College Buddies

I have a good life. I get up, get my healthy body ready for work, kiss my wonderful husband and beautiful daughter goodbye, and drive to the school where I teach music. I have a wonderful family and a whole gaggle of people here who I love so much and who love me too.

But today, like most days, I miss my friends. My COLLEGE friends. You see, while I have many friends here in town, not ONE SINGLE ONE of my best college friends live here. NOT EVEN ONE. After college, everybody freaking spread to the four winds, and now none of us live close. None of us even live in the same state!!! How does this happen!?!?!?

When I think back to my undergrad years at Northwest, I realize that those were the best years of my life. I don't know how to say that without making it sound like "now" is not good. It IS good. Amazing. But nothing will ever compare to the four years I spent with these jokers.

Let's start with her.

This is Sarah. We call her SoCo. SoCo and I met our junior year of high school at music camp. We weren't really separated until we graduated. Not kidding. We took almost every single class together in school. We even shared a senior recital. I could not have made it through undergrad without her. I miss her smile and the way we understand each other SO well, because well, we were basically siamese twins. We once sang the entire Amy Grant Home for Christmas album together, completely a cappella. I don't know any other friends that can do that. She lives in Connecticut. Oh, and P.S. - that's her son Henry. He and Amelia are getting married someday. Done.

This is Skidney. He's really Syd, but Skidney to me. He and I became best friends right off the bat our freshman year when we both made the top choir at school. I pretty much lived in his dorm room, and we shared a history class that I will never forget. Snacks across the hall at the snack bar, and study sessions that I still have notes from because the comedy is so epic. We used to go to McDonald's together after Tower Choir practice when no one else wanted to go out to eat. This guy makes me laugh, bottom of the belly laugh, harder than anyone I know, except for my friend Michael Brown from high school. I miss the laughs and the jokes. We have inside jokes that would stretch from here to Hawaii. And they NEVER get old. He lives in Atlanta.





Oh, and her? That's Syd's wife, Abby. She was a bridesmaid at my wedding. Abby and I became friends after Syd and I did, but it's probably safe to say she took his place. Sorry, Skid. Abby is as true of a friend as you can have. We spent most of our college years getting to know each other, but now, I can definitely say that she is one of my best friends. We have had some life-altering talks in the middle of the night, sitting outside at her house in Denver or her dad's in Mexico, MO. How I miss her so. When it comes to Abby and me, it's all about putting aside the crap and getting down to the business of life...just the way I like it. :-) As you can probably deduct, she lives in Atlanta, too. (Bastards.)



Oh, the Larsons....Cam and Dave. Fricking Minnesotans. Cam is the most kind, caring, sweet person. But mix Cam with some drinks, some gay guys, and a hotel swimming pool, and you've got yourself some entertainment. This girl is flat out Ca-razy. I can't even believe some of the times we have had during and since college. Dave and Syd were friends in high school, and like a little lost sheep, he followed us all to Northwest. Dave is a supreme storyteller. He is one of the most entertaining people I've ever met. Ask him about his uncle sometime. Came and Dave live in a beautiful home on the river. In fricking Minnesota.



Maria. My Mary-a. She's the Mary to my Rhoda. She is my soul sister. Honest to God, our souls are connected in a way I will never understand. We even have a song. I would tell you about it, but you would think it was cheesy, and besides, it's just between us anyway. Once, when I was still at Northwest and Maria had graduated, I had severe stomach pains and had to come home from class. I called her, and she was having a crisis. I got sick because she was sick. Thousands of miles away. Enough said. She lives in Denver.


And lastly, my Elise. Elise and I became friends on Tower Choir tour to (the real)Mexico my freshman year. The next thing you know, her jerk boyfriend is apartment hunting for us (she kept the apartment longer than the boyfriend) and Elise is running upstairs telling Kurt (my future husband) that somebody at his party needed to move their car because we didn't have a parking spot. Thus begins a long line of twisted, beautiful, hilarious, messy tales that led us where we are today - best friends. When Kurt died, Elise drove up from Ole Miss just to be with me. She lived with me that summer, and has shown me the kind of loyalty and dedication that I can only hope to repay to her someday. My heart breaks every day because she's in Nebraska, kicking ass as an associate professor at a college, instead of here with me. She is my crack cocaine - I cannot live without her. I have been going through such serious withdrawals that I don't know what to do with myself besides call Elise and leave her really creepy messages about how much I miss her.




