Go Ask Mombear!

It doesn't take a genius.....

When half of the people get the idea that they do not have to work because the other half is going to take care of them, and when the other half gets the idea that it does no good to work because somebody else is going to get what they work for, that my dear friend, is the beginning of the end of any nation. You cannot multiply wealth by dividing it.

" Adrian Rogers, 1931
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An economics professor at a local college made a statement that he had never failed a single student before, but had failed an entire class.

That class had insisted that Obama's socialism worked and that no one would be poor and no one would be rich, a great equalizer.

The professor then said, "OK, we will have an experiment in this class on Obama's plan".

All grades would be averaged and everyone would receive the same grade so no one would fail and no one would receive an A.

After the first test, the grades were averaged and everyone got a B. The students who studied hard were upset and the students who studied little were happy.

As the second test rolled around, the students who studied little had studied even less and the ones who studied hard decided they wanted a free ride too so they studied little. The second test average was a D! No one was happy.

When the 3rd test rolled around, the average was an F.

The scores never increased as bickering, blame, and name-calling all resulted in hard feelings and no one would study for the benefit of anyone else.

All failed, to their great surprise, and the professor told them that socialism would also ultimately fail because when the reward is great, the effort to succeed is great, but when government takes all the reward away, no one will try or want to succeed.

Could not be any simpler than that.

Merry Christmas 2009

Dear Family and Friends,
As usual a lot has happened in the Collier family this past year and I am just sitting down to write about it in my annual Christmas letter. I am much later than other years so you may not be receiving it until after the big day, but I think I have a good reason…

Last Christmas I told you about my desire to attend nursing school and that I would find out in June if I had been accepted. Well I was accepted! I was so excited and since then it has been a continuous challenge to keep up with all of the schoolwork. Hence, the delay in getting my Christmas cards out this year.

We just finished the first semester of nursing school and it was a little touch-and-go at the end. While I had A’s in three out of four classes, the last final exam was not quite what I expected and so I was not very successful with it… bringing my grade in that class to a C. However that is just the grade for tests and quizzes, so after adding in my other assignments I should have a solid B and I’ll be happy with that. The important thing is that I will be able to continue on in the program, unlike some of my fellow students. It will be sad to see which ones did not make it to return in January.

I also mentioned last year that we were heading east to visit Jason and Tara for Christmas. We had a good trip out there and back and truly enjoyed our time with them in their home. The dogs didn’t always get along so well, but that’s to be expected sometimes. Jason and Tara continue to do well in their jobs and seem happy and content having their home in the country and keeping busy making improvements when they have time. Jason was especially excited about putting new windows in the basement (without hiring a professional, other than Tara’s dad.) They have also acquired a new puppy, Chloe. It has been an adjustment for them all, most of all Toby… the first dog. He is not quite sure he likes this new “toy,” that bites and wants to play all the time (now he knows how it feels. LOL!)

Around the same time we were returning to our routine after the holiday last year, Christine (having just gotten settled in Grand Forks,) found out she was going to Iraq and only had about three weeks to get ready! She was NOT a happy camper! Anyway, she pulled it together, got a new dog sitter (her best friend, Mandy,) and was on her way by the end of February. Her actual trip… just getting out of the States was an experience… ask her sometime. Almost immediately upon arriving in Iraq, Christine began to have severe pain in her lower back, hip and leg. Diagnosed with sciatica, was not really very helpful to her because being over there, they couldn’t really do anything to help except give her drugs. She lived with the pain for those six months and returned back to ND in August. After a couple of long-planned trips for weddings, she ended up having back surgery in October. So far all is well and she is pain-free. Of course having precancerous lesions removed from her abdomen isn’t exactly fun either (and you say you still want to use a tanning bed!?)

