First Day of Spring 2019

Hey everyone!

In case you didn't know, today is the first day of Spring in 2019. I can absolutely say that I'm super happy for Spring to finally be here with all the warming up and melting that comes with it. I have great hopes of getting out more this year with the family; especially the dogs who didn't get out too much over the Winter. Really the whole family deserves to be able to get outside more and enjoy the nice weather. I'm hoping for much more trips to the park, the beach, and perhaps we'll be able to find some time to get out on some adventures to other places as well.

Don't get me wrong, Winter is great, and the coming warmer weather wouldn't be as awesome without the long drawn-out cold to really make you miss how nice it is to be able to go outside in shorts and a t-shirt. Without this warming and cooling cycle throughout the year, I absolutely wouldn't appreciate the changes in weather as much as I do now. I do enjoy going out for walks in the cold weather when the snow is out, but now that the temperatures are rising... though I'm not looking forward to all the mud that comes with it, I'm super excited to be able to get outside with a dog or two in the evening for a walk or a run 

For me, Spring is the real beginning of the year with new growth and warm weather. I'm thinking now is a great time to start a new thing of updating my goals with each season and I'll try to give a summary of how I feel I did at the end of the season.

SPRING GOALS

Family - I want to spend more time with my family doing engaging things together. I'm getting rather tired of TV and movies, so I'm wanting to play more games together whether that's board games, video games, or outside activities.

Health - Enough is enough! Time to get into shape and be more healthy than I have been in the past. My chosen type of work often has me sitting anywhere from 4 - 12 hours on a work day, so I definitely need to be doing some sort of extra type of activities to keep myself in good health. What a great excuse to get one or both of the dogs out for a walk as often as possible. Perhaps I should also mention that I have a brand new bicycle to get a ton of use out of this year; maybe I can even work on building some muscle this year as well, wouldn't that be great?

Work - I hate to say it, but money is an important factor this season. My goal will be a little bit mixed I think. Right now I'm quite happy with my job and it definitely has a lot of potential room for making extra money and even advancing through the system, but now that I'm done with my Office Administration Certificate, I may want to start looking for a higher-grade job.

Hobbies - Other goals while I'm considering what exactly I want to do on the work front include other options such as continuing to work on this here blog and my other content production avenues which may provide a secondary stream of income in the future. Definitely a bit of a dream there, but I wouldn't mind hitting something big one day and making the best of it... though I'm not BANKING on that happening. I'll definitely continue streaming and try to get on top of taking and posting pictures more regularly whenever we do fun things. I also may use some of my time to get back into playing my violin and try to do some writing and drawing as well... I have more than enough materials to work with on all of that. Most of all, I would actually really like to start reading more books again. I have a lot of books I would love to read again and a bunch of new books I would like to start reading as well... I'll work on that.

Projects - My other goals for the season are quite simple: clean up the house, and get some things done. This sort of covers everything because I have a really bad habit of procrastinating on things, but the most important part of this area is that I finally get the house back in order not only upstairs, but also in the porch, out in the backyard, and down in the basement. Things are a mess and there are also many house projects that we've talked about that I would like to finally get done.

So there we go, there's a lot to work on. I think it may be because I'm feeling behind on many things, but that's definitely something that I know I can catch up on... as soon as I stop procrastinating on, like... everything. So with that, wish me luck and let me know about your goals for the Spring season. As always, I'm always accepting of any ideas you guys may have and love hearing from you.

~ Kyle Welykholowa

The Child Grows

Each and every day I see the child grows more and more and it absolutely fascinates me seeing it all happen.

Now for those of you who don't know, I'm a first-time parents and so if any of you already have children of your own or don't have children at all, then you may not know what I'm talking about. For everybody else out there reading this, as my dear Isabelle gets ever closer to being two years old, she's learning so much so quickly it's absolutely amazing to see.

Just yesterday I very clearly heard her saying the words "brush teeth" together even though she wouldn't say it upon request in front of Carley, BUT I KNOW SHE DID! Currently she is able to repeat almost anything said as the last word in a sentence and I think she's JUST starting reeeeeally put two words together as she says more and more words on her own without any prompting. She's got a few opposites such as up and down confused sometimes, but other than that her language seems to be right on the edge of starting to say whole phrases at one time. Just a few days ago I got her saying "Oh man". (She's really good at that one.)

I imagine life is a bit difficult for her at this time with trying to learn so many things all at one time. She's been constantly learning new language skills as well as learning to climb and colour and trying to learn to use the potty. We've also started using a consistent timeout method with her which seems to have her all rattled now that mom and dad are both on the same page with not letting her get away with things... even if mom doesn't like it so much.

