Finding Krista

I've learned that I can still share parts of myself that I thought were off limits. I've learned that writing helps me immensely. I've learned that I've got some pretty talented friends who also write blogs! I've learned that I'm probably a bit narcissistic because I kind of love talking about myself :) I've learned that the creative process definitely takes time, and a lot more when you're out of practice! This has been fun...I don't know that I will continue to be a daily blogger, but I will be at least once a week on my other blog (Stuck In the Clouds, in case you're wondering!). There are other writing challenges to be tackled though and I am sure I will find one of those so I can continue rather than just ramble about randomness.

I hate this picture. I look so fat in it. Not that I didn't know I wasn't skinny, but my face and arms look so big. I have extra chin, which isn't cute when you have no neck like I do. This was Christmas 2009. 2009 was not a good year for Krista. It was emotionally draining, and a lot of trying to figure myself out and where I wanted to go in my life. This was the year I was truly alone. Despite the yo-yo that my ex was trying to keep me on, towards the end of the year I was really ready to move on and make the best life I could. By the end of 2009, I'd recently met the rebound guy, and things were starting to turn around. Enter Christmas, 2010. While I am still not the size I want to be, I am working my way down. The great thing is in this picture, you can see by my face alone how much is gone. And I have some nice curves developing again. 2010 was the year of Krista. The year I finally made life what it should have been all along. I had been living with my grandpare

So why did I even start this thing again? I think I explained this in my first post, but I'll reiterate it. I used to write a lot, for fun. Now it seems all I do is write for work, and while I can sometimes be creative there, it's still somewhat restrictive in the way I have to word things to comply with statutes and caselaw and rules of civil procedure. And I find when I am at work, I do better with the structure as opposed to creative license. A very good friend of mine is a writer, and he inspired me to consider writing again. Not specifically this challenge, but I started to write essays to myself, which I'll probably never share. But then, after Geoff and I got together I realized there were going to be a lot of lonely nights. So when I saw a few friends on Facebook post that they were doing the challenge, I thought why not? It's great creative exercise, and it's turned into something even better! Now I'm part of a blogging project with 6 other women and it

This one seems kind of like it's asking for trouble here... Good thing I only have good things to say!! I know, I know, I keep going back to the rough couple of years I had but I won't ever be able to explain how much my friends helped me get through it. Every single one contributed to getting me back on my feet again and helping me learn how to be happy again. My best friends are amazing women. But I've already blogged about them...So I'll mention a few extra people and why I adore them. My friend Alberto, sort of like the big brother I never had, can come off as a bit intimidating but I can't ever thank him enough for the male perspective he's shared with me over these many years we've known one another. I met him in our Into to Paralegalism class, in which he mostly slept while I took copious amounts of notes. He made a comment in class one day (a rare occasion that he was awake) about being in a band, and I (in a very out of character moment for

Wow - I can't believe how close to being over this challenge actually is... So what's in my bag? Always my wallet, stuffed with everything I need to survive, including my passport. Usually random receipts from some shopping adventure or another. Lip gloss (Strawberry Lip Smackers). And a pen if neeeded. Usually my camera but if I am leaving the house, then definitely my phone. Keys, can't forget those! Gum, pretty much always. I have a small obsession with having gum in my purse just in case. And I still keep a Hot Wheel in there on the weekends in the event I am out somewhere with my son and he need to be amused for a minute. Although, I do need a new purse soon...anyone having a purse party?

This one could get rough. It takes a long time to realize that your parents are just people too. They're not infallible. They don't have all the answers, even though as children, we expect they know everything. As much as we can try to blame them for the way we are, we have to recognize that they are the way they are because some one shaped them that way too. To my mom, I'm glad we're closer now that we've ever been. I've never thought of you as that day to day mom that made dinner and kept the home running smoothly. You're not that kind of woman. When things fall apart, you are the one I will turn to. You are the crisis queen. You listen and don't judge and help put things into perspective. We had some very rough years when I was younger, but I've come to really understand why and in reality, those things shaped me into becoming the stronger than I think I am woman that I am today. I think we've clashed because we were simply too similar for our

Top three things that I crave - because I can't limit myself to just one thing! A Russelrita...So yummy. And dangerous, sweet so you don't feel like you are drinking anything, then all of the sudden you are bare handed grabbing snow and throwing it at people! More time with this guy. Sleeping on the recliner or not. Just more time, and much less distance. Miss him ridiculously every day. Cupcakes! All kinds, all frosting flavors, just cupcakes. I make some really awesome ones, but sometimes I just want to enjoy some one else doing the work! This one is short because I am in a crabby mood today. Just found out that I'm not getting #2 as soon as I had anticipated, so I may replace that with a huge bottle of wine instead.

