Staff Sgt Jason Ross - Marine

Today was a much better day, as far as Jason's physical condition is concerned. He felt better and was up and ready to go kind of early. He had formation at 07:30, so we had to get over to the Naval Base early. When we got there most of the guys were still getting their stuff together and all were getting organized, and it felt pretty much like a "normal" kind of day. After formation we got a chance to chat with SSGT Lacey, as we hadn't seen her in several months. Apparently she has been injured and is now a Wounded Warrior just like the others. Only her's is from a motorcycle accident, where this guy kind of ran into her with his truck, while she was sitting at a stop light. Fortunately, the injuries are much less than what they could have been, but that's easy for me to say... she is still requiring some surgery and rehab on her shoulder. Once Jason and I had all the little things done at the hospital, and headed back to the house, I went up to Los Angeles...

Well, first, apologies for not updating yesterday, but we didn't get home until late yesterday, and then I had to go out again to pick up the paramobile. Fortunately the United crew were willing to just hang out until I came back with the truck and they lifted it up and put it in the back of the truck. All-in-all, United Air Lines went way out of their way to make this trip back to San Diego spectacular. The trip up to Livermore had some bumps and some difficulties associated with it. For example, they "lost" the paragolfer for a short while, once we landed at SFO. As it turned out, it was simply a break down in communications, and they really never lost it, just that for some reason they took their time in getting it out to the baggage area. Once we had the unit back up on the truck we were running smoothly again. When we left San Diego we were escorted up to, and through security, where we were allowed to move up to the front and brought through quickly. When we came ...

Tomorrow we will be heading back down to San Diego, and Jason will be getting back into the routine of his daily medical appointments. I will also be getting back into a regular routine of helping him where he needs the assistance, and doing my best to take care of the girls and the house. Compared to this past week it will be mundane and common, as this past week has been rewarding and unfortunately too fast. Today was the official home coming gathering for Jason. It was decided to move it to the end of the week, as to do it at the beginning of the week, when we first arrived would have been too much for Jason to deal with. As with the ball game, there were many people there, including Congressman Eric Swalwell, a representative from the state legislature, the Mayor of Livermore, John Marchand, and still many others. There were representatives from VFW organizations and other Veterans groups, as well as several support groups, and finally Warriors Watch Riders. It all started at...

Today was a nice day for Jason, as it started out slow and he was able to rest most of the day. We did go out and did a little shopping (I needed a new belt), and it was a good way to let Gracie go for a walk. The one funny thing that happened was that as we walked up to one shop there was a large horse statue in front of the store (for locals, it was Baughman's in Livermore). Gracie wanted nothing to do with this strange creature that stood as tall as me, and was four times my size. It took a while to coax her up to the statue, and she finally accepted the fact that it wasn't alive. Jason showed great patience in getting her to walk up to it and smell it. After the shopping we went to breakfast at the Rail Road Cafe'. The food there is really good and we met up with a couple of friends, Charles and his daughter Natalee. Natalee presented Jason with a little gift she put together, from the ball game, a photo collage, then the folks at the restaurant comped his breakfast. ...

Compared to yesterday, today was amazingly low key. Linda and I got the opportunity to spend some time together, away from the hotel; Grandma and Grandpa were able to spend time with Jason, in case he needed anything (which he didn't); and, later in the day Matt Ferea, a childhood and scouting buddy of Jason's came over and spent a few hours visiting with him. Matt and Jason climbed Mt. Fuji (Japan) back in 1996, as Boy Scouts, and have great memories about that adventure. All-in-all, a very nice and relaxed day. We got some things done, and were able to enjoy the slower pace while still being productive, Linda even did some laundry for Jason and I. I was able to see a couple of our neighbors and spend a little time visiting with them, and seeing how they were doing. There was a great deal of feedback on the news casts of the Granada ball game, and as expected, Granada did win (17 in a row). One of the folks I ran into yesterday told me that Granada was the number 2 high scho...

Today was a big day for Jason, as the baseball game, between Granada High and Livermore High was being played. Both he and Chris were on hand for the "first pitch" and both of them did an outstanding job. Unfortunately we were unable to stay for the entire game, I thought it was starting to develop into a nice game, with neither of the teams dominating, yet playing their hearts out. Because we left early I don't know for sure who won, but I believe Granada was leading 5 - 0 going into the sixth, and Granada had a 16 - 0 record for the season (it might be 17 - 0 now). There were many, many people there and news crews from KTVU, KGO, and KCBS, as well as reporters from the San Francisco Chronicle, the Independence, and probably others that I didn't see. I saw people there I hadn't seen in over a year, some in over two years, while some that I hadn't seen in only a few months. When I was being interviewed I did my best to be consistent in my answers, so that I ...

