Palooza! The Trip There

I'm currently going into my 14th hour riding a greyhound bus from Cleveland, Ohio to Atlanta, Georgia. I wanted to keep a one stop shop for my entire trip, so I decided to use this blog page I've already paid for but hardly use. Let's get started :

The Start
The bus itself wasn't very bad at all. Within the first few moments, before we even left the station in Cleveland, we had already encountered a hilariously interesting character that insisted on telling everyone on the bus how wonderful squirrel and raccoon hunting are. He was pretty harmless, however. The bus driver was nice enough, and stayed exactly on schedule.

And next...
Until we switched drivers. The switch in Cincinnati wasn't pleasant at all. The bus was much more crowded. People were tired, cranky, and angry. But Holly and I made the best of it, although we were sitting across the aisle from each other instead of next to each other. My sear mate was a young fellow who seemed nice enough. We both tried to sleep as it was around 2 in the morning, but unfortunately we could only nod off for 5 to 10 minute increments at a time.
We arrived in Knoxville cranky, but still otherwise unharmed. While waiting I had many comments that I 'seemed to know what I was doing', as I navigated to the correct gate for our reboarding. Many left our bus to pursue another destination, which meant Holly and I were able to sit together again. We met a nice young girl who wanted to reserve her seat alone, so we let her borrow some stuff to give the impression someone sat there. We also picked her up a coffee and gave her a blanket. It seems many others on the greyhound 'look out' for each other. Definitely not the impression I was given!
This time, more comfortable, we slept almost two hours straight, with no interruptions. We're about two hours from our destination as of now.

To sum up
The wifi is quite spotty. I attempted to log in to take a shift for CTL, which was smooth for about 15 minutes, but then completely dropped off. Unfortunately this means I won't be able to assist in any high volume situations, as my texters would unfairly be redirected into the queue and could potentially wait much too long.

In short, I haven't felt at danger (yet), I feel like the amenities are to be expected, people don't smell horrible, and I'm okay with the greyhound for now. 

For My Grandma

My grandma, Frances Dziak, passed away July 13th. I had the privilege of speaking at her funeral, and many friends and family have asked what I said. Here it is:

I woke up this morning and had a cup of coffee. The mug white with silver trim, one of many from the dinner set you gave me months ago. I set it on the glass table with the lamp attached that sat next to your chair in your living room, that held your own coffee for so many years. Your Elvis record plays softly, and I peak into my bedroom to see my dog sleeping soundly on the bed you once slept in.

My home is full of your things. Things you gave me years ago, and things you gave away to all of us just a few months ago when you sold your home. The one that raised your 8 children. The one that raised my father.

We all have pieces of you in our homes. But, much more than these things, you gave us memories. You gave us love. You gave us understanding. I hold these objects, these ‘things’ that have no value and aren’t extraordinary to the average eye. But they were your things, and for that they are so much more significant. I wonder how many dinners you enjoyed with this big family on those very plates. I wonder how you felt listening to these records. I wonder how many restful nights you had in that bed.

You loved one man with all your heart, a man I was blessed to call my grandfather. A man we all still miss today. You loved your children and raised them all to have beautiful families of their own. These families I call cousins, uncles, aunts. Through this caring, though sometimes crazy, family that you and grandpa built, I knew love. A love that lives on past this life and into the next.

I’m sure right now, you’re looking down while grandpa holds your hand. And I know you’re happy to see Uncle Denny and your brother Dale again. Because, let’s face it, this world just isn’t big enough for a family as large as the Dziak’s.

You taught us many lessons about life.

You taught me, “Never say you hate someone. It’s too strong of a word.”

“It’s okay to be different.”

“Enjoy music. Enjoy conversation. Enjoy your life, it’s the only one you got.”

“Be proud of yourself.”

I could talk to you about anything: relationships, school, work. You were so much more than a grandmother- you were my friend.

It’s a strange feeling now, to have my heart feel both so full and so empty at the same time.

As I grow older, many of these things will break or be lost or be changed. But the connection we all have with you can never be broken. You will always be at our side.

Free Stuff, Happy Birthday to Me!

This particular blog post will be living, meaning it will be changing constantly.

