Honor Flight

McStudly got voluntold to do Honor Flight bright and stupid painfully freaking early on a Saturday morning.

If you don't know what honor flight is, here's a small synopsis of what we did that day:

There were several flights arriving at our local airport carrying quite a few war veterans along with their typical plane-load of people. But we weren't there for anyone but the veterans.

At each gate, when the door opened, the normal everyday passengers were the first to deplane. I could tell by many of their faces that they had not-a-clue what was going on as they entered the airport surrounded by lines of men and women in uniform (yes, this happened at every gate where an honor flight was arriving, that day).

Once they cleared out (though some stuck around to see what the hubbub was all about), the veterans began to slowly emerge from the gate, escorted by loved ones and airline staff. And if you weren't paying attention before this point, you most certainly were now!

Roars of applause and cheers greeted them.

The men and women who are currently serving our country were hootin'-n-hollerin' for the men that had gone before them. Shaking their hands. Thanking them for their service.

...and every single one of the veterans were just BEEMING with pride!

I cannot even begin to tell you how hard it was for me to fight back tears. I was standing next to a pregnant woman, the wife of one of McStudly's pals, and even SHE didn't seem to be struggling as much as I was. Call me a sap all you want, but something about that kind of patriotism just gets me every time.

We had an amazing time. It was SO well worth the early morning we'd had. Seriously.

But even better, for me, was the end of the morning. As the men from the Honor Flights boarded their charter bus to DC, escorted by men on Harleys the entire way there...

...all of the men and women that are currently serving sent them off with a proper salute.

It was so beautiful! If you EVER get the chance to be a part of an Honor Flight near you, DO IT! You'll be so glad that you did and you'll never forget it.

PS: Check this guy out. He still fit into his uniform after 20+ years.

You know I had to get a picture with him and McStudly. Look how handsome!

Yee Gatz!

*Music Man reference, for those of you wondering about my curious choice of blog title.

I got an award!! Thanks to Jaime @ fearfully and wonderfully made for this gem:

So here's what I have to do:

- tell you 5 things that I'm obsessed with, and

- tag 5 other fabulous friends


And the obsessions are (in no particular order):

1. Music. Umm... I don't even think I need to explain this one. Just check this blog, this one, oh and probably this one, too, if you have the time and need a kill an hour or two. :-P

2. Organization. Well, this is in theory, I guess. We are currently undergoing "mission organize" at the Puhl house, with hopes of "completing" it before McStudly's mom is in town in a few weeks. The problem? We have done little to probably no organization whatsoever since we moved in just over a year ago (wow, has it been that long already?!). So, needless to say, there's a LOT to do. So sometimes I sit at work and daydream about how I'll organize the spare bedroom, or what our bedroom will look like all put together and organized. *sigh Someday, right?!

3. Crafts. Specifically sewing, but really a lot of things, actually, though I can't really take part in all that I want to do. I've been WAY into sewing lately, and am loving it! Though, at the moment, my sewing machine is in a pile of stuff while we finish painting the entire downstairs and spare bedroom upstairs. But seriously, I am always coming up with new ideas, and my friend Queen Rosh and I's Etsy shop will even be up soon (we're hoping). I can't wait and I have just LOVED getting crafty, lately. But I also have this dream of refinishing a chair, or old antique dresser/hutch (but I don't have the space), and also creating a personalized painting for our dining room wall. Hopefully I'll at least get to do that last one, but we'll see, I suppose.

4. Blogs. Although I haven't been the best at posting, lately, I am still WAY obsessed with reading y'alls blogs. It's a sickness, I think. Sometimes, when you don't post, I even sit there and hit refresh a few times, or go out and come back to the page just to make sure my computer isn't just lagging or messing with me. It's that out of control! Thankfully, I've learned to sometimes be able to control my urges to get some work done and catch up (which is why I've been so pseudo-silent the past few weeks... catching up from all of the other slacking off I have been doing!) on things, but there are still days, like today, where all I can think about is what you guys are up to, or your witty blog banter, or what I could come up with for the day that will get your comments rolling. So perhaps instead of just blogs, I'm even more obsessed with getting comments? It's pretty sad how much it drives me, but I'm so into them that I actually have been known to be sad when I only get 1 or 2 (though I'm WAY WAY WAY excited to even get those!!). It's a sickness!! See? I told you I'm obsessed...

5. TV. Well, let me explain - I'm not obsessed with tv, in general, but more so with certain tv shows. There are several shows that McStudly and I really follow, and I'm the kind of person that genuinely gets upset when a season finale leaves too much in question. I get SO upset! Like Bones - it's got to be my all-time favorite show. But the season finale last season? HORRIBLE!! Booth was just waking up from a coma and didn't remember Brennan? What kind of crap was THAT?! You better beLIEVE that I watched that season opener (which left too much of a gap, if you ask me). We DVR like EVERYthing, just in case. Especially since it's football season and all... can't miss an episode of these shows (in no particular order): Bones, Criminal Minds, How I Met Your Mother, NCIS, Army Wives (haven't watched this week, but we seriously need some more drama, people), Big Bang Theory, Castle, Ghost Whisperer (though it's losing me, slowly), Chuck, and a few others I can't remember at the moment for whatever reason.



