My Thirteen Favorite Films of all Time

This week I thought I would share my thirteen favorite films. From Comedy to Drama, these are my faves!

1. Life is Beautiful





2. That Thing Called Love

3. Pride and Prejudice

4. You've Got Mail

5. Emma

6. McClintock

7. The Importance of Being Ernest

8. Sliding Doors

9. Pretty Woman

10. Notting Hill

11. While You Were Sleeping

12. There's Something About Mary

13. Bridget Jone's Diary

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The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others' comments. It’s easy, and fun! Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!

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Much Ado about Moving

It seems that Kyle and I are between a rock and a hard place when it comes to the topic of moving. Moving where, you ask? Well, that is exactly the point. Confused yet?

Well, the Rock would be that we really like it here and the Hard Place would be that we always imagined moving closer to our families at some point. Kyle has been encouraged by a friend to look at a possible job opportunity in Texas. I love Texas and have friends there so that immediately sounds very welcoming, professionally it would also be a good move for me. But as soon as we think of moving we both become overwhlemes by so many emotions thatwe just dont know what to do.
Do we move, leaving a church we love and great friends and good jobs and start over again this time within at least a days drive of family? Do we stay and put our roots here for awhile longer? Not too long ago we were house hunting! When suddenly life threw us a curve ball and we are still in the outfield trying to catch up with it.

I was going through our pastor's sermon's online www.baylife.org because sometimes I listen to them on my headset at work if we have missed a Sunday, etc. And I saw a sermon from a month ago about how Christians should deal with those big decisions that come up in life. It really hit me good- how was I or Kyle supposed to make this decision? How could we ever decide? Would we just wait for a sign? And after I listened to this sermon again I realized that this is what I need to do. Here are Mark's suggestions.

1. Ask: Does this decision line up with the Word of God?

meaning- Is there anything about this decision that is against or not cohesive with the laws that the Lord gives us in his word. For instance- If we were going to rob a bank - we would find "Thou Shalt not Steal" in the Ten Commandments and know that if it was against God's word it probably wasn't his desire for our lives. Moving to a new place wouldnt be against God's word - but maybe we could read deaper into our reasonings,etc. and see what the Bible has to say.

2. Consult wise council

This is easy to understand - you talk to people that you love and respect and ask them their opinion. This one is a toughy b/c our #1 wise coucil - our parents would of course encourage the move for many many reasons. I plan to start asking a few (non-biast) wise counselors their opinions and thoughts.

3. Pray your ever lovin' heart out - that is a direct quote from the sermon. He followed with Pray and if the Spirit of God leads then step out in faith.

The third one is where I will spend the most time. My prayer is ultimately that God guides our decision. We've all made big decisions before and I know that I have made some enormous ones without consulting God as I should, he has blessed me nonetheless and I hope that now as a married woman with big decisions impacting Kyle and I's life that we will seek him and follow him in faith.

Have a lovely Wednesday.

Back up!

Well, here I was blogging along happily this past week and I completely forgot to blog about my great weekend with my mother and her new beau! We had such a fabulous time. We eased the anxious first time meeting with some fun bowling with our lifegroup from church. Mom and Mike arrived and were immediately overwhelmed with our very loud and happy group. They got right in on our fun and soon each had a nickname, Mom became Cinderella because all of the girls were having Walt Disney princess names as one of the girls in our group is actually a cast member at Disney World as Sleeping Beauty. She loves Disney almost more than anyone I have ever known (Pam's Mom!). Mike soon got his nickname for his unique ability to leave only one pin standing on every single turn. The boys chanted "ONE PIN! ONE PIN!" whenever he approached the lane. He was good natured and seemed to really enjoy the game with his girlfriend and 9 new strangers. The men won the bowling match and took home the Champion Sock for the night! It was a great time.




The next day was the beach and we headed off to Anna Maria Island (the site of our wedding 5 months ago!). We toasted on the beach for the day and later explored the island, stopping to have a cocktail on the pier and get a lovely view of the Sunshine Skyway. We were also able to see a few extremely adventurous fisherman baiting of their hooks with enormous fish with the goal of catching a shark. Yikes!