I decided to challenge myself this year on my birthday to apply for and use

AS MANY COUPONS/FREE STUFF AS POSSIBLE!!

I bring to you, the list so far of coupons I've received for my birthday. Broken down by place, what the coupon is for, where the coupon is sent, and any stipulations (dine in only, with purchase, etc.)

I also am showing their expiration dates. This is so you can compare the time I have to utilize certain coupons (my birthday is July 3rd. Some of these don't expire until September!) Speaking of birthday... I will be accepting gifts. I like food (obviously) and handmade crafts.

If you'd like to instead donate in my name, please consider Because I Said I Would or Crisis Text Line.

Enjoy!

1.     Marco's

a.     Free Cheezybread, Free Medium Pizza with purchase of medium pizza

b.     pickup only

c.      Emailed- Sign up Online 

d.     Exp: 6/26/2017

e.      Pick Up Only
Update: Used 6/25/2017. Called local store, placed order, advised of coupon, stated 10 minutes. Drove up, handed over email, "Thanks you're all set!". Super easy!

2.      Arbys

a.     Free Roast Beef,Free Small Shake

b.     with small drink purchase

c.      Emailed, Sign up Online

d.     Exp: 6/26/2017, 7/3/2017

e.      Dine In or ToGo

3.     Dennys

a.     Free Grand Slam breakfast

b.     Show ID

c.      7/3/2017 only

d.     Dine in Only
This... was a joke. A complete and utter tomfoolery of a joke. We arrived at Denny's on my birthday, after I had imbibed a few celebratory cocktails. We had 13 minutes left of my birthday. We advised the waitress that myself and my 3 friends were here for my free birthday slam and the others would be eating other meals as well. She did not ask for my id. She took roughly 5 minutes to come back and take our drink order. There was another 10 minutes before our drinks arrived, and we placed our food order. Another half hour went by before appetizers of nachos arrived. We started to wonder what was happening. We saw two waitresses, and only 5 tables seated. Then, when a 6th table of people arrived, they were told, "We aren't seating any more guests. We don't have a cook or a dishwasher right now."
I'M SORRY WHAT!?
WE DON'T HAVE A COOK?
We asked the waitress to explain. Apparently, the schedule was screwed up for the day, and the manager was cooking. There was only originally 1 waitress scheduled for the day. Knowing it wasn't the waitresses fault, we didn't skimp on her tip. But, the food was absolutely terrible (covered in grease, burnt bacon, undercooked toast - HOW?) so we ended up only paying about 1/2 price total. Though this was definitely a good 'deal', it wasn't worth it. Had I known going into the restaurant what was about to happen, I'd have left immediately. There is no free grand slam worth that agony. Though, we can laugh about it now. 

4.     Baskin Robbins

a.     Free Scoop

b.     Show ID

c.      7/3/2017 only

d.     Dine In or ToGo

5.     Red Robin

a.     Free Burger 

b.     Show Id, Linked to Royalty Account

c.      Exp: Month of Birthday

d.     Dine in Only
Red Robin in lower left corner. Ordered via phone, they asked for the phone number linked to my rewards card when I went to the bar to pick up. Boom, free burger. Also gave me extra fries in a to-go cup "for the ride". The veggie burger was LOADED, avocado and all. Delicious!

6.     Firehouse Subs

a.     Free small sub, FREE MEDIUM SUB

b.     with any purchase

c.      Coupon in App, Must Sign Up For Rewards

d.     Exp: 7/3/2017

e.      Dine In or ToGo
This one wasn't as easy. I had a free small sub with purchase for signing up and the free medium sub for my birthday. I asked if I could use both if they were rang separately, and the cashier had no issue. But, the manager wasn't happy. "I guess." was her response. Not that I truly care if they would've said no, but, "Oh no, it's against policy we're unable to do that." is way more pleasant than a scoff and "I GUESS." But, their subs are bar-none. To redeem, you simply enter your phone number into the keypad that you'd swipe your debit or credit card into.

7.     Krispy Kreme

a.     Free donut

b.     with any purchase

c.      Emailed, Must Download App

d.     Exp: 7/3/2017
The staff looked like a coupon was a different language at first. But, they gave no fuss. Also, Krispy Kreme in Cleveland/Middleburg Heights has a drive thru, which made it even easier to use this. 

e.      Dine In or ToGo

8.     Dennys

a.     20% OFF

b.     Emailed, Join the Rewards Program

c.      Exp: 7/4/2017

d.     Dine In Only- Used 6/23. Super easy.

