Missing You ~ December 22nd ~

Memory is the diary we all carry about with us..

Today is one of those days.  Nothing happened

 that I can think of, but today I am missing my Brutus

 so very much.  I would love to hold him again

Time heals the agonizing grief.  Yes it does.  

Time does not erase the ache in my heart.

Where you used to be  there is a hole in the world

 which I find myself constantly walking around

 in the daytime and falling in the night.  I

 miss you like hell Brutus. 

 You'll be the last thing I think of before I fall asleep 

and the first thing I think of when I wake up.

Sunday and it's a cold one.  Today we go to mom 

and dad's for dinner.  Nina and David are also going 

to be there.  Looking forward to that very much.  

To all a happy Sunday and may you always have 

something to be grateful for.  It's a cold start already.

Sometimes, all you can do is lie in bed, and 

hope you fall asleep before you fall apart...

~Nadiya~

Saturday December 21st~

 Time has a beautiful way of

 showing us what really matters...

Yesterday Arvid and I went to see the eagles again.  Once 

again I did not see them even though Lady (F23) was in the

 nest with her two babies.  There was a photographer there and

 he told me he has been there already for two hours.  He did see 

F23 before I got there.  She flew up on the branch above, but 

quickly flew back to the nest with the eaglets E24 and E25.

There is another photographer who paints the rocks

 and the leaves it there for anyone who would like one. 

 I of course collected mine.  I am in love with this eagle

 family, just like so many.  They brighten up so many lives.

Last night Arvid and I took a stroll downtown, 

after all it was Music Walk.  The temperature was just 

starting to drop, but what a beautiful evening it was. 

Happy people and music everywhere you turn.

As always we had a good time.  The place was 

packed and music was blasting everywhere.

It goes without saying we had to end the evening 

with our slice of pizza.  It was cold, but looking at the 

way people dressed you would have to wonder what the 

temperature was 😂  Some had jackets, others shorts.

To all a good day.  We are expecting a very cold 24-48 hours.

The best way to pay for a lovely moment is t

o enjoy it.  We pass through this world but once...

~Nadiya~

Friday December 20th~

Make a wish.  Christmas is almost here...

 The countdown to Christmas is starting.  It's not like we do 

that much, but it makes me happy, and as mentioned before 

this year is extra special because mom and dad are here.

Yesterday we visited mom and dad again. While my dad

 and Arvid had beer/cocktails; mom and I had coquito instead 

of wine.  Coquito (lit. 'little coconut') is a traditional Christmas 

drink that originated in Puerto Rico. The coconut-based alcoholic

 beverage is similar to eggnog, and is sometimes referred to as 

the Puerto Rican Eggnog.  Coquito does not contain eggs🙌

 

After visiting with mom and dad Arvid and I went out for a late 

lunch.  Mom and dad did not want to come so we went on our own.  

Another favorite place of ours.  What's most amazing is that December 

is soon over and we are sitting outdoors enjoying Florida living🌴

It was such a beautiful day that before we knew it we were 

soon one of the last to leave before the evening rush began. 

 Plus, I just can't find it in me to say no to key lime pie.

Not sure what we will do today, but it is Friday and possibilities

 are endless.  To all a very good day, and a great weekend ahead. 

 Bring on those Christmas celebrations.  Here at home the day

 is starting to looking a bit hectic.  Arvid is on the move 😂

The best thing about the future 

is that it comes one day at a time...

~Nadiya~

Thursday December 19th~

Merry everything and happy always.  

It is the Season to Sparkle...

 It's the start of another beautiful day here in Fort Myers, Florida.

  December 19th, Nina and David are on their home to Tampa 🌴

Our nephew J is heading to PR for the holidays, and soon Kimsy

 as well.  Kimsy is soon leaving to live in Paris for two years. 

 A career move.  We are all super excited for her.

Arvid and I plan on going to visit mom and dad again and 

who knows a few beers might be in the picture.  Mom and

 I usually have wine.  I'm not a wine drinker but every once in

 a while it does not hurt.  Yes, looking forward to the outing.

Nothing really exiting yesterday.  We did go for our 

afternoon walk.  Something that we both look forward 

and enjoy a lot.  Any chance to feed my lil friends and

 capture the sunset is always a welcomed pleasure.

The other day we checked out a new Cuban bakery.  Wildly

 popular Miami-based Cuban bakery opens in Fort Myers, 

coming to Cape Coral.  Let's say it is fastly becoming a favorite. 

 Mom and I love Cuban cafe con leche and there are so many

 goodies to choose from.  Can't wait for the next time. 