At this point, with her birthday being only a little over a week away, I'm looking forward to seeing all the possible new changes that are coming over the next year to see where things go from here... hopefully with more cuddles in the future as well.


~ Kyle Welykholowa

Content Production Challenge Revision =15=

For anybody who may be following my one-year content production challenge, you may have noticed that I'm about a week behind where I should be in my challenge. My explanation? I didn't consider that I may get a little sick or that it would be so difficult to continue taking care of a growing baby and a healing fiancee after her surgery.

So I have a slight change of plan to account for this: Instead of aiming for one piece of content posted every single day, I'll be working towards having one year's worth of content as of June 5th of 2019. That means by that date, I should have 365 pieces of content posted, but not necessarily posted one per day.

So from here on out I'll continue to try to get things out there on a regular basis, but just note that it isn't the end of the world if I'm either ahead or behind on content.

~ Kyle Welykholowa

One-Year Content Production Challenge =1=

     Finally the anticipation can be put to rest and you are about to find out what it is that's going to be happening in the coming months. I've been wanting to make something good out of the content I create on my blog, YouTube, and Twitch for some time now, but something always distracts me or gets in the way. So, in the spirit of my content hero whom I watch all the time who goes by LethalFrag online, I have decided I am going to do a one-year content production challenge.

     I would love to commit to this being specifically a live-streaming challenge, but unfortunately I'm just not so sure at this point whether or not that would be possible; so instead I'm committing to content production. I will do my best to live-stream as often as possible throughout, but when I'm unable to do so, I'll at least make a blog post every day. If you're ever interested in checking everything that's been done, I'll keep a daily list with links on a page called One-Year Content Production Challenge.

     Will this be difficult to find the time to do something every day even if it's just a simple post saying "Hi" for the day? Yes, absolutely... but I need something personal to keep myself busy and really show that this hobby of mine is something important that I put a lot of effort into. I know it can be great if only I put in the real effort to do so. Have I talked to Carley about this? No... she'll be finding out about this as she reads it just like everybody else. (Sorry babe)

     Perhaps this entire idea will be a huge flop, but hey... we're in a time when finding a new job is quite difficult and I do have the time to keep up with this even if I sometimes don't think I really do. I appreciate each and every one of you who support me through this and I welcome all of your criticism on how I can make everything better in the future. Keep an eye out for daily updates on news, gaming, personal projects, reviews of movies, food, and much more.

As usual, you're all fantastic, and I hope you all have the best days ever! ^_^

~ Kyle Welykholowa

=== Happy Birthday! (A Month Ago) ===

     Alright, I know this is late, but happy birthday to my sweet Isabelle! I still find it difficult to believe that she's already been around for over a year; she still seems so itty bitty small.

     Now that I've been spending more time with her and getting to know her better, I find myself beginning to understand more of what she wants in certain situations and how to handle her in different moods. She laughs at some of the weirdest things and she turns on the waterworks at the drop of a hat for reasons I won't even pretend to understand. Soon enough she'll be talking and communicating more in a language that I'll have an easier time understanding... I hope.

     With her so close to walking, it's only a matter of time before she's getting into even more things than she's already getting into. She's cruising around the furniture like no tomorrow and every once in a while she gets brave and lets go of things and just stands there sucking on a toy or her hands. Not a single tooth has popped out of her gums yet, but she's almost walking.

     Time seems to be flying by with this tiny little girl. In no time at all she'll be past all this baby stuff and moving out of the house and I'll be wondering what I've been doing for the past 20 years. Ah well, I'll just have to try to keep up with her and we can all learn and enjoy the experience together.

~ Kyle Welykholowa

=== I've been Slacking ===

     First thing's first, I have to apologize to everybody for slacking in the past month. I haven't really posted anything for nearly a month now. Ever since the holiday preparation started, I haven't been doing much of anything useful at all. With work being so busy since there's only four of us rather than five in the office, Isabelle starting to stand up on everything, and everything else going on these days... I just haven't taken the time to post anything recently.

     So, my first New Year's resolution this year is to start talking to more people and try to actually get to know some people whom I can spend some time with either playing games or going out for coffee with. As another sort of resolution thinger... I'm wanting to put more effort into the things I want to succeed at. There are many things I want to succeed at including my blog which is why I'm making this post. You can expect to see many more posts about random life, game reviews, and current events. I'm also hoping I might be able to start doing food or movie reviews or something else.

     Here's hoping for a great new year with much to talk about. I'm looking forward to having much success at many things this year. I'm hoping you'll all join me as well on this fantastic journey and share this with all your friends.

~ Kyle Welykholowa

=== Fall Writer's Block ===

     Alright, so I've been trying for the past couple weeks to come up with something fall-related to post about. I've wanted to talk all about the pretty colours, the yummy food, and the perfect temperatures at this time of the year... but unfortunately I just can't think of enough to tell you all about.