After that we headed to the very site of our wedding, the Beachouse Restaurant and ate dinner - reminiscing as 2 weddings were going on while we were there. We enjoyed a beautiful sunset (almost as gorgeous as the one we enjoyed on November 3rd) and had a lovely dinner outside listening to the waves crash and getting to know this new fellow in my Mother's life. I was happy to find a genuine and sincere man who I am happy to have met.

The next day we had a yummy waffle and bacon breakfast before heading to Orlando for an exciting round of putt putt golf where my Mom triumphed over us all and I brought up the rear with the lowest score. Good thing I have no competitive bones in my body. As we caught the beginning of a rain shower on our 18th hole, we were happy that our next activity would be indoors.
We hurried through the rain to Downtown Disney were we enjoyed a happy meal at the crowded Earl of Sandwich and then went to spend the rest of our time at DisneyQuest. We had a great time but, were soon tired and eager to finish off our visit with some pizza take out and some Rock Band at the Playstation 3. I made some homemade vanilla ice cream and we just enjoyed the company for the remainder of the evening.

The next morning we said our tearful goodbyes and Kyle and I headed to work as they headed towards the airport. They made it safe and sound back home and we spent that evening vegging out and relaxing from the fun and hectic weekend.

Sorry it took a week to report! I almost forgot to do it at all.

Happy Monday!

Back aches, shopping and a dirty house..not in that order

The weekend was such a relief when it finally arrived. But, sitting here Sunday afternoon I am wiped out from the weekend's activity. Friday evening my husband met me in Lakeland for dinner and a movie. I walked through the shops at the Lakeland Town Center -an outdoor mall with restaurants and the theater- until Kyle arrived. We headed to our favorite dinner spot, Macaroni Grill and afterwards enjoyed a funny but surprising movie, Forgetting Sarah Marshall (see it and you will know what I mean, but, FYI - I cannot recommend it).
Saturday started early, I met my girlfriends in Brandon for breakfast at Mimi's Cafe to discuss the book that we recently read together. We had a great time, chatting about the book and going through questions we had found about it on a book club website. I have found that reading a book with other women is really a great way to get to know each other.
Here is my take on it-
When you watch a movie everything is laid out for you -what the characters look like, what the setting is, what feelings and emotions are expressed are so evident that everyone for the most part gets the same story and experience, this is why the director of a movie is so important-everything hinges on the director b/c they are who decides how you (the viewer) is going to perceive and feel about the character and about each scene of the movie. In a book, you are the director. You are visualizing things based on the descriptions in the book but they may mean different things and present different images to each individual person/ reader. So, when I read a book with other people and then meet to discuss it, I am basically sitting down with a bunch of directors of the same story. And directors are very protective of their interpretations of a script. We aren't the authors but we are the perceivers of the story.
This is why I love reading books with other women. Because there is so much to talk about. We had a really good discussion of the book over breakfast and then afterwards headed to the bookstore to pick out our next book. Since the whole group wasn't there it was up to the three of us to pick out the next book that will hopefully spark some great discussion.

After the bookstore we ended up hitting Starbucks where we spent more time in conversation ranging from our husbands, gun control, and having children in our society today, etc. and then we wandered through the mall drooling over Coach purses and trying on a million perfumes in Sephora.
We barely bought anything and could be heard on the phone randomly with our husbands convincing them of how good we were being to not spend a ton of money. The mall was filled with a million things we wanted to buy, but good conversation and laughter were our treasures at the end of the day.
We rounded up the evening with dinner with the men and another couple in our lifegroup that had been busy with family and had not made it to the morning activities. I had the wrong shoes and too much walking had left me with very significant backpain by Saturday night.
On Sunday we went to church and hurried home afterwards for some R&R.
After cleaning the house I am now happily resting my back and reflecting on my lovely day both today and yesterdays busyness. Well, that was how I spent the week's end and brought in the beginning of another week.

Have a lovely Sunday...

t.g.i.f.

