Staff Sgt Jason Ross - Marine

Happy Birthday! Jason turned 30 years old today, and I'm looking forward to the next 30+. Of course that would put me over 90, so perhaps I'm stretching things a bit... or not. I meant to go for a long bike ride today - about 30 miles - but due to some coordination efforts, and me not wanting to get up this morning, it was put off. I'll have to wait a couple of days before the opportunity comes along again. Besides, it is supposed to be warmer tomorrow, and I'm not sure I want to ride in the heat. The girls are both doing well, as is Linda. Jason kicked back for a good portion of the day, and in general it has been a very nice birthday for Jason. We had a little party at the end of the day, and we all had some cake (or at least a cup cake). Jason likes chocolate cake and I don't, so I had a nice little white cup cake. Linda was being her normal creative self, and had a 2 and a 9 candle on the cake, with a separate solitary candle placed in front of the two numbers...

Today was a totally relaxed day for Jason, though the morning started out a little on the confusing side. Initially we thought we were going to be needing to take Jackie in to see a doctor, scheduled appointment, but then found out we didn't need to. We had all gotten up early and had a quick breakfast and were ready to go, when the change came in. Actually, it worked out nicely for me, as it allowed me to get out early for a bike ride, and I did a quick 15 miler. What I really need to do is to find the time to get out and do a longer ride, and I hope I can do that tomorrow. I feel like I'm not making enough progress getting ready for the EOD Ride coming up in October, but I guess I still have some time to work on it. Anyway, the day just kind of remained laid back after that and it was really nice. I guess because we all got up so early, around noon everybody decided to take a nap. Even Jackie was now with us, and Stacy was at Day Care, and she was ready to get some sleep. W...

Today was another of those days where things just go the way they are supposed too, and then things got better. Yeah, it was one of those days that you wish you had more of. We got up this morning and had a quick breakfast, and then we all loaded up - Linda, Jason and I - into the van and we headed off for the dentist. I know, that doesn't sound so wonderful to most, but I haven't been to a dentist in almost three years, and we have come to know one; through a friend, and this dentist is doing the work for no charge. Anyway, I'm digressing... I went inside for my appointment and Linda and Jason went over to General Tom Lightner's place, where he and his wife, Carol, were hosting us for lunch later in the day. At the dentist, I found out that I actually did have a cavity. Not much of one, but there it was, and it will have to be addressed. I was also told that my dental hygiene was very good and my teeth were amazingly clean considering how long it has been since seein...

Another relaxed easy day, though it was the first without the girls, in several days. Jason pretty much stayed in bed, until early afternoon. Linda was busy around the house doing some extra cleaning and laundry, and I went for a nice bike ride over to Cabrillo National Park, then over to Ocean Beach - total of 18 miles of hilly terrain. Then this afternoon I received a call that the supplies I requested were in, and so we all decided to go over together. Jason had a couple of things he wanted to take care of, and it gave Linda a nice chance visit with CDR Ledyard.  After that visit Jason asked us if we'd like to go see the new Star Trek Movie, and we did, so we went. We all liked the movie, and enjoyed how it was put together. There were MANY references to past movies, and TV shows, but it was done so well, it was a good movie. Tomorrow we will be heading over to Gen. Tom Lightner's place, and I have a dental appointment. It will be the first time I've been to a dentist ...

Today started out with a little bit of switch. We thought we were supposed to take the girls over to their "other" home, but as it turned out, instead of 07:30 it was 19:30 and obviously 12 hours later than first thought. Jason recognized the break in communications, literally just as we were getting ready to walk out the front door. We had a little bit of a laugh and then decided to go to breakfast. We ended up over at iHop, where we ate out on their patio area. It was nice and relaxed, and set the pace for the rest of the day. After breakfast we went shopping, where Jason bought a few things for the girls and Linda bought a few things for the house. Me, I didn't do any buying this time around, but I did get to push the shopping cart...;-) We did a few more things and then the girls went down for their nap. We were planning on going over to visit with Anthony Netto, and have a little barbecue a little later in the day, and that is what happened, after the girls got up ...

