A Night at the Theatre...

So last night we went to see "The Lion King" with our friends. It was the first musical I've seen since my husband and I went to a dinner theatre in El Paso several years ago. The best part of that one was the chicken.

I really loved the musical last night! It was beautiful and I cried about four times.


After intermission though I had a little trouble because by that time usually, I'm making steps towards sleepy time.

If I had to pick a favorite part of last night's experience it would have to be at intermission. When my husband stood up he kind of lost his balance and somewhat landed on the lady next to us...

The Best Non-Fortune, Fortune Cookie...

Here's a recent "fortune" I received in a cookie:

"To the world you may be just one person, but to one person you may be the world."

Awww...

Southwest Snow Angel...

It seems like a lot of my funny stories from work happen while I'm at recess duty.

Yesterday these two 4th grade boys ran out to the playground and immediately plowed themselves into the dirt and began making sand angels. Poor kids don't ever get snow to do that in!

After they got up and dusted themselves off I requested that nobody mess up their sand angels. I wanted to get my camera when recess was over and take a picture.


This is a picture I found in cyber space. Their sand angels didn't really look like angels anymore by the end of recess...

Some People Just Can't do the Baby Doll Look...

I have a short sleeved baby doll blouse (which I love) and a baby doll sweater (which I also love). They're comfortable and I think they're really cute. But any time I wear either of them, some little kid lets me know how they think I really look.

I wore the baby doll sweater yesterday. When I was helping a kindergarten boy get through the lunch line he looked at my stomach and yelled, "You have a baby in there!"



Maybe it's time to retire the baby doll look...

Cat Impression...

Here I am, not impersonating a cat...



and impersonating one...the scary cat from my work to be specific.

Top 10 Monday

Top 10 Celebrities I would send to outer space...
(As suggested by my cousin...thanks!)

10. Angelina Jolie
The woman is flawless even with her finger on her face. Isn't that reason enough?



9. The cast of "The View"...sorry Whoopi!




8. Tyra Banks
She's just a little much on the model show...it's kind of funny when she starts yelling though.


7. Dr. Phil
No explanation needed.



6. Ryan Seacrest
Maybe I'm just jealous of his income...



5. Flava Flav
He wears a clock.



4. Diddy
What's wrong with going by Sean?



3. Kid Rock
He just looks dirty.



2. Paris Hilton
She makes me sad.


1. Tila Tequila
Why oh why did America make her famous?


When I started this I thought for sure Paris Hilton would be my number one to get sent off to space...then I remembered Tila Tequila, the woman made famous by Myspace. A new winner was created!

A Couple of Changes to my Blog...

So I've gotten a few new followers to my blog who I don't know personally. I've checked out their blogs and they seem to be very nice fellow bloggers with interesting blogs but it got me thinking...

If random nice people are finding my blog then random not so nice people could be finding it too. Which means they could also be looking at my blog buddies.

So...I was going to make my blog private. I changed my mind. Instead, my blog page will no longer show who is following me or the blogs I follow. I also erased my past comments because it links onto my blog follower's pages.

That one made me a little sad because you guys write funny comments! Oh well...we're starting fresh.

From now on I have to accept the comments before they're published. If you are commenting just for me then write something like,"This is for you only" when you comment and I won't publish your comment.

Or...

You can comment when you're not logged onto blogger. That way it won't link onto your page.

Or...

If you're not paranoid like me, you can comment like you usually do and not care who looks at your page.

It's been how long?!?

Friday was my brother's birthday and it was also the anniversary of my first date with my husband.

I remember talking on our first date about how it was my brother's birthday while we were eating Italian food at Carino's. I didn't say much more than that because I was playing hard to get...that was twelve years ago! We're old!!!

Scary Cat

In the mornings before students start to get to school and in the afternoons when they leave, I begin to hear a very scary sound..."Meow".

If she sees me, the stalking begins...



The video was cut short because she was getting a little too close. I walked around the corner and what do you know? So did Freaky Cat...



Poor Freaky Cat, it's not her fault. It's the many cats before her who have ruined me. Let's just say if cats came without teeth or claws I'd be completely cool with them...

Hooray for Pay Day!!!

With wanting to work on our own financial situation, my husband and I are sticking to our budget.

This would make financial expert Suze Orman very happy but leaves our stomach's pretty bored since we aren't making intermittent trips to the grocery store.

If it weren't for one of my co-workers bringing me a bunch of citrus from her house, our only snacks all week would have been string cheese.

String cheese is good but after many days of eating 2+, the palate starts to wonder if there's more to snacking.


So pay day means we will once again have snacking alternatives. We've missed you!

Kita's best friend...

