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The Body

Row for Water

We stumbled across this on the Columbia blog,  22-year old Katie Spotz has a penchant for endurance sports, but her most recent undertaking, Row For Water, tops them all. Katie rowed across the Atlantic, solo, in order to raise money and awareness for clean water access. In doing so, she became the youngest person to ever row across an ocean. What’s more, she rowed from Africa to South America, a difficult route that does not benefit from the prevailing trade winds. Nice work Katie. We’re glad you’re out there. 
The organization Katie’s project benefited is the Blue Planet Run Foundation. A San Francisco based non-profit, Blue Planet Run funds safe drinking water projects for the billion people around the world in need of clean water. Unsafe drinking water is the world’s leading cause of sickness and disease, but it is a solvable problem. 
Cruisin' Companions

BUTTERSCOTCH

Hello, I’m Butterscotch, and as you can tell, I’m quite sweet! (Okay, I’ll stop with the jokes now).

I’m a spayed domestic shorthair who loves living with people; the only problem is, my owners left! They moved somewhere that I couldn’t go, which left me here at Animal Friends. Don’t get me wrong; it’s a great place, but I’d really prefer a nice home to snuggle up in. I especially love playing with laser pointers. Oh, and I hope you like having a sleeping buddy at night!

The one thing you should know: You can’t see it in my picture, but my right eye was removed due to an ulcerative problem. It doesn’t affect me at all – maybe a little loss of depth perception, but otherwise I’m a great, fun-loving kitty. Can you find a place for me in your home? Visit Animal Friends to inquire about me.

The Machine

Ultimate Biker Makeover Prize, Wizards Cool Kit

You’ll have no problem keeping your bike clean with this jackpot of prizes from Wizards. This cool kit comes with all the cleaning product you see here along with a Wizards hat and the carry case is an actual cooler!  Yup, keep your favorite beverage frosty cold in this carry along cooler.  Just be sure to send in your submissions before the deadline of MAy 10th,2010. All entry information can be found here, must be present at Carlisle Summer Bike Fest to claim your prizes!

The Body

Live your Life NOW, By Iowa Harley Girl

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My life has been a yo-yo ride of weight loss and gain. I’ve lived like I’m indestructible and never really cared about my health. I was the person who would sit and watch the Biggest Loser while eating a Big Mac and large fries. Simply put, I was a mess!
In the spring of 2009, as I was thinking of our Sturgis trip in the fall, I decided to try P90X and change my eating habits. I worked hard at it and was seeing results. Weight was dropping off me. I was excited with the lighter me that went to Sturgis that year. I had lost about 20lbs. When we got back from the trip I posted photos from Sturgis on my blog and on Facebook. People kept asking who the skinny girl was. I thought nothing of the comments because I had been working out a lot before the trip. About a month after Sturgis my vision began getting blurry. It got to the point that I was having difficulty seeing so I decided to have my eyes checked. The eye doctor at Lenscrafters was very concerned and told me that I needed to see my family doctor that Monday. He told me that he believed something was wrong with my health. I went to the doctor and he sent me to an eye specialist. The specialist told me that he felt I needed to have blood tests and he also wanted me to see another eye specialist. That specialist also thought I needed to have blood tests. I made another appointment with my family doctor to have blood tests. My husband Dan drove me to the doctor because by then I wasn’t able to see well enough to drive. I went in and had the blood tests while Dan waited in the car. As I was returning to the car a nurse came out after me. She said I needed to come back and see the doctor. I walked to the car and told Dan I needed to go back in. He went in with me to wait for the doctor. The nurse told me that my hemoglobin level was so low they were surprised I could even walk. The doctor told me he was sending me right over to John Stoddard Cancer Center because he believed that I had Leukemia. 
The ride to the hospital was the longest of my life. I was crying, I was dumbfounded. How was this happening to me? I met with the Oncologist and his nurse, that my doctor referred me to. I was admitted to the hospital that day. That day I received 9 blood transfusions and I also received platelets. A few days after being admitted my Oncologist finally came in and diagnosed me with having Hairy Cell Leukemia. I was moved to the Oncology floor of Methodist Medical Center and spent 29 days of my life there. I underwent 7 straight days of chemotherapy. 
During my stay I had a lot of time to think. I thought of how I haven’t lived my life to the fullest. I thought of how unhappy I’ve been throughout my life with how I look and never being “thin” enough. I thought of all the times I’ve sat and watched when I should have been out there living. 
The day I went home was so scary. A person really becomes attached to the health care providers that they see everyday. I swear I took my temperature every 1/2 hour. Day by day I became stronger and would make myself walk around the block. When you are not active you lose allot of strength. I needed to get that strength back so I decided to begin working out again. I lost 40lbs because of Leukemia. 40lbs that I needed to lose but having Leukemia wasn’t really how I wanted to lose it. I turned it into a positive though, this was going to be one of the good things that I got out of all of this. I vowed to get healthy. Dan and I purchased a treadmill and I started walking on it daily. One day Dan was showing me some Pod-runner Pod-casts. One of the pod-casts caught my eye, it was called Intervals 1st Day to 5k. At that moment I decided to train for a 5k run. It was slow going at first. I’ve never been a runner. I was always the slowest kid in school when it came to the Presidential fitness 1 mile run test. The first week I was able to run a mile in 18 minutes. When I got to week 5 I was at 13 minute miles. I made it to week 10 and am now able to run a 5k on the treadmill in 40 minutes. What a huge accomplishment for me. I’m feeling the best I’ve ever felt. I’m on my way to being a healthy, sexy, strong woman. The woman that has always been inside me but took 41 years to find. No one is stopping me now. Currently I’m working on the Pod-runner Pod-cast Gateway to 8k. 
This bump in the road opened my eyes to life. We don’t realize how much we take life for granted. A person needs to be in the mindset that one can’t put things off until tomorrow because tomorrow may not come. DO IT NOW! Become the best person you can be. Don’t wait like I did because a disease like Leukemia smacked you in the face. I was lucky. I got a second chance. Take your first chance and run with it. Live your life NOW!
Editors Note; a HUGE thanks to Stephanie for sharing her story with us all.  To stay in touch with her please visit her blog at IowaHarleyGirl
Cruisin' Companions