Aside from his shower this morning, Jason has spent the day in bed, effectively resting up and allowing himself the chance to get ready for tomorrow. Tomorrow isn't anything special, other than being Memorial Day, recognized (I still feel the 30th is Memorial Day - but it doesn't always fall on a weekend, and we have to have a weekend!). We will be heading over to Anthony's for a barbecue and the three of us, Jason, Linda and me will spend a little relaxing time with him. The girls will be going back to their mom tomorrow morning, so it is a little bid of a sad day for us, though it has been a great 11 days. I took Stacy over to the pool, here in the complex, as she has asked a couple of times about going over there. It is actually the first time, in all the time we've been here, that we went to the pool. It is nice in that it isn't any more than 4 ft. deep, with a large portion that is only 3 1/2 ft deep. Stacy stayed in the shallower portion and had a great time...

We had a very nice and wonderful day today. The girls were with us, and that includes Linda; we went to visit with David, Miriam and their two boys, our grandsons; and, it wasn't very bad traffic going either way, so we weren't on the road any longer than necessary. Originally we had planned on going to a park and letting the kids play there, but they were having so much fun at the house we just decided to stay there. Jason made himself comfortable on the couch, and we effectively stayed in the one room. There is a smaller "play room" off the larger main room, and the kids spent a good amount of time there. We also spent some time out on the patio where Dylan was very excited to share and show his two cousins all the great things he had and could do with a wagon. David brought out a cardboard box, with some holes cut out and asked who wanted to be a robot, and of course all of them did. Then almost as fast, their attention jumped to doing other things. Jackie was pa...

Another good day for Jason, and it all started with the arrival of Linda. She came in at about 07:45, and we only had to circle around once to pick her up. As it was, we probably could have waited another 30 seconds and wouldn't have had to circle at all. Anyway, we picked her up and we went off to breakfast, and had a nice chance to just sit down and talk. After that we headed over to the base and went up to Dermatology where they removed the sutures from behind Jason's ear (that's where they took the skin for the skin growth experiment). That was a relatively quick appointment (total time 20 minutes in and out), so we next headed over to see CMDR Ledyard, who had gotten some supplies for us. She is our main point of contact for wound dressing supplies and does a very good job of making sure we don't have to wait too long for any of the items requested. She and Linda had a nice little visit, since they hadn't seen each other in several months, so it was a good visi...

Today has turned out to be a very good day all around. The only part that wasn't totally up was the fact that we had to drop the kids off at day care and they are not with us tonight. We've had them for just about a full week, so there are no complaints there. The only thing is that Linda (Grandma) is coming in tomorrow and the girls were looking forward to seeing her, especially Stacy. They'll still get a chance while Linda is here, we just have to be flexible with our schedule, and I think we are. Jason had one appointment today, and that was with Van the wheelchair guy. It has been authorized for Jason to get a new chair because the current one really doesn't "fit" him correctly. Before having all the HO removed he was actually four inches wider, so as you can imagine, he kind of "swims" in the current chair. It is probably going to take about a month to get the new chairs (he'll get another manual, too), with one of them being painted San F...

Another day, and another visit to the Wound Clinic. We got a chance to speak with Dr. Salt, from Plastics about some of the efforts being put forth to try to get the wounds closed up, and in one effort it is actually working against Jason. Dr. Salt agreed that the tissue expander would be left alone for the next couple of weeks to see if the "new" wound would start to close. If it does not then the expander would be reduced by a little bit to relieve some of the tension that the expander creates. It is a relatively slow process to get through all this, but then again the effort to grow/develop some of the collagen for Jason is going to take up to four months. All while he continues to receive laser treatment. Otherwise there wasn't much going on today. He was able to pick up some of his meds from the pharmacy, and that was a bit of a challenge. For whatever reason one of the medications he is supposed to be on, on a daily basis was not being made available to Jason. We ...

