My brother-in-law, Hank (pictured to the right with my sister at our house last August), is undergoing some major “un-fun hospital stuff”, including a Hickman line that was put in today, and next week is chock-full 3 days of chemo “fun”, to be followed up by a stem cell transplant at the end of May. We’re pullin’ for you, Hank, and there’s not a minute that goes by when we’re not thinking about you and your family! Keep fighting this cancer damnit!! We love you guys!

Earlier this month I posted about my sister’s cause to raise money for Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation. Since she started it, she has raised $2,225 and if she reaches her goal of $10,000 by May 10th, 2008, she said she’d shave her head. I upped the ante by offering to shave my head. Then to get the attention of his friends and family as well, my friend Mike in New York offered to shave his head too!

If you haven’t done so already, please consider donating to this cause. You can do so by visiting my sister’s blog, then click the Donate button on the right-side of the page.

Long Live Hank!

Crikey! It has been super hot this weekend… in the upper 90s. The heat always brings out new pests. I’ve noticed a few spiders around the house and random bugs. This afternoon our neighbor called for help… she had a snake in her back yard. I went over to investigate, and determined it was just a harmless gardner snake. So I grabbed my trusty rake, carefully ’snaked’ it out of her bushes and into my bin, then walked it over to the canyon down the street and let him free. Click the thumb to the right to see him in all his glory!

Tonight on FOX, American Idol held its annual “Idol Gives Back” event, a 2.5 hour telethon to raise money for children and young people in extreme poverty in the U.S. and around the world. Millions of dollars are donated each year to this cause. We watched it mainly because of its entertainment value, and if my wallet is fatter than normal, we donate. This year we didn’t (note to AI producers: you should really wait until after April 15th when people usually have a lot of money to blow from taxes).

This year we’re donating to a cause that hits much, much, closer to home. My brother-in-law, Hank, was diagnosed last September with an incurable blood cancer called Multiple Myeloma. (Photo to right is my sister’s family) He’s already been through one round of chemo and after being back at work part-time for a few months, his last day of work was Tuesday. He’ll be out of commission again for 3-4 months while he undergoes a stem cell transplant. My sister and her family have been devastated throughout this entire process. When I last saw Hank up in Seattle, it was shortly after he was diagnosed and hospitalized. It was a horrible time for us all, and I got to witness first-hand the effects of this cancer on a man who is just two years younger than me. This past February Hank’s oncologist gave him 3 years to live. Another blow to the family. We hope he beats these odds and whips this cancer into remission for many, many years. I love my family dearly, and honestly, I love Hank as if he was my (blood) brother.

Look, I’ve never pushed a cause on anyone in my life. I have just never felt strongly about doing so. I’ve never begged anyone for money (Mom & Dad you don’t count!) I’ve donated plenty of money to our church and other causes, but now it’s time for a new cause. A cause to help fight for Hank’s life, and others who are fighting this aggressive cancer.

My sister just launched her “Shave to Save” campaign and is asking for donations:

My husband was diagnosed with Multiple Myeloma in September 2007. This is an aggressive, incurable cancer of the blood.

I’m hoping to raise money for research in finding a cure for this disease so that others do not have to go through the same hopelessness which results from being diagnosed with this type of cancer.

In order to meet my fundraising goal, I pledge to shave my head if I reach my fundraising target of $10,000 by May 10, 2008.

That’s right, my good people, if my sister raises 10 large within the next 30 days, she’s chopping off her hair (and hopefully it’s long enough to donate to Locks of Love!)

My sister doesn’t know it yet, but I’m going to raise the ante, in hopes to motivate my own friends to donate to her cause. I also pledge to shave my head if my sister reaches her fundraising target of $10,000 by May 10, 2008. I’ve never shaved my head, so I’m looking forward to it. And like my sister, the details will be blogged. I’ve already chipped in a donation, with more on the way after taxes get settled. That’s right, I’ve already purchased (hopefully) a $100 haircut. With any luck, it will get a lot more expensive!

My friend, Mike (in New York), has blogged about my sister’s cause and has offered to shave his head too, to help convince his friends to donate.  Thanks Mike!

Please donate!

Merry Christmas everyone… we are really looking forward to the big day, especially seeing our kid’s eyes on Christmas morning.  I still get a kick out of that every year!  Today the festivities begin with my brother-in-law coming from Nevada (my mother-in-law arrives tomorrow), some Christmas shopping, another Christmas movie tonight, and more present wrapping.  And even with everyone being sick lately, looks like everyone will be well this Christmas, except for maybe a few coughs here and there.

Recently we all took up some dance lessons at the North Pole, and well, here’s a preview of how we’re doing.  Not bad, eh?

You can Elf Yourself too!

We made an unexpected trip up to Disneyland today, mainly because I found someone who wanted my old 300C exhaust and since I couldn’t find anyone to buy it, I found someone who wanted to trade me for it. Plus, our annual Disneyland passes are still good so it doesn’t cost us anything to get into the park.

He lives in L.A. so we met him at Disneyland before we entered the park. I gave him the exhaust and he gave me his 2-week-old 80GB iPod Classic (the new one that just came out). It’s in excellent condition, and I’m currently filling it up with 30+ GB of music.

We spent the day at Disneyland and it was hot (about 85F) and had a really fun time. We’ve never gone during the month of October, so it was fun to see all of the Halloween decorations they had up.

Here’s a funny pic of Mel and I on our favorite ride, Space Mountain. Tip: ride in the front (wait for it if you have to), it’s 100% better being in the front!   Click the photo for a larger version.

Here’s a pic from today of my lovely Ava in the bed of my F-150 truck.

This post is for Hank, my awesome brother-in-law, who was just down here in August on vacation with my sister and their two kids.

Get well soon bro! We love you and are thinking of you…

My compadre, Mike, now has a pool in his Houston back yard. Excavation began on June 22nd and it’s now finished. Congrats, dude. With the heat and humidity you have, you’ll be using it a lot! Looks great!

For the rest of the photos check out his Flickr gallery.

I had the opportunity to go to the Padres game last night with Frozone and his boss, Kevin. The Padres won and best of all we got to watch the game from the very plush McMillin box off the 1st base line. Free food and beer!