“I face into the wind,
it purrs and whistles
its secrets in my ear.
Under the sun,
floating upon the salty waters.
I cringe with excitement to be
in such a Heavenly place.”
Kristin was the first child of Stan and Denise Smart. She was born in Augsburg, Germany, where her parents were teaching the children of military personnel. She came into this world with an adventurous spirit that never left her. She believed in her dreams and always seemed to know the right steps needed to reach them. Her smile lit up the room and her hugs were contagious.
The love for her family, especially her brother and sister, was without equal. Brother-sister squabbles never lasted long as she would always come up with a fun new action plan that got everyone on the same page. Although she could appear shy in new situations, she had an inner confidence that never held her back from any ambition she had. She loved family vacation, new adventures and was always the planner!
Summers were Kristin's favorite and she was always drawn to something new. She spent the summer of her sophomore year in high school just outside London with family friends going to school. The next summer, she wanted to become fluent in Spanish and was an exchange student in Venezuela. The summer before her senior year, she was basking in the sun and perfecting her bike riding skills in the Honors Program at UCSB.
Her last summer on this earth was what she called her “dream job.” She was a lifeguard and camp counselor at Camp Mokuleia in Hawaii. She set lofty goals and always seemed to find a way to achieve them! She was not one to give up and her passion for adventure, music and the ocean left an indelible mark on everyone in our family.