – the birds, trees, flowers🦌...

~Nadiya~

Saturday June 17th~

Either you run the day or the day runs you...

 Officially the weekend has begun, for us it's another work day. 

 We can be "found" at Almost Home Lodge.  Hopefully this will 

not be a very long day, but somehow I think I am mistaken.

As we continue to "slave" away 😂Sniff continues to live

 his best life.  After all, that's how it should be right?

This week has been a long one, and it's not yet over 😮

Good day to all and for many here in the good ol' USA, 

this is a 3 day weekend.  Enjoy, relax and have some

 fun while many of us have to go to work 😂

Someday is not a day of the week...

~Nadiya~