This one is pretty difficult... For the most part, I'm a pretty conventional person. I've had my share of hard times that I've overcome, and I've had my normal boring everyday life. That seems pretty much like everyone else that I've ever met. So what makes me different from everyone else? I don't really know. I think I'll just relate an experience I've had that actually isn't too typical. When my son was born, I was working for a solo practicioner attorney. He was tired of the struggle though, and let me know he had applied for a position as an attorney for the Department of Children and Families. However, they always took forever to approve of hirings so we both though there was plenty of time to work his current caseload before I had to worry about finding anther position. When I went into labor four weeks early, after I called my boss to let him know I had a very good excuse as to why I would not be showing up for work on Monday, he told me that

There are lots and lots of things that make me happy, but ironically, my blogging group that I am working with will be doing a 10 things we love post next week, so I don't want to blow it all here. Obviously, my son makes me happy, as does my relationship with Geoff, so I'm going to go with something totally materialistic here... "I always say shopping is cheaper than a psychiatrist." - Tammy Faye Bakker Hello, my name is Krista and I am a shopaholic. There is no endorphin rush quite like going to a store, finding something that would be perfect for (insert name of any person I know and love) and then realizing it is on major clearance! You see, I am not a willy nilly shopper, I am a bargain hunter. This allows me to really go overboard and get people (and myself) some really nice stuff without breaking my budget. I learned this skill from my mother, who taught my sister and I how to shop properly. We can go all day long and only stop for minor breaks for food and dri

For years, I've said my future husband will be John Cusack. I love him. Lloyd Dobler ruined all men for me for the rest of my life. You can't tell me you weren't in love the moment you saw him standing outside Ione Sky's window with the boombox playing "In Your Eyes" by Peter Gabriel. And if not, then you're too young and you must remedy this by watching Say Anything immediately. In all actuality - the person I plan on spending the rest of my life with is Geoff. Geoff has been my best friend for years and years. We met when I was very young, just an 18 year old with other plans and an intense dislike of him before we even met. I admit it - I broke the girl code by falling in love with my friend's ex. I wasn't supposed to even like him, and I did hate him on principle. But one fateful trip to New Hampshire to visit my friend and everything changed. I can't explain why things happened the way they did, but for whatever reason, we ended up togeth

Nicknames...oh how I love these...(insert the 90's NOT) I actually have quite a few, which seems silly since my name is pretty basic: Krista. Not much you can do to ruin that one right? Right? We'll start with the high school one since it's the username I use to this day simply due to a lack of creativity for something else to identify myself as - blankita. That's a very mis-spelled spanish version of "little white girl", because well, that's what I am. My closest friends growing up were hispanic and I loved the hispanic culture...good lord, I even pro-created with a Puerto Rican man. It fit well when we were in school and I've used it ever since. I have a few nicknames at work, one is KDH, which is just my initials. At work, the software system we use logs us in as our initials only and one of my co-workers calls us all by our initials only. The other one, which is what my office manager introduces me as to every single person is Kristar. Yup, Kristar

My suggested list says to write about my plans, dreams, and goals but I sort of already did that when I wrote the short term goals list...since all of those led to long term goals of mine. Therefore, jumping out of turn once again and writing about a topic on another person's 30 day challenge list (a little out of order)... So this is the last thing I bought this past weekend, besides groceries but really no one wants to see the lunchables and yogurt and bottled water I picked up. Isn't it cute? It's a strawberry cake platter and server I got on major clearance at Pier One. $6.00 to be exact. I know I've mentioned the lack of cooking skills, but my friends, I am excellent at baking and this will be great to showcase next time I bake a cake!