So, that's them. Not ALL of them, mind you, but this is the "core". Everybody made it in this picture from our wedding except for SoCo because well, I don't remember why she wasn't there and Elise was in New Zealand, which I still don't think was an excuse. And most days, I would give anything - ANYTHING - to be all together with them again. These people are the best of me, and they know me and love me better than just about anyone, besides my family and Ben, of course.

I miss my friends.

HOLLA -

What I am Reading

...because every mom needs a mental break, and this book makes me feel like I am not alone! I haven't gotten very far in this one, but I am looking forward to seeing what this book has to offer. It should be a short read, if I can stay up long enough at night to read it!


...because I am never comfortable in my spiritual skin. This is a good thing! If I haven't read anything spiritually awakening or challenging in a while, I will find something at the library to check out. So far, this is pretty elementary and not as stimulating as I had hoped, but I haven't given up yet. I also have a book to pick up by Anthony De Mello - my pastor raves about him, so I am intrigued. I'll let you know how it turns out.


...because everyone could try harder to be happy. Well, most people. Definitely me. I've had this book for a while, and tried to read it a few years ago, but I just couldn't get it to stick. Seeing as most of my books are packed away in storage, I decided to give this one another go. We'll see!

Reading is good. It's good for the soul, and especially good for the brain. I love learning more about others, the world, God, and myself. I love to read to Amelia, and I love to read in front of her so she will pick up the habit herself one day. Being hungry for knowledge is rooted deep into my soul - I love to live each day knowing that there's always room in my cup for more.

What are YOU reading?????


HOLLA -

V-Day Part Two

Our official Valentine's Day started out just like any other day - Ben left for work in the morning, and Mills and I had a few hours to ourselves before getting ready and heading to daycare, and then for me, to school. My mom got her the cutest outfit with a monkey and hearts on it for her first V-Day, and as you can see, it was Ahhhhhhhh-dorable.




I love in the picture above how she has a little gangster face, and then in the next, she straightens it out. :-) "What's up, Mom?"




After school, I got to go to Amelia's Valentine's party at daycare - so fun! Of course, we just chomped on carrots and celery and watched the big kids play, but she was enamored.



I made cupcakes for the party, although in hindsight, I should have brought treats that all of the big kids AND Amelia could enjoy. I know it really doesn't matter right now since she's still so little...next year will be different!!



For her Valentine's gift, Miss Cindy gave her a shirt that says, "My Daddy Says I Can't Date Until I'm 30". So cute! Of course, Ben loved it.



For dinner that night, we ate soup, lovingly prepared by...Miss Cindy! For reals, our daycare lady cooks extra sometimes just to give us dinner to take home. WHAT!?!? We are so amazingly blessed.



Ben and I considered our weekend date our Valentine's Day celebration, so we kept it low key by exchanging cards. LOVE, LOVE, LOVE....Not that we need an excuse, but it was a great day to love on each other at the Haskamp house.

HOLLA -

V-Day Rundown

Last weekend, Amelia had her first sleepover EVER. My sister-in-law has been begging for her to spend the night, and it just so worked out that the weekend before Valentine's Day was open, so Amelia got to sleep over and Ben and I got to have a pre-Valentine's Day date day!

After dropping her off at my bro and sis-in-law's (which was hard - I made sure to leave quickly when it was time to go and just rip off the Band-Aid), Ben and I went to Panda Express for lunch. It was almost 3 in the afternoon, and we still hadn't eaten lunch - it was glorious. The weird part for Ben (who am I kidding - it was ALL weird) was just getting out of the car and running in somewhere. Surprisingly, I slipped right back into it! It was nice to just get our food and not have to set up a high chair and placemat with food for Little Bit.



Then we went and bought movie tickets to The Descendants. The movie didn't start for over an hour, so I kicked Ben out of the driver's seat and we drove around my old stomping grounds, since we were in the neighborhood. I took him by the house I grew up in, the church I grew up in, my middle school, and elementary, from a distance. Since I don't live in the same part of town as I did, and neither do my parents, I rarely have an excuse to go back, so when I do, it's like an out of body experience. I loved telling Ben stories about the hardware store where I worked and the QuikTrip that my brother used to work at, where I would get gas and he would talk to me over the loud speaker, when they used to have to manually turn on the pumps!