Whoa...what a day. I got up early today, not because I needed to help Jason with anything in particular, or because I had to get the girls to day care (they didn't spend last night here), or for any other typical reason I have to get up early. Today I got up early because I wanted to go for a bike ride. Actually, I wasn't up until 07:00, and that much later than when I usually get up. I rode out to Cabrillo State Park, and took a couple of hours to make the round trip. It was quite hilly and it gave me a good work out. It also showed me just how out of shape I am. There were two other riders, going in the same direction as me, and they both passed me with little effort, and I felt terrible for that. I thought I should be able to keep up with them, or at least ride a little faster than I was moving. Anyway, it just motivated me to keep pushing to find time to ride. Jason had no appointments today, and the girls were not with us today, until after day care. That's why I f...

Today was a particularly easy day for Jason, as he only had the first appointment with Patient Care, where he goes to get refills for his prescriptions, and then with PT, where they worked on his shoulders and arms, and then he focused on his core. It was really kind of strange about how empty the place was, and I mean all over the base, then Jason asked where everybody was. One of the therapists said that there was a function today, off base, where a bunch of the Wounded Warriors had gone. I guess this jogged his memory because he talked about being asked to go and said he had forgotten about it. He forgot about it because he knew he wouldn't have been able to go anyway. I glad the others were able to get out, and still there were a few guys in the gym. Otherwise we just kicked back and I cleaned the house a bit. Also found out that Larry, our in home aide is going to be coming back this week. Or, at least that was what I was told. First they have to come out and take a quick lo...

Today we all slept in... no one was up before 07:00. I know, to some that isn't much sleeping in, but for me it is at least an extra hour, and I appreciated it. First thing was that I made some oatmeal with raisins, as that is one of the favorites of the girls. Actually Jackie likes the raisins, as does Jason and I, and Stacy prefers to have her's without. Shortly after that we all got ready and headed over to Anthony Netto's place, over in Pacific Beach. Funny thing that I just rode my bike over to his place a few days ago, on one of my longer rides, of about 15 miles, round trip. Anthony invited us over to have a nice "picnic lunch" and to let the girls enjoy the park that is in the area where he is living. Stacy, of course, was first to get over to the climbing structure and Jackie was a bit slower. Jackie just doesn't have the same coordination development that Stacy has and therefore isn't able to just jump right into climbing everything. Having sai...

Busy day today, and best description would have to be, a rewarding day. It started out early, as Stacy had a soccer game to go to, and we needed to get her up early so she could get to the game early enough to get dressed in her gear. We didn't have it with us, so we had to get her to the, game and then she could change into her uniform/gear. She did great and even scored a goal though they don't keep score at this level . Jackie was having a great time on the side, while grandpa chased her around the field. The game ended and before we left Jason was able to receive some of the pictures from her team and the official photos of her play. While there Gracie was well behaved and really wasn't much of a distraction, from what I could tell. After the game Jason wanted to head on over to the Uniform Shop, on MCRD (Marine Corps Recruit Depot), and since that was where we were it was pretty easy. About two weeks ago Jason had gone over to the Uniform Shop and told them that he...

Not much to report today, though there is some new information that we need to get some clarification on. Because of the questions still associated with it I don't want to give out wrong or misleading information. Just know that today has been one of those days where you have to question sanity of people in positions of power or influence. I did get in a bike ride in a hilly area, and I need to get more of those type rides in. My legs need to exercise more if I'm going to be making the two-day ride. We also got the chance to take Gracie to the vet, and now she has a doctor where Jason is comfortable taking her. Prior we would had to drive about 30 miles north to get to the vet, so this is much better, and closer. The girls had a great day and dinner, and even a fun bath. I think about the only thing that might not have been as much fun was when I had to wash their hair. Actually they're pretty good about it, and Linda gave me instruction that I am to braid their hair af...