BORIS

Friendly and affectionate nine-year old yellow lab, Boris, has quickly become a favorite with Animal Friends’ volunteers. Whether out for a walk, or just sitting quietly, Boris is an attentive, engaging companion who will melt your heart with his easy-going smile and happy-go-lucky demeanor.

A social guy, Boris not only adores human companionship, but also enjoys other dogs, and he may even tolerate a cat! Though he seems to love everyone, Boris is an older dog who doesn’t play much, so he’d probably be happier in a home with older children. If you think Boris might be loving companion you’re looking for, why not stop by Animal Friends and have one of the Adoption Counselors introduce you.

The Machine

Garage-Girl Christie

Fellow enthusiast Christie Brimmier invited us down to hang out in her garage to get to check out her Custom Sportster
 and to get to know what she’s all about.    During our time with Christie we got to see out what other lady riders are doing to their bikes and how they enjoy spending quality time with family hangin’ out in the garage.

Cruisin' Companions

BLACKCURRENT

You know those old Hollywood movies where they walk into the jungle and hear all kinds of strange animal sounds? Once you’ve met me, you’ll think I was the one making all those noises! I’m Blackcurrent, one of the cats here at Animal Friends.

I’m one of the funniest vocal cats you’ll ever meet. Sometimes I meow, sometimes it’s a high-pitched “rowr,” or maybe even a guttural peep that you’d swear came from a jungle animal! I’m fun and very active too; I love to play!

I do like to come to you; I’m not one for being picked up and handled unless I’m ready for it. So I’d do best with older kids or people who understand that I’m not always a lap kitty. But I am a fun, funny companion to have around the house! Visit Animal Friends to meet me!

The Body

Ultimate Biker Makeover Prize; Riding Glasses by 7 EYE

How would you like to be sportin’ a new pair of 7 EYE riding glasses? Well if you send in your submission for the Ultimate Biker Makeover you could win a pair just like these along with a ‘gazzillion other prizes. So get your submissions in before May 10th 2010. Click here for all the info. 
a little ditty about  7 Eye.  
7eye is dedicated to enhancing our customers’ experience by providing eyewear with superior protective properties and extraordinary performance. We use the most advanced lens technology, powered by NXT®, to deliver first-rate clarity and color management in every lens in our line. Our patented frame designs feature Airlock, a non-air-permeable shield against wind, glare and airborne irritants that maintains a comfortable environment for your eyes. Airlock performs wonders for people with dry eye symptoms or for those who engage in activities where their eyes are vulnerable to high doses of wind and glare. 7eye gives people the freedom to do what they love better, longer and in greater comfort.