     Around here many of the leaves go from green to yellow and then fall off right away. There are a few trees which get to orange and very few which get to red; it's a quick Fall season in these parts. One day I'd like to go travel somewhere where the Fall season would be much longer and more beautiful. I've heard there are some places in the US where things change all sorts of colours and stay that way for a long time.

     Turkey seems like it can take just as long to make as the Fall season. It's a lot of work to get cooked, but once it's done it's one of the best foods around. I know my fiancee would happily eat turkey pretty much every day if she could. I could live without turkey... as long as I had a massive supply of stuffing; that's my personal favourite. We've been working on making more interesting meals around home recently as well, which is another story of it's own.

     Besides the serious wind storms we've had recently the temperatures have been awesome as they always are at this time. We set a new record for wind speed at 130 km a couple weeks ago. And yet, it was still a pretty nice temperature outside. Luckily for me I managed to get home after work before the wind storm started up. I'm hoping everything stays like this for a little bit longer. At least long enough that Halloween night isn't too chilly.

Well anywhos, that's all for now! ^_^

~ Kyle Welykholowa

Christmas 2016

     The end of the year has passed and the beginning of a new year has begun. I don't know about you guys... but I think my Christmas was pretty amazing. Carley was trying not to give away her gift to me for so long. She was so excited about what she had gotten for me and I felt pretty bad for kind of ruining her surprise for me. I had a feeling that I knew what she had gotten me once we had gone to the store and she kept asking so many questions about Soda Streams. Obviously I asked her if she got me a Soda Stream, and her answer was no. She was actually believeable when telling me that she didn't get me one! Unfortunately for her... I noticed that she had gotten a little bit obsessed with Soda Streams, asking all sorts of questions all over facebook and looking things up about them such as whether or not you can carbonate milk. I believed her for a bit, but I still had a little bit of a feeling that I knew what she was getting me.

     As it turns out, I LOVE my Soda Stream; I like the texture of carbonated drinks. I've made a couple drinks using the specialized syrup, and I've also carbonated water flavoured with Mio. Soon I'll probably try a regular "glass" of juice just to see what that tastes like. I absolutely love what I got and couldn't be happier with my spoils of the holidays. Just for the record... anybody reading this who may be interested in getting one for themselves... the syrup for flavouring the drinks needs to be refridgerated after opening. That would have been nice to know before I opened them all and then left them all sitting out on the counter. Turns out the syrup will stop mixing properly after a while? Ah well, the good news is that more bottles are pretty cheap, so I don't think it's too much of a concern. Just something to keep in mind.

     Other things I got for Christmas include a positionable mannequin which I can use to help figure out how to draw people properly seeing as people are one of my favourite things to draw. I also got myself a set of drawing pencils (even though I don't really know how to use them properly). I also got a couple new table top games to play; one is more family friendly while the other is more for the "gamers" (which is totally cool with me... I just need to find someone to play it with).

     I had so much more fun this year with Carley's gifts though. I left her with the impression that she wasn't getting much this year by telling her that I wasn't able to spend much on her. Oh boy did I manage to give her so much more than she expected. I made her a new jar with love notes in it to tell her of things that I love about her. I got her a Wii U with some money I had saved up over the course of months of planning (she absolutely loves this new system!). And I took the time to set up an appointment for us to get a joint account together which is so much more meaningful to her than anything else. Oh yeah... I guess the dog is technically a Christmas present to both of us as well.

     Basically what I'm trying to say here is that this Christmas in our new house together was the best experience for us. I think we are both more than happy with the end of the 2016 year and are looking forward to seeing how 2017 turns out. With an upcoming child, a puppy, school, a jaw getting broken, and so much more to look forward to, this is sure to be a fantastic year!

~ Kyle Welykholowa

Where has the time gone?

     Is it just me, or does time fly by? Clearly I haven't been posting as much as I would like to be. I actually can't believe that I failed to post anything on the day we got our dear little Furgle. I guess I've been so busy that I haven't had the time to sit down for a while and type something up. It's kind of crazy that I haven't posted anything for the past three weeks. I guess it's time for an update then.

     Since my last post, we now have a sweet little puppy that we've named Furgle. He's a Shih Tzu / Cocker Spaniel mix, I believe he is now nine weeks old, and he seems to be learning quickly. He has a tiny bladder so it can be difficult to coordinate properly with the times that he needs to get him outside every time, but he's started scratching at the door to go outside and he does happily go outside to do his business when you're there to let him out.

