Happy 2015 everybody!

And yes, I know that yet again I am late to the party...but I'm hoping to change that this year, seeing as I made a resolution to try and get back to my pre-2013 life.

And no, I didn't sell my children for cheese and Nicole didn't run off with that Go-Go's tribute band which is currently travelling Amsterdam on their 2015 'We Got The Beat' tour.

No, I just did a lot of thinking over my annual Christmas vacation to the parent's, which luckily this year was mainly focused on two centre-of-attention grabbing sprouts who are screaming towards their second birthdays and will be loosing all that cute infant charm and delving into the Satan-approved era of the terrible twos.

Which makes me think that selling them for a wheel of brie might not be such a bad idea....Perhaps haggle for one of those sampler wheels with a dozen different type of cheese wedges in one easy-to-carry container. I would be a great hit and all the upcoming cheese and wine events throughout the country.

But anyways, before I start going off on a lot of ramblings, back to my original thought. I had a few nights to myself and was reviewing my activity for everything outside of work and family and found it extremely pitiful.

Aside from photography, I submitted exactly one story in all of 2014. Absolutely horrific.

And I had plenty of ideas...just no time to develop them. And that really bugs me.

So, now that I am pretty well settled in, getting adjusted to the whole family thing and discovering exactly how much I hate my job.

Its not all bad...I just...was expecting more...when you go from navigating the wilds of Alaska to traveling the same triangle of routes without the thrill of blinding snow, ice and water landings, and going into remote locations, something inside of you dies.

So yeah. Home life. Great! Fatherhood. Great. Turning thirty this weekend.....I can deal with that. Job. Hate. And lack of writing. Hate.

But while on vacation I actually opened up my laptop and did something I haven't done in months. I sat there and wrote all night. It felt so good to be creating again. Such a feeling of accomplishment. I got twenty-seven or eight pages into one story that I need to come up with an ending to and finished the first Chapter on a story series I've been wanting to write for the last six years. A continuation of the series "Turn To Stone", which I've struggled with for years to come up with a storyline and feel like I finally have it right.

So perhaps a year off and away from writing was something I needed. I hated not publishing anything and hated not being active here in the community even more, but I know I grew a greater respect and love for my mediocre talent as a hack writer, and I actually have that flame inside of me to create again. So for 2015, I want to make it more like pre-2013....with lots of silliness and stories and just me being the best Adrik Wolf I can be.

Plus, Savannah Maria and Phillip Connor winning the 143rd annual Westminster Twins Show in New York this past weekend makes me feel even happier and absolute excited to share the news! Here is a copy of the article from The New York Times:

NEW YORK—Savannah Maria and Phillip Connor Wolf, twin siblings from Lafayette, Louisiana, beat out 4,600 top contenders from around the country Sunday to win best in show at the 143rd annual Westminster Twins Show.

Standing in the winners circle before a sold-out crowd at Madison Square Garden, the Wolf twins impressed judges and fans alike with their combined even temperament and self-assured attitudes. Handler and father Adrik Wolf said he was not at all surprised by the outcome, describing the young siblings as the most well-rounded pair he has seen in 15 years of training twins.

"We knew we had world-class show twins on our hands from the time they were born," Adrik said after rewarding both Savannah Maria and Phillip Connor with some Gerber strained peaches. "I've worked with Alaskan bred twins extensively, and they tend to be very skittish and shy—especially those from Denali-region stock. But not my two. They've always been obedient, polite, and totally confident."

"None of the other twins out there even came close to them," Adrik continued. "Not even those gorgeous Afghan longhaired twin girls. They put up a good battle, though."

According to a citation issued by the judging panel, Savannah and Phillip excelled in every standard for twins in the fraternal category, achieving a flawless, even walk while being led around the show ring. Additionally, both siblings received top marks for their glossy, healthy-looking heads of hair and perfectly pressed and matching onesies.

"With Alaskan breeds, what the judges are really looking for is bone structure and lots of personality," Westminster show chairman Timothy Slayton said. "Phillip Connor won his group largely thanks to his prominent cheeks and clean jaw. You could just tell from the moment he started running on his own across the floor that this boy was going to be a real crowd favourite."

Sources said that the Wolf twin's victory is especially notable because it marks only the fourth time in the event's history that a male/female pair of Alaskan lineage has taken top honours. Purebreds from the lower 48 have been the perennial victors, and bigger breeds from the working-twin group—those traditionally used on farms and as golf caddies—have won the past six Westminster shows.

Perhaps most surprising to twin aficionados was the judges' decision to award second place to Anthony and Adam Kessler, a pair of 6-year-old twins from the Husky twin group, a category of siblings lauded for the entertainment they provide but seldom taken seriously in competition.

"Everyone loves the Husky twins, but they're still viewed as something of a novelty," show organiser Shelly Winthrop said of the soft, somewhat clumsy breed often referred to as the clowns of the twin world. "With their rounded flanks and drooping hindquarters, they tend to breathe heavily while gaiting, which works against them during judging. Hopefully Anthony and Adam's showing here today will help these special group of twins get more positive recognition."

"After all, Husky twins are quickly becoming the most common type of twins in the country," Winthrop added.

This year's Westminster Twins Show also had its less-than-triumphant moments, however. Ricky, a 10-year-old from the Bully group, reportedly bit a judge while having his teeth inspected, and Rachel, his identical twin sister, a favourite to win the Pigtails and Posies group, stained her short-pants suit when she grew nervous and urinated midway through her trot around the ring.

Still, longtime show-twin fans said the 2015 edition included some of the strongest competitors in recent memory.

"This is my fifth time coming, and the twins this year were simply breathtaking," spectator Tanya Poole said. "So frisky and full of life, and just immaculately groomed. It didn't matter if they were fraternal, identical, or even Unusual, you could somehow tell they were having the time of their lives."

Echoing the sentiments of many others, Poole added that she couldn't wait to get home to see her own twins, Jeffrey and Allison, and let them out of their crates.

Yep. So there you are! My off-spring are already making a name for themselves on the Twin Show Circuit. Thank goodness we're back home so I can work on getting them prepped and groomed and trained for the upcoming National Twin Show in Philadelphia. I didn't build that trophy case for nothing!

Yeah. That's enough weirdness for now...

Until next time...All my love!

~Adrik