Another week is coming to a close and as I drove to work this morning I breathed a sigh of relief. There was nothing intense going on this week in all ways it really was typical with nothing out of the ordinary. Something in me could not wait for it to end. (sigh) Hopefully a happy and relaxing weekend will mend the restless on edge feelings of the week. Have a blessed weekend everyone!

thirteen blogs i did not write

If you are a regular reader of "going overboard" you probably noticed that my posts have been few and far between as of late. You might also have noticed that the Thursday Thirteen seems to be the only semi-consistent posting regime. I apologize and plan to become much more active in the future. So, here are 13 blog topics that I didn't post or write but carried around in my head with the intention of posting them. Have a fabulous Thursday bloggers!

1. The Bicycle Purchase
A few weeks ago Kyle and I spontaneously decided to purchase bikes and ride them to improve on our health and to work some fun exercise into our routines. We had a fabulous first ride which left us excited to ride again. However, with rain the following 4 days and the terrible swelling and pain in my back that came as the aftermath has left our new exciting purchases waiting patiently on our porch for their next adventure. We are glad we bought them but sad to not be able to use them like we would like to at this time.

Our bike riding destination - Walden Lake. We ride about a quarter mile to the lake community and it is several miles around so it is a beautiful and relazing ride. I can't wait till my back is better!

2. Why I cannot make a decent pancake or waffle

This one would have been about how my domestic skills are severly laking and how I can make pasta and toast and that is where the list ends.

3. Uncertainty

I seem to be at a time in my life of severe uncertainty. Every decision is weighing on my conscience and I have no idea where life will take me and Kyle in the next year. 6 months ago I probably would have told you exactly what I wanted and how things would go but now I am just uncertain.

4. The wrong date
The other day I took an hour off of work to go to the doctor. It was a neurologist that my orthapedic specialist had sent me to in order to confirm my herniated disk with someone else. This appointment was scheduled so I could go to a pain management specialist a few days later and the next week follow up with my orthopedist. Okay - so I get to the doctor with x-rays and MRI in hand and they tell me that my appointment is the next month and that my doctor gave me the wrong month. They cannot fit me in so I am out of luck. I call my doctor and they claim misinformation as well. We are all in an uproar and the end result is that I must put it all on hold and continue on with no relief to the pain (save my medicine) for another month. This blog probably would have been very long and agitated with many exclamation points.

5. Hello my name is Leslie and I am addicted to chewing gum

Folks, I am up to 2 packs a week. It's serious and I can't stop. Thankfully it is just gum.

6. Hello my name is Leslie and I used to rarely drink pop and now I am craving....Diet Coke!

7. The life of a private blogger

I seem to have a real issue with sharing my blog. I catch myself holding back from letting other people know this side of me because I feel like it will guard my feeling of freedom to say what I wish. I have already done that in a lot of ways and I am nervous that I will post to please instead of expressing and sharing what is on my mind or heart. Which is the very reason that I blog at all. I am not ashamed of what I write - merely guarded of letting new friends in.

8. The color search

My firm is designing a car dealership. I have recently began searching the world of finishes for the approved trademark allowed materials. Normally these come in a box from the contractor for a job. I get all the boxes of samples and I weed through them and construct a scheme. This is not all that I do as a designer - this is just the color selection portion. So, this new job has sent me scrurrying around the office to find things I might already have and ordering the others, calling reps and requesting custom carpet samples that are near impossible to find. And alas! I have gathered almost all since Monday and as they are arriving throughout the week I am so happy to see that they are all nice earthtones (my designer comfort zone when I am not choosing the scheme) and I feel very satisfied as I unwrap my final samples of tile that came in this afternoon and I laugh (as I always do) at the clever names..'Sand Box', 'Slinky', 'I see the moon' and 'Golden Fleece'.

9. Not sure how to help

Someone that I love very much is struggling with different emotions and situations. I can offer advice and comfort but that is all. I want to step in and fix it all and make it right so they can move on with their life. I want to take all the heat - step into the drama and straighten everyone out. I can't do this. It wouldn't help at all. But it drives me crazy and make my heart ache.

