Just a short run down of what thousands of other people in our community are experiencing. 

Remember to vote for me daily to win the Ultimate Explorer contest, linked below and on all the socials. Round 2 ends in 2 days, double credit for purchased votes but you get one freebie per day. (Funds raised go to the National Park Foundation, so it's a great cause as well!)

https://ultexplorer.org/2024/bottazzo-rachael

Have a great day! Enjoy!

BWSM Host, Ivy (Rachael Bottazzo) has entered the Ultimate Explorer Contest, a fundraising effort to support the National Parks Foundation.

The Grand Prize: $10k, A 2-page feature in Outdoor Magazine, and a planned-out roadtrip in a Winnebago!

Not only is this contest perfect for its purpose, but it's perfect for our family and we are going to be out here on the podcast, bringing you random rants and conversations to enjoy and remind you all to vote every day and in every round!!! My pleasure!

Links for voting are posted along with any info you want about the contest on all the socials and NEW YOUTUBE PAGE! Check it all out and SHUBOLLOW everywhere!

https://bulletwoundsnstretchmarks.com/

https://www.facebook.com/megaphonewog/

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCmRfwxauiCIvd0EBXjRN_zQ

https://x.com/Ivynbotox

This is a LONG episode but it NEEDED to be!!! We had such a blast shooting ther perverbial poo that it was truly a herculean task to edit this down as much as I did without losing the comfort of the conversation and wealth of relatable experiences we shared.  

Roman’s YouTube channel and Band information: 

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCiO7qTGw7mM-E5va1U2ffIw/featured 

https://www.youtube.com/user/DeadasDillingerSD 

Roman’s Retirement Gems of Wisdom: (As referred to near the end of our epic...) 
 
-Make digital copies of medical record and dental record. AND get a copy of your e-medical record 

 
-Do your VA medical appointments 180 days out. This should set you up for payments as soon as you retire 

 
-Prepare to not get your final Navy check for at least a couple weeks. They do an audit to make sure you don’t owe them money or they don’t owe you. I got a couple hundred more 

 
-Make sure PSD transmits your close out data to Pers. They didn’t do this with me and it held up retirement payments. 

 
-Get the SBP. It will guarantee payments to your spouse for the rest of their life. 

 
-Good life insurance, not from the General, is expensive. If you have a condition like asthma or apnea is adds a lot of money. 

 
-Get a tax guy for at least the first year after you retire. Everything is different and you don’t want to be the person who owes an extra $10,000 because you miscalculated 

 
-Taylor your expectations on what you’re look for from a post-military job. It’s hard. 

Today's episode cohost is Tom Moudry from Tom's Tinkering and Adventures, linked below. Tom is a Retired Senior Chief (E8), who was fortunate? enough to be my chief when we deployed together oh so long ago in lands far away consiting of pirate interceptions and lots n lots of sand n sea.

Please go see his videos, lots of mechanical info, small engine nerdery, and off-the-beaten-path adventures you're sure to enjoy!

https://www.youtube.com/c/TomsTinkeringandAdventures

A note about sound quality:  I'm doing the best I know, but I will know more tomorrow, guaranteed. Stay patient, and one day your ears will never remember the abuse I put them through in these first few recordings. Much love.

Enjoy!

Intro/Outro music:

Music by Twisterium from Pixabay