Moving Day...

Yes, yes it's true! I've moved! Well it's not like I actually threw my things into boxes and prepared to nestle into a new empty space waiting for me to make it my own, but something along those lines. I'm afraid this pretty little corner of my world will be no longer. I must admit I'm having a hard time leaving it behind being the creature of habit that I am. You see I'm a "broken in t-shirt" kinda girl. I eat breakfast from the same pink bowl every morning for no other reason than it's my favorite. I hate clutter but I've been known to save receipts, scribbled on napkins, and post-its with random thoughts and dreams on them. Truth be told, I value sentimental things.

This blog is where I watched Mikey grow up. It's where strangers became friends - some close by and others across the world. ...and it's where my thoughts and memories of my father remain. So for more reasons than one, it will always be a special place to me.

I am, however, incredibly excited about my new website and my new photo diary! I have spent many many months making sure everything is perfect. There have also been many many nights where I watched the clock flip over from night to early morning. I have been like a giddy little school girl wanting to share it with you, but everything in due time. I am happy to announce that the time is finally here!!

Soooo, please come over and take a peek at my new website and say "hello" over at my new photo diary! It's a pretty, whimsical, little space to visit! I couldn't leave my old posts behind so those have been brought over as well. I would love it if you would bookmark the new photo diary as I will have much to share in the near future and will be having some fun giveaways as well!

To my mama, Brady, and Sheye for looking at hundreds of rough drafts, works in progress, and gallery images. And yet you still love me - I think. :)

...and to my father who even in his absence pushes me to move forward in faith and inspires the pretty in everything I do.

In the words of Conan O'Brien - "If you work really really hard and you're kind...amazing things will happen to you." I hope everyone remembers this as they travel along in their own journey...

Just in case you missed the links above: :)

www.krystamanthe.com

www.krystamanthe.com/blog/

You can also find me on Twitter at:

www.twitter.com/krystamanthe

and on Facebook at:

www.facebook.com/krysta.manthe

Much Love,

Krysta

Simple things...

...really do make me happy.

Westin.

It always amazes me how life comes full circle. Years ago I was taking engagements pictures for Westin's mommy and daddy. Then there was their wedding in St. Thomas which I was also lucky enough to be able to photograph. And here we are now. I spent an afternoon last week with Westin and his head over heels in love with him mommy. Kristen assured me that he had his bath and had been fed so we would have a few hours of a sleepy bendy baby. However, Westin must've known something was up because he was awake more than he was asleep and gave Kristen and I a run for our money! :) We did get so many beautiful shots though and these are just a few of my favorites. There is nothing more beautiful to me than a fresh baby. ...and yes, admittedly so my uterus was aching a bit after seeing this little guy and how much joy he brings to his mommy and daddy. I cannot wait to watch him grow...
Big loves to you Westin and to your wonderful mommy and daddy.

Much Love,
Krysta

Heirlooms...

Do you remember the desk? The shabby, tattered, well beyond its time that I can't let go of desk? Well, it's still here. BUT there is a new desk in town. Now I wouldn't blog about any ole desk, but this one is extra extra special. A while ago when I was looking to revamp my office and wanting extra space to put all of my pretty things, I was having a hard time finding the "perfect" desk. I searched high and low, but soon realized I didn't have to look very far. I asked someone special to make one for me. You may also recall my love for anything vintage or handmade. I love things that hold their own stories so that when they are given to the next person who comes along, the beauty in those words gets passed along as well. To know that someone spent countless hours putting this together piece by piece, perfecting every angle, hand painting it so that it looks flawless...means more than I can say. To know that my children will have this some day long after I am gone - a family heirloom - makes my heart happy. There is more than wood and paint in this desk...there is a whole lotta love intertwined in it as well. It makes me smile to walk into my office every day and see it...


...and the man who made my desk? My Uncle Al.
To see him makes my breath catch.
His face is familiar. It looks so much like my father's face.
There have been so many times that I have looked at him and felt a twinge in being so thankful that he is still here and a missing for the both of us that my father still could be.
People have said there are differences in their personalities, but I only see similarities.
The kindess. The gentle nature. The giving spirit. The strong faith. The love for family. The willingness to do anything for anyone. These are the ties that bind them. These are the reasons I am so lucky.
I don't think he will ever know how much this desk means to me. I don't know if he knows that it's more than a desk, but it's a piece of him too that I'll always have with me wherever I go. I don't know if he knows that when I say my prayers at night, I thank God for putting him in this family. ...and I wonder if he knows how much of an amazing man my dad always told me he is...


Uncle Al - For you. A thousand thank-you's for this gift of Pretty you have given me. You will never know quite how much it means to me. The World.
I Love You.