10. Growing up is an interesting thing
The funny thing about growing up is that we all do it physically but mentally people all travel at their own speeds. We have all met the 35 year old who acts like their 18. I am all about having fun and staying young at heart. But I have to say that I expect a certain kind of behavior from certain age groups. I get so upset when I see someone my age acting so immaturely. I never lecture these people or anything - it's just that inside I am screaming! "Where are your manners!!! Where is your respect? Who raised you!!???" We are all different this I know, but I am finding as I age that I am wound a little tight when it comes to behavior. I expect a lot from those my own age and I am very often dissappointed. I think that is why I have had a hard time with getting close to people since I moved. When you grow up with people you may tend to be very similar with your behavior b/c you developed that way as you knew them and they with you. When you jump in to the early 20's age group I must tell you that you have no idea whether you will find successful and intelligent adults or the total opposite. I believe that we should all be who we are and sometimes structure and discipline are not built in characteristics, people are individuals and I dont want anyone to pretend to be something their not - just to realize that with age should come just a little wisdom and self control.


11. Weightloss
I have suddenly become dangerously aware that I have gained weight - too much for comfort.
It happened slowly and now- BOOM! 10lbs! Anxiety over the carwreck and stress from so many other things and now I am uncomfortable and upset with myself. Not that I was ever thin or at my idea weight - but I was as I have always been and now after 5 months of marriage..the thing I swore wouldn't happen...Balloon! I have got to get to work on this flab! It's almost summer!!

12. 10 is the new 14

Well, this just an interesting thing I have noticed. Does anyone else watch America's Next Top Model? Well, I do and I have for some time. I was interested when several seasons ago they introduced plus-sized models. I thought this was good b/c it seems that that industry is trying to cover all body types and that the show could recognize it. No plus-size model has won yet but the girl this season is really doing well (I hope! I missed this weeks episode). Well, as I am watching the show I am listening to the girls and I notice that they mention that the plus-size model is a size 10. I would kill to be a size 10. I haven't been a 10 since junior high! That poor gigantic girl! A size 10!!!! What a hippo- Since when is a size 10 obese? good grief.......

13. You can't tell a book by its cover

I thought it funny when a few months ago my friend and I started reading books together. We would pick on out and read it and talk about it and eventually a few other girls joined the fun. It was interesting how other people choose books. Some people go by the cover - does it intrigue them, some go by the little blurb on the back, still others read the last page or the first page to decide. A friend of mine says she always checks the 'feel' of the book cover ( I was pretty blank on that one - but I loved it!). I have even heard that people choose a book based on page size, number of pages and font size. I have chose awful books and I have picked out books that I have read over and over.

Well, I really wish I would have gotten around to really blogging about all those things. But, as hopefully in the future I will be more diligent about posting. Thanks for reading!

Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!

The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others' comments. It’s easy, and fun! Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!
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13 Funny Things to Do While Taking an Exam

Well, these are not things I did in my exam last weekend. But looking back knowing that I am finished and I hope I did well is all I can do at the moment so I decided to post a funny list I found of things to do during an exam...I am guessing one that doesn't decide the future of your professional career would be the most appropriate place. Anywhoo- for all you out there who were the class clown or always wanted to be a little rebellious...
Okay..so there are more than 13 but I just couldn't pick out my favorites!

1. Bring a pillow. Fall asleep (or pretend to) until the last 15 minutes. Wake up, say "oh geez, better get cracking" and do some gibberish work. Turn it in a few minutes early.

2. Get a copy of the exam, run out screaming "Andre, Andre, I've got the secret documents!!"

3. If it is a math/science exam, answer in essay form. If it is long answer/essay form, answer with numbers and symbols. Be creative. Use the integral symbol.

4. Make paper airplanes out of the exam. Aim them at the instructor's left nostril.

5. Talk the entire way through the exam. Read questions aloud, debate your answers with yourself out loud. If asked to stop, yell out, "I'm SOOO sure you can hear me thinking." Then start talking about what a jerk the instructor is.

