Congratulations to Ride for the Cure for winning February's Design of the Month! 

The First Annual Ride for the Cure benefitting The Des Moines Affiliate of Susan G. Komen for the Cure, took place on October 4th, 2008. With an astonishing 1200 participants, you can only imagine, it was a very emotional yet fun filled day, which went well beyond the wildest dreams of the organizers of the inaugural event.

If only the emotion of the day could be captured and shared. It was phenomenal and something you have to experience! Plans are already in the works for the Second Annual Ride for the Cure on October 3, 2009. Mark this day on your calendar and tell your friends. This is a day you don't want to miss!

Be sure to check out www.rideforthecureiowa.com and watch for updates. Ride Registation and The Ride Shop open in April!

EDJE's home town of Indianola, IA will be hosting an overnight stay for RAGBRAI XXXVll. For those of you that aren't familiar with RAGBRAI®, it stands for Register's Annual Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa.

On July 21st Indianola will host an overnight stay for the 37th annual RAGBRAI event. This has been a long time coming as one of the most famous RAGBRAI riders is Indianola's own Clarence Pickard. The first great six-day bicycle ride across Iowa was held in 1973. Among the many interesting people the ride attracted was Clarence Pickard of Indianola. This 83-year-old gentleman, who hadn't ridden a bicycle much in the years before, showed up for that first ride with a used ladies' Schwinn. He rode all the way to Davenport, which included a 100 degree plus day from Des Moines to Williamsburg, a 110- mile trek. Pickard's attire for the ride was a long-sleeved shirt, trousers, woolen long underwear and a silver pith helmet. Articles from Des Moines Register columnist's, Kaul and Karras, about Pickard and other points of interest along the way were responsible for the growth of the ride. Mr. Pickard passed away in the winter of 1982. Although he had only ridden in one complete RAGBRAI the first year of the ride and on just one day the following year, he had become a legend. The 1983 event, RAGBRAI XI, was named the “Clarence Pickard Memorial Ride” in his memory, and the commemorative patch the Register designed that year was similar to the shape of the helmet he wore. Indianola's Pickard Park is named after this legendary rider.

EDJE has been working hard to get everything in order to help riders and local communities find out all the details for the ride and what better way to do it than with a website, www.indianolaragbrai.com. The website also offers web advertising for biker friendly businesses, click here to learn more. The RAGBRAI committee predicts over 10,000 viewers to this website!

I just finished building a website for Molly Smestad, who is a niece of one of our computer programmers, Chris (he also helped with this site). This website is an online vollyball resume, which is a great idea for helping her get recruited by a college to play volleyball!

Molly plays HS volleyball, club volleyball and beach volleyball and LOVES IT!  On her website you can find some examples of her volleyball play, current awards and statistics, and her volleyball biography. She is proud of what she has achieved thus far in her volleyball career and her passion for what she does continues to grow each and every day. Molly wants to, is ready to, and is excited to think about playing college volleyball!

To learn more about Molly Smestad, click here >>

Hello, Boy Blue here with an important update. It seems that a new home isn't enough excitement for one week. My tank has been invaded. There is some sort of slow-moving creature now inhabiting my home. In a secret-op, undercover, fact-finding mission, I was attacked by this creature. I was quite scared, and quickly swam back to the other corner of my tank. The only information I was able to gather was this creature moves slowly around the tank sucking up the green gunk that is floating around. I was hopeful that I would have made friends with this alien, but I fear now that he is a hostile being, out to get me and everything I have.

I will try again later to make contact with this thing. I keep hearing the word "Gary" so that is what I will call him.

I am Boy Blue, the new Biz Team Mascot at EDJE. Today is my first day and I am little nervous. I have had several encounters with another mysterious betta fish that shows up every once and awhile. I am able to scare him away by spreading out my fins. I am pretty good at it, because he alwyays goes away. I keep hearing the name "Mirror" so I am sure that is his name! Some day I will fight Mirror and win.

I sit at the desk next to Tiffany, and she keeps looking at me like I am going to jump out of my bowl! I actually might try it some day, but I think I might wait until I am a little stronger.

My life at EDJE is just starting and I hope that I can live up to title of Biz Team Mascot. I will have to keep you posted. In the meantime, I do have a favor to ask. If anyone out there has some tips on taking care of bettas, please leave them in the comments below. I want to help out these ladies as much as possible!

Bye for now,

Boy Blue