Proud to Have Served

Veteran's Day is upon us once again and I just can't believe it's been 4 years since I completed my service in the Navy.  Time sure has flown.  I am so thankful that I can look back on my Naval service with pride and fond memories.  I served on a great ship with an awesome crew and an excellent chain of command.  I traveled to a lot of fascinating places and served in support of OIF and OEF.  I served alongside my husband, and now I support him from the other side of the lines.  Sometimes I feel like being a military spouse is actually harder than being the active duty service member, but when I find myself missing the Navy, I realize that there is no way I could possibly deploy and leave my kids for 6+ months.  I'm proud to have served and to continue serving as a spouse and FRG leader.  The Navy will always be a huge part of who I am.  Some days I love it, other days I resent it, but all in all I have a pretty great life and I couldn't have gotten here without the United States Navy.

Veteran's Day Freebies/Discounts

Here's a pretty comprehensive list of the Veteran's Day freebies and discounts I received from the CMC.   You  may want to call ahead to ensure the discount is valid in your area.  Happy Veteran's Day to all of my fellow shipmates!  :)





Restaurants

Applebee's Restaurant - Free dinners to veterans throughout Veterans Day

November 11th; selections will be from a new Veterans Day menu.

Outback Steakhouse - Free Blooming Onion and beverage.

Golden Corral- Free buffet dinner from 5-9 p.m. on Nov. 16 to anyone who

has ever served in the U.S. military Staff. 

Chilis- Free choice of one of 6 entrees.

In celebration of Veterans Day 11 Nov 2010, Subway is showing its thanks

with free six inch subs to all Veterans or Active Duty members.

On Nov. 7, McCormick & Schmick's restaurants will offer a free entree to

military veterans for its 12th annual Veteran's Appreciation Event. Menu

picks include such seafood items as parmesan crusted tilapia, roasted

cedar plank salmon and almond crusted rainbow trout. "Our Veterans

Appreciation Event has become a tradition that our restaurants look

forward to each year," said Bill Freeman, CEO of McCormick & Schmick's

Seafood Restaurants, in a statement. For more information:

http://www.mccormickandschmicks.com/

Krispy Kreme - One free doughnut of any variety.

UNO Chicago Grill- Free entree or individual pizza with an entree or

pizza purchase of equal or greater value.

Coushatta Casino Resort - The Louisiana casino and resort is offering a

free seven-clans lunch or dinner buffet to veterans or active military.

MarketPlace Grill & Express - Veterans and active-duty military receive

free entrees.

Masala Wok - The Northern Virginian restaurant is offering a free entree

to veterans.

Hy-Vee supermarkets - The mid-western supermarket chain is offering a

free breakfast to veterans. 

Abuelo's Mexican Food Restaurants - All veterans and active-duty

military receive a free entree.

Carolina Burgers & BBQ - In Matthews, NC is offering a free meal to all

service members and veterans. 

Retail Freebies 

Brides Across America - Provides free wedding gowns to qualified

military brides.

Lowe's & Home Depot - Extra 10% off to active-duty military members,

National Guard and reserve members, retirees, honorably

dischargedveterans and immediate family members.

Sam's Club - Over 25,000 Hugo canes will be given away to U.S. veterans

in need of mobility assistance. Membership is not required, but

suppliesare limited, so check with your local store.

Amazon.com - Free "Veterans Day Honor" MP3 album download. The album

includes 12 songs by The Bands and Ensembles of the U.S. Armed Forces.

Cabela's Outdoor Store - Offers their employee discount to all veterans,

active-duty military and reserves, law enforcement, fire and

EMSpersonnel Nov. 11-12. Discounts vary from 5% to 50%, depending on the

item.

Build-a-Bear Workshop - Members of the armed services including the

Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, Coast Guard, and Reserve

OfficerTraining Corps, will receive a 20% discount Nov. 11-15 on any one

transaction at Build-A-Bear Workshop.

Dollar General - 10% discount for all veterans, active-duty military,

National Guard and reserve and their immediate families.

Fashion Bug - 20% off all plus-size and misses clothing purchases with a

copy of military ID or spouse's military ID.

Entertainment Freebies

National parks, forests and monuments - Admission is free to everyone on

Veterans Day.

Knott's Berry Farm - Free park admission to U.S. armed forces personnel

and a guest during Veteran's Month, November 1-26. 

Colonial Williamsburg - Free admission Nov. 6-11 for active-duty

military, guard and reservists, retirees, veterans and their dependents.

San Jacinto Museum of History - Free visits to the Observation Deck,

theatre, and special exhibit for veterans, active duty military

personnel, and their families.

Historic Jamestown - Free admission to veterans, current Armed Forces

members and their family members.

Battleship Cove - Free admission and a special ceremony for veterans,

active, duty and reservists. 

Vicksburg National Military Park - Free admission for all.

Birmingham Museum of Art - Free admission to the ticketed event "Life

and Liberty" on Nov. 10-11 for veterans and active military.

Vulcan Park and Museum- In Birmingham, Alabama is offering discounted

admission through November to the park and museum.

Greenbay (WI) New Zoo - Free admission to veterans and their families.

Central Florida Zoo - Free admission to the Sanford, Florida zoo with

proper ID.

Strategic Air & Space Museum- Free admission for veterans Nov. 11-14 to

the Ashland, Neb. museum.

National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum - in Oklahoma City offers free

admission to veterans and five guests from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on

VeteransDay.

Natural Elements Spa & Salon - In Chesapeake, Virginia, will provide

free services from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. to both active duty and retired military.

Bad Case of the Mondays

Today is sucking, so I need to vent.  Incident #1: I ordered heart worm preventative for the dog from petcarerx.com last night.  I get a call from the local vet today saying that they had to deny the prescription request because I have to bring the dog in for a heartworm test first since she hasn't had one since last year.  If she's on preventative, why do I need to bring her in to get tested every year?  Why do I even need a prescription for this stuff?  Oh yeah, so they can force me to come in and pay for the stupid test.

Incident #2: I was supposed to have an orthodontist appointment today.  I took the baby to my neighbor's house, dropped E-Ray off at school and went to the ortho office.  They tell me my appointment isn't until next Monday. No, it is today.  I know it is today because when the lady scheduled my appointment for November 8th it clicked in my head because I have two friends with birthdays today.  The fact that they refuse to admit it's their fault and assume I'm the idiot makes me even more infuriated.

I can't wait for my husband to get home tonight!  I haven't seen him in over a week, so that will brighten my day. :)