6. Walk in, get the exam, sit down. About five minutes into it, loudly say to the instructor, "I don't understand ANY of this. I've been to every lecture all semester long! What's the deal? And who are you? Where's the regular guy? "

7. On the answer sheet (book, whatever) find a new, interesting way to refuse to answer every question. For example: I refuse to answer this question on the grounds that it conflicts with my religious beliefs. Be creative.

8. Run into the exam room looking about frantically. Breathe a sigh of relief. Go to the instructor, say "They've found me, I have to leave the country" and run off.

9. Do the exam with crayons, paint, or fluorescent markers.

10. Come into the exam wearing slippers, a bathrobe, a towel on your head, and nothing else.

11. Do the entire exam in another language. If you don't know one, make one up! For math/science exams, try using Roman numerals.

12. Walk into the exam with an entourage. Claim you are going to be taping your next video during the exam. Try to get the instructor to let them stay, be persuasive. Tell the instructor to expect a percentage of the profits if they are allowed to stay.

13. Every five minutes, stand up, collect all your things, move to another seat, continue with the exam.

14. Turn in the exam approximately 30 minutes into it. As you walk out, start commenting on how easy it was.

15. Bring a black marker. Return the exam with all questions and answers completely blacked out.

16. Go to an exam for a class you have no clue about, where you know the class is very small, and the instructor would recognize you if you belonged. Claim that you have been to every lecture. Fight for your right to take the exam.

17. If the exam is math/science related, make up the longest proofs you could possibly think of. Get pi and imaginary numbers into most equations. If it is a written exam, relate everything to your own life story.

18. Bring a friend to give you a back massage the entire way through the exam. Insist this person is needed, because you have bad circulation.

19. Bring cheat sheets FOR ANOTHER CLASS (make sure this is obvious... like history notes for a calculus exam... otherwise you're not just failing, you're getting kicked out too) and staple them to the exam, with the comment "Please use the attached notes for references as you see fit."

20. Complete the exam with everything you write being backwards at a 90 degree angle.

21. Bring a musical instrument with you, play various tunes. If you are asked to stop, say "it helps me think." Bring a copy of the Student Handbook with you, challenging the instructor to find the section on musical instruments during finals. Don't forget to use the phrase "Told you so".

Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!

The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others' comments. It’s easy, and fun! Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!
View More Thursday Thirteen Participants

Wild Wednesday

Well, no nothing really WILD about today just thought it funny that I hadnt blogged yet even though life seems to be so crazy and out of control lately! I should have 5 or 6 blogs daily just to keep you up to date with the speed and agility that things in my life are going completely and horribly wrong. And also how they are going right.
But I wont depress you with the down sides. But here are a few great things!
1. My Mom is coming to visit on Friday and it's Wednesday so its super close!!
2. My test last friday went pretty well and I feel "OKAY" about it.
3. Our apartment is almost clean for my Mom's visit

A few prayer requests:
1. Please pray for Kyle's grandfather who has suffered a terrible stroke
2. Please pray for Kyle and his family through this tough time.

Have a blessed Wednesday!

Whew! Where did this week go?

Okay Okay! I am alive and well just not bloggable this week I guess. The truth is that life has been pretty hectic of late and as of today at 11:34am I can breathe a HUGE sigh of relief because at that time this morning I finished the licensing exam I was taking in Tampa for my Interior Design License. You may remember that I took the test in its entirety last September in Orlando. Well, in January I found out that I passed 2 of the 3 sections and I immediately reapplied for the Spring test to take that failed section again. That was this morning and I feel okay about it but really not sure either way. I won't know till June or July so I do not plan to dwell on it. Like my boss says, you only have to pass them once so take them until you do and then you are licensed and it doesnt matter how you got there once your there. So, huge sigh of relief for that. Now Kyle and I are getting down to some spring cleaning in preparation for my Mom and her boyfriend, Mike to visit us next weekend. I am so excited. I will post some pics of our refreshed and spiffed up apartment as soon as we finish!

Have a fabulous weekend! Gotta go get dinner out of the oven!

leslie