Today was a little different, as Jason's first appointment was with dental. He had not been to Dental, in Balboa, since coming here last year, actually I guess it was over a year ago, at the end of 2011. Anyway, he had a dental appointment back in Bethesda and apparently that information didn't make it to Balboa. He now has another chart/folder to keep track of, and, in his words, "something else to loose." The visit was uneventful, and his teeth are fine, as far as we know. After that appointment we went over to Wound Care, where we really didn't do much other than to change the dressing and talk with Dawn about how he was feeling. After that we headed on back home. About the most exciting thing that happened, did so while we were waiting to see Dawn, where we could see out one of the windows, that they were doing some sort of exercise over at one of the bases. As a large plane flew over you could see "spots" come out of the back of the plane and then...

Well, another exciting day of PT (Physical Therapy) and picking up meds - okay, so that really isn't too exciting. It was nice to have a relatively relaxed day after the procedure of yesterday, so in a sense it was a very positive day and I suppose that can be exciting. Mike, in PT, worked with Jason, on his shoulders and on strengthening both his arms and torso. The Sergeant Major came in a short while after Jason got there, and he was giving Jason a little bit of a hard time, and then Jason turned around and gave the Sergeant Major a hard time. They have been both showing up at PT at about the same time and constantly teasing each other about how fat they've gotten or some other aspect that neither of them show. Actually it is turning into a pretty good friendship, and having a Sergeant Major as a friend probably won't hurt Jason's career at all. The number of patients has dropped considerably at the hospital, and it is easy to tell just be looking around. I take th...

Jason had an early morning appointment with Dermatology, so we were asked to be over at the Naval Base Hospital by 06:30 this morning. The coordination was a little thin, as they had a couple of forms we were asked to fill out and bring in, and then when we brought them in they said, "Oh, you don't need those." So I guess it was one of those "just in case" kind of things. Anyway, we found our way over to the clinic and the folks were all there waiting for us. Within about 10 minutes we were in the prep room, and from there into the procedure room in about another 15 minutes. Now, I hope you're noticing that I am saying "we" here, because they invited me to come along, as well as having Gracie (the service dog) there, too. It was the first time I had been invited to watch the full procedure of lazing the wounds and it was really kind of cool. The reason they wanted me to be there was because I have been dealing with his wound dressings for so long...

Today was a busy day for Jason and I, as we had to get started early with a formation with the Wounded Warrior Battalion, at the Naval Base. The really good part was that it was a pretty quick formation so Jason was back over to the van, and then we were off to do other things. First we went over to OT (Occupational Therapy) to go say, "Hi!" to Lynn. I had left something in the van, so I told Jason to go ahead, and I'd meet him there. The funny thing is, as I was coming back into the building, Lynn was coming in also. Jason was already in the room when I walked in with Lynn and I think it surprised him a little. It was the first time we had see Lynn in several weeks, so it was good to get a chance to sit and talk with her for a few minutes. She wanted to know how things went on the trip to Livermore, and when was Linda coming back down. We didn't stay too long, as she was working, so we then headed over to PT (Physical Therapy). In this case though, Jason did have a...

A do nothing much kind of day, though we did get a couple of things accomplished. The girls got up about the time I thought they would, around 08:30, but that was because we were up a little late last night having fun. They didn't get to sleep until after 21:30 (9:30pm) because they just wanted to keep on playing and then finally Daddy told them a story and said they had to get to sleep. I think he told them the story of the Three Pigs and the Big Bad Wolf - but I could be wrong. This morning we took them over to their mother's place because it is Mother's Day, and they should see her on this day. After we dropped them off we came back to the house and then shortly after that we were out on the road again, as Jason wanted a new piece of furniture for his room. He had found a piece that was on sale and would help to pick up some (all?) of the clutter in his room. Linda and I spoke yesterday and said that one of the things we were going to get done is to at least start go...

Another late post for the blog. It has been a busy day, and a most enjoyable day. Heck, even the evening was enjoyable and it ended with a very nice conversation with Linda. I sure will be glad when she can get back down here, but that really shouldn't be too long. The day started with me going for a nice bike ride. The girls will be coming over this morning, and then spending the day with us so I needed to be sure I was back from the ride before 09:00. As it was, I was able to get in a quick 12 miles, a couple moderate hills and all done in one hour. I was tired and sweaty when I got back, so I know there is still some training to be done. I need to get up to 45 mile rides, and even more before I'll be ready for the two-day event. Jason is pretty excited about the girls being here again. Linda and I had four sons, and over the past 35+ years we have been asked many times, "would you like to have a girl?" We were never disappointed in having sons, and the joy they...

