| AMERICAN CITIZEN |

Patti Kanter of Tandus Floors and I were honored to witness the naturalization swearing in ceremony of Karen Shakman on the 23rd of November, 2010.  If you have never been to one of these events, make it a point. As native citizens we take our freedom for granted. Watching these people from all walks of life and every nationality wave the Red, White, and Blue and to hear them sing the American Iconic songs was  inspiring.

Imagine, leaving your homeland, family and friends behind to move to a new world where the culture and language are different and where no one is going to demand anything of you, except of course to pay those taxes! Daunting it must be to have the world at your feet and begin making decisions for a new life with boundless opportunities and unimaginable freedom.  It is not an easy journey on many levels.

Karen has made  some astounding personal and professional choices since living in the United States. She is a registered architect, taking the nine part test, using the Portuguese dictionary to translate into English, as she did not speak our language at the time. She is presently studying for her MBA at ASU in Health-care and Healing Environments.  She moved her son the states when he was the tender age of sixteen, to afford him the same opportunities she knew awaited her. And a smart and handsome man asked her to be his wife about three years ago.

Fearless in the face of the weakest economy in our lifetime, Karen and I launched Iconic Architecture and Design this past January.  We have never looked back.

So in closing,  congratulations to Karen and her family for her bravery, persistence, and eager desire to persevere and succeed. She is the essence of America!

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