Hmmm....who would I want to switch lives with for a day and why... This is a hard one, because although it isn't perfect, I love my life. I've gained independence, I have a great kid, and I'm in love with an amazing man. The only thing I am truly lacking is millions of dollars to enjoy it all even more with! It would be petty of me to say I want to switch lives with my ex's new girlfriend so I can dump him and make his life miserable...So I won't do that. Actually, I would never want to do that because then I would have to be around him, and I kind of like it the way things are now. And if I chose some one famous and rich, then I would have all of their problems, and I don't kid myself into thinking they don't have issues even worse than I do. It might be fun to switch with my son for a day, just so I could be universally spoiled and adored, but then I'd have to go back to elementary school and deal with Mom telling me to clean my room and pick up after

Another picture of me...well, I'm picking this one because, seriously, I think I look pretty hot in this picture! I don't tend to like pictures of myself but this one I do. Since I've already talked about random pieces of me, I'll just blog about the day this picture was taken. June 19, 2010 - VLB Family Picnic day. Our office does tons of really cool and fun stuff for us, but last year they decided to do a family picnic for the employees and their families to get together. They chose Rotary Park in Rockledge, because there was a big pavillion and access to the river for water sports and fun. And it was an amazing day. Geoff was coming down the following weekend but I remember texting him how much I wished he had been down for that because it was such a blast. There was a bouncy house for the kids and we had cornhole boards set up for people to play. Several employees and my boss brought down their boats and jet skis and took people for rides. One of the partners of the

Today's topic - place your ipod (or whatever music player you have) on shuffle and list the first 10 songs it plays. Should be fun - I've got a good mix of stuff on it right now... And as I am enjoying a day off with my son, today should be an awesome day!! 1. Adele - Rolling in the Deep: I love this woman's voice...so much soul. I feel every word she sings. 2. Avett Brothers - The Ballad of Love and Hate: "Love has been waiting, patient and kind. Just wanting a phone call or some kind of sign,That the one that she cares for, who's out of his mind, Will make it back safe to her arms/ Hate stumbles forward and leans in the door. Weary head hung, eyes to the floor. He says "Love, I'm sorry", and she says, 'What for? I'm yours and that's it, Whatever. I should not have been gone for so long. I'm yours and that's it, forever. You're mine and that's it, forever'." One of the first songs I ever heard by this band - love

I'm from a big family, but my picture is my own immediate world...Me and my son. I've just blogged about my boy, so I won't give a lot of details but I will do a generic discussion about my family. We're a big family. My mom is one of four girls, and I am the oldest of six (through a blended mix). My dad was one of three but it's more extended family on his side because one of his brothers passed away when he was a teenager and the other has never had children. My paternal grandmother was one of 8 and my paternal grandfather was one of 12. I don't know many of the great aunts and uncles, etc. on my maternal side but my maternal grandmother wasn't an only child either, so there are more family members. Two of my aunts have three kids, and one of my aunts has four. I have a ton of extended cousins and whatnot mostly in Kentucky and Indiana. Three of my sisters also have children so I have one niece and three nephews. One of my cousins also has four ki

(This blog is supposed to be a letter to a person who has hurt me recently, but the nice thing is that I haven't been hurt by anyone recently, so this isn't directed to a person) This is a picture of my Papaw, my son, my niece and my brother from last Easter (yes, my brother is holding a purse being funny because he used it to hunt easter eggs...I don't claim my brother is super cool or anything). Dear Alzheimers, You've stolen my grandfather from me, and I hate you. My Papaw is gone. There's a person who looks like him and sort of sounds like him when he can make intelligible sounds but my Papaw isn't there. And it's all your fault. It's not fair for you to take away the greatest man I've ever known and turn him into the way he is now. A man who doesn't even remember my name, or anyone else's for that matter. My son deserved to know that man and he doesn't. The Papaw he knows is an old man who needs to be watched 24/7 to make sure he do

Deviating from the list I originally chose again today because it's a pretty boring topic...who really cares how I found out about blogger and why I have one? That should be obvious - cause I wanted to blog. There ya go. Short, boring post right? Instead, I will post up a picture of where I live - or a close reasonable proximity. You want to see my house? Then be my friend on facebook... The place where I feel most at home though is the beach. Miles and miles of ocean surround me and I'm in heaven. As much as I wish I could be someplace else at times, I feel like I need to be around the water. Yes, I burn. Yes, it's hot and sandy and I make a mess in my car on the way home but while I am there, I just don't care. I live in what is technically a city - albeit a really, really small one that is pretty much dying before my eyes. We are super dependent on the space program and our current administration doesn't feel it's a priority so we are losing jobs and our comm