 Only "bad" thing is I want to get everything at once.

Vicky Bakery

Good morning and a good day to all. It's six 

more sleeps until Christmas Day, and someone 

is sure making the most of his sleeps😂

Now it's the little moments that stop me in my

 tracks, because that's what life is all about...

~Nadiya~

Wednesday December 18th~

Wednesday: it’s almost, sorta, kinda, 

close to, just about nearly the weekend…

 It's not that many days until Christmas.  I have to

 make the most of all the Christmas pictures I have taken

 before it's too late.  I love to take of the palm trees 

decorated with lights.  maybe I take too many.

So far we are having a warm week.  Loving it.  We 

complain when it's cold.  We complain when it too warm. 

 Right now no complaints from me.  The weather makes

 for pleasant walks both morning and afternoons.

The moon is still shining bright during my morning walks. 

 I started again to do a little walk in the mornings.  Nothing 

like before, but starting up is the hardest part and I hope to 

continue.  Yes my knee hurts, but I have to do something.

Yesterday I pulled out a string that belonged to Brutus.

  I finally gave it to Sniff.  For a while there I got him chasing 

the string, after that he got bored.  Sniff does not like to exert 

much energy.  He'd rather play while laying down.  I love our 

Sniff, but I will be the first to admit that he's pretty lazy.

 To all a good day.  I had an early morning walk, so now it's

 time to ice my knee.  But I do enjoy these walks especially

 when I can get a cool picture.  Today's was the neighbors

 balcony.  I am really enjoying having mom and dad here.

The best things in life don't come easy, but 

those things are the ones worth the sacrifice...

~Nadiya~

Tuesday December 17th~

Home is where my cat is.  The road to

 my heart is paved with paw prints...

 Most kitties I know enjoy playing with empty boxes. 

 They love to jump in and some love making it their hideout.  

Our Sniff is not one of those.  I would say he's mostly afraid

 of boxes so when I saw him getting close to this one I 

just had to get some pictures.  It didn't last long.  He

 sniffed around the boxes then walked away.

The other day I took a few pictures of the full moon and 

forgot to use them.  I love the moon in all its phases, and cannot

 not make a post using them.  Arvid was looking at the moon 

and he said to me, "remember those moons we saw from 

our balcony in Puerto Rico?"  How can I forget them.

Arvid and I had our afternoon walk.  Something

 we both look forward to.  As always I carry food for 

all the lil' "critters" in town.  My bag weighs close

 to a whopping 10 pounds when we go walking.

I woke up to a beautiful day.  Baby E25 came into the world.  

We now have 2 eaglets to keep us smiling and entertained.

A good day to all.  It's gonna be pretty busy keeping 

up with all the postings of our lil"eaglets, but I love it.  I

 follow them on social media and Arvid sees them on the 

news every night. We are both informed and happy.

Give every day the chance to become

 the most beautiful day of your life...

~Nadiya~

Monday December 16th~

You don't have to be great to start, 

but you have to start to be great...

 December is rapidly fading away.  So far it has 

been a good month, and I am grateful for having 

my parents here to make it an even better one.

As the new week begins it is going to be a warmer 

one than the last few.  Happy for that, it was getting 

to be too many days with cold weather.  Like I always 

point out cold weather for Floridians is different from

 what it is for others.  Makes me think of when we lived

 in Branson.  It was so cold already in December.

Lately I have been getting nostalgic when I think of 

Branson and of my wildlife friends.  It's so cold.  I miss 

my birds, deers, Grealds and all the others.  When we 

visited a few weeks ago I did not see many if any.

Here in Florida it is going to be a beautiful week 

and like I mentioned before, with warmer temperatures. 

 We have all been awaiting patiently the arrival of the the

 baby eaglets.  That is M15 and F23's lil ones.  On Friday the

 13th lil E24 entered into the world and boy is he flooding FB

 with his cuteness.  Seems we can't get enough of him/her.

If you would like to see more updates on M15, F23 and 

their family you can check them out by following this link:

SWFL Eagles - The ORIGINAL LEGACY

 OF HARRIET, M15 & HIS NEW FAMILY

For our Sunday outing we went to Doc Ford's on

 Fort Myers Beach.  The weather was perfect for sitting

🌞 outside and there was live music playing as we had 

our meal.  Pretty perfect outing.  Arvid had his shorts 

on so he was super happy.  It is December after all.

It was warm and sunny but at times a bit windy.

  We enjoyed the day and after that we went for

 a stroll.  It was a great ending to the week.

