Update

Here are some pictures from Kylee's shower last weekend.  It was great to see so many of you and introduce you to Linden.

Prayers Needed

It's been a while and I hope you all are still checking back from time to time. I am in need of some of you prayers. Here's the skinny. Check that. Here is the long story: In June of 2007 I had a Melanoma removed from my chest. It was caught early and the prognosis was great. This past November they found another one right next to the scar left from the previous one. The prognosis was good as well as they deemed this was a separate Melanoma from the first one as opposed to metastisizing from the first one. However, about that same time I started noticing I was getting nausea quite frequently. I let it go for a few weeks thinking I may have had some viral infection or something. I was having some shakes with it and my doctor put me on a anti-depressant to see if the nausea wasn't related to some anxiety. I have never worried about my health. Anxiety is pretty much not a part of my makeup, but I tried it and liked it because it gave me more energy and confidence and actually began writing again. But that is a different story. Fast forward to about a month ago. I was till having nausea and it seemed to be getting worse. On top of that I began having occasional night sweats. Most nights I sweat a little but every once in a while I'd wake up with the sheets soaked. My doctors got concerned because of my cancer in the last few years. They ordered a CT scan on my brain and abdomen. The brain was clear and so was the abdomen with the exception of a lesion on my liver. The CT Scan seemed to point to it being a benign flash-filled hemangioma, which are quite regular and are not life-threatening. However, the CT Scan cannot diagnose this totally without an MRI to back it up. I am scheduled to have an MRI this coming Wednesday on my liver and chest. They added the chest to look at my lungs and esophegus. I also have an endoscopy scheduled this Monday to look at maybe it being an ulcer. In any event, with my past Melanoma, it does scare me a bit. Cancer can cause nausea and night sweats. But so can a lot of different, less threatening diagnosis. If you could, if you're the praying type, I sure could use them. I will let you know the outcome as soon as I find out what the hell it is.

Take care

Dave

Happy New Year!

I hope that everyone had a wonderful Christmas. I missed seeing everyone and hope that you all had a happy and healthy 2008. Here are some pictures from Christmas at the Olczak house. Grandma is quite the Wii bowler. I'm not kidding - she beat all of us (and I was definitely not going easy on her).

Best of luck to everyone going into '09. Please keep in touch! ~ Love, Ragan

Here's to the future...

While we all have different political beliefs, I hope that we can all look to the future with a positive outlook based on tonight's results. This is truly a monumental moment on many counts. I personally am overwhelmed with emotion and hope. Hope that finally, maybe other countries will begin to change the way they view America (and Americans) and hope that citizens of our country really will come together and over come these extremely tough times we're facing and finally (finally!) have a positive outlook on the future and HOPE that it can only improve from here.

The Great Tall Hunter

Last year I went Bowhunting for the first time and I got hooked on it. Recently I went on my first full hunting expedition. For those of you who don't know, Janet and I purchased Denver's old cabin, er trailer, which is located in the Manistee National Forest. Although I can't at least boast that it is a double-wide, it is enough for me... for now. Outside the trailer is God's country. It is beautiful and peaceful, bursting with wildlife, and I was there to kill some of them. To set the PETA family members at ease, I was not successful. In any event, it got me thinking... I'm not too sure how many members of my family actually hunt. So, for those of you who actually check this page from time-to-time, I ask that question to you. Who, among us, is an active hunter? When I say active, I mean currently owns a bow or rifle and has sat in the woods with it in the last, oh, five years or so.

My next expedition may be this winter to hunt Coyotes. Other than that, I have just been spending time working on the house, raking leaves, and studying the Michigan Campaign Laws for my run in two years for state congress. I'm currently looking for a shady real estate mogul, an unrepentant terrorist and an anti-American Preacher to help get me connected in Michigan politics. Oh yeah, and to practice winning economic policy, I am forcing Jordan to sacrifice one letter grade, from straight As to straight Bs, that he worked so hard for, and giving those points to those who are partying and only getting Cs, thus giving them straight Bs. He has already threatened to move to Canada. What he doesn't know is that he already lives there.

So, what is everyone doing these days??? Start posting.

News: We sold our house!

Hi everyone! Craig and I sold our house after it being on the market for just THREE weeks in Toledo. We're floored. (We put it on the market on a whim. Who knew it was going to sell!?)

I have a week-long event for work I plan in Cabo until the 25th of October, then we're coming home the 27th and will be packing and moving out entire house (we never took any furniture, etc.) to storage in time for the closing on the 31st of October. Well then be heading out first thing the next morning to get back to work. It will be a whirlwind trip.

We're soon going to officially be considered ex-pats. Crazy!

Depression

It's a scary time in America. The Dow Jones is down another 600 points today as Washington has not passed the Emergency Economic Bill. Although this affects all of us, it's interesting to watch this go on. Why? Because what has essentially happened is that the crooks have been exposed. This crash of the market and fall of the banks has unmasked what we already knew about Washington but couldn't prove. Rich men and women have been running and winning seats and have been setting up shop with the help of those who have enough money to influence policy. Now, we see what they really are and they are scrambling to cover up. But they can't. Family, I am not making a political statement. They are all on the side of money, not US! No big revelation there, but this is why we need to dig into where candidates stand on issues and quit voting for candidates who look good and speak well. The bill set before the Congress is socialist. In other words it puts the government into the private sector. No matter how hard times may get, we cannot have this. And we need to start standing up for ourselves. Call your congressman and senator and demand they find another way to help us out, instead of sticking this trillion dollar band-aid on a gaping wound.

I've been thinking for some time now about getting into politics. This weekend I got a sign from God. A man stopped by on his bike. He looked like Santa claus and he was running for our state congress. After talking to the man for about a half hour it dawned on me: With all due respect, if this man could do it, I could do it better. I'm tired of these rich Ivy league schmucks running our government with their only experience being that they are plugged into the IN group through their schooling. They are not looking out for us. They are simply looking out for their rich pals. Politics as usual has never been so rampant in our government. It's time for us to vote these morons out. I am following in my father's footsteps and entering the political realm. I have a long, hard road to travel, I know, but I have nothing better to do. In the words of Peter Finch in the movie Network:

"I'm as mad as hell and I'm not going to take it anymore!!!"

God Bless America

DC