Ok, the list I was working on dictated that I was to post another picture of my friends, but I just did a post like that so I am using some one else's list for the moment and going with this topic instead! I chose Cafe Margaux as my favorite place to eat for one reason alone...it is the only place I will eat tomato soup from. And not just any old tomato soup...Roasted Tomato and Basil Bisque. Plus it's in Cocoa Village, one of my favorite places to walk around and hang out. That should be a blog topic all on it's own - the misadventures of a Krista in Cocoa Village :) It's a fancy schmancy cafe - not some place I can go to all the time, but they have a yummy lunch menu that's semi-reasonable considering the type of restaurant it is. I'd love to hit it for dinner one evening and enjoy the ambience of the candles and wine, but I'll save that for a special occasion. So if you're ever in town and want to visit me, we should do lunch here...just let me know!

Music...one of the great loves of my life... I listen to pretty much everything under the sun. I have my favorites (90's alternative music is by far the best...) and even have songs I love in the genres I don't typically listen to (don't hate on my fabulous Garth Brooks collection). I'm picking three songs for each of these categories and mostly ones that I've listened to recently, hoping to show you my range in musical tastes and limiting myself because in all honesty, I could list way, way more and nobody wants to read all of that! When I am really, really happy these are some of my favorite songs to listen to: "Just The Way You Are" by Bruno Mars: How can you not be happy listening to some one singing these words to you...'When I see your face, There's not a thing that I would change,Cause you're amazing Just the way you are, And when you smile,The whole world stops and stares for awhile Cause girl you're amazing, Just the way you are

Today, I am celebrating the fact that I have stuck with this challenge for over a week now! I know, this may not seem like much but I used to love writing and I've missed it. A very good friend of mine writes amazing stories and whenever he forwards these to me to read, I'm jealous because I can't seem to convey the same things in my writing. But as he says, the key to that is to keep writing...so on I write... Not really my thing to be proud of, but I am proud of my son, whose report card was excellent. All good stuff and some improved grades. We've worked hard to keep his grades and excitement up about school (we had terrible kindergarten and first grade teachers). I'm also proud that I may have found my first recipe. Not giving it away in the event that it turns out terrible, but if it looks good, I will post it up. Just a short one today...happy reading!

Short term goals for this month... In actuality, the short term goals I have will lead to my long term goals, so this works out for me! First goal - Our office switched healthcare providers to a local provider, who includes a gym membership as part of the health plan. As soon as I get my insurance card in the mail (we signed up late in December), I can take it down to the gym and get the membership card and get started at the gym once again. Last year, my boss gave us 2 free months at a YMCA right around the corner from our office to get us all healthier and I went pretty much everyday, loosing 2 pants sizes in the process. I couldn't afford to keep the gym membership but attempted to stay active and managed to maintain the loss. So this year, since it's included, I plan on going much more consistently. Second goal - I hate to cook. I'm pretty unskilled at that. With the exception on baking, I am pretty useless in a kitchen unless something requires a microwave. So my New Y

I have to admit, I could list a ton of people here. My grandfather, my mother, my best friends, even my son's father (but I'll save him for another day)...yet in the end, I chose the one person in this world I truly can not live without. Almost 8 years ago, my life changed drastically. Braeden's father and I had been together for a few years at that point, and we had eased into our relationship routine life. The weekend of Martin Luther King, Jr's day in 2003, I had a sinking feeling that something was about to change. Three pregnancy tests later, we had confirmed it...we were having a baby... I was terrified of having a child. I was the oldest of six kids (through a blended mix), and felt like I had changed more than my share of diapers and trying to calm down crying babies and I wanted to just focus on my career. Nonetheless, life had something else in store for me. I could tell you a long story about my pregnancy and the troubles that came along with it, but I won&#