Wishing everyone a very productive week ahead.

Sometimes we can only find our true direction

 when we let the wind of change carry us...

~Nadiya~

Sunday December 14th~

The best time of your life is always the present 

moment," and "Time is the wisest counselor of all."

 Yesterday Arvid watched many soccer games.  It was

 the perfect time to go visit my mom and dad.  As always I 

came back home with a ton of food.  My mom is the best cook,

and I am sure grateful to have them here.  Not because I always

 get good foodies (a plus), but I get to spend time with them.

I had to rush and come home to made Arvid's lunch😁.  

I really wish he was better in the kitchen.  Some days

 it would be very helpful.  I make him a salad almost 

everyday, and even that he does not help with.  If ask 

him to do it, he says, "I don't need a salad today." 

The weather was a bit gloomy for most of the day, 

but by evening it sure cleared up.  Arvid turned

 on the jukebox and that was the indication that the 

mood was being set of an outing for some music.

It's been a while since we last turned on the jukebox. 

 It sure sounded good.  I love seeing Arvid in his "zone"  Music 

does that to him💙 He seems to forget everything else when

 the music is blasting, and is transported elsewhere magical.

Last night we went out for some holiday feels.  It's always 

so pretty seeing everything all lit up and people having a 

good time.  The weather was just perfect, even so we were 

bundled up.  Dress code here is whatever suits you best.

The crowd was happy and there was people everywhere. 

 I just enjoy being around happy people and seeing everyone 

having a good time.  I know it's not like this for everyone,

 but I really enjoy this time of the year very much 🎄.

Wishing everyone a happy day.  They say a person needs 

just three things to be truly happy in this world: someone

 to love, something to do, and something to hope for.

If you're not having a good time find something 

else that gives you some joy in life...

~Nadiya~

Saturday December 14th~

Embrace the new, no matter how 
uncomfortable, and make it work for you...

Yesterday started out cold and very windy.  The wind

 for hours was howling, but this being Florida by afternoon 

it was already warming up nicely.  I was so cold during the 

day that I made myself some got chocolate.  Arvid needs 

the right "ingredients" to do anything.  I don't.  If I feel

 like having hot chocolate, I have hot chocolate.

As always the weekend is filled with soccer games. 

 Arvid is already a happy man.  Sniff will watch a little 

with him, but most likely will fall asleep before the game 

even gets to half-time.   Everyone is happy.  I get to 

do something on my own without having to rush.

A little more Floridian humor coming your way.

  Floridians love making fun of the tourists, in a good 

way (mostly).  The one that says take 1-95 North 

means go back home to where you belong 😂

It's a cool as in cold start of the day, but it will be 

warming up nicely.  On days like these the sunsets 

are even more amazing.  A very good day to all.

Start your day with positive energy and happy thoughts...

~Nadiya~

Friday December 13th~

Parents aren't the people you come from. They're 

the people you want to be, when you grow up...

 Yesterday was cold and windy, but it didn't stop us from

 going to the house to do a few things.  At the same time 

we got to spend some time with my parents.  Arvid and 

my dad worked together installing some grip bars in the

 bathroom.  My dad was the helper and he was so happy.

We enjoyed a few hours with mom and dad.  Arvid and my

 dad worked, mom and I chatted.  Everyone had a good time.

When my dad got back from New York I personally 

thanked my cousins and their spouses for taking 

such good care of him.  He stayed with one of his 

nieces and after thanking her she responded:

Nad it was a pleasure taking care of your dad. It’s the

 first time we got to spend time with him one on one

 I can’t stop thinking how hard he work to help us and

 to bring us all over here he laid the foundation for my

 mom me and my future generation and being with him

 was the most precious time I have spent God bless

 and thank you all.  Love always Ayome

It's thanks to my mom and dad's generosity and kindness 

that many of their families from both sides are now living

 in the USA.  My parents have NEVER asked for any credit 

for what they did.  They looked at it as a family duty to 

help family, but I must say it is nice to know that 

their kindness does not go unnoticed by some.

There is no one like my parents.  Their generosity is 

unending.  Sometimes it goes too far, but that's them. 

I learnt from the best and for me being humble and

 grateful is something I will always be thankful for. 

 I saw how they lived and I wanted that in my life.

After we left mom and dad's home we

 came home changed into warmer clothes and 

walked downtown for lunch.  After all, it was 

Thursday and it's my day off from cooking. Plus I 

never want to miss a chance of seeing the sunset.

The best inheritance a parent can give his 

children is a few minutes of his time each day...

~Nadiya~