Today for the Women's History Month celebration you will meet this fun and fabulous woman
Krista Antoine, 36, mom to a skater boy, preschool teacher, nature lover and all around artistic geek.
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Picture it. Springfield, Massachusetts, 1984.
While her life isn’t exactly like Sophia Petrillo from Golden Girls, Krista has lived life as full as her, thus far.
For the first half of her life she lived in Massachusetts, until 2001. She moved to Maine in August of 2001 with her parents, when her mother was offered a job opportunity. Though she struggled with the noteworthy move at the age of 14 and leaving family and friends behind, it would soon become a blessing.
Krista experienced bullying since she was in middle school. It was difficult to eat alone most days in the cafeteria or wonder if that one friend would be at school so she wouldn't be a more exposed target to the “mean girls” that day. This soon formed who she would become. Like so many children, Krista was diagnosed with ADD. Even with special resources, her grades suffered. Her parents had hoped that the move would improve her outlook of school. When she entered OOBHS in 2001 she was about to repeat 10th grade. Though, no one would know because she was about to get a fresh start with new people and opportunities.
While attending she joined several extracurricular activities. Coming from massive schools in Massachusetts, it never occurred to her that she could be a part of something that was important. She found her passion for dance, theater and music through OOBHS. Coming to Maine truly was a blessing in disguise.
“ I always wondered why blessings wore disguises. If I were a blessing I’d run around naked.” - Sophia Petrillo
Krista worked at the local coffee shop in town, Beach Bagels, for over 10 years. She got to know the townies and discover life in a tourist town. She helped open Big Daddy’s in OOB in 2012. The hustle of the summers and quiet of the winters were a way of life for her.
In June of 2011 Krista welcomed her son, Jackson. He was born on the first day of summer, on a warm and rainy day. If you know anything about Krista, you know that Jackson is the sun in her sky. Though life seemed like it was perfect, the universe had some imperfect plans. She and Jackson’s father separated when Jackon was 1. When Jackson was 6 years old, Krista obtained full parental responsibilities of Jackson following a detrimental event, that would stay with her son forever. Depression has attempted to set many barricades in front of Krista. There were several times that she had wanted to just give up. She struggled with overeating for a few years. Through guidance of family and professionals, Jackson and Krista were able to persevere. Her son shows her how worthy each day is. To each of those dark days, would come a day that would unveil hope a little at a time. Those hopeful days would usually emerge when they would take a walk, whether it was venturing to Ocean Park or going to the woods.
Those moments had been her saving grace.
Krista soon took up running as a form of therapy. In 2018, she entered her first road race. Krista still loves dance. For her, dance is a language form that she was given to her from her late grandmother, Lorraine.
Krista worked at Jameson school from 2015-2017. In 2017, she worked as a preschool teacher at kidz go eco. There, she would gain massive amounts of knowledge and experience. She got back in touch with her passion for nature, and would soon expose herself to more nature based education.
Today, she is a nanny to three children and working part time at Ken’s Place. Krista lives in Biddeford with her boyfriend and Jackson, their two cats and two birds.
In short, Krista is a mom, a sister, a daughter, an aunt, a friend, a teacher, a nanny, a dancer, a dreamer, and sometimes a comedian. Her mother would describe her as a light, a comfort, a kid-whisperer and animal lover.
“People waste their time pondering whether a glass is half empty or half full. Me, I just drink whatever is in the glass.”
- Sophia Petrillo
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Thank you, Krista, for taking part in this project and for sharing your story!
#whm #womenshistorymonth #womansupportingwomen #womenempowerment
1 Comments
Mar 10, 2021, 9:01:13 AM
Patti - You rock Krista lots of love