Support our Military with The Art of Marriage Ops {$20 Applebee's Gift Card Giveaway}

{This giveaway is now closed. Congratulations, Jennifer M!}

I've complained before about my husband having to occasionally head out of town for work, as the days and nights that he is gone seem to stretch endlessly long. The girls miss their dad and I miss having him there for everything from companionship to a parenting tag-team partner. Things just aren't the same without him!

However, as much as I whine about him being gone for a day or two at a time, I can't even begin to imagine what it would be like if he was deployed for an extended period of time that so many military families have to endure. How in the world do they manage for six months or a year or even more? And how does their marriage not suffer?

Fortunately, The Art of Marriage Ops recognizes the sacrifices that our military personnel make and, as they believe that marriage is the most important commitment that a man and woman can make, wants to do all they can to help keep the love alive.

For many service men and women the day they return home is the happiest day of their lives, but what happens after the reunion is over? Military divorces have increased 42% since 2001, a statistic that I find sad but not all that surprising considering the amount of time spent apart and the stresses that these couples go through.

Clearly it seems that while there are opportunities for support and help in other areas, marriage counseling isn't an issue that is focused on nearly as much. Therefore, The Art of Marriage Ops was designed to raise awareness about the challenges that military families face when returning home and strengthen marriages by providing simple, effective insights for helping couples to cultivate a healthy and happy relationship.

There are multiple ways to show your support and contribute, but the easiest is quick and simple: Just text OPS to 80888 and make a $10 donation to help our men and women in the military benefit their relationship by attending an event showcasing The Art of Marriage.

Want more ways to support this great campaign? Check out the widget below for more info on how you can help, while also picking up some date night tips that can help inspire all couples:

No matter what views you might have on things like politics or abortion or gay marriage, one topic that has the ability to unite our nation is the support that our military troops and their families deserve. Whether or not you or a loved one are directly involved with the military or what you think about war, there is no way to deny the sacrifices that our troops make when they leave their homes and families behind.

Now, thanks to The Art of Marriage Ops, we can all help the men and women who have defended our country return home to a strong, healthy marriage.

And, thanks to their generosity, one person will be prepared to possibly head out for a small date night of their own, because...

One lucky person will win a $20 gift card to Applebee's!

To enter to win: Leave me a comment on this post with your best tip for keeping a relationship strong or a fun date night idea to help strengthen a relationship.

Extra Entries (available after the mandatory entry above is completed; please leave a separate comment for each entry in order for them to be counted).

1 Extra Entry (per giveaway entered) - Enter any (or all) of the giveaways running on Thanks, Mail Carrier for the duration of this giveaway.
1 Extra Entry if you follow me on Twitter and tweet about this giveaway by copying and pasting the tweet below and leaving me the link. Tweet daily for an extra entry every day!

I want to #WIN a $20 Applebee's Gift Card - yum! http://bit.ly/zSCv8k @thxmailcarrier #giveaway #marriageops

1 Extra Entry (per follow method) if you follow me with Google Friend Connect, subscribe to my RSS feed, subscribe to Thanks, Mail Carrier by email, become a fan on Facebook or add Thanks, Mail Carrier to your blogroll.
2 Extra Entries if you put my cute button up on your blog. Please leave an address where it can be found.
3 Extra Entries if you blog about this giveaway linking back to this post. Please leave an address where it can be found.

Giveaway will end on March 22nd at 11:59pm CST. By entering this sweepstakes, you are agreeing to these official rules. No purchase necessary, void where prohibited by law. Do me the favor of leaving an email address or making absolutely sure it is visible in your profile, I have to have a way to contact the winner. The winner will be chosen by random.org and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to contact me or respond to notification or a new winner will be chosen. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. This giveaway is open to U.S. residents only and must be 18 years of age or older.

A big thank you to The Art of Marriage Ops for providing an Applebee's gift card for one lucky giveaway winner. The opinions shared are my own and honest and if you really need to see more, click here to see how I roll.