Good news for Christine is she has been selected for Officer’s Training School (OTS) and that starts in March. She has been working on having this opportunity for quite some time and can’t wait! Guess “Grandma and Grandpa Collier” will be watching the grand-dogs, Bear and Rosco again. The school is three months and then she will be assigned to a new duty station. Meanwhile, her boyfriend, Benny, is scheduled to deploy to Afghanistan after the first of the year. Please keep him in your prayers. He will be there until sometime next fall.

Gary continues having fun teaching JROTC. He really enjoys working with the high school kids and is often rewarded when one of them meets with some success and attributes it to their exposure to such a wonderful leadership program, and specifically to the guidance of MSG Collier.

Oh, I almost forgot… we moved! Some of you may already know about the move, but I just didn’t have time to notify everyone and figured Christmas would be soon enough. Anyway, last summer we were toying with the idea of looking at houses, just to see if we could actually afford to buy one. We figured out what kind of payment we could afford and started looking online. We found several houses that looked promising and eventually contacted a local Century 21 agent (actually she was the first to call us back with information.) She showed us several homes, and then the one we ultimately chose to buy. It is in a really nice neighborhood and although the yard is a big small, the layout of the house is unique and fits us quite well.

Summer School

I am going to summer school! Last December I decided to go back to school and work towards my Nursing degree. It is something I've wanted ever since I was in 8th grade, and now I have the opportunity. In January I started my first semester at Western Nevada College and surprised myself by getting all "A's"!! This summer I am taking English 102, and in the Fall I will take about 11 credit hours; Anatomy, Sociology, Math, and a CPR class. My current goal is to complete all of the pre-requisites and corequisites needed to apply for the Nursing program for Fall 2009.

2008 Carson Valley Days

We moved to Nevada last September so this year we participated in Carson Valley Days in Minden, NV. It is a wonderful event to bring the community together, hosted by The Carson Valley Active 20-30 club. The event includes a parade, carnival, as well as 5K and 10K runs. Gary decided to run in the 10K race and he even got a 2nd place medal! A slide show of the race is here.

Gary's time was 50:16, which was second place for his age group. His number is 19, in case you don't recognize him. :)

How Many of Me

Flickr

This is a test post from , a fancy photo sharing thing.

Monday Madness

Sunday, July 17, 2005

1. Mal asks... What is the last thing you do at night? Usually the very last thing I do is to play a few rounds of bingo online at my favorite game site, POGO

2. Wil asks... Where were you when the lights went out? LOL! Playing bingo online! Our electric has been going off regularly this summer.?

3. Andrea asks... What's on your refrigerator? Lots and lots of magnets, some pictures and my grocery list.

4. Jenny asks... What is your ideal vacation spot? There are many places I'd like to go, but my favorite vacation spot that I have experienced is Santa Cruz, California.

5. Kia asks... What's the sexiest language in the world? It would have to be French.

6. Zeno asks... Have you ever made a wish on a shooting star and had that wish come true? I don't believe I've ever seen a shooting star.

7. Bunnykissd asks... We're more than halfway through the year now; how are you doing with your New Year's resolutions? Not doing real well. I was supposed to update my blog daily... and lose more weight.

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Sunday, July 10, 2005

The following questions are from Monday Madness participants.

1. What book are you currently reading? Today I started "The Mark-The Beast Rules the World" which is the 8th book in the "Left Behind" series, by Tim LaHaye and Jerry B. Jenkins.

2. Have you ever experienced the loss of a pet? How did you deal with it? Would you get a new pet, and why? (from peanutbutterfly) Since I've been married (31 years,) we have lost two dogs. One was 13 and the other when she was 18 yrs old. It was difficult because they had been with us so long, but on the other hand, they had a long, happy life and it was "their time." After losing Belle in 2003, we weren't ready to have a new pet for a while. This past Christmas, our daughter gave us a new puppy named Cassie. We then adopted Samson, to keep her company. I'm glad we did...

3. Is anyone in your family in the armed services? (from teresa) Our daughter is currently serving in the US Air Force and is stationed in California. We are blessed that she has not been deployed to the Middle East. My husband is retired after 20 yrs in the Army.