Then it was time to head back to the theater. The movie was so great - amazing. I would give George the Oscar right now if I could. I cried several times and was so wrapped up in the story. Ben thought the movie was about something else than it was. He didn't like that they kept showing the sick wife and mother. I told him I understood completely.

We headed back down south to the "good place" as I like to call it, to spend the rest of our evening. We did a little shopping for Ben and Mills, then headed to dinner at Chili's. Too bad I forgot to take a picture of my grilled salad there - I guess I was too busy enjoying it. :-)

When we went home, I was kind of freaked out. WHERE WAS OUR BABY!??!?! I didn't like being at home with her toys and blankies and stuff without her. Before we went to bed, I had to turn her little night light on in her room, just to give it some life. And even though we got a full, uninterrupted night of sleep, I still didn't sleep that well. It turns out that all of the things I used to enjoy pre-kid are kind of overrated. I just wanted her back!

The next morning, we went to the Big Biscuit.



THAT was a treat. It was a nice trip to the grocery store for the both of us after that, and then we were home, watching out the window for our babe to arrive. I practically broke the door trying to get it open when my brother and sis-in-law brought her home!

So, it was a great weekend. Loved time with just Ben - I miss snuggling with him and having good chats - we don't ever seem to get to do that anymore. I was reminded (not that I forgot) why and how much I love him, and how spending quality time with him is such fun and makes me sooooo happy.

And I realized that our home is not our home without Millie. Hauling carseats, wiping noses, crawling on the floor picking up bits of fruit that have been slung, changing diapers, restless nights....all equate to who we are now, as a family. And even though a break was nice, it was even nicer to resume the Haskamp rhythm. Thanks again to Andy, Sarah, and the girls for entertaining Mills and hauling her around for a day and a night! You can see pics of their adventures together here.

Stay tuned for events from the ACTUAL Valentine's Day....

HOLLA -

Update - Prayers Answered!

Thanks to all of you who prayed for the parent at my school. Miraculously, she is scheduled to go home tomorrow! When she was admitted five weeks ago, the doctors didn't think she would survive. Now she is getting ready to go home to her three children, including her five-week-old baby! Thanks be to God!

I don't believe that prayer alone heals people. Otherwise, Kurt would have lived and Amelia would be about 3 by now. To quote one of my favorite singers, Steven Curtis Chapman - "God is God and I am not; I can only see a part of the picture He's painting." But I DO believe that many, many people coming together in prayer creates strength that is unimaginable and incomprehensible, and because of that, people are lifted out of dire circumstances.

Five weeks ago, This parent's husband was writing grim updates with single threads of hope. Yesterday, SHE wrote her OWN update, thanking people for all they had done for her and her family.

Thank you again for your prayers - now go hug YOUR families. :-)

HOLLA -

Bambini Creativi

Yesterday, we had a 1/2 day of teaching so we could spend the rest of the day observing other schools in the area. I really wanted to go and observe another music teacher, but it just wasn't going to work out for a Friday afternoon. I guess (unlike me), a lot of music teachers are just sitting around eating bon bons on Friday afternoons because they don't have any music classes. (HA! Don't throw stones at me, music teachers...I'm only kidding.)

So instead, I visited a Reggio Emilia school in Martin City. It's called Bambini Creativi. Let me tell you a little about Reggio schools. They started in post-WW II Italy, after the town of Reggio Emilia was destroyed. Those Italians were smart - the first things they rebuilt were the schools. Reggio mainly focuses on early childhood, although apparently some schools go up to the 2nd grade. I could explain the philosophy to you, but you'd be better off just reading about it here.

I took some pictures of the school, built from the ground up (actually remodeled - this building used to be a restaurant) but the pictures in no way do Bambini Creativi justice. It was A-MA-ZING.







I actually had a physical reaction walking in. The soothing colors, the soft music playing in the background, the two-story entry, the trickling waterfall, the birds chirping around the corner, the modern aesthetics...it was magic. Any kid would PEE THEIR PANTS to go to this school. (I would bet that some kids already have. Sorry, that was mean.)

