A Day of Celebration
Veterans Day is coming up this weekend, and on November 11th, the United States will observe a federal
holiday in honor of those who have or are serving in the Armed Forces. It is unfortunate that the
significance of this day is lost on so many people, and that the history of the day is generally unknown.
This day has huge historic significance, and it is important that we know what it means so that we can
honor and thank our veterans appropriately.

Veterans Day was originally called “Armistice Day,” and it was first created on November 11 th, 1918,
when the United States signed a peace armistice with Germany which signified the end of World War
1. One year later in 1919, President Woodrow Wilson decided to make the day a Holiday, and Congress
made it official in 1938. In 1954, Congress changed the name of the day to Veterans Day, and opened it
up to celebrate not just veterans from World War 1, but from World War 2 and the Korean War as well.
Today, Veterans Day is a special holiday set apart for the purpose of celebrating all members of the
United States Armed Forces, both living and dead. This day is different from Memorial Day, as Memorial
Day is specifically set apart to remember those who have died in service to this country.

Making Veterans Day Special
This year, get involved with Veterans Day celebrations and spend the day thanking those who have
served our country. Here are a few ways that you can enjoy the holiday:
1. Parades – A lot of cities and towns host parades to honor those who have sacrificed and served
our country. Attending one of these parades is a great way to get to know the people in your
community who have served and to thank them in person. So many people have sacrificed
to protect the freedom that we sometimes take for granted and it’s important that we show
our thanks. Parades can be great fun for the whole family and are a great way to spend your
Veterans Day morning.
2. Give Service – Volunteering around your community or neighborhood is a great way to show
your support for our vets. Many towns have memorials or dedicated parks that are in place to
honor community members who have served. Volunteer to clean or work at one of these sites
for a few hours and help to keep your community beautiful. This is a great way to show respect
and support for our troops.
3. Host a BQQ – For families who want to spend the day together, a BBQ is a great way to get
family and friends together to celebrate. Many families have members who have served in the
Armed Forces, and spending time with family is the best way to thank them and show that you
appreciate their sacrifice. Invite neighbors and friends over to meet your family and thank those
who have served.

This Veterans Day, do more than is expected and show your community members that you are grateful
for their efforts and sacrifices. Be active in your area and support those who have risked their lives for
your well-being and freedom.

Courtney Biltmore writes about VA news for MilitaryVALoan.com, a resource for veterans and
service members to learn VA loans and VA refinance options to save money.

Long awaited I'm sure

So I finally have some down time, since D now rides the bus to school and that give me an extra hour almost each day. I had planned on doing an update last week, but well hubs had other plans. He had a surgery on 18 OCT, and well has been having problem after problem and went to the ER and ended up being hospitalized. So YAY for him. He's home now, so hopefully we can get him better.

But back to an update. Hubs came home from his 2nd deployment in July. Yay. So glad that we got through that one partially unaffected. As with any deployment, there was some tears and frustration and other related issues. But thanks to great friends, D and I survived. He was home for two weeks and then we had our vow renewal. But I wasn't allowed to call it that, it was a wedding. We had it at our church and some family and friends from back home made it. I even got to have the awesome dress. Then we went on a short honeymoon to Colonial Willamsburg. In the 3 1/2 years that I've lived here, I had never been up there. So it was a great little trip for us to take alone. Thank goodness for D's godparents taking him for a few days and the help of some awesome baby sitters to help out when we needed them.

Fast forward a few weeks and boom, a BFP or a big fat positive pregnancy test. We had planned to try for number two when he got home from deployment, but I didn't think it would be so fast. As much fun (well not a whole lot of fun, I did have some complications with D) as another 9 months of being pregnant could be, we were excited. And hubs gets to be home for this pregnancy, since he was deployed during the last. Being home for the birth is up in the air right  now, but for most of the pregnancy he will be home. Yay.

And now on to D. He started preschool on 1 OCT. He was getting speech and occupational therapy in home once a week, but since he was turning 3, he was eligible for the VA Beach school system's early education program. So while we miss his speech and OT therapists, (who we had for quite a while), it's been great for him to be in school. He is starting to blab on a lot more and is finally speaking words that we can understand, and he knows a lot of his alphabet. It's great. I'm hoping that the communication continues to improve and potty training can start to go better.

Well I think that is the quick version of events of the last few months. Hopefully now that D is gone for like 4 hours each day I can at least post once a week, once I'm done with my reading, and cleaning, and running around and stuff. :) :)

MilSpouse Fill In

Well I haven't posted in awhile, tons of things have been going on, and I plan on working on a post to share all of our news, but in the mean time, here is a MilSpouse Fill in from Wifey at http://wifeofasailor.com/author/savvyprchick/

1. What’s one thing in the past month you would have changed? Hubs having the surgery that he had, he is still miserable and it’s been two weeks.

 

2. What was your favorite thing that happened in October?  D, the 3 yr old, is now a preschooler and started school on the 1^st.

3. What dish makes the Thanksgiving holiday for you? (Bonus points if you share the recipe.) - Courtesy of  To the Nth  My mom’s stuffing, which is a bag of Pepperidge Farm stuffing, cererly and onions which are sautéed in butter and then mixed in with the stuff and a can of chicken broth, baked on 350 for 30 mintues and tastes yummy.

4. Check out my post from yesterday... will you be participating in the MilSpouse Secret Santa? Thinking about it.

5. What are you looking forward to in November? We will find out sex of Baby Deux.