4. If you have or have had a girlfriend/boyfriend, did you tell your parents about her/him without them prying for the information? (from shady88) Since I've been married so long, this question really isn't relavent... however, when I was first dating as a teen, I was very excited to tell my mom when I had a boyfriend.

5. What was your favorite childhood pet and tell me a few things about it. (from beth) I didn't have many pets as a child. When I was a junior in high school, a friend gave me a puppy which I named Sarge. I was really excited that my parents let me keep him. I trained him myself and he was a really good pet. I was married two years later and wasn't able to take Sarge with me. My parents kept him until his death many years later.

6. Have you ever been in love? (from seren) Yep! A couple of times actually... The first boy I ever dated, when I was 15... And then my husband, whom I met about a year later and was torn between the two for a time.

7. What's your favorite activity? (from robyn) I'm a big fan of scrapbooking and cardmaking right now. I also enjoy genealogy research.

Monday Madness

1. I have the hardest time making the time to blog.
2. As soon as I can afford it, I'm buying a new vehicle, hopefully an SUV.
3. I should probably eat more vegetables.
4. When Christmas comes around, it always brings back wonderful memories.
5. I remember my favorite childhood toy; it was a Barbie doll.
6. If I had to describe my computer desk in one word, it would have to be cluttered.
7. I could only wish the person running this meme would ask more questions about... uh I don't know. My creativity is zilch!
8. If I had to come up with one question to add to a future 'Monday Madness' it would be... Is anyone in your family in the armed services?

I'm Home!

I am trying to get caught up on everything I've missed since being gone so long... and without access to a computer! Bear with me please! My girlfriend who I was visiting, is doing very well with her chemo treatments and expects it to all be over by the end of August. We are going to plan a huge celebration trip for our 50th birthdays next summer. I'm so excited about it! We are tentatively planning to go to Hawaii for about a week. Until next time...

Out Of Town

I will be out of town to Long Island NY, from now until June 3rd. My dear friend has been diagnosed with ovarian cancer and I am going to spend the month with her, helping where I can. We have been friends since the third grade but life has gotten in the way and we have not seen each other for almost 24 years! I am very thankful for this opportunity to spend time with her, even if it's not the best of circumstances. I'll write again when I get back. :)

Monday Madness

Monday, May 2, 2005

1. How do you find out which performances are in town and at which venue? I usually hear about them on the radio or television.

2. How do you buy your tickets (i.e. online, box office, eBay)? Either box office or online. Depends on convenience.

3. Do you have copies of seating charts you refer to or just accept what's offered? I try to review seating charts online or ask to see it at the box office.

4. Which is most important: seating location or hearing the music live? Hearing the music live and seeing the performer in person. It doesn't really matter where my seat is as long as I can see.

5. Which venue, if any, do you absolutely refuse to see a performance at? I don't have one.

6. Do you dine at the venue or eat prior to the performance and why? We will usually eat dinner out before the performance, just to make it special.

7. Do you attend performances with certain folks only? Usually just my husband.

8. Which items are standard accessories/must haves for any performance? Don't have any preferences.

9. Do you buy merchandise/souvenirs? I like to get a t-shirt.

10. What's the most you ever spent for a ticket (one ticket) and which performance? Was it worth it and why? I can't remember, but I think it may have been $65 to see Shania Twain. It was a great concert!

11. How far will you drive for that performance you just can't miss? Considering where we live, I would drive 5 hrs and spend the night.

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Monday, April 25, 2005

1. What season are you in right now? Spring

2. Do you celebrate anything special this time of year? Easter

3. Name 3 things that come to mind when you think of spring (or your current season)? Baby animals, rain, flowers

4. In the current season, about how many hours of the day are daylight hours? About 12-14 hrs.

5. Do you do any 'spring cleaning?' I don't plan spring cleaning, but I start thinking about cleaning all the dust out of the house. And this year, we are preparing the yeard to plant grass and hopefully some rose bushes and other flowers.

