Author: akostyk09

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!

Who knew a secret, coded message would lead you to your true love and husband forever?? I never thought this note, would start the journey of my life!!! #EXSM3989 pic.twitter.com/i8NGKj3DjA

— Amber Kostyk (@akostyk09) August 23, 2022

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=

A great story, whether it is a book, a movie, a play or anything you can read or watch, all have a few things in common. Here are 4 principals that help create the stories you fall in love with:

1. To Be Universal

A great story needs to have a relatable story. It needs you as the watcher or the reader to feel emotions that the characters are having. To want to cry when they do and to be angry with the situation when they are. That is what draws us in to a good movie. We know what it feels like when the character is struggling. We can relate with how the main character decides about a certain situation.

2. To have a clear Structure and Purpose

Following the story spine when creating a story helps to know what is happening and when. It lays everything out so that it the story is easy to follow.

3. Simple and Focused

Every story has a message, the main point is to make sure it is simple and noticeable. What is the reader/watcher going to take away from this? How is this going to impact them once they are done? Lessons people take away from books or movies are sometimes something they keep close to them for life.

4. A Character to Root For

No matter how many books or movies you watch, there is always someone that you want to succeed. The best part of the movie is the happy ending. The character coming out on top and having all of the amazing things happening to them is what we all want out of a story. Who likes a unhappy ending?? I don’t think anyone does.

There are a ton of tips and rules of making a great story but these are ones that I have found helpful.

Finally a Trip for Summer Vacation

This summer we finally got to go on a vacation and leave our small little village we call home. Between work complications and Covid restrictions, my family hasn’t gotten to take our annual vacation in 3 years!!!

This year we decided to go camping for a week at the place my husband called home while he grew up. This Vacation had a few firsts for my husband and myself but a TON of them for my two boys. None of us have camped for a week before, we rented paddle boards for us all to try and we got to explore all new places with hiking and even seeing a bear! But this story is going to be about a 2 firsts for the kids.

Boating and Tubing

On our side of the lake, we had the campground, town amenities, lots of housing and the popular beach, so we were excited to rent a boat to be able to see the other half of the lake that we were unable to explore. The boys were pretty nervous to go on a boat since they haven’t before. One gets motion sickness so he was afraid of that, and the other was just afraid because he didn’t want to fall in the water. We rented a pontoon boat, so how fast could it really go?

Getting on the boat was the easy part. Once the boat started, now that was where we didn’t know what to expect or how they would react. My youngest was the most nervous and took a bit of time to be ok with not holding on to the edge of the boat, while my oldest had no fear at all once we started to go. They each got a turn to drive after a little bit of time relaxing, which lucky for us was not a busy lake at the time. However, they did a great job and gave them a boost of confidence. Our boat rental came with a tube which we did not expect. It made the trip even more exciting and a second first for them. We picked out a 2 seater so they could have fun together, but again, me being worried on if they will like it or if they would be scared to do it again in the future. We got them in the tube and slowly floated out to begin. With tight grips and scared faces, the boat slowly pulled away.

We started out slow so that they would just have the feel of the tube and the speed. Gradually we increased the speed without them really noticing. After some time they were having a blast and waving at everyone! They just wanted to go faster and faster!! We all enjoyed seeing their smiles and laughs as we spent time driving around the whole lake. Our time was about up to return the boat, so we pulled them in and headed back to the docks. They were a little sad that the excursion was over but as we headed back to shore, with our surprise, they told us that this was the BEST part of the trip!!

For the fun story and images, check out below….

On summer vacation and we got the chance to rent a boat and its the boys' first time on one!! Lets see how well it goes. #EXSM3989

— Amber Kostyk (@akostyk09) July 26, 2022

For my twitter story telling I used the 8 point story arc.

1. Stasis: Family with 2 kids on a summer Vacation
2. Trigger: Renting a boat for the first time
3. Quest: Going on the boat and how they will react
4. Surprise: Getting a tube we didn’t expect
5. Critical Choice: To try to tube or not
6. Climax: How are they going to do once they try it
7. Reversal: How much they enjoyed tubing
8. Resolution: The boys learned that they love to go on boats and tube on the lake

To help create and visualize the story, I added images to help show expressions and emotions that the kids were having. This helps the audience feel or see how they are reacting to each event. This huge event in our lives is something I feel is relatable to all. Maybe not the exact event that we experienced, but EVERYONE goes through having to try new things in their life. I am so happy we got to participate in this super fun activity on our Summer Vacation!!

Introduction:

From the first 15 minutes of the television show Sweet Magnolias, I was hooked! This show is about a group of three best friends who are trying to navigate life in a small town. They have their ups and downs through marriage, divorce, raising children and small town gossip. Dana Sue is a separated mom of a teenager who runs her own restaurant, Helen is a successful lawyer in their town and Maddie is a mom of 3 children going through a divorce from her husband, who slept with his assistant and is pregnant. Living in a small and a very southern lifestyle type town, you can only imagine all the gossip that goes around when you have “drama” and how fast it spreads. Along with all the adult drama and romance, the children all have intertwined feelings and emotions causing a lot of problems. These friends are there for each other for every single high and low this show offers. They have their weekly “pour it out” margarita nights to help talk, discuss and get advice on all the things they are dealing with.

Emotional/Relatable

A tip from Pixxar says that to be a great story it needs to have emotion and is relatable to the watcher. The show only has 2 seasons so far and it has made me feel a ton of mixed emotions. I moved to a different country away from my family so watching this show has made me feel that desire for the type of friendship that these women have. They are not only friends, but family! No matter what they are doing, they will drop everything to be at the other one’s side. Those type of relationships are hard to find, especially when you move somewhere else, and you want nothing more while watching this.

I also relate to this story because of the small town living. I live in a very small village and the amount of gossip that goes through the village, whether it is by mouth or by digital platforms, is ridiculously crazy! The positive outcome of so much information spreading is that information gets out, but it is also not always about the bad stuff. Amazing things happen and the residents celebrate the victories and the acknowledge all the hard work that goes on around us.

Rooting for a character

Good stories give you a character to root for and this show has many. You have your “good guys” you are hoping that everything positive happens to them and that nothing goes wrong. You want nothing but the best for Dana Sue, Helen and Maddie, but also their children even with all the drama they go through.

Inspiring

Ashley Fell in her Ted talk, says that stories need to have the 4 I’s: Interest, Instruct, Involve and Inspire. Sweet Magnolias has all of these, but I find that this show inspires the most! These three friends go through some of the hardest things that an individual can go through or as a parent can go through. That alone is inspiring to me, especially as a parent, but they also have huge life changes going on as they try to figure out what is next in their lives. I know change is hard and I enjoy seeing others come out on top no matter what comes their way!!