My favorite memory of Krista

I have to share this story with you all. When I first started coaching with my year round team, Krista was in my group. She had the best smile. She was always laughing and having fun and always always always listening and working hard. She was 7 years old when I first met her. I had the privelege of coaching her until she was 11 or 12. Always a hard worker. Always having fun.
If you have never been to a year round meet then you are lucky. These things are marthons for the coaches and the parents. Warm ups will start at 6 am and you will not get out of there until 6 pm depending on the meet. Krista loved to go to meets. She loved socializing and haning out. She loved eating at the concession stand and buying new suits. Oh yeah...she would also swim her races.

One day she was talking her normal 10 miles and hour. I looked at her and said, "You know, if you don't stop I'm going to play dot to dot with your freckles."
A few minutes later she shows up with this sharpie and says, "Play dot to dot!" We sat and did dot to dot on her face with her freckles. I never laughed so hard.
The next meet she shows up with a pen towards the end of her session and says, "Dot to dot time." It became out thing at meets. She always smiled and laughed at our crooked flowers and hearts on her nose and cheeks.

Today as I sat and listened to her parents and brothers talk about their sister and her love of life. I remembered our dot to dot. Right then and there I decided that I will never forget to play dot to dot again.
Whenever I am down I will find time to smile and play dot to dot. I will try to live my life like Krista...all out every minute. It's too precious to waste.

So when you are starting to go to your dark place find your dot to dot and play it. I think I will go do my dot to dot now.

Coach Amanda Bonnett