Jason had a very busy day today, with the morning starting out relatively slowly, and relaxed, and then as the day got going we started getting visitors. We saw Bill Buchanan and then Bill Nebo from church, and then just prior to the Granada High School's baseball team's arrival Marilyn Carter came by, and she and Linda did some decorating of Jason's room. The team came in and the coaches were all there, and they spent a great deal of time with Jason. Along with all this, there were several people from veterans groups and other support organizations, that are just too numerous to mention right now. That's because its late and I need to get up early tomorrow. I do apologize for not putting all your names in here, though we do appreciate all that you have done for us. On top of all that Jason enjoyed the company. Also visiting was a dear friend, Geetha, whom we hadn't seen in several years, and it was good to see her again. We had dinner with Karen, Mike, Monica and...

Today was a relaxed day, and Jason spent almost the entire day laying back in the bed. He did take the time out to shower and I did a dressing change on him, and that was all good. He also took Gracie out early in the morning, as dogs need to get out some times... ;-) The dressing change was a major impact on the decision on staying down. The day prior (the day of travel) he was up for several hours and the effects of that where visible on his wounds. I asked him to take the rest of the day off, and a good part of tomorrow too. We want him to feel good on Wednesday, and I think Jason is fully aware of the importance of taking care of himself. Meals were pretty simple today- Breakfast was here at the hotel which is included with our stay. Jason and I had waffles; lunch was from Linda, where she fixed sandwiches and fruit; and, then dinner was a wonderful meal prepared by Karen and Mike, that they brought over while Jason was showering, so they didn't even get a chance to talk with...

Today I am writing this blog from Livermore, CA! Jason's home town. Yep, we finally made it back home, though it is only going to be for a week. That's okay though, because we intend to enjoy our time here, as much as we can. The trip down was uneventful, even if getting on to the plane had a number of challenges. As well, there were a number of challenges getting off the plane. Most of those having to do with the paramobile and how the folks at United handled the challenge. Typically, they don't have to deal with a passenger who has such serious injuries, so that put them on edge to begin with. Then Jason is bringing along a device (certified medical device - class 3 wheelchair) that most of them have never seen before. It took about a half an hour to instruct them on how it was to be loaded, and thank goodness Anthony Netto was there to help. Finally it was accomplished and I was given my claim stub to allow me to collect it when we arrived in SFO. We were escorted all ...

What an amazing day today was. Jason didn't get out of bed except for taking a shower, and then when we went to the USO Event tonight. I did laundry, and cleaned up around the place and played on the computer for a little while, even had time to participate in a conference call with the San Francisco Bay Area Chapter of PMI (I'm on the board). I took Gracie out a few times and she is definitely becoming comfortable with both Jason and I. She even went to the event with us, as it was a dinner event. I have all the medical supplies packed up, and will pack up the rest of Jason's stuff tomorrow, after he showers. I then have to pack up my stuff, but that won't take too long. The weather has been great these past few days, and we're quite happy about that, except that I really do need to remember to put sun block on, before I leave the house. I expect to have a good tan by the end of the summer, early fall, but then I don't tan much anyway. We're looking forwa...

Today was one of those milestone kind of days with Jason, as he acquired a service dog. She is a German Shepard and 2 years old. Fully trained and used to various commands. The situation was that she was working with another wounded warrior and that guy decided that the dog was not helping him with what he wanted to do. The guy was not in a wheelchair and was able to get around just fine, and the dog was simply a companion dog so with Jason being in a wheelchair it presents a small challenge for the dog to learn how to be around a wheelchair. So far it looks pretty good and I think in a matter of a few days she will have a routine down that compliments Jason's movements. Now it sounds like I am talking about current situation, and that's because I am. The dog came into the picture today, and will be traveling with us on Sunday to Livermore. I was a bit concerned about introducing another aspect into all of what has been going on, but apparently it isn't as big an issue as...

