Johnna picks up the story:

This August, not only is my husband Jon celebrating his 41^st birthday, he will be riding in his second Pan-Mass Challenge (PMC), a 2-day, 200 mile bike-a-thon across the state of Massachusetts, in support of the Jimmy Fund/Dana Farber Cancer Research Institute. Being a cancer survivor himself, this ride and fundraising effort is to honor the lives of the people and children who have or have had cancer. Last year, he rode in honor of his buddy, Jacob Villarreal, our 10 year old friend who was battling Pilocytic Astrocytoma – a type of juvenile brain cancer. He was diagnosed when he was 6 ½ years old with a tumor the size of a hen’s egg on his brain which blocked spinal fluid to the brain stem. So after one 10 hour surgery and over 3 months of rehabilitative therapy, Jacob was learning how to walk, talk, eat and sit up alone again. He was cancer free for 1 year until the tumor started growing back. After a few more surgeries and a 58 week chemotherapy plan, Jacob is now living like a normal 10 year old boy playing video games, playing with friends, with a cell phone and living CANCER FREE with no residual evidence of tumor re-growth!  Earlier this year x-rays also showed that the tumor was gone!

We had such an overwhelming response to his PMC ride last year that he was able to ride in honor and memory of several people. This year, he wants to make the ride about those we honor or miss every day.  If you would like to dedicate your donation to someone dear, please include his or her name in a note and send through the run or email me (include a picture if possible). In their honor or memory, Jon will carry the notes and pictures, along with their fighting spirit, on his ride.  One of our favorite things at last year’s PMC was having Jon’s picture taken at the finish line holding pictures of those that “came along for the ride”.  It was an absolute honor to give those pictures to the families and friends that supported him, especially Patti’s little friend Mattie!

There are many parts to this Challenge. The patients and their families have the challenge of facing and battling the disease every day. The staff at the Dana Farber Cancer Institute has their daily research and also works with the patients. My part is to train, ride and do the fundraising. Your challenge is to make a generous contribution. Doing so helps to hold open the possibility Jacob and many the others will be cancer free for many years to come.  I was blessed with a premature but beautiful baby girl 2 months ago.  My dream is for her to grow up in a world where we speak about cancer in a past tense.

To make a secure, online donation, please go to www.pmc.org and enter Jon Binsted in the box at the top left of the page. If you prefer, you can remit a check, made payable to the PMC and send it to me care of Phyllis Browning Company (Annex), 6011 Broadway – Suite 203, San Antonio, Texas 78209 or call me at 210-8324-7878 ext. 1174. All donations are fully tax deductible & 100% of your funds will go directly to the Jimmy Fund. This is an amount unheard of in the fundraising industry, where 60% of donations are considered a great number. If your company has a matching gifts program that supports our efforts to find a cure, please send or submit the appropriate paperwork.

The PMC’s goal is to raise $34 million this year. Jon’s unalterable commitment is to raise $4,200 and his stretch goal is $10,000. In case you missed it above, EVERY penny of rider raised funds went directly to the Jimmy Fund last year. Thank you in advance for your generous contribution, your support and for the difference you make.

On behalf of all the children and families, Jon & I thank you.

Johnna Binsted

This city is growing internationally and as foreigners move here from countries we never would have imagined from, food markets are opening to support these newcomers. Yesterday, while driving on Callaghan Road., just east of I-10, I stopped at Sasha’s Market (8023 Callaghan, 348-7788.) I had stopped there on a whim eight months ago and renewed my acquaintance with the store yesterday, getting into a conversation with the manager, as well as a customer. Sasha’s is an eastern European (Russia,Hungary,Romania,Poland, etc.) market. The owner, who has a store inAustin, heardSan Antonio was a growing metropolis.

The conversation I had was enlightening.  According to both, there are now close to, or over, 15,000 former eastern Europeans living inSan Antonio. 15,000! And they’re here for the same reasons many of us moved here; a move with a spouse, a new job, or a better way of life.