What struck me the most, though, was the passion with which the director, no more than a few years my senior, spoke about her school, and the Reggio philosophy. She had studied in Reggio Emilia with master teachers, and she knew her stuff. I could tell that she believed in what she was doing wholeheartedly, and wanted the world to know about the impact this kind of teaching could (and will!) have on children. She answered all of our questions thoroughly and was quite entertaining to listen to. It was inspiring.







Being there made me feel SO GLAD to be a teacher. I am so passionate about the children that I teach and about music, and I KNOW it's what I'm supposed to do, because every time I am teaching, I feel a rush of energy and peace, like I am exactly where I am meant to be in the universe. That being said, I have so much to learn. It's hard being in a private school because I am so isolated. There is only one other music teacher, and she doesn't teach my age group and is only at school one day out of the week that I am. That doesn't lend itself to much collaboration. I do, however, seek to find teachers who are as passionate about their craft as I am, so that I can continue to grow and learn. It's so important. That's why being at Bambini Creativi was so important, because it allowed me to observe another environment and bounce ideas off of a fantastic educator.

It made my brain happy. :-)




To sum this visit and Reggio Emilia up, I will share "The Hundred Languages of Children", written by Loris Malaguzzi, the founder of the Reggio Emilia approach. It's hard to tell in the first picture, but this poem was displayed in the entryway of the school next to 100 jars of "things". The poem and the jars reached so high in the space that you had to bend your neck to see them. Have I already told you how amazing this place was? It was amazing. :-) Check it out here.

"The Hundred Languages of Children"

No way.
The hundred is there.
The child is made of one hundred.
The child has a hundred languages
a hundred hands
a hundred thoughts
a hundred ways of thinking
of playing, of speaking.
a hundred, always a hundred
ways of listening
of marveling, of loving
a hundred joys
for singing and understanding
a hundred worlds to discover
a hundred worlds to invent
a hundred worlds to dream.
The child has a hundred languages
(and a hundred hundred hundred more)
but they steal ninety-nine.
The school and the culture
separate the head from the body.
They tell the child to think without hands
to do without head
to listen and not to speak
to understand without joy
to love and to marvel
only at Easter and Christmas.
They tell the child
to discover the world already there
and of the hundred
they steal ninety-nine.
They tell the child
that work and play
reality and fantasy
science and imagination
sky and earth
reason and dream
are things
that do not belong together.
And thus they tell the child
that the hundred is not there.
The child says
“No way – The hundred is there.”

-Loris Malaguzzi

HOLLA -

Miss Beautiful

I just uploaded some pictures off of our camera of Miss Amelia. It's so hard to choose just a few, but here you go:






Isn't she just BEAUTIFUL? I mean, every parent thinks THEIR child is beautiful, but come on!!!! OMG!!!!!

I haven't been blogging about Little Miss a whole lot, mainly because I haven't been blogging a whole lot about anything. But another reason why is that, mostly, I just can't put into words how amazing it is to be her mother. Every day, my heart explodes with even more love and even more joy. It just gets better and better! Right now, at about 9 1/2 months, I feel like we are in the sweet spot. She is so hilarious and is doing such amazing things.

What really gets me, though, is that I am her mom, and she is my daughter. And oh, how many days worth celebrating there are to come!

I have to say, as well, that Ben and I are doing a pretty kick-butt job. I look back at the baby advice books, smiling to myself about all of the things we panicked about after she was born. Trust me, I know there's still a lot to learn, but we have mastered so much already!

She is ME in so many ways. She is all drama.



She sings like a rock star. She pushes aside vegetables for a big hunk of bread or meat. She is impatient. SOOO impatient. She is stubborn and has to do things her own way. She LOOOOOVES to sleep. Don't even TRY to rock her or sing her a lullaby after her bottle. Just put her in her crib, already, and don't forget her bink and blankie or you will HEAR IT!!!

I just can't say enough about who she is and what she means to Ben and me. She is one loved little girl.

I used to sing this song to her before she was born, and it is absolutely without a doubt, our anthem. For my Amelia, forever and for always, "I'm not enough, I swear it, but take my love and wear it over your shoulder..."



I'll follow you into the light.



HOLLA -