Michael…in the last yellow flickers of the day.  Taken right after we returned home from the pumpkin patch.

Much Love,

Krysta xo

Ahhh…a short little ditty today.  Things are a bit crazy over here.  We are in full force with decorating the nursery (yes, the nesting phase has begun people), taking birthing classes, finishing up Mini Sessions this weekend, and working on a few other projects (which I’m reallly excited about!).  Life is never boring I will tell you this.  I will be updating the Travel Dates tab soon as well as we are already starting to book out sessions for next year.  I know for sure that Chicago is a go for March and June so far. We are looking at California for the end of July and throwing around the idea of New York somewhere in there too.  I’ll keep updating as we go along so if any of those locations interest you, please contact me at krysta@krystamanthe.com.

…and isn’t she lovely? Miss Hannah from this summer. We shot on a day where it was 98 degrees and humid.  We were all soaked by the end of the session, but she was such a good little girl.  I have more summer sessions coming soon too!

*Actions: my own*

Much Love,

Krysta

Today.
I want a small, simple home.
With a claw foot tub to soak in.
With creaky floor boards.
And homemade quilts on our beds.
I want old toys for my children.
Spinning tops, wood flapping ducks, and building blocks.
I want mismatched furniture.
And treasures found in a world traveled.
I want to frame love letters my father left for my mother.
And let them dance across our walls.
To remind me that love most certainly does last for eternity.
Today.
I want a garden.
To make dinner from something I have nurtured and sustained.
I want green grass.
Like, the really really green kind.
That I can prance through with bare feet.
And lay down in for afternoon dreams.
I want a porch swing.
Like the swing Stacy and I used to sit in.
Summer nights, endless hours, belly laughing.
Today.
I want the people I miss all in one spot.
To sit around my kitchen table.
In chairs I’ve collected from flea markets.
…with sorted colors of  dinnerware.
I want to crank jazz music while I cook for them.
I want laughter to fill the air.
And a good bottle of red wine to share.
For deep conversation.
While early morning hours creep in.
Today.
I want the ocean.
Sand.
My Tiffany blue beach cruiser.
With a basket and a bell.
To ride until my legs get tired.
For Brady to ride beside me.
To talk about our future.
And stop for an iced coffee.
Today.
I want to read an endless pile of books.
The ones I have no time for.
I want a date with my camera.
To take pretty pretty pictures.
I want to walk to the cigar shop.
And pick out the most perfect cigar.
The ones I used to buy for my father. 
Just to have.
And for my mama to live next door.
To love on my babies.
Today.
These are my thoughts.
For a simple life.
With the people I love most in this world…

I wrote this a short while after my father left this world…when life was cluttered and confusing and messy.  I remember so vividly how I struggled to find balance in that new and unfamiliar world.  I reminded myself daily that this journey would be taken one breath at a time…and it was. …and then there came a day when the fog settled even more than the day before and the sun was a bit more visible and I knew, despite all of the pain and the heartache, that we would make it through to the other side…

I came across this the other day and realized my thoughts haven’t changed one bit.  The things I wanted then are still the same things I want now.  The only thing that would be different is that there would now be a baby pull behind attached to my beach cruiser. :)  Losing such an influential person in your life will change your priorities.  So will welcoming a new one.   At the end of the day it doesn’t matter what zip code my home is in.  I don’t care that our furniture doesn’t match or that the “I’d like to have” items that I have circled in catalogs will probably always remain circled. What matters to me most is human connection…the ability to sit across from someone and get lost in discussion for hours. The kind where you look at your watch and say, “We’ve been here for three hours?”  I feel most content when I see our friends and family walk through our front door and make themselves at home.  …and amongst all of the chatter and laughter and snuggled in bodies on couches, if I listen closely, I can hear Happy.  I love Saturday mornings where Michael climbs up on his foot stool with messy bed hair and helps make chocolate pancakes for Daddy…or Sunday morning coffee runs with my mama where we sit and talk about my father amidst tears and giggles…missing and remembering.  My most favorite thing in this world is when Brady wakes up early in the morning and rolls over to put his hand on my belly.  Instantly our baby boy starts moving and kicking.  It makes me smile every time and is the best feeling in this world. These are the things that matter the most to me…

I have been thinking a lot lately about so many things.  I have seen so many other people feeling the same way.   We live in a technologically advanced world.  It is both a blessing and a curse.  I am so thankful for the ability to connect and communicate with friends and family states and continents over.   We have Facebook, Twitter, Skype,  LinkedIn, Flickr, Pinterest…etc to keep ourselves in the know.  However, something comes from that.  The inability to just let ourselves Be.  We are so engrossed in what the rest of the world is doing that we miss what is going on right in front of us. So many people are busy posting and uploading images of what they’re doing this very minute that I wonder if they’re truly able to enjoy the experience or if they’re waiting to see who comments.  I find myself logging into my social media sites for 5 minutes and before I know it an hour has passed…an hour that could have been spent otherwise.  We all have real people in front of us.  We all have real lives that are waiting for us to live them.  Life is so short and so precious…too precious to be buried in computer screens and smart phones. We have changed our way of doing things around here.   I work when the boys aren’t here and when they are, the computer goes off.  The phones get put to silent and we just enjoy.   We spend more time outside with one another planning and dreaming about our future and less time getting lost in what everyone else is doing.   I have a little boy that is waiting to come into this chaotic world and he deserves to have parents who are fully present in the moments in his life.   He deserves more time exploring and less time waiting for his mommy to get off of the computer.  He deserves a family sitting around the dining room table for dinner talking about their days and fort building with his big brother in the living room. He deserves so much more than the time crazed, social media obsessed society we live in. He deserves Real. We all do.

We are making it a point to slow down.  To write hand written letters and to get on the phone to talk to those we love and miss.  We are putting away the video games, using our imaginations, and playing board games.   We are baking and cooking and enjoying taking too long to get out the door on the weekends.  We are soaking in the beach as long as this weather will let us…and making way for this little Love that will soon be making us a family of four.

We are Living…and I couldn’t be happier.

Much Love, 
Krysta xo

Penelope | 3:30 light | Chicago | 2011

* Actions: my own *