That little coded message that was passed to me at a birthday party all the way back in July 2002, was just the beginning. If you need a refresher of how it all started just go read on my Twitter account!
AFTER GRADUATION
After finishing high school, it was rough. Moving into our first apartment, going to college and finding jobs, it was a whole new world we had no idea about but super excited to get to experience together.
Not long after graduation, I ended up needing foot surgery on both of my feet, one after the other. Needing help to get taken care of, we moved back to my mom’s so that I could have my surgeries and recover! It wasn’t easy living back and home, needing help and struggling to find ourselves and our relationship as adults to move forward.
Not long after my second recovery from foot surgery, We found out we were pregnant with our first baby!!!! Excited and ready to move on with our future, we got our own apartment and started planning for Nilan Miles Kostyk!!!! This was our first HUGE milestone in our life together. Yes high school, first places to live and jobs, but this was a big one. Going through the birth process was something that brought us even closer together in our relationship. It wasn’t easy on me and he was right there by myside no matter what! Something I definitely didn’t think he had in him, but proved me wrong.
Two weeks after Nilan was born, Bobby lost his job. Unfortunately for that, we once again had to move back into my mom’s. I had a newborn and had struggled with the changes of having a new baby and my bobby home, not able to find work. This was my first real struggle. Being a new mom is hard, and they really don’t prepare you for what life is really like. No sleep, constant crying and not having a clue on what to do. Luckily, we had each other and figured our our rhythm. After months of not able to find work, Bobby was offered a job from a family friend from his past. YAY!!! Only problem? It was in Alberta Canada!!!! A totally different country, but an opportunity that we could not pass up. Bobby being Canadian could go up there and work right away, so we made plans to get up there working and Nilan and I would move up later.
MARRIAGE AND THE MOVE
After months of planning and packing, the time finally came for Bobby to come down, get married and pack up the car to move to our new home! This was the biggest and scariest decision and event we have had in our lives, but the thing we need to do most for our future. Bobby flew down, we got married with a small wedding with a couple people and then started our journey North.
We were excited to start our new life and to be together again since we had been apart for 5-6 months! Nilan had grown so much in that time and it was going to be exciting for us all to learn about a whole new place. Which we knew nothing about when moving here! Even our car wasn’t suited for the kind of weather that is in Alberta, Canada!!!
THE NEW BABY
After a couple years of getting to know our new area and expanding our new life, along came Zander William Kostyk. A new baby!! We were super happy to have a new little one on the way. How little did we know the struggles we were going to have. I found myself fighting emotions with the fact that we were all alone, away from family at such an exciting time, but would come to find that Zander had heart issues still in the womb. This wasn’t going to be a normal pregnancy. Finding ourselves needing constant monitoring and appointments throughout the whole pregnancy add the facts that once Zander was born, he would need immediate surgery. The biggest fears we have ever had in our life was now! Would he survive? How would he live if he does? There were so many unknowns and we were scared! But let me tell you this little boy is a TROOPER!!!
Bobby and I, and now as a whole family have, been through so many things and events in their young little lives. Zander spent the first 2 months of his life in a hospital before he got to go home, after having 3 surgeries on his tiny little body. Nilan has experienced having casts for 2 months, with new ones every 2 weeks to correct toe walking. We have experienced going weeks before we get to see Bobby because he was away from work. Tons of hospital visits, birthdays, holidays, visits once a year with family and having each other to enjoy what we have.
Slowly, life settled down and we were finding that our place was getting too small for us and we were ready to move onto the next chapter of our lives…. To buy our first home and the kids to start school!!!
To see the where the Kostyks are at now… Follow the link to our current adventures on my instagram page:
https://www.instagram.com/p/ChlkQTZO3bntECT6TiczsyBiP1Z0lFTIzll_sE0/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=
EXSM 3989 - Digital Storytelling Class Blog 