Well, there you have it. A few obsessions I'm currently stuck with, but not really minding too much.






**Random thought of the day: Do you guys remember the Nickelodeon cartoon "Doug"? I LOVED that cartoon! For whatever reason, I've had various different songs by "the Beets" stuck in my head, all day. Remember this one?: "Bangin on a trash can. Drummin on a street light. Strummin with my banjo. One little voice is callin me callin me..." ha ha ha. Too fun!! *sigh Ah the memories.

Aww Shucks!

Young Mom/Wife over at I Took The One Less Traveled By... gave me an award! How awesome is that?! Her blog is totally real and she's definitely one of the most Honest blogs I read, for sure!

So now I'm supposed to tell you all 10 things that you may or may not know are true. I'm not all that exciting, but I'll do my best and hopefully I won't disappoint! ha ha. But let's remember, folks - what happens at the Deep End of the Puhl STAYS at the Deep End of the Puhl! (wow... did that sound kinda dirty to anyone else?! Or was it just me and my totally inappropriate mind? Yeah, more than likely)

...movingrightalong...

Here goes nothing!

1 - I'm somewhat OCD. I won't go into too much detail because I think I'll scare most of you away, but it's with numbers and counting, along with symmetry. Weird, right?! For someone who doesn't even remember to spellcheck her blog, most of the time, to actually be OCD about something? Yeah yeah yeah...

2 - I feel like my house is clean when surfaces are not cluttered and laundry is done and put away. Needless to say, I don't often feel like my house is clean.

3 - I grew up a PK (Pastors Kid). Yes, I know there is a stigma about how bad they can be and that always drove me nuts!! I used to get so mad when people from church would say things like "You should know better - your father is a Pastor!" Jeesh - I was just a kid!

4 - I have a disease called FIM. Some of you may have heard of it... the FIM stands for Foot In Mouth". The problem? It carries over into my blogging, as well. If I offend you, I apologize... it's the disease talking. They don't make medication for it, and from what I hear, there's no cure. Looks like it's going to be a loooong life. (disclaimer: it's not a real disease, it just means I don't think before I speak... or type)

5 - I'm a Mil-Wife. GO AIR FORCE!! I'm super proud of my Airman McStudly (wouldn't that be fun if seen on a uniform?!) and love him to pieces.

6 - I'm a Bible-believing Christian and DANG proud of it. But some people don't appreciate the fact that I love people - not just other Christians. What do I say to that? Get over it. That's the way we're SUPPOSED to be. Hmmph!

7 - I'm a registered Republican, BUT I don't just vote for whatever red runs for the seat. I look at issues... and not just one or two of them... but all issues that I can wrap my head around. So don't hate me for being on the other side, if I am, or love me for sitting next to you, because I'm a bigger fan of bi-partisan legislation. I don't give a rats behind who's supporting it if I don't agree with it in the first place!

8 - I have this AWFUL habit of picking at the skin around my fingers. I think it's a sickness. It's totally gross and unbelievable painful, sometimes, but I do it sub-consciously... when I'm watching an intense movie, in an argument with someone I care about, or just dazing off into the abyss. *blushes* I'm so ashamed.

9 - I sing. Period. I love it. I can be found singing regularly at church, daily in my car, and occasionally in the shower. I have this insanely (yet probably somewhat unrealistic) huge dream of becoming a songwriter/worship leader at some point in my life and I absolutely get giddy when I have the chance to harmonize with someone else who loves to sing (and is good at it...). But for now, I just adore music and try to learn to play the guitar so I'm not just singing a Capella all the time.

10 - My family is from the south (yeehaw!), but I want to see the WORLD!! I believe this place is way to huge to stay in one spot your whole life. Unfortunately, my wallet is in a bit of a disagreement with me on this one. We're mid-peace talks at this point, but there's no telling when we'll come to some form of an agreement.

AND a bonus for all of you: because... well... we are being honest here, aren't we?

BONUS: I've taken pole-dancing classes! AAHHH!!! There. I said it. Don't judge me! I did it just before and right after I got married and to be perfectly honest, my husband still hasn't really seen anything that I learned in that class. It was NOOOT easy! We have these places out neat where I live called "Xpose Fitness" where you go in for exercise and walk out feeling like a worn-out stripper, but it's SO much fun. No. You don't feel sexy while you're doing it (well, it seems like some people do, but trust me - they have NO business thinking that because they look a MESS spinning around that pole). You feel like a total idiot, but I sware to you - You will never have more fun at a workout class with your girlfriends than you will at one of these. It's the most hilarious workout, yet full and intense workout, that you'll ever take part in. I highly recommend it, but don't go alone. It's not fun alone...

Okay - now here's who I'm picking! (If you've already gotten it, just feel free to link your to my blog and you don't have to do it again... I'm all about the shortcuts here, people!) In alphabetical order:

D.A.R. at Just Another Day In Paradise

Lindsay at and We'll Just Laugh Along The Way

Lindsey at Learning To Be A Wife

Malia at MKell.Fotographie

Mrs. Stethoscope at It Might Seem Crazy But We Call It Life

There you have it! Can't wait to see what kind of fun stuff I learn about you all...

I Almost Forgot!!

Please show your support - he's such a sweet lil pup. Now he just needs his 15 minutes of fame! :-D