Today was a little different in that Jason didn't have any medical appointments to attend to. He did, however have an appointment with the lady that made Gracie possible for Jason. After dropping the girls off at day care, we had to drive out to Oceanside and pick up a medication for Gracie. It was a nice drive, about 20 - 25 minutes and then when we got there you could almost see how Gracie was aware and familiar with the surroundings, only not sure why. We didn't stay too long and then came right back to the house. Jason wanted to take a shower and have the dressings changed, and that was good by me. After doing that I was planning on heading out and going for a bike ride. Well, like all great plans, there were a couple of hick-ups, and by the time I finally got up to change into my riding clothes I decided to lay down for just a moment, and promptly fell asleep. Fortunately I didn't sleep too long and I've learned to be flexible with my schedule. I ended up getting...

A good day for Jason, especially since we got to see the girls, and they are sleeping in this house tonight. We had a great time with them, and we especially had a great time right after they took their bath. Shortly after bath is bed time and they wanted a bed time story. It amazes me that they never seem to tire of Jack and the Bean Stalk. Stacy loves to join in on the story, and adds her own characters as well as the occasional sound effects. All around it was fun times. The day started out with a visit to the wound clinic and Dawn was happy to see us again. When we first got here from Bethesda, there was some mix up with some of the supplies that she had ordered for Jason, and we initially used up all that they had. Fortunately I had brought a bunch with us, so we had some coverage for several weeks. As it turned out, the mix up was corrected and now they have all the supplies that they, and Jason needs and we're in good shape. Tomorrow is going to be another good day, and ...

Jason had a great day with PT today. We even had a chance to play catch, with a 10lb ball (it was part of his shoulder work). We did get a chance to go see a few of the other folks we know here, and while we were out and about, we noticed that there are fewer people here now. That most of the guys that are still here are the ones who have the most severe wounds and such, and that several of them are Army. All these guys tend to support each other and have developed a bond, no doubt related to their injuries rather than their branch of service. I think all of them are E.O.D. as well but I haven't asked yet. A couple of things were put in place today to make it more like it was, prior to the trip back out to Bethesda, and that was good to see. The closer we get back to the way it was, I think will be better for Jason and his healing process. We're looking forward to some of the next steps, as I talked a little about yesterday, but that looks like it is going to happen a couple ...

Today was a nice relaxed day, where Jason only had a couple of appointments, and we were back over to the house well before noon. We did stop by the Child Development Center, but both the girls were not there so we didn't stay very long. We were expecting a visit from Child Protection Services, as a case needs to be resolved/closed, but they called and said they would not be coming by today (actually it isn't a "they" it is a "she"), and would be by tomorrow. This was okay with us, but we would really liked to have gotten this out of the way. Jason has been talking to the lady on the phone, and she needs to verify with her eyes. I did get a chance to go for a bike ride, and it was a little bit of a challenge. The wind was picking up and it seemed like it didn't matter what direction I was going, it was always against the wind. Fortunately there was some down hill, and yes, that also means there was uphill stretches. The ride was another 12 miler, and i...

Another day and another day without the girls. We are hoping to get this resolved soon as we would really like to have some time with the girls. This is being very unfair to Jason, as he has done nothing to deserve this  kind of treatment, but obviously we are having to deal with it. We went to the hospital early this morning, to take care of a couple of appointments. His physical therapy session went very well, and they continue to work on his shoulders, and are now working on his breathing. I was very impressed with how Mike was getting things to loosen up, and allow his shoulder to move more, and at the same time he was allowing Jason to breath better. Once Jason was done with PT we went over to one of the two laser doctors, and that turned into a very positive visit. The doctor was anxious to get to discuss this with Jason, as he had called me twice, once while in Livermore, and then again shortly after we returned. He seemed pretty excited about the advances that are being...