This is "Kita's Buddy". That's her name, "Kita's Buddy".




She loves this German Shepherd more than she loves getting scratched on her hiney...and oh boy does she love getting scratched on her hiney.

Feeling Inspired...

This is the first time I've ever really felt inspired by a president. I didn't even know that was possible until Obama. So I've started a list of improvements I need to make to become a better person:

I will stop finding it amusing when someone trips and falls down...

I will allow people to buy me things...





Actually, I was thinking more about volunteering, the possibility of going back to school, being more gleeful about working...

I was totally kidding about letting people buy me things. Oh and I only laugh when someone falls if they're not injured...ok, I only laugh as long as they're not seriously injured.

MLK Day with Kita

Kita is a fantastic dog but as a companion in commemorating Martin Luther King Jr., she was quite the dud. She had no interest in paying any tribute to the fine leader.

Her main interest all day revolved around maintaining her comfort.

She started out on the bed...



then went for a good stretch in the entry way...



and ended up on the sofa she used to avoid.


These are just the places I got pictures of yesterday...she lounged around a lot more than this! Maybe she'll be more enthusiastic today.

Happy Inauguration Day!

Top 10 Monday

Today's top ten list:

The Top 10 Things That Make Me Mad
(Thanks for the suggestion N!)

10. Realizing my mom was right. Like in college when she told me my makeup was too white...


9. Wanting to eat something like a granola bar and the box is empty.



8. Going into a public restroom and there's no tp.



7. When the contestants start being vindictive on "The Biggest Loser".

6. Trying to find my cell phone when I have turned the sound off.

5. Leaving my cart for a second in the store and someone takes it.

4. When I can't find something because I've put it somewhere weird and can't remember where.

3. Breaking things. My latest victim is the top to our decanter.



2. Remembering someone's birthday the day after.



1. When my mouth starts running before my brain does.



Any suggestions for next Monday?

No PF Chang's 1/2 marathon for me today my friend...

A while back my cousin asked if I wanted to run the PF Chang's 1/2 marathon. I was all fired up and excited for the challenge. I started running longer on the treadmill.


My brother told me that to run out in the world I needed really good running shoes. So it was always on my to do list to shop for them but it never quite happened.

About six weeks ago I called my cousin and asked her if she still wanted to run in the race. My thinking was that if she still wanted to run I would still run with her.

When I called and asked her, she said she would run if I still wanted to. We were both relieved and decided to bow out.

The race is going on right now but instead of putting my all into a strong finish like this runner...



I'm at home feeling very happy with my decision.



Maybe next year...or maybe not. Thirteen miles is a long way.

Almost time for R & R

The weekend is here-yay for that!


I'll be spending my morning with a few hundred of our students at a mile race for them and other kids.

I'm all for keeping our youth healthy and it's going to be super cute watching the little ones try to race. But did it have to be on a three day weekend?

So happy the week is just about over...

This week has not been my favorites of weeks. I tried thinking positively and making my to do lists but nothing really helped. I know what the cause was...but I really wish it wasn't the cause. Putting it delicately, every month I feel this way to some degree.

At least I didn't cry but yesterday I did hang up on my brother. He ticked me off. I called John and told him about our conversation and we decided I should apologize. So I called back and got a firm talking to...his 4 year old gave me what for.

She said, "Maryellen. Were you fighting with my dad?" I told her I was. She said,"Why were you fighting with my dad?" I told her I was being a jerk and to tell her dad I was sorry. She told him and apparently he told her to tell me my head was big. Meaning that physically my head is big, not that I'm full of myself.

She then told me not to fight with him. I said ok.

Good news is, my brother and I won't fight again for another two years. That's how it usually goes for us.

Bad news is, I'll feel overly sensitive and upset again a month from now. Is there good medication for that?

No puppy pictures...

I'm really sad that John and I didn't take pictures of Kita when she was a little puppy. She was so cute!

This is what she looked like, except Keets was a little fluffier than this one.


If we did have pictures from back then she'd probably have white fur in her mouth from biting Jen's American Eskimo...poor Maverick.

So much to do...

To battle being overwhelmed with life to dos I've come up with a few strategies. When I say "come up" I mean I've stolen a few that have worked for me.

1. Write 6 things that need to be done then prioritize that list.

The idea is that at the end of the day even if I haven't finished everything, I've at least completed the most important ones.

Lee Iococca I think.

2. Take a moment at a time.

I think about when Chandler and Monica (Friends) were getting married and Chandler was freaking out. Ross would give him directions like,"Right now you just need to take a shower."

Coincidentally, "take a shower" is what I need to be doing right now.

Any other suggestions for staying on top of life's tasks?