6. Do you wash your own car or take it to the car wash? We usually wash it ourselves.

7. Do you hang your laundry out on a clothesline on nice days? No. We have lots of nice days, but if it's breezy at all there is tons of dust blowing. That's desert life! :)

...and the following is optional; although I do encourage you to participate:

8. Post a picture that reflects the current season where you live.

Monday, April 18, 2005

Let's Go Digital!

From the time you get up in the morning until the time you go to bed at night, how many different digital/electronic devices do you use on any given day? Please consider listing them, as it would be interesting to see what everyone comes up with!

Alarm Clock
Coffee Maker
Microwave
Camera
Computer
Printer
Scanner
Phone
Blender
TV
Stereo
Adding Machine
This is all I can think of right now. I guess it's a lot though. :)

...and an optional random question, because I just cleaned my mouse...
How often do you clean your mouse? I use an optical mouse and there really isn't anything to clean on it.

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Monday, April 11, 2005

Hello everyone! I hope you've all enjoyed your weekend and are ready for another Mad Monday! =)

1. On what day of the week were you born? Wednesday

2. Were you born in the morning, afternoon, or evening? I'm really not sure, but I think it was very early in the morning.

3. How many siblings do you have? Brothers or sisters? 1 brother and 2 sisters

4. Do you (or did you) ever wish you were an only child? And if you ARE an only child, did you ever wish you had brothers and sisters? I don't remember ever thinking I was an only child, although I really did not (and still don't) get along with my older sister.

5. Did you (or do you) dream of having a big family of your own? I used to dream about having a large family with six kids. In fact, I only have two children, a boy and a girl. I often wish I had more children.

6. In your opinion, which is (or would be) easier to raise; boys or girls? That's a tough question since my son was not what is considered the "typical" boy. He was and is a very sensitive person more interested in computer stuff rather than sports or cars. Our daughter has a very strong personality and has always been independent (as I was hoping.) I don't think you can generalize for this question because it always depends on the temperament of the child.

7. In looks, do you favor your mother or your father? My father.

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Monday, April 4, 2005

The following questions all begin with Where you live...

1. ...did you have to turn your clocks forward one hour this weekend? Yes. We are unique in the state of Arizona, because the Navajo reservation is the only area in Arizona that practices daylight savings time.

2. ...what is the price of gasoline? I'm doing this a few weeks late, but gas here is currently about $2.26 for regular unleaded.

3. ...which natural disasters, if any, do you have to worry about? None. We get a lot of mud when there is a lot of rain, but since the land is flat we don't have to worry about slides.

4. ...do you have a local newspaper, and if so, do you subscribe to it? Our "local" newspaper, isn't really local at all, but is marketed specifically to the Navajo people. It's a free paper and we pick it up weekly at the local convenience store.

5. ...do you subscribe to a local cable company for television viewing? No. We have a satellite dish with the DISH company.

6. ...what is the speed limit on your road/street? 45mph right in our little town, but a few yards from our development, the main road goes up to 65 mph.

7. ...how far do you have to drive to the nearest post office? It's right around the corner, but the post office we use is in the town where my husband works, 13 miles away.

8. ...what is the average temperature in April? 55 F

9. ...what is the average temperature in December? 30 F

10. ...are your four seasons drastically different from one another? I would have to say yes. Our summer is very short though.

Monday Madness

Let's have some fun! More fill-in-the-blanks! =)

1. Christmas is more fun to celebrate than any other holiday.
2. The last vacation I took was to California to visit our daughter.
3. The next vacation I plan to take will be to either New York or Pennsylvania.
4. I'd really like to be more confident.
5. I can't remember the last time I finished reading a book.
6. The book I last read (or am currently reading) is Little House on the Prairie.
7. The last program I installed on my computer was Family Tree Maker 2005.
8. When it comes to food, my weakness is chocolate.
9. I really look forward to spending time with my best friend, Patty.