9.     Buffalo Wild Wings

a.     Free Sharable or Side

b.     Emailed, join Blazin Rewards

c.      Exp: 7/4/2017

d.     Dine In Only

10. Cold Stone

a.     Buy One Get One Free

b.     Emailed, join My Cold Stone Club

c.      Exp: 7/4/2017

d.     Dine In or ToGo

11. Dairy Queen

a.     Buy One Get One Free

b.     Emailed, join Fan Club

c.      Exp: 7/4/2017

d.     Dine In or ToGo
This was pretty straight forward. Presented the coupon and in 2 minutes, we had 2 blizzards. 

12. Golden Corral

a.     Free Buffet

b.     with 2nd Buffet purchase (adult)

c.      Emailed, Join Good as Gold

d.     Exp: 7/10/2017

e.      Dine in Only
Yes, that is eggs and macaroni and cheese you are seeing. And ice cream and chocolate covered goodies. We used this coupon for breakfast, the cheapest buffet, and with two beverages this cost $12.00 for both of us. But Golden Corral does brunch around 11am, so if you hit this up around 1030, you can pay for breakfast but stick around for the brunch that comes after. Make your own omelette. Unlimited coffee and juice. Ice cream sundaes. Cheesecake french toast. The world is your oyester with this one. 

13. Ihop

a.     Free Stack of Pancakes

b.     Emailed, Join Pancake Revolution

c.      Exp: 7/4/2017

d.     Dine In Only (will email 2 if you're new!)

How awesome is this!? So not only did I get these amazing pancakes for free, but I also got this amazing rainbow! #winning. 
My local IHOP is awesome, terrific staff and manager who talked to me and everyone else as if we were all old friends. I read the paper, talked with strangers, and have to say this was the BEST dining alone experience I've ever had. I'm really grateful I went on this journey, so I could have this amazing morning! Also, my local IHOP does an early bird special- bacon, eggs, coffee, paper, and pancakes for $3.99! (and they let me substitute for toast since I had a pancake coupon.) All in all this wonderful meal cost $8.25, $4 tip and $4.25 for the breakfast. Would absolutely recommend this one (especially if your IHOP is as great as mine!)

14. Orange Julius

a.     Buy One Get One Free

b.     Emailed, Join Julius League

c.      Exp: 7/4/2017

d.     Dine In or ToGo

15. Ruby Tuesday

a.     Free Appetizer

b.     with purchase of meal

c.      Emailed, Join So Connected

d.     Exp: 7/4/2017

e.      Dine In or ToGo

16. Ruby Tuesday

a.     Free burger or garden bar

b.     Emailed, Join So Connected

c.      6/26/2017-7/26/2017

d.     Dine in Or To Go
Upper right corner. Went right to the bar to get after ordering over the phone. Presented coupon, and off I went. This burger Steve ate, but he seemed really pleased with it. (Mushroom Swiss something-or-other.)

17. Cinnabon

a.     Free minibon, Free Iced Coffee

b.     Emailed, Join Club Cinnabon

c.      Exp: 7/4/2017
Not only was the cashier extremely pleasant, but she was super supportive of my idea of trying to utilize as many birthday freebies as possible. Also, Great Northern Mall is insanely easy to navigate for the freebies I had today. Stopped at Ulta, then drove to the Dick's/JCPenney entrance, walked into JCPenney for Sephora which is right on the left when you walk into the JCPenney door. On your left as you walk of the door is cinnabon, and only about 2 store fronts down and on your right is Auntie Annes, which leads you around the corner from where the parking entrace is. Took us about 8 minutes to walk to and obtain all 3 of these freebies! 

d.     Dine In or ToGo

18. Texas Roadhouse

a.     Free Appetizer  

b.     Emailed, Sign up for Their Rewards Program

c.      Exp: 7/4/2017

d.     Dine In Only

Used on 6/29. We also happen to have had a gift card, which was pretty awesome! Our appetizer, two meals, 2 beers, and 2 cocktails (with shooters, which is basically an extra shot for $1.50-$2.00. GENIUS) came to $23 after the coupon and gift card. 