Whatever the reason, the Sashas of San Antonio are creating important niches; pockets where folks live, shop and congregate.  Still another market which comes to mind is Ali Baba International Food Market (9307 Wurzbach at Bluemel, 691-1111), catering to formerly middle-eastern and Mediterranean region residents.

According to the latest U.S. Census figures, the Asian population in the city has grown to 30,500. And to feed that many people food from their homeland, markets have sprung up across the city to support them as well. These include Dong Yang Oriental Market (8141 Latigo Plaza, 645-0570), Korean Market (6210 Fairdale Dr., 646-7005) and Minnano Japanese Grocery (7460 Callaghan, 340-7900.)

Still more markets include Las Americas Latin Market (6623 San Pedro, 340-2747), which stocks food from Central and South American countries and Little India Food Market (5727 Evers Rd., 521-4778.)

Let us know if you’ve tried these, or other markets. For instance, I’m curious to know if there are markets supporting former residents ofAfrica. And if you’ve visited distinctly foreign restaurants, let us know that too. For instance, I’ve been toIlsongGarden, a Korean restaurant (6905 Blanco Rd., 366-4508) twice and had delicious meals both times.

• In the 2nd quarter 2010 we ranked 5th as a major metropolitan area in Forbes Magazine’s list of “America’s Recovery Capitals”.

• San Antonio is one of the top 20 strongest-performing metro areas according to the Brookings Institution.

• Our city ranked 2nd in “Best Cities for job Growth” in large cities category according to Newgeography.com

• San Antonio ranked 4th best relocation destination in America (according to U-Haul International).

Pablo Picasso’s “Nude, green leaves and bust” sold at Christie’s in New York yesterday (May 4, 2010) for a cool $106 million. The painting was part of the Brody collection, assembled mostly in the 1940s and 50s by a Los Angeles real estate developer, and which collectively realized the highest ever sale price for a single-owner art collection in auction history.

As an exclusive affiliate of Christie’s Great Estates we enjoy a wonderful relationship with the art world though Christie’s. It’s a great feeling to know that when we offer our very best luxury properties for sale through Christie’s Great Great Estates, we can reach the exact same audience that Christie’s is reaching with their fabulous art and auction sale catalogs!

Fortunately it’s one of the things we are truly blessed with here in San Antonio. We have fantastic medical facilities, everything from friendly neighborhood family doctors and emergency clinics to state-of-the-art hospitals and some of the finest healthcare specialists.

The South Texas Medical Center employs approximately 27,000 people and includes 45 medical-related institutions, 12 hospitals, and 5 specialty facilities.

There are also numerous medical facilities outside the South Texas Medical Center, including over two dozen general hospitals, two state hospitals, two children’s psychiatric hospitals and the two largest Department of Defense hospitals in the country: Brooke Army Medical Center at Fort Sam Houston and Wilford Hall Medical Center at Lackland Air Force Base. Fort Sam Houston is the largest medical training facility in the world, and by 2011, all military medical training in the US will be accomplished here.

In fact, many of the people who will be relocating here over the next few years (both civilian and military) will be healthcare professionals – and as Relocation Director of Phyllis Browning Company it will be my responsibility – and pleasure – to help them find a great place to live!

Did you know Phyllis Browning Company has earned the prestigious “MD Preferred” Medallion? There are only 5 companies in Texas that can say that – and only 100 in the whole United States. It means we are the most highly recommended real estate company for healthcare professionals relocating in the San Antonio area.

It’s a title we are very proud of!

It appears that Forbes magazine’s article was “right on”. San Antonio is America’s second fastest recovering city from the recession.

Our housing market offers “Whatever you like”……..you can live on a mini-ranch just outside the city, a gated community with a small lot, acreage within the city, or a condominium on the River Walk. And just a short drive north you can see rolling hills, roaring rivers, clear lakes and stately live oak trees.

Please feel free to post links to other relevant sites, write posts about important topics and information about what’s going on in your neighborhood! Your contributions will always be appreciated.

Don’t forget to check back often for updates and new additions coming soon!