     We have a Christmas tree with some presents underneath, some stockings on the wall, and a nice cleanish house. Obviously we try to keep it clean as much as we can, but we do get rather busy with projects and taking care of the dog. Recently we've started doing puzzles that we plan to glue together, frame, and put up on the wall.

     Besides that, I think we're both super excited for Christmas tomorrow. This year we have decided to spend Christmas day together with just the two of us. We'll open presents, probably watch a movie or two at some point, I'm sure we'll use our new presents, we're going to cook a fantastic Christmas supper together including turkey and stuffing. This year is going to be a great holiday; I'm so excited for tomorrow. 

Have a fantastic Christmas everybody! ^_^

~ Kyle

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Feeling Alright, Searching For Work

     So I haven't posted anything for a few days. I'm here now; still hanging on. I don't have much to tell other than the fact that I'm still kicking and to be honest, I'm pretty proud of that. I've been spending a good portion of my time lately job-hunting. It's a pretty big deal that I find some sort of work pretty soon. Luckily I have enough money saved up to be able to pay for another month of rent, but hopefully I won't have to wait that long until I get a reasonable job somewhere. It would certainly be nice to actually save money.

     I've been looking at quite a few things and ideas of what to do with myself. I'm pretty sure I'm going to take some time to volunteer at the Moose Jaw Humane Society so that I can get my fix of fuzzy animals until I can finally get one of my own. I've also been looking at some school courses and may have finally found something that I would enjoy doing.

     Other than that, I'm trying to continue with my blog, maybe start up some kind of Fiverr thing... who knows, I might make a couple dollars out of something. And I'm trying to find time to get to streaming when I can.

     All in all I have to say, I'm feeling alright. I'm alive and breathing. I'm unfortunately missing curling tonight because I'm so worried about looking for a job at the moment. This hasn't been the best year for curling, but that's alright. Hopefully next Winter will be more stable than this past one was and I'll be able to keep up with curling. Not only that... perhaps I'll be able to find other people interested in curling for next year.

     Well anywhos, have a great day everybody! Please come support my Twitch stream if you get the chance! Every follow helps... or even a momentary view. ^_^

~ Kyle

Happy New Year!

     It has certainly been a tough year, that's for sure. But with a new year comes a new start for everyone and everything. A new year is a time to refresh what was old and fix things that didn't work before. Now is the time to do the things I never thought I could do.

     I finished last year passing almost all of my classes in school. Honestly, I wasn't sure if I could do it before. But I was able to get through it and now I'm more confident than ever. I'm living here with Carley and I know that with the time I now have to focus on things better than before, I can get through it all. And we can do it together.

     This will be a wonderful new year. My relationship with Carley will get stronger, and I will become more confident in myself. I am going to do my best this year. Sometimes I will win. Other times I will fail. This may lead to fights and arguments... but in the end, we will be better people because of it. We learn more about one another every day.

     There are so many things I want to do with my time this year. I plan to take hold of the things I want to do. No more procrastinating. No more making excuses. This year will be my year to reach my goals!

~ Kyle

My Awesome Girlfriend.

     As you may be able to guess by the title, I have a girlfriend. We've been through a lot together in a little over a year now, and for all the things we've been through and done together, I love her so incredibly much. She tends to have troubles thinking she's beautiful enough, or smart enough, or even good enough. I can definitely say she's all of those things and more.

     She is without a doubt the most beautiful girl I have ever had the luxury of seeing. She worried about being over- or under-weight, but I don't even care. as long as I have a place beside her in my life I couldn't care if she were 90 or 300 pounds (though I know she wouldn't let herself get like that).

     She's certainly the smartest girl I've ever met. Her brain obviously works in a different way due to a mixture of ADHD and childhood traumas. Not to mention her mother's terrible choices while pregnant with her. But even with these hurdles, she managed to graduate high school ahead of time and then get a degree right after that way faster than most other people. Yeah, I would agree that she sometimes has troubles knowing what to do in certain situations. Sometimes she doesn't know how to handle certain situations. But that doesn't mean I don't love her. We all have problems of some kind. I haven't had the difficult childhood she had, and still, I'm not sure I would argue that I have better social or relationship skills than she has. We're all smart in our own way, and I value her brains in the creative and determined ways that she is smart.

     Now, due to my past relationships, I'm a pretty picky person. If someone wasn't treating me right, or if I didn't think they were worth it, I wouldn't stay with them. So when she wonders whether or not she's good enough... She is completely absolutely without a doubt good enough. I would jump in front of a train for her. Yeah, we've had our issues, but that has only made us stronger. I know that once she gets her job(s) and we're able to move in together, everything will turn out wonderful. I know you can do whatever you put your mind to my love. And I know that everything we've been through will have been worth it in the end. You my love, are more than good enough. You're my Carley.

~ Kyle