Hi, my name is Krysten

Hi everyone. My name is Krysten and I live the suburbs of Dallas, Texas. I am originally from the gulf coast of Alabama along with my husband, Taylor.

We grew up in neighboring towns with our worlds intertwined the entire time. There are so many instances we were right next to each other without even knowing it. Including my cousin and his sister being born on the same day, in the same hospital, and in a different state. I remember meeting Taylor the first time at a friend's house in 2004. I was a senior in high school and he was a freshman in college. Fast forward two years later when he was a good friend of mines roommate in college. I would drive to Montgomery from Troy to have dinner with this friend, but never saw Taylor. Fast forward another three years and we were back in our hometowns, again hanging out with the same circle of people. He was the guy we would pick up on the way to a bar and never see again until it was time to go home. We never really had deep conversations at this point. Let's go forward another three years and that is when everything changed. I had been living in Mississippi and recently moved to Florida. I was in town to watch my youngest brother and take him to his baseball games while my parents were out of town. Up walks Taylor. The rest is honestly history. We have been inseparable ever since. He is my person and my soul mate. He is my best friend, my biggest supporter, and my reality check. I absolutely would not be who I am today without him.

We are opposites. He is the quiet one, while I am loud. He is the life of the party when I am shy. He loves Alabama football and well, I am an Auburn girl. Opposites.

We moved to Texas in 2014 and had so much to look forward too. We got married in 2015, both started new careers, bought our first home, added to our dog family and eventually in 2016 we got pregnant with our first child, Bennett. We were over the moon elated with the same fears that I will assume most new parents experience. Bennett was born in 2017 and was the light of our lives. He was a happy boy. He was beautiful.

Then tragedy struck. We lost our son, Bennett, on June 4, 2018. That statement is still hard to say. Almost five years in and I cannot believe this is our life. This is our reality. We can't change it although trust me, we have tried to close our eyes tightly and wake up from this nightmare. It never works. So, instead I continue to find the beauty left in this world, I continue to live for Bennett and with Bennett. I embrace the moments I have here until I get to hold him again. I will make them beautiful with a big side of hurt.

When Bennett first died, I searched. I searched for answers. How do I get through this? Why did this happen? When will I feel better? Who else has experienced this? How do I continue to live? What does my future look like? Will I ever be ok? This along with so many other questions filled my head at all times. I found some great online groups. I met other women who I connected with (some of whom I am still to this day so very close too). I'll be honest though, sometimes those sites got very heavy. I couldn't read them for weeks because I would read another story and the comments would flood in. They would spiral me into a black hole. "Well, if she asked this question maybe another one of my questions will be buried in the responses." The more I read, the more I hurt. Why, why have so many sweet children left this world? It is not fair. It is not right. No matter the cause. These babies are so loved, they are missed, and they had an entire life in front of them.

Since Bennett's death, Taylor and I have been blessed with two more amazing children. His sister was born in 2019 and brother in 2021. All of our children are our reason why. They complete us, they mold us, they break us, and they lift us up. We are so lucky.

Our journey has been far from perfect. There have been plenty of ups and downs, and plenty of lessons learned. There have also been really beautiful and cherished moments. I know in some way Bennett has had his hand in mine, guiding me throughout my days. He led us to a great neighborhood where we have met amazing friends. He has watched us with his sweet siblings. He even named his sister (I will get into that later). He has pushed Taylor and I closer to each other even if there were moments we did not like each other. He is always here. We will never move on from Bennett. We will continue to move forward WITH Bennett.

So, welcome to Moments to You. I wanted to start this page as a resource for other bereaved parents, family and friends. There is a life for all of us through tragedy. There are struggles, there are weak moments, and again there are absolutely beautiful moments. I hope my story can help you in your journey.

Krysten