Good day for Jason, in that we didn't do much. Part of the reason we didn't do much was that it was misting, or a lite sprinkle, and our previous plans to go have a barbecue didn't happen. We did get up moderately early, for a Sunday, and we had a quick cereal breakfast. I went for a short 12 mile bike ride that was pretty much flat, so not too strenuous, and it was cool out. I didn't mind the moisture in the air, as it helped to keep me cooler, yet the road surfaces were effectively dry. After I had my shower and got dressed, I helped Jason with his shower and then put on new dressings. We ended up on going to meet Anthony at a nice restaurant by the boardwalk, and just enjoyed the conversation and visiting.  When we got back to the house I told Jason that I was going to have to still cook the chicken and sausages that I had taken out for the original barbecue. I actually and thawed them yesterday, so I didn't want them to go another day without being cooked. We ...

Quite the interesting day for Jason and I. We started out relatively early, and went over to the soccer game over at MCRD. Stacy was very happy to see Daddy and was up in his arms for quite some time. She gave me a big hug and kiss and started to tell me all about her soccer game. She also told me that Jackie wasn't there today, as she stayed back with her "other" grandfather. As it turned out Stacy didn't come back to the house with us, because Jason didn't want to bring one and leave the other behind. Stacy did do a great job of playing soccer, and really seems to be getting into the game. Jason and I then took off and did a couple of other errands, including purchasing a a new bed for Gracie. We went to Ross, as we were told that was the best place to get pet beds, and sure enough they had one for Gracie. Actually, it was kind of cute the way that Gracie sort of picked out her own bed. Jason picked out a couple of them that he liked; I laid them down on the f...

Today started out pretty good, we, Jason and I got up early so that he could get to formation, and then he had some appointments afterward. I fixed oatmeal for breakfast (it's fast and easy) and then we were on our way. I figured that while Jason was at his formation I could take care of a few personal things that I've been wanting to get out of the way, so I did, and then while he was in a training session I went to go get my hair cut. I feel soooo much better, now that I don't look like I just came down out of the mountains. After all this we did his appointments, and then we spoke with a few folks about supplies. The great thing is that the supplies were all readily available, so we were able to bring them right home, except for the special tape that he likes to use. That was actually delivered a short while after we got home - pretty cool. Jason decided that he wanted to go pick up the girls from day care, around 14:30 (2:30pm), as that was right after their naps, a...

Quite the nice and relaxing day today. About the extent of Jason's travels today was our journey to the grocery store, where we bought some food and other things to get us through the rest of the week, and into next week. Jason also wanted to head over to Dick's Sporting Goods, and pick up a couple of things, and to get a ball for Gracie, his dog. She is not a retriever so when Jason bounced the tennis ball in front of her she just sort of looked at it and then at him. I felt she was asking, "Am I supposed to be doing something with that?" Then, again, he did buy her a rawhide chew, and she seems to really enjoy that. I went for a nice ride today. I left late morning and was back by early afternoon. Total ride time was about 1 1/2 hours. I will be riding like that over the next several days and gradually building up my stamina and endurance. I'll be going for the two-day ride again, and I want to do better this time. Thank you, for all your continued prayers a...

Well, Jason had his mediation today and there was no outcome. I don't know if that is good or bad, all I know is that it is the next step. I was concerned that he was up in the meeting room, with just the three of them, for nearly four hours. That put him in his chair for almost six hours, before he was able to get back onto the bed. He did take a shower, shortly after we returned home, and that is always a good thing, I just wish there was a better way to handle these legal issues, so that he wasn't physically stressed so much. The rest of the day was spent down, and I did laundry. I also did a little catching up on my email and actually did a little job hunting. All of that is important, and I really don't mind doing the laundry, or even cooking the meals, but what really made today was that I finally got out on my bike. I didn't ride too far, even still it was a pleasant change for me to get out and do something different on my bike again. I need to start training ...