You could say I've been around the country a bit and I know what I'm talking about when I say Michigan ranks above all other states.  You see, my father was in the Air Force and I was raised all over America.  I've lived on the west coast, in the deep south, in the deserts of the southwest, in the great plains, in the northwest and the northeast.  In addition to moving a lot, my father loved to travel by car so we could "see" the country.  We visited national parks and toured a lot of fascinating places.  I look back on all of I've seen and realize how fortunate I've been.  I've hiked the Grand Canyon, been inside the Hoover Dam, camped in the Rockies, seen the Painted Desert in Nevada and the Salt flats in Utah, skied the Sierra Nevadas, driven through the Muir Woods, bought wine in Napa Valley, walked in White Sands National Park, gone through the Carlsbad Caverns, visited South Fork ranch in Dallas, swam in the Gulf of Mexico in Galveston and the Pacific Ocean in San Diego, stayed in the French Quarter in New Orleans, strolled the boardwalk in Miami Beach, driven through the Ozarks, seen coal mining country in both Pennsylvania and Alabama, driven the emerald hills of West Virginia, shopped at LL Bean in Maine, driven in Boston traffic, toured Washington DC, seen the Manhattan skyline and much more.

All of my travels taught me a lot about the people in our nation and given me firsthand knowledge of the diversity of culture and resources it offers.  Many states offer many things, but I believe Michigan ranks above all other states.  Michigan doesn't just offer natural beauty and abundant resources, but also offers four complete seasons, which few other states can boast.  Then there's that little thing about reputation.  What good is your natural resources if you're known for being the "land of nuts", or having "rude cabbies", "gun-toting rednecks" or "backwards hillbillies"?  Ever wonder what people outside of Michigan think about Michigan?  Michigan has a reputation synonymous with the auto industry, breakfast cereal, pharmaceuticals and other high quality products... of being a land of honest, hard working Americans.  Michigan is also admired for the Great Lakes and for the hospitality since the state thrives on tourism.  People think of Michigan when they want to go hunting, boating, snowmobiling and just want to relax.  Michigan has nothing to be ashamed of!

For these reasons and more, I gave my heart to Michigan though I was born in Georgia and raised everywhere else.  My husband and I moved our family here from Texas in 2003 and we plan to stay here and raise our family.  We want to do our part to turn Michigan's economy around and keep our dream of living in such a wonderful place alive.

My dream is that Michigan will rebound economically, the pride and confidence of Michiganians will return, and that people from other states will visit, enjoy themselves and, like I did, move here because they want to be part of such an amazing place.