My name is Kristine. I’m a wife, mother, daughter, sister, and friend.
I grew up in Michigan. I was raised in Bay City, I am one of three sisters. I went to college at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, and I graduated in 2008 with my Bachelors in Psychology.
I have been married to my husband Jon since 2011. We met in 2007, playing pool with friends at a bar in Ann Arbor. I told him my name was Jessica, but in fact, I was wearing a necklace with my real name. I believe this made me appear mysterious. Whatever the reason it started, I’m so thankful we kept talking. There is no one on earth who understands me like Jon. I thank God every day that He crossed our paths and brought us together.
We make our home about 30 minutes outside of Boston with our two young daughters: Gracie Kate (3) and Avery Joy (1). We lost our first daughter, Darla Jane, in 2013. She was born at 30 weeks, with multiple abnormalities. Darla passed 12 hours after she was born. In this, our marriage was tested and our hearts were changed.
I started writing out of necessity, very unintentionally. I used blogging as a way to keep family and friends updated during my high-risk pregnancy with Darla. After she passed, I found myself connecting with more and more women through my writing about Darla. Writing became an outlet for my grief; it evolved from an easy way to hide from painful conversations, to a coping mechanism, to something I truly love.
I’m a little bit crazy because I enjoy running. Running was a secondary coping mechanism after our loss. Darla passed on 12/1/13, and to keep myself from getting pregnant before I was ready, I signed up for a May marathon as a New Year’s Resolution. In training for this race, I learned to love running long distances. Although my running time is more restricted now that I have young kids, I ran my second marathon in September of 2018. I am so thrilled to be running the Boston Marathon in 2019.
I am blessed to spend each day with my little family. I try to write about the unique challenges that come while learning to parent from a place of loss. I try to offer support to all mothers; grieving or not, we are all a little lost sometimes.
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Feature bridge photo credit to Audrey Nicole Photography.
