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Sep
13

Garden harvest sows discontent with pushy neighbor

By | Guest Posts, H.U.A. Blog

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Career Soldiers with more than 50 years of service between them, MilSuccessNet guest writers Shaun and Pamela Collins have hardly gone to seed in “retirement.” They’ve tended their own well planted garden of career and lifestyle transition. It has yielded opportunities to apply their training and experience as they teach, travel, contribute to their community and write.

With fall’s arrival comes this column of practical advice on handling a neighbor with big eyes. It is reprinted with kind permission from their original column in The Guidon at Ft. Leonard Wood.

Here is this week’s question that they answer entirely in their own words …..

QUESTION:   I have a small garden at my house, and when I mean small, I mean several potted tomatoes and two cucumber plants and one pepper plant. Barely enough for my own Family, but my neighbor asks me every day when am I going to be bringing him some produce. 

……At first I thought he was joking, actually rubbing it in about the size of my “farm” but the other day my wife picked four cucumbers and he asked if he could have two. I wasn’t home, but he told my wife that I had said he could share the results. She brushed it off as joking, but he did not. [Read more…]

Nov
22

Thanksgiving feeds one family’s stress

By | Guest Posts, H.U.A. Blog

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A call out from Ft. Leonard Wood for some support on the upcoming holidays via the Guidon, and a response from advice columnists, Shaun and Pamela Collins

box with question marksSeason’s holidays are upon us and the stress levels are simply up. For their take on some of what is complex when families, and our expectations come together, here is what He Said and She Said when this question was sent in:

We recently invited my wife’s Family to come to our house this year for Thanksgiving. It is something we have done before and we often rotate it between going to her Family in Iowa, inviting Family to our home, or going to my Family in Illinois. It’s sort of a tradition.

This year, however, we were thrown a curve ball. [Read more…]

Mar
28

The “She Said” response to a reader on gun control Part 2 of 2

By | Guest Posts, H.U.A. Blog

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“Is it gun control or constitutional infringement?” asked a reader of the popular advice column called He Said She Said in the Guidon at Ft. Leonard Wood.

In Part 1 Shaun Collins said his piece. Now, Pam Collins shares her point of view on gun control and key information leading up to it. Both opinions represent the advice column duo’s personal views, based on their work expertise and life experiences.

Question period

Question period

Part 2 touches on:

Sandy Hook……..Slippery slopes and lobbyists ……Volstead Act…..  Latent function…..type of gun permissible debate….facts on firearms

[Read more…]

Mar
25

Advice column reader asks about gun control – part 1 of 2

By | Guest Posts, H.U.A. Blog

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“Is it gun control or constitutional infringement?“, asks a reader of the popular advice column called He Said She Said in the Guidon at Ft. Leonard Wood.

Questions you might have

Questions you might have

Here, the expanded version of the question includes the reader’s discovery that the He Said She Said columnist duo also guest blog for MilSuccessNet. Formerly known as Mr. and Mrs. Smith, Shaun and Pam Collins are now fully retired and out of the closet where columnists with pseudonyms are kept working, under cover.

Shaun Collins responds today and next time we’ll read Pam’s point of view. It should be noted that what they write, represents their own personal opinion based on their work and life experiences.

But first, the question! [Read more…]

Mar
08

Home fire friends when buddies deploy – advice

By | Guest Posts, H.U.A. Blog

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He Said and She Said their advice on – an ethical choice a man makes on how to ‘be’ with the family of a buddy who deploys:

Questions you might have

Questions you might have

I’m a single guy stationed here with a long-distance girlfriend. That’s not the problem and that relationship works very well for both of us. My problem is that my sponsor here has become a great friend. He and his Family have gone out of their way to make me feel comfortable.

When I was here at Thanksgiving a year ago and couldn’t go home because of work, they took me in and fed me. They invite me to Family night activities; their kids’ soccer games and just about anytime when I am not traveling back to Iowa to see my girlfriend. It’s been a standing invite and I know that I can always bow out. However, my buddy is getting ready to deploy. He’ll be gone for a year and I know that his Family will probably still invite me to events, meals and movie night, but I really would feel weird hanging out with his wife without him around. [Read more…]

Feb
14

Military source for advice on Valentine’s Day?

By | Guest Posts, H.U.A. Blog

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It’s LOVE DAY out in the world, and all heart week at Military Success Network. We are introducing new guest bloggers on the soul of resilient military to civilian transition and a NEW ADVICE COLUMN. 

TO THE RESCUE today, is the 1st of many valuable columns to come! Reprinted with permission of  GUIDON in Ft. Leonard Wood. They are graciously sharing the HE SAID SHE SAID advice column, written by our own new dynamic duo of guest bloggers and veterans Pam Collins and her partner in life and practical advice prose, Shaun Collins. (Formerly, Mr. and Mrs. Smith, till both officially retired from military service and entered civilian life, with resilience!!)

Today, they address a universal quandary. Oh, I hope it’s not too late for you today. Our MilSuccessNet editor was found this morning, way past deadline,  hunched over, asleep and clutching  a half empty heart shaped virtual box of chocolate… on the screen.

He Said, She Said: Husband stumped at what to buy wife for Valentine’s Day 

He Said She Said

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Read more…]