The last one is not a fill-in-the-blank, but a challenge........(completely optional, my friends!)
10. Choose a person's blog in the comment section, and welcome others to visit it, by leaving a link to their blog in your entry today.

What a fun idea, Otto! Everyone please check out Tina's blog.

Cassie's New Clothes

We had to buy Cassie a T-shirt so Samson would stop licking and irritating her boo-boo. She had a reaction to her rabies shot and we are trying to heal the sore. Isn't she cute?

Monday Madness

Sunday, March 20, 2005

How Many........
1. ...computer-related gadgets do you own? 6
2. ...pictures on your living room walls? 10
3. ...magnets on your refrigerator? 40
4. ...reference books in your bookshelves? 6
5. ...boxes of cereal in your cupboards? 2
6. ...lamps in your house? 4
7. ...times a week do you shop for groceries? 1
8. ...magazines do you subscribe to? 6
9. ...tv programs do you watch on a regular basis? 19
10. ...items on your bathroom counter that don't really need to be there? Technically I guess I could put everything in the closet or a drawer, but I like things to be convenient so zero items don't really need to be there! LOL!

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Sunday, March 13, 2005

Fill in the blanks.... completely random!!

1. I wish I had more money.
2. I usually think about changing my blog layout when I'm in a bloggy mood. LOL!
3. If more people would be patient, the world would be a better place.
4. I really should work on my scrapbooks more often.
5. The weather we're having right now is cold and sunny.
6. When it's time to plant a garden, I'd like to plant flowers.
7. When I'm running late, I sometimes forget to grab my cell phone.
8. When I can't think of anything to blog about, I usually don't blog.

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Sunday, March 06, 2005

This week's questions are inspired from an email I received from Susan. We'll ask her question first and go from there.......Thanks, Susan!! =)

1. What's on your refrigerator? (Please feel free to use a picture to answer.) Lots of magnets and notes.
2. What color is your refrigerator? White
3. Is the freezer on the top, bottom or side? Top
4. How old is your fridge? Does it match your stove? Don't know, we rent. Hope to get our own fridge soon though and I'd like a chrome one which would not match the white stove.
5. How regularly do you clean the inside of your fridge? Not nearly as often as I should! LOL!

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Monday, February 28, 2005

Thank you for taking the TIME to play last week!
This week it's all about T-I-M-E!! =)

1. What time is it right now? 3:45pm
2. What are you usually doing at this time on any given day? Watching Dr. Phil.
3. Is there a day of the week that time seems to fly by faster than the other days? Saturday
4. If you could make ONE hour of each day twice as long, which hour of the day would you choose? 7:00am so I can sleep a little longer.
5. If you could make one DAY of the week twice as long, which day would you choose? Friday.
6. If you could make one hour and/or one day HALF as long, which time of the day, and which day of the week would you choose? I wouldn't like to shorten any day or hour... not enough hours in the day as it is! LOL!
7. Do you agree with the following statement? "The older you get, the faster time goes by." Absolutely!
8. What do you usually do during your "down time?" Watch TV.
9. What one thing do you spend more time doing each day than anything else? Working/playing on the computer.

What Scrapbooking Item Are You?

You are PAPER!

You are an all natural basic person who likes to
act as a foundation to others. You are willing
to take a backseat in most of your
relationships and let others take the
spotlight, while you show your support and help
them shine! Underneath it all, you are the one
who makes it all happen. You are the focus and
stability in any group, even if you are not the
leader. Others look to you to set the pace and
provide ideas for ways to get things done. But
Paper Beware - sometimes you get a little edgy
with the people who look to you for support and
can give them some papercut remarks that can
hurt their feelings. Remember to watch what you
say, because you are best when leading by
example.


What scrapbooking item are you?
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