In the past, I’ve owned wanna be sports cars like the Saturn SC-1.  When Reba bought her first Mustang, a GT convertible, the power scared me.  To go from a little 4 cylinder coupe with the power of a couple C batteries to a fearsome 4.6, 8 cylinder monster was exhilarating but overwhelming at the same time.  I drove it a few times, but for the most part I shied away from the beast. 

Well, a couple mustangs later and with the Saturn paid off;  it came time for me to purchase a new vehicle for myself.  I wanted to play it safe again and go for the Saturn Sky.   But after numerous brochures started appearing around the house advertising the new 2007 Mustang, I finally got the hint.  So, with an open mind and idea of exactly what I wanted, I went to Texan Ford to look at the Mustangs.  A major selling point that may not mean much to other people, but meant everything to me, was that the seat had automatic adjustments that lifted it in the air, thus allowing me to see over the steering wheel and be able to see the front end of the car.  When you 5’2”, this is a real feeling of empowerment. 

Like I said, I knew what I wanted because I had an image in my mind of what my Mustang would look like.   I had plans for its future.  I told Reba I wanted a white Mustang.  No other Mustang would do, because no other Mustang would fit into my plans.  Reba connected with an Internet Sales man at Texan Ford and a white Mustang awaited my arrival.  After a little bit of haggling and a few second thoughts, I walked out the proud owner of a new 2007 white Mustang and soon the transformation would take place. 

She was taken to my nephew’s shop where she was stripped of her generic black rocker stripes.  She was given rally stripes of blue and red on the white background of the vehicle.  And the finishing touch was a decal on the doors portraying the car metal being torn back to show the American Flag underneath, a symbol that means” I bleed red, white and blue”.  With the essentials of my dream car in place, I then prepared a list of modifications that with some with time and money, would all come together to complete the image I had in my mind. 

With the help of friends like Donnie & Sonya Meyer, my vision has slowly evolved into a reality.  They gave me the white rockers, the hood scoop and installed the Magna Flow muffler.  The rest of the pieces fell into place along the way, such as the white piping in the interior, the white panels around the speakers, the black chrome interior dash kit and the window louvers.  Reba worked her tail off doing a photo session for Midwest and I reaped the benefits with a white radiator cover and extenders.  I designed a plenum cover, white with red stripes and an American eagle.   I then added the white shock tower covers and white fuse box cover with a graphic that matches the exterior of the car.  Another friend, Amy Grant, gave me an American flag that lies across the arm rest.  The most recent addition was a birthday gift from Reba of side scoops. 

So what was once a dream, through the help of others, has become a reality.   Every day, when I get into my vehicle, I’m reminded of this great country that I’ve been blessed enough to be born in and of how fortunate I am to wake to the singing of birds instead of the sounds of gunfire and explosions.  I see the flag ripping through the metal and know that the symbol represents the blood that flows thru my veins.  I enter the vehicle and see the flag draped across the arm rest and instantly I think of the flags draped across the coffins of our fallen soldiers and I say a prayer.  People see me go down the street and I know in the back of their mind they are thinking, “There goes one proud American.”   

So, my Mustang is so much more than a sports car.  It’s the definition of a true American Legend.