Today was a very nice day that began with getting the girls up and ready for day care, and then fixing them their breakfast. They both love Cheerios, and so it is easy to get them to stay focused on having their breakfast. We dropped them off at the Child Development Center (CDC) and then took off to take care of our errands and appointments. We came back to their respective class rooms, just as the nap times were ending, and picked up the girls. Tomorrow we're going to attempt to get to their class rooms a little earlier as there is an invitation to have the parents come in and have lunch with the kids. Jason is hoping that his schedule is going to be able to accommodate. Once we got the girls back home we got them ready to head over to Anthony Netto's place, to have a BBQ and then get to fly a kite. As it turned out Jason bought to "kits" for building kites, and found that one of the kits was missing parts. We ended up with just one kite, and that was probably oka...

I was typing today's blog and was nearly complete when suddenly all of it simply disappeared. I had not selected anything or hit any kind of back space, it just simply disappeared. This is very frustrating, and now I'm tired so I'll only put a little information in the blog for tonight. The day began with a normal day getting up and getting the girls ready, then we went outside and found that the van had been opened. Not really sure how it got opened, other than that sometimes the electrical signals that come from the base, across the street, will open doors, including garage doors. I have mentioned this in the past, but this is the first time I actually lost something. The GPS was taken from the van, and now I will need to go replace it. I was told that they can be a quick way for the drug users and punks on the street to make a quick buck on Craig's List or Ebay. Anyway, we got the girls to daycare and then Jason over to his first appointment. He first went to PT,...

Today was a busy day for us, as it started out with Jackie waking up VERY early and crying. I'm guessing she had a bad dream, so I went down to comfort her. Fortunately I was able to get down fast enough so that she didn't wake Jason or Stacy. I'm kind of a lite sleeper, and it really doesn't take much to wake me especially when it is one of the kids. I rocked her in the chair in the living room for about 20 minutes and then put her back to bed. She slept through the rest of the night and seemed very happy the next morning. Then when I went in to see how Jason was doing he told me that... "...we have mice." At least that is what he though he was hearing. What happened was that an opening happened on the cage to Stacy's hamster, Patrick,  and he had gotten out sometime during the evening. It was discovered by Stacy, and she just asked me, "Where's Patrick?" Anyway, it only took me about 15 minutes to find Patrick and get him back into his ca...

Today was a busy day for us, as we had to get going early with the girls, and get them over to their day care at the Child Development Center (CDC). Jason had a formation at 07:30 this morning so we had to have the girls over to the CDC earlier. On top of that Jason had some extra forms to fill out at the CDC, so he needed a little extra time. Well, we got the girls there plenty early, and then because it took a little longer than anticipated to drop them off he couldn't get to the paper work. We went over to Building 26 for the formation and happened to see the First Sergeant, as Jason was getting ready to exit the van. The First Sergeant came over and told Jason that the formation was cancelled due to the rain (more like a heavy drizzle), as he didn't want to have the guys get sick as a result of standing out in the weather. He and Jason talked for a few minutes and then we headed off, and in the firs few hundred meters of travel we must of told a half dozen other Marines tha...

Today was a good day, and a not so goo day... The good was that we had a great time with the girls, I made pancakes for breakfast, and was totally surprised by how much Stacy can eat. I already knew that Jackie has a healthy appetite, but usually Stacy doesn't eat that much. Maybe it is because of the pancakes. She ate almost as many as Jason. It has been the first time I've made pancakes in a while (maybe four months) and they did come out particularly good this time. Not sure what I did differently... ;-) After breakfast we jumped into the van and headed over to the park, to meet with Anthony Netto. He was at Balboa Park (the Malory Sports area), where there was a bunch of archery going on. He had set up a time for Jason to get some shots in, and of course, since I was there I took a few shots as well. Anthony brought along another paramobile for Jason to ride and both the girls got to jump on to the back and were standing there while Daddy took a few shots. Actually it was...

Today started out very early, especially for the girls - We needed to get them to Stacy's soccer game, and then found out after getting there that the game was actually a hour later. I ended up "running" around the field with the girls and we had a great time. The game started and Stacy kicked the ball right into the net, just a few minutes after getting on to the field. Of course, the level of play was very good, as all the players were either four or five years old, and their experience was limited. All the parents there had a great time and cheered on ALL the players and every score (there were plenty). After the game we headed back to the house and the girls were happy to lay back down and they took a little nap. After getting back up, a little after noon, we went over to Anthony Netto's place to have a BBQ, and got to visit with a couple of our other friends as well. We stayed for a couple of hours and then decided it was time to head on back home. There really...

