We live in the best country in the world. I am proud of Austin and the United States. I really like the fact that I was able to get an education, drive an SUV, fly gliders, swim, bike, run, dive, and hang out with friends all without living in fear for my basic safety. Also, I was able to work for NASA and then go back to school and get that MBA degree. Freedom is a wonderful thing. Freedom to choose what we do, what we believe in, what we wear, what we eat, where we live, and to think and learn! This is a big deal after traveling to other countries such as Vietnam and India. In India, I had to go through metal detectors and have my purse searched before going inside a mall. In Vietnam, I love the food and the people were nice but I don't have to make a lawyers salary to afford a car. In fact, I always had access to a car (even my '69 VW bus in college). We only have to travel a few hundred miles south to Mexico and see the vast differences between the 2 countries. While I love visiting all my family that live in Monterrey, Mexico (especially my grandmother), I am glad to have basic a/c on those HOT 105 degree Austin summer days and be able to see my family anytime I want without waiting weeks for government approval. Thank you to everyone who make living in the United States special! GOD BLESS AMERICA! (Yes - even in my Sunday Church Service we actually sang this song!) The best forward I received this July 4th - that really brings home the miracle we take for granted called the United States. Not sure if this is true but the author makes a good point. Have you ever wondered what happened to the 56 men who signed the Declaration of Independence? Five signers were captured by the British as traitors, and tortured before they died. Twelve had their homes ransacked and burned. Two lost their sons serving in the Revolutionary Army; another had two sons captured. Nine of the 56 fought and died from wounds or hardships of the Revolutionary War. They signed and they pledged their lives, their fortunes, and their sacred honor. What kind of men were they? Twenty-four were lawyers and jurists. Eleven were merchants, nine were farmers and large plantation owners; men of means, well educated,but they signed the Declaration of Independence knowing full well that the penalty would be death if they were captured. Carter Braxton of Virginia, a wealthy planter and trader, saw his ships swept from the seas by the British Navy. He sold his home and properties to pay his debts, and died in rags. Thomas McKeam was so hounded by the British that he was forced to move his family almost constantly. He served in the Congress without pay, and his family was kept in hiding. His possessions were taken from him, and poverty was his reward. Vandals or soldiers looted the properties of Dillery, Hall, Clymer, Walton, Gwinnett, Heyward, Ruttledge, and Middleton. At the battle of Yorktown, Thomas Nelson, Jr., noted that the British General Cornwallis had taken over the Nelson home for his headquarters. He quietly urged General George Washington to open fire. The home was destroyed, and Nelson died bankrupt. Francis Lewis had his home and properties destroyed. The enemy jailed his wife, and she died within a few months. John Hart was driven from his wife's bedside as she was dying. Their 13 children fled for their lives. His fields and his gristmill were laid to waste. For more than a year he lived in forests and caves, returning home to find his wife dead and his children vanished. So, take a few minutes while enjoying your 4th of July holiday and silently thank these patriots. It's not much to ask for the price they paid. Remember: freedom is never free!

Here is a picture of me with my 93 year old grandmother.  I would love to be in as good shape as she is when I'm almost a cenurian!