Much Love,
Krysta

Owen and Claire: A Family Affair.

I think there is something so special about photographing children in their childhood bedrooms. It's their place to grow, to dream, to become...but most importantly it's their own little space in this world. Their own little piece of calm they get to nestle into before they enter the madly spinning chaos adults know as the real world. I have old pictures of myself in my childhood bedroom and there is such nostalgia that lies within them.
Not only did I get to capture two beautiful children last weekend, but they are children that are so very special to me. Our family waited a long time for these two to come into the world. I used to be the baby of the family until Owen came in and stole the title. Now, it has so graciously been handed down to Claire. I have been known to teach her a thing or two about what it means to be the doll of the family. There are spoiling rights involved and there is no talent lacking in batting eyelashes and pouty lips with this one. You'll see, however, that most of the time in her day is spent giggling. She did not stop giggling the.entire.shoot ...and I loved every second of it!
Owen on the other hand is a bit more reserved and has quite the adoration for all things that involve Minnesota sports teams. I got a firsthand lesson in trading cards, sports jerseys, and collector hockey equipment. AND I didn't even have to pay him like I do Sabrena. He was a willing subject and a natural in front of the lens.
I come from an incredibly large family and the one thing that remains consistent is that there is an abundance of love, and excess of I Love You's, and a tightly woven web of people to carry you through your ups and downs. My Uncle Tom has given us so much more than he could ever possibly realize this past year by following in the footsteps of my father and holding on tightly to a dream that he envisioned more than twenty years ago. He would be so so so proud.
I hope these pictures of his children let him know just how thankful we are...

Many many loves to you Tom, Beth, Owen and Claire...

Krysta

Shabby Abode.

This is just a tiny peek into my pretty little space that I love so much. Does the dress look familiar? :) It makes me happy every time I look it. It now has tears in the arms and down the front, but I love it as it reminds me of the moment Sheye and I almost took Tara Whitney out with her own bike and then laughed hysterially afterwards. Such a beautiful evening I'll never forget. The crown is another from Roses Petite Mason. I adore everything she does! I posted about my QUEEN sign a looong while back. I originally wanted this shabby pink table at an antique shop in my hometown. I went back to get it and the owner, who just happens to be a good friend of my parents, said she had left it out all winter and the table fell apart. One sleeve of the table was all that was left. I had helped them get their coffee shop up and running so as a Thank You she handed it off to another good friend to have her paint QUEEN on it. It is one of my most favorite things in the world and makes me giddy every time I look at it. The square bookshelf is actually part of my new project table which was handmade by my Uncle Al. It's so incredibly special to me and deserves a post all its own. I'm waiting on a new desk chair and will then show you the whole thing in entirety. It's beautiful. The pillow on the chair I handcrafted from an old sweater I had and vintage flower pins. And the last image is the top of my bookshelf which just has all of my trinkets that I adore and make me happy just to have them near.
I have totally revamped my office as I have a few things coming up very shortly which necessitated a new space for me. I can't wait until I can share them with you...

And yes, Brady loooooves this Tiffany's Blue, shabby chic office. I think he's slightly jealous he didn't think of it himself. :)

Much Love,
Krysta

Two Places. The Space Inbetween.

(The light trying to push through the haze on Christmas Day.)

I have spent a lot of time reflecting on 2009. For as much beauty as it held, there was also a lot of pain. It was my first entire year without my father physically present in my life. And while I have given myself a homework assignment of really really trying to just BE in the moment, I am only human. I do make a conscious effort every single day to live in the present, but it's tricky. My past involves a beautiful man who gave me beautiful memories and left an imprint on my life so large that some days I fear this heartache will be forever unrelenting.

There are moments where I truly do take in all that I have on this earth. The blessings that still exist in my day to day life. But it's in those moments that my father blurs and I can't bring him into focus. I can't tell you what it's like to walk into my house and not remember what it was like to have him there. Those are the moments that the guilt creeps in and the tears flood and the "I'm sorry's" begin. However there are the times when the present moment fades and I can pull him into full clarity. I can recall every shade of gray in his beard, the gentle tones of his voice, the smell of Tobacco Flower in his cologne. And I want to stay because he's there and it's all I have left of him.

I have had to establish a new relationship with my father this past year. One that has no physical connection. I have had to learn that it's okay to flip back and forth between the past and the present because beauty exists in both. In some moments there is the space between where both are fully transparent and those are the moments I soak in and am so so very thankful for.

I have much hope for 2010. I have been given opportunities to do things this year that I wouldn't have ever dreamed of. I know that no matter what I do, it will be done with all of my being. After all, I need to make my father proud...

Happy New Year with Love,
Krysta