It was a good day for Jason as he finally finished up that neuro-psychology testing. He had a couple of other appointments, but they were much easier to deal with, and effectively in-and-out kind'a appointments. We got up relatively early and had a quick breakfast, then we were off to the Naval Medical Center at San Diego (that's the official name of the hospital). After we came back to the house and had lunch, we had two visitors from NMCSD, Lus and Bobbie, two recovery case nurses. They wanted to see the environment at the house, and just a quick "get-to-know-you" kind of visit. Finally, a bit later, the girls showed up and we were happy to see them. They were happy to be home with Daddy and Papa, so it was a good night for everybody. I fixed hot dogs, beans and french fries for dinner and both the girls were very happy about that. Actually I was too, it is an easy dinner to pull together, and clean up is pretty easy... ;-) Bath time was fun, and both of them we...

Trying to get Jason up to Livermore is becoming a bit of a challenge. Right now I don't know if the flight is going to be coming through, and that means I need to attempt to get a different means of getting him up there.  I like the idea of a motor home, as that will allow him to lay down, and we can stop as frequently as we need. Typically it is an eight hour or more drive from San Diego to Livermore, but that's okay we can do that. We need to be up there, so how ever we end up getting there, it is going to be worth the effort. Jason only had two appointments today, with the first one being the optometrist. Normally that wouldn't be too bad, except they dilated his eyes, and right after that appointment he had to go attempt to finish up the testing. He said he had a heck of a time because he had to keep his sunglasses on. I thought he was just being "cool" and he thought he was a sharp dressed man (ZZ Top). We went to In and Out Burger for lunch. We had a gif...

Another day, another appointment - Actually, Jason only had the one appointment today, and it went for almost four hours. It was supposed to go eight, but because he can't stay in his chair that long they cut it in half. Or, at least that is what I was told originally. I spoke with Jason after we got back home and he said they only got about a third of the way through the testing. I really don't know what it is they are testing, other than neurological activities, and it is comprehensive; and, he doesn't look any worse for the wear when he's done with it. I suppose they will be able to direct some part of the recovery with the results, but my guess is that it won't be announced until sometime this summer. The plans are well under way for our trip up to Livermore. The one missing piece is the transportation, once we get there. I think I have located a wheelchair accessible van, for our use, however we need to secure a couple of other things first. My guess is that ...

Just a quick post for tonight, as there really wasn't much going on today. Jason had a couple of appointments and one errand to take care of, but otherwise we spent the day at home. No change to his health status (nor mine), and we are going to be working to get things together to help insure we do get back up to Livermore by the 21st. The challenge I have right now is with  transportation, once we get there. Jason needs a specialized wheelchair-van, just to get around town in. I have one here, but at present, I don't plan to bring it with me. Tomorrow I will be contacting a few places in the Bay Area and hope to hit something, we'll just have to continue to take it, one day at a time. Other than doing some cleaning and putting things away, and then preparing meals, I  have had a relatively easy day. Tomorrow might be a bit more exciting, we'll just have to wait and see. As an aside, I did speak with an Andrew Ross, today. He is a reporter with the San Francisco Chron...

A bit of a laid back day today, though we started out a bit different. Since the girls spent the night with us we had to get them up early, to get them over to their day care, at the Child Development Center (CDC). The reason we had to get them up early was because Jason had a formation, and that was also early, and then later he was to go to an appointment. Well, this is how it actually went--- We got up and got ourselves ready then woke up the girls. Jackie was already awake, so she was easy, Stacy, on the other hand doesn't like to get going in the morning (not a morning person). She did see how much fun we were having with Jackie and soon was up and wanting to play, too. We all loaded up into the car and we dropped Jason off then dropped the girls off. Not too much of an issue as the girls are quite comfortable with their CDC classrooms, and they know they'll be picked up later in the day. Once that was done Linda and I hurried back over to the house to pick up her luggag...

Good day today. We started the day with the girls and we ended the day with the girls. Actually they were supposed to have gone back to their mom, but she asked us to keep them over night and to take them to the day care in the morning. Jason was more than happy to oblige, especially since both Grandpa AND Grandma were both still here. We don't know why she wasn't available, all we know is that we still have them and that is the bottom line. Another bonus for today was a visit from Joe and Terry A., from Livermore. They are actually on their way back up to Livermore, from a vacation, and were able to take some time to stop by and visit. It was the first time for them to see Jason, in over four years and I think it was good for everybody to get some face time. Actually, a little later in the day we also had a visit from Gary K., a good friend who is local here. We hadn't seen him in almost 10 months, so all around it was a good day for catching up with friends, as well as th...

