We all have those awesome people that make our world a better place. I've been blessed with many of those people in my own life, but I don't think their "making the world a better place" is limited to my world. I can think of many people who just make the world better, period. I've had the idea to share about these women for a while and capture their outer and inner beauty in photos. Over the summer I'm making it happen! Every week I'll be featuring photos and info on a beautifully made woman I know. I'm so excited to share these!! I hope you see the beauty that I do in the photos you see and stories you read and more than anything, I hope it inspires you to speak it when you find beauty in someone. Share the love and let them know how awesome they are!

My first photo shoot for this series started with my lovely friend Krista. I picked her up at her house one morning and as we walked to the car she told me she had laid a dress out to wear (because I had suggested it) but she decided to go with jeans and a cute top instead because she felt more like herself. I loved that! I know it's just an outfit choice, but it was exactly the idea that I wanted to capture in these photo shoots!! I wanted to capture images of people feeling confident in who they are and just embracing their "themness". I think that Krista is an awesome example of someone who embraces her "Krista-ness".

I've been friends with Krista for 4 years now and I could go on for pages about what an amazing person she is, but as I was thinking what to write I was trying to decide "how can I explain what sets Krista apart without using a blanket term like awesome or amazing?" Because although Krista is both awesome and amazing, she has many qualities that make her unique. I think one of her greatest gifts is her ability to be honest while showing compassion. Krista is a people person, but more than just enjoying people she gets people. In conversation she can help people to come to conclusions themselves and when she needs to say something she can always do so without hurting anyone. Even if she has to say something that's hard to hear. She speaks and carries herself in way that you can just tell that any words she speaks aren't coming from judgement, but from care and compassion. Krista wants to understand people and you can see how it helps her in all of her relationships and conversations...it's also provided us with hours of discussion on personality!

Now, I can't capture Krista without talking about hardships she's overcome in life. To be honest, I hesitated to include this. Not because it isn't important, but because I don't want my intention to be misinterpreted as an attempt to draw people in with a story. My actual intention is to pass along some valuable things that Krista has learned and shared with me through these hard times. Krista has an adorable family, a husband and three kids. A couple of years ago they had another daughter who was still born, Zoë. I asked Krista if I could share how she overcame that period of grief and heartbreak in her life and she explained to me that she learned to bring her hurt and pain to God. Something I've heard Krista say a few times since they lost Zoë is that you need to search for hope beyond what's on this Earth, you need to figure out what you are trying to use as fulfillment in your life and realize that it's never going to be enough. Through her grieving process Krista came to a deeper understanding that joy can happen in the midst of grief and that the gospel rings true in that message. It sounds cliche to say, but I've seen an amazing amount of strength in this woman through her hardships. I think she would endorse me in saying that she didn't do it alone. God walked with her through that valley and her story should be shared to help others find God in their valleys.

Krista, you are an absolute example of a beautifully made woman. I hope that you can look at these photos and the time we took taking them and chatting as a reminder of the beauty I so easily see in you and was honoured to capture!