The washing machine will keep on washing...

So it's not necessary at the moment to kick the washing machine...John replaced the motor and it's working great!

I'm pessimistically optimistic that the old girl will last a bit longer.

Finding joys in daily life...

I started picking a favorite moment from each hour I'm working to keep my motivation high. My favorite so far...

9:00-10:00am- I ate cheese.

Today isn't over so maybe an afternoon activity will beat cheese.

Does it ever end?

I wonder if there's ever a time when everything we use regularly is working well...

Top 10 Monday

After reading Jennifer's blog for "Website Wednesday" and Natalie's blog for "Flashback Friday", I decided my blog needed a theme for Monday.

Every Monday I will be writing a top 10 list of some sort. This week...

My top 10 stress relievers:

10. Escape into a great story.

9. Grocery shop.

8. Put the crock pot to use.

7. Sleep.

6. Get in my pj's and curl up on the couch with a blanket and good tv.

5. Make a priority list.

4. Take a warm shower.

3. Workout.

2. Laugh.

1. Talk with a sympathetic listener.

Any thoughts for future Top 10 lists?

The Domicile Lagomorph

The title was John's idea...he's such a boy.

I'd like to say I'm only interested in watching movies that could potentially receive "Best Picture" recognition. Well...who's to say "The House Bunny" couldn't receive such accolades?

I've been wanting to see it ever since I started seeing the previews for it.

John and I started watching my much sought after "House Bunny" after midnight last night so of course we both fell asleep. We did manage to stay awake for the first hour.

I wasn't disappointed! That little bunny was funny...seriously. John was even laughing. I think his laughter was partly because he was laughing at me laugh at the movie...that's ok too.

I'm not embarrassed. Well, maybe a little.

I'm sure everyone has an embarrassing movie in their list of favorites...right?

I've been tagged!

I've been tagged by my friend Natalie to share info you may not know about me. Here I go...

1. I have complete trust in Billy Mays. If he endorses a product, I'm going to want it.



2. Everything I give John is on the right. If I pour two drinks for example, his will be the one on the right side.




3. At one time I thought Pauly Shore would make a great boyfriend.



4. I love muppets. Animal is my favorite.



5. I also love lamps.



6. When I was like 5 years old, my life ambition was to grow up to be my parent's maid.



Now it's my turn to tag! Jen, Janet and Emily...tag you're it! Your turn to share!

Surviving the first week back...

Phew! We did it...hooray!!!

I feel very fortunate to be where I am in the working world but time off is always welcome. I'm pretty skillful in filling my days with non-work, non-future oriented to do's.

Some of my favorite time off to do's:

Waking up without an alarm clock...and when the sun is shining at least a little.

Staying in my pj's and drinking coffee while watching morning programing.

Answering the big questions of life such as "Where should we eat for lunch?".

Checking out other blogs and who is new to facebook.

Catching up on movie watching. LOVED Wall-e...Kung Fu Panda was pretty good too.


My favorite pictures from our two week va-cay:



Yes, time off was fabulous and I miss it terribly. But it's time to roll up my sleeves and get to work!

New year, new habits...for Kita.

We bought our red love seat last spring and Kita has never had any interest in sitting on it. Even when one of us would call her up there to sit with us, she would get up for a second and then she'd jump down to go do her own thing. She's kind of like a cat. We think she developed her new habit when we were gone the week of Christmas.

Here she is caught in the act...



In Kita's ten years of life she has never dressed like a person...until now.


Amazingly, she didn't mind.

My favorite quote of the week...

On Tuesday while I was doing recess duty a 4th grade boy came up to me and said,"Mrs. Maxfield, do you know what I want to do when I grow up?" I said,"What? Become a doctor?" He replied with,"No, I want to get married and have two or one kids and buy a lot of mashed potatoes and crispy chicken from KFC."

Goodbye 2008...hello 2009!!!

I am thankful for every year that passes and what it brings to my family and me. One thing 2008 brought us was healthy new habits. We said adios to dinners of all you can eat cheese tots and replaced meals such as those with healthy portion controlled goodness. We also got our bodies a movin. As I'm writing this John just asked me what we're having for lunch. He said, "Pizza?". Sorry Johnny, it's not calorie day. When I look back at having a full year of healthy living it makes me really happy. However, we've adopted the mind set that it doesn't matter if we have or haven't made healthy choices for a year...today is the only day that matters. It's pretty cheesy I know, but taking one day at a time is a lot less intimidating for us than thinking about the rest of our lives.

Saying hello to 2008...




Saying goodbye to 2008...


Last year also brought us new friendships, more family to love, the return of music for John and personal goals achieved.

So far 2009 is looking pretty good!