Got up this morning and had one of Jason's favorite breakfasts... oatmeal with raisins and brown sugar. The girls like it too, so it was an easy sell. The only problem / challenge is that we need to get a pan that is the right size. Actually the pan I used was big enough, but I would have liked to have had a little more cushion, and not have to fill the pan completely. The next size up is about 8 quart, and that is just a bit too big, as far as I am concerned for cooking that much oatmeal. Then again, it could be just me... ;-) We had a great day with the girls. We got Stacy's trike out and she was happy with it, but then Jackie wanted to ride it too. Fortunately Linda brought a little scooter (kind of a mini razer) and Stacy was totally thrilled to have it to play with. This left the trike available for Jackie. Sounds good so far... as soon as we got out side, Jackie saw her old scooter (4-wheeled) and completely forgot about the trike and was happy to just scoot around on h...

Today started early for us, as there was a 07:30 formation, and then Jason had to attend some mandatory training. The training went on until nearly noon, so by the time we finally got out of there he had already been up in his chair for several hours. We headed over to the CDC (Child Development Center) and found out that all the kids were either down, or going down for their nap, and that both Stacy and Jackie were already asleep. It was a little disappointing, as we really did want to see the girls, but it worked out okay anyway. We headed back over to the house, and prepared some lunch. Linda cooked up some of the fresh vegetables we had received from Tom and Carol Lightner, and they were good. We ended up eating all the new potatoes and a bunch of the spinach and kale, that we made into some tasty veggie wraps. Just so that it wasn't too healthy, I threw in some bacon. After lunch Linda took off for a trip to one or more of the thrift stores (she loves walking aro...

Jason had a pretty good day today, though he still did not get a chance to spend any appreciable time with his girls. The thought is that early next month there will be a decision made about custody and then he will know when he can have the girls, without wondering what is going on. When we have seen them at the Child Development Center (CDC) they seem to be in very happy spirits and are always very glad to see us. Jason took some pictures of them this last visit, and it made him feel pretty good. Jason had a couple of appointments today, with one of them being plastics and the other wound care. The plastics visit was simply an in and out kind of visit. It was a quick check and then off to wound care, must have taken all of 10 minutes. Wound care was another story. We arrived on time, actually a little early, and ended up sitting in the exam room for nearly an hour. The poor wound care nurse (actually I think she is a nurse practitioner) was really backed up with patients a...

One heck of a busy day for Jason. We began with appointments and then visited with Stacy and Jackie at their childcare center. The girls were very excited to see us, and I did get some pictures (to be posted tomorrow). We stayed for a little while, and were even invited to have lunch with them - tempting because they were having tacos - but we needed to get back to the house. Jason had been up for several hours by now, and he needed to get back down. It was so refreshing to see the girls and see how well Jackie is progressing. It can really be seen just how good the childcare environment is helping her develop. Stacy is getting so big and growing up so nicely. It was great seeing her in an outfit that Linda had purchased for her, and it fit her so nicely. Linda and I went to pick up a few things at the post office, mail packages that had come in. There was also a package from FedEx that Jason had been looking for. It was the one with his EOD painting and his award for crossing the Eq...

Today did not go as we would have liked it to go, but we are still moving forward. Jason is still looking forward to having his girls spend some time with him, in his own home, but for now we must wait a little longer. There was a meeting today, and as far as I am aware, it went about as smooth as one might expect, considering the subject and the attendants. The out come was supposed to be an agreement for time sharing of the girls, but it didn't happen. Jason had one appointment today, and a formation. Actually, it was the other way around, and Linda and I simply waited until he was done. We got back to the house and did a little cleaning and fixing some snack, I was getting hungry, then Linda and I went up stairs. The meeting took place, and we were not invited, as we really didn't need to be there. Actually, I'm not really sure how many people were there, but I think it was either seven or eight, and they stayed for about an hour. After they left Jason got back into be...

Monday, after a holiday (even Easter) that happens on the weekend, for the military, usually ends up as a day off. It is usually referred to as a 96, meaning that they all have at least 96 hours off, or four days. Obviously the guys really enjoy this break, because it gives them enough time to go do something a bit more off the "normal" routine of a regular weekend, and they often come back either very tired or refreshed. In Jason's case, it is going to be more of the refreshed variety. We ended with today pretty much staying at home and Jason staying down. He spent a few more hours than he would normally spend, due to visiting with friends, and this was all good for him, spiritually and mentally, though it took its toll physically. I was glad that he spent the day in bed and got the rest he needed. His wounds are getting to a point where there is good healing going on, and I would like to see that continue, so I'm going to be nagging him a bit more the next couple ...