Halloween

Are you getting into the Halloween spirit? I AM!! Halloween is one of my FAVORITE holidays, because:

1. You get to eat LOTS of candy. I don't care how old you are, you're never too old to partake in some Halloween gluttony (especially when that gluttonly is in the shape of a Reese's Peanut Butter Cup or a Kit Kat).

2. You get to DRESS UP! Since I am such a drama queen and like to do eccentric things, this one is a no-brainer for me. I am also blessed to work in a place where dressing up for Halloween is encouraged, so there you go. What will I BEE this year? Hmm....

3. You get to watch scary movies. I have a love/hate relationship with scary movies, but as long as I'm not watching them alone, it's frightfully fun.

4. You get to see adorable little children and babies come to your door all dressed up! As a teacher, I revel in the idea of asking each and every child who they are, and what their costume means. They are SO STINKIN' CUTE, and the excitement they exude feeds mine! Magical.

5. You get to carve pumpkins, or "punkins", as my fellow Midwesterners like to say. Yesterday we had a blast carving and decorating pumpkins with my mom and dad. (Actually, my dad spent the whole time watching the Chiefs game, but he did come in to check our work occasionally.) Here are the fruits of our labor:





Here's mine. I am pretty proud of my spider web. I was, I guess, until I saw what masterpiece Ben had created:




I still can't believe how perfectly done this is. The detail is amazing. Of course, in typical Haskamp style, Ben says, "All I did was follow the pattern!" Riiiiiiiiight......



Here are our pumpkins proudly displayed in front of our front door.

HALLOWEEN HOLLA!!!!!

The Chain, the Library, The Wild Things and the Superstore

Four exciting things happened in the past two days, and I have to share them with you.

1. I officially became an obsessed fan of a new artist. She's not actually new, but I just discovered her, and I think she is amazing. I was driving a car that belonged to one of the families I babysit for, and I was flipping channels, because my favorite radio stations were not programmed, which makes this discovery even more brilliant. Anyway, I heard this song that went, "Maybe, in the future, you're gonna come back, you're gonna come back around." I knew I wouldn't remember all that, so I wrote the lyrics on my hand with a pen at a stoplight. When I got back home, I googled the lyrics (don't you just love google?) and found out that it was a song called "Maybe" by Ingrid Michaelson. Who? I listened to the rest of the album and thought it was pretty good, so I downloaded it. O M G....my life will never be the same. These songs are so freaking good, I cannot take the cd out of my cd player. I am particularly obsessed with the song "The Chain". It is amazing and life-altering, and I feel that my soul is being lifted out of my body every time I listen to it. Here's a little Ingrid for you...



2. We saw Where the Wild Things Are last night. A - MAZING. I cannot wait to see this movie again. It took me about twenty minutes after the movie to realize I wasn't in this fantasy land of Jim Henson monsters. Instant classic, indeed.

3. I went to the frickin' library! I got a library card a few months ago, but haven't been yet. I was a little intimidated, to be honest, but I held some books online and went in to get them. I ended up choosing four books, and I could hardly contain myself when I walked out with them. (I actually DID check them out before walking out the door...what kind of person do you think I am?) Anyway, I felt like I was in some kind of Utopia of knowledge, and my brain is ITCHING to go back!

4. I had a positive Wal-Mart experience. Enough said.


Let me also mention that Ben had to give me a shot in the butt tonight at home, and he did amazingly well. I never imagined I would be injecting pregnant women's pee into myself at any point, but I guess that's why you say, "Never say Never."

HOLLA -

We Are Fam-i-ly!

KU is in the blood.



Ruckus on the stairs



Mean trick on the birthday girl



Iron (and glass) deficiency



"What?"



Hide and Seek



Seeeester


BFF's



Ready for the grill



"I knew it!"



Little Cherub

City Girl, Country Boy

Last weekend, I babysat for two different families that have kids who attend my school. I usually jump on these kinds of opportunities for two reasons: the money, and the perks. Without getting into details, let's just say that these families have the kinds of lifestyles that most people only dream of. Their houses aren't too shabby, either.

At the same time, Ben was enjoying a weekend hiking retreat with his brother, Spencer. As much fun as he was having on his trip, I was missing him terribly. We didn't get to chat much, because he was out of cell phone range and I had my hands full with two wonderful children (no sarcasm, really). The first time we did get to talk, our conversation was full of details and ups-and-downs about our time apart. I spoke of three seperate staircases, a flat-screen in every room, automated blinds, and a house so big I couldn't find one of the children for a few minutes (don't worry - he was fine). Ben spoke of rocks and streams, hiking trails, clear skies, and refreshing conversations with his brother.

I mentioned how joyously overstimulated I was. He said the same.

I love how different Ben and I are. I need a cushy hotel room to be content; he needs a piece of ground and a sleeping bag. I love new clothes and frivolities; he loves wearing the same pullover again and again until there's nothing left of it. He wants to spend Sundays hiking outdoors; I want to spend it watching movies and reading inside.

Yet...we are the perfect match. We compliment each other perfectly because we love and appreciate the things that make us so different, because it's part of our being. We come together and we move seperately, but we are never apart.

Right now, Ben is fly-fishing. My only requirement of him was that he come home (first) and bring ice cream with him (second). I am content, sitting in bed, blogging, catching up on Grey's and Modern Family, and waiting.

Waiting for my other half to fill himself up with what he loves so he can come home to me and we can be together, rejuvinated and happy.

I love my country boy.