(Slight note - I had my days backwards, so I wrote this one yesterday first, then realized I was off, so it's ready to go first thing this morning!!!) According to Wikipedia: "A superhero (sometimes rendered super-hero or super hero) is a fictional character of 'extraordinary or superhuman powers' dedicated to protecting the public. If you know anyting about me, then you probably already know who my choice is for favorite super hero...rather heroine... "In every generation there is a chosen one. She alone will stand against the vampires, the demons, and the forces of darkness. She is the Slayer." Buffy the Vampire Slayer, created by the genius that is Joss Whedon, is my all time favorite show and character ever. I know most of the episodes by heart. I have each season on DVD and re-watch them constantly (Season 5 currently on my night stand...). I'm only slightly obsessed with the Buffy mythos. I actually started watching the show when Geoff and I were f

Pick a place where you have been...Well, I've been to lots of places but lately I've spent a lot more time in New England (thanks to a certain individual who is lucky enough to be loved by me!) . I could post pictures of New Hampshire, but I'm picking some place else close by. I love this picture. Boston is one of my favorite places to visit. I've only been twice but each time leaves me feeling breathless. It's overwhelming for me because I'm so used to my small sleepy hometown but the history of it all just consumes me. My first visit to Boston was in 1998. Said lucky person was enjoying a visit from me and he thought it would be a good idea to drive over for the day, meet up with hs father and take me and his son to the science museum. Now, science isn't exactly my favorite thing but I was excited to just go and see Boston for myself since I had always loved history. We first stopped at U Mass, where his father worked then headed on to the museum. We actua

Well this will be a short post because of course I have none..... Oh wait, not true :) Well, if I must share then here goes. My very worst habit is procrastination. I don't mean to do it, and I try very hard to get motivated to take care of things when they need to be done instead of waiting until the last minute but I actually have a justification for this one. I work very well under pressure. I don't handle the pressure well, but I produce great work during it. When I try to plan it out and work on projects in advance, I get lost in the details and end up waiting to get it all done. I really need to work on this one and get myself a bit more organized so that I won't get consumed by the little things and focus on what needs to be done in order to complete whatever I am working on. Sorry guys, this will end up a short one because right now I can't think...I've been exhausted since making it back to Florida and lack of sleep is finally catching up to me. Tomo

There are two people in my life that I am lucky enough to consider my best friends. They are complete opposites and the only thing they have in common is me. I am starting this one off with my oldest friend, Mari. We took this picture over the summer while she was down in Florida visiting. It's such a silly photo but I love it because it reminds me of our shared youth. Back when we first met, she was just Maria (and my family continues to call her that to this day - they can't use the nickname at all for some reason!), and we shared a few classes at Andrew Jackson Middle School. We were friendly, but not close at first. She was a brown belt in karate and I still tell people to this day the only reason I became friends with her was so she wouldn't beat me up! It wasn't until closer to the end of our freshman year of high school that we became really close, thanks to a few hijinks which I will not rehash...As different as we were, we bonded and really became best friends.

And I actually have a meaning! When I first created this blog page, it was with the intention of writing as catharsis for a difficult time in my life. I was still very depressed about the end of my relationship with my son's father. Almost 8 years together, through some horrible times, and I had lost myself in all of the hurt and pain. I was sad and angry all of the time. I hated my life and where it had ended up. I was 30 years old and I felt I hadn't accomplished really any of the goals I had set for myself. Yet slowly, I was realizing that I could change some of that by accepting that what I thought was my life didn't have to be forever. I had some control over learning to be happy again and I knew I needed to find those things that would make me smile and live and love again. I wanted to get back to the me I had once been - young, smart, self-confident in my capabilities, and fun. This began the journey to finding Krista...my quest to find those things that gav

A few of my friends are doing this blogging project and I feel inspired to start the new year by attempting to get back to writing for fun instead of just writing legal pleadings all the time. If I can keep it up, then I have another outlet for my sadly waning creativity. Plus, being in a long distance relationship leaves lots of nights where I have nothing to do but miss him, and well, this may help distract me on occasion. So for the first topic I am supposed to post a photo of myself and 15 interesting facts about me...Photo of self posted, now onto the so-called interesting facts about yours truly. 1. I hate snow and really cold weather. Ironically, I've just spent a week in New Hampshire with nothing but snow and cold weather...and for the record, the heat is not on if you have it set for 60 degrees... 2. I believe in God, but I don't believe in forcing myself to go to church. I feel like I've seen too many people play the good Christian on Sunday whi