19. Buca Di Beppo

a.     Free Pasta (Spag, Alfredo, Ziti)

b.     Emailed, Sign up for E-Club

c.      Exp: 7/5/2017

d.     Dine In or ToGo
See #26 for info on Buca Di Beppo.

20. Quiznos

a.     Free Small Sub

b.     with any purchase

c.      Coupon in App, Sign Up For Toasty Points

d.     Exp: 7/8/2017

e.      Dine In or ToGo
*update. Could not have been easier to redeem. Redeemed using my app, to order ahead. Total spent $2.50 on soup. And the owner was nice enough to throw in a free medium drink! Side note : did you know the Lorain Quiznos has been owned by the same family for 14 years? Wow! 

21. Olive Garden

a.     Free Dessert up to $8.50

b.     Emailed , sign up for Rewards

c.      Exp: 7/10/2017

d.     Dine In Only

22. Baker’s Square

a.     Free Entrée, Free Pie

b.     with the purchase of entrée and 2 beverages.
       Pie no purchase necessary

c.      Emailed, Join E-Club

d.     Exp: 7/10/2017

e.      Dine-In Only
Immediately upon placing our drink order, I advised the waitress (Chelsea) that I wanted to use both coupons. She had no issue, was friendly as can be, and made sure to make a big deal about it being my birthday (which I sincerely appreciated!)

23. Red Lobster

a.     Free Appetizer or Dessert

b.     with purchase of 2 entrees

c.      Emailed

d.     Exp: 7/18/2017

e.      No Specifics- Call to ensure

24. World Market

a.     10% off

b.     Emailed

c.      Exp: 7/19/2017

d.     Online or In-Store

25. Wendys

a.     $1.00 off combo, free frosty

b.     Emailed , My Wendy's sign up required

c.      Exp: 7/19/2017

d.     Dine In or ToGo

26. Buca Di Beppo

a.     $15 off $30 or more

b.     Emailed, Sign up for E-Club

c.      Exp: 7/20/2017

d.     Dine In or ToGo
Tip: Use this one during lunch hours. They let me use this coupon and my free pasta coupon if I waited for the pasta (around 10 minutes) and rang them up separately. We spent a total of $22 and got 10 servings worth of food, 3 servings of spaghetti, 3 servings of stuffed shells, 2 servings of alfredo, and 2 servings of baked ziti. We ate all of this in about 2 days, for 4 total meals each. 

27. Quaker Steak

a.     Free 6 wings, Also $10 off $10 Purchase

b.     Emailed, sign up for Revved-Up Rewards

c.      Exp: 7/20/2017, Exp: 7/17/2017

d.     Dine in or Togo, No Spec- Call
Update: Used 6/25/2017. Called local store, placed order, advised of coupon, stated 15 minutes.Went through Wingo drive thru window. So easy! 
Also used $10 off at the outdoor bar. The server/bartender was super friendly! Unfortunately, we were both pretty hungry and smashed our food before I remembered to snap a pic. Here's the ketchup bottle though. 

28. Friday’s

a.     Free Dessert

b.     Coupon In App, sign up for Loyalty Program

c.      Exp: 7/25/2017

d.     No Specifics- Call to ensure

29. Panera

a.     Free Pastry or Sweet

b.     Coupon in App, sign up for MyPanera

c.      Exp: 8/18/2017

d.     Dine In or ToGo

30. Outback Steakhouse

a.     $5 off

b.     Coupon in App, sign up for Dine Rewards

c.      Exp: 8/20/2017

31. Melting Pot

a.     Free 6 chocolate strawberries

b.     w/ $60 purchase

c.      Emailed, sign up for DIP rewards

d.     Exp: 9/19/2017

e.      Dine In Only

32. Dunkin Donuts

a.     Free Beverage of any size

b.     Must sign up for DD Perks, Load DD app with Debit or Credit Card (min$10)

c.      Coupon in App

d.     Exp: 9/19/2017

e.      Dine In or ToGo
So one of these is from signing up, the other is the birthday reward. So I printed both coupons, and Steve went through the drive-thru while I got a to-go coffee inside. Other than that, was easy-peasy! 

33. Steak and Shake

a.     Buy One Get One Free Milkshake, Free Steakburger & Fries

b.     Bring ID, Not during Happy Hour
Company emailed me back, be careful with the email. Once you click to redeem, it'll validate the code. 

c.      Emailed, sign up for Rewards

d.     Exp: 7/21/2017

e.      Dine In or ToGo

34. Edible Arrangements

a.     Free Chocolate Dipped Fruit

b.     Must have made $29 purchase in last calendar year

c.      Req purchase must be made no later than 24 hours before last day of the month previous to your birthday month

d.     Exp: Delivered for small fee, or p/u- sign up for account HERE

e.      Delivered or p/u
Was not able to redeem as I did not make a purchase of $29 this past year.

35. Benihana

a.     $30 off Meal

b.     It requires the purchase of one full-priced adult teppan dinner entrée
      cannot be applied to alcohol, tax or gratuity

c.      Emailed, Sign up for Chef's Table

d.     Exp: 7/26/2017

e.      can ONLY be redeemed during dinner hours Monday through Thursday

36. Applebees

a.     Free Appetizer

b.    emailed
c.      Sign Up for E-Club

d.     Exp: 8/2/2017

e.      with entree purchase

37. Auntie Annes

a.     Free Pretzel

b.     IN App

c.      Sign Up For Pretzel Perks

d.     Exp: 7/10/2017

e.      Cheese extra
See above, Cinnabon, for information on which store I went to and how easy it was. 

38. Caribou Coffee

a.     Free Beverage

b.     Emailed

c.      Sign Up for Caribou Perks

d.     Exp: 7/3/2017

e.      Unfortunately, the closest Caribou to me is in Michigan. So I won't be able to redeem this perk. 

39. Cici’s Pizza

a.     Free Buffet or Large Pizza TOGO

b.     Sign Up for MyCici's

c.      Emailed

d.     Exp: 7/11/2017

e.      Dine In Buffet, To Go Pizza
Redeemed on Sunday night, 7/2/2017. Awful experience. The food was actually alright. Dessert is always raved about, and for good reason. The pizza was always fresh, and the salad bar was pretty decent. But, I will never go here again. The staff wasn't rude or outright mean, but they all had the worst attitudes of anyone in public. The comments we made were, "They are either all extremely hung over, or all just found out they were being broken up with." "They all look like they want to get in a fight or murder someone." "Why do I feel like I'm in Night of the Living Dead?" Their job must really, really suck if they're this angry. Not one single person smiled even once, and I was actively looking for it. 

40. Dave and Busters

a.     $10 free gameplay with $10 card load

b.     Emailed

c.      Sign Up for Rewards

d.     Exp: 7/26/2017

e.      Dine In Only

41. Papa John's

a. 10 free points
b. can redeem for dessert or bread item
c. sign up for Papa Rewards
d. Exp: 7/31/2017
e. emailed code

42. Ulta

a.     Free Eyeshadow Palette Set (NYX, Birthday Gift), Free Pore Minimizer
b. Emailed, sign up for Ultamate Rewards
c. In store only
d. Exp: 8/2/2017
This was amazing. The palette was a full sized one, larger than my phone, that contained 10 beautiful colors. I've used it ever since I received it! I haven't made a purchase at Ulta in over a year, but there is no purchase necessary. Simply sign up online for their email club, print the email, and present in store.

43. Sephora

a.     Free lipgloss and blush (Tarte, Birthday Suit), or free face care kit (Caudalie)
b.  emailed, Sign up for Insider
c. In store (no purchase necessary) or online (purchase necessary)
d. Exp: 7/31/2017
You were able to pick between the lipgloss/blush set by Tarte or the face care kit by Caudalie. I picked the lipgloss/blush set, and so glad I did! Not only is this product amazing enough that I will be buying more Tarte products (especially the lipgloss!) but you're able to redeem at a Sephora store or inside Sephora in JCPenney (makes it twice as easy!) You also are entitled to a free 15 minute makeover ON your birthday, but there was only 1 gentleman working, so I wasn't able to utilize this. I wasn't upset though, I had a great time anyway! 

44-47.  Sonic, McDonald's, Starbucks, Burger King

a. nothing was ever received