Staff Sgt Jason Ross - Marine

So much has changed in the past two years, and yet there are still many things that are still the same. Jason has gotten much stronger, and more independent, and the girls have grown so much. We are now looking for a piece of land where the Gary Sinise Foundation will be building him a home, and he intends to settle down here in the San Diego area. Actually, we talked about the possibility of settling back home, up in Livermore, but after the two visits he determined that the weather in San Diego is more to what he needs. He really doesn't do well in hot weather, nor in cold weather, and neither is experienced down here. He thought about other places, and parts of the country, but still San Diego seems to have won out. Today was a nice relaxed day, and Jason only had a couple of appointments to take care of, as well as picking up of his meds. Actually, the pharmacy was kind of surprising today, as we walked in and there were probably 15 people in line to just pick up their prescr...

Wow, to thing that two years ago I was doing my best to pack up all our stuff in Bethesda, MD, knowing we would be leaving early tomorrow morning for San Diego. To look back on those times, and on Jason specifically, I think if I was given that same choice today I would have said let's hold on for another few weeks. Jason was much stronger and recovering nicely, but no where near as strong as he is today, and even today I still worry about some of the things we need to be aware of when traveling. I am glad we made the journey, and since coming out this way we have met even more great people, so over all it has been a good choice. However, we do miss some of the folks and all our friends we made back in Bethesda. The good news is that we've made some new friends out here and making new ones all the time. We got the girls up and to their respective day cares this morning, and then Jason went to his PT, with Dawn. The session was good, and Gracie was a funny as ever - she likes ...

Turned out that today went from a pretty ordinary day to a special day. We got the girls up at about 07:00 this morning, and I fixed a simple breakfast for them. Sometimes we have "special" cereal here, and today it was Frosted Mini Wheats (Nabisco). Both of the girls were very pleased with the availability for that choice and both wanted a larger than normal serving (okay, that probably wasn't a surprise). We then packed up and headed out, first to get the girls to their day care/pre-schools, and then... to get Jason over to his first driver evaluation at the Scripts Hospital. His appointment was at 09:00, and we had him over to the location (as stated on the letter) at 08:45. Only problem with this was that the building we went into had no idea of what he wanted or who he was supposed to deal with. Fortunately there was this one young man, Paul C. (that's all there was on his name badge) who was resourceful. He made a couple of phone calls and then directed up ove...

I guess there is an effort going on right now for the Marines (and probably the other branches as well) to get the troops trained up for non-combat type issues. I say this because of two things that are going on right now: 1) The war is supposed to be coming to a close in 2014; and, 2) there are a bunch of training sessions going on for the folks, at least on Balboa. Jason is going to be teaching a class, in another week or two. I know he is working on a power point presentation and he is pretty happy with it, and I think that is about all I can tell you about it, without saying something stupid on my part. We got up early this morning and headed over to Balboa for one of these classes. Jason was a student this time, and I think he was more interested in HOW the class was presented, more than what the content of the instruction was. I do know it started on time and seemed to have ended on time, as well. Once the training was over we went over to visit with some of the folks in C5, an...

Well, I got up this morning and went for a nice bike ride. It was just a little over 12 miles and I did it in 1 hour and 3 minutes. I was pleasantly surprised at how well the old legs worked, and I managed to keep a relatively steady pace for the entire hour, though there were some stops due to traffic signals. There were enough hills to provide me with a little work, but those hills also have a down side... ;-) Jason was asleep when I left and still asleep when I returned. Of course it was still only 09:05 when I got back so we still had plenty of day left to take care of all the stuff we wanted to do. We were ready to head out to go look at some property, later in the morning, and decided to go grab a brunch, since it was on the way. When we got to the property we were surprised, to say the least. The large lot was zoned commercial and there were no houses even remotely close. Of course on the good side, there was a railroad crossing going right past one end of the property. It cou...

I got to sleep in a bit today, and that was nice. Jason didn't need to be up or getting Gracie ready to go to their training for another couple of hours, so that meant I could go for a short ride. Funny thing is, neither of us were hungry, so I ate a banana and had some orange juice, and went for the ride. Jason didn't have anything, and I figured I'd just get him something when I got back. I was only gone for just over a half an hour (not quite 6 miles) and check with him, and he still wasn't hungry, so there was no breakfast. I took my shower and when I came down I said, "Time to get ready." We took off and made it to the training session about 10 minutes late. The rest of the day, and evening was laid back and not much accomplished, other than to fix lunch and dinner (we did eat those), and watch Young Frankenstein. I hadn't seen that one in such a long time, and was happy to have it available. Tomorrow we will be going to take a look at some property...

We went in for Jason's PT and also to speak with the folks over at Bldg 26. Otherwise we really didn't have much to do this morning. We got to the base at about 09:30, and back at the house at about 12:15. I fixed a quick lunch and then took off for a short bike ride. Actually, the ride was to get down to the bike shop, so I could get some air into the tires, and know what the pressure is. Apparently I was riding with softer tires and that was part of the reason the short rides I had been doing were kind of tough. Okay, perhaps me being a bit out of shape had something to do with it also. The rest of the day was spent with Jason staying in bed and relaxing, and also checking out some of the local area for available property, in San Diego. Not sure what tomorrow is going to bring, other than taking Gracie to her training, but I hope the weather continues to hold and maybe I can get in a longer ride on Saturday. This evening, Jason and I went to see a movie that Jason wanted ...

Okay, today it finally happened... Jason finally got his dress Blues from Miramar! It took quite a while to finally get them, and they look pretty good on him, even without all the medals and buttons. His collar fits like it is supposed to as well. All around we're very happy with the way it looks, and Jason feels pretty special now that it is completed. The next step is to get is Charlies done, sometime next month, so that he can wear them at formation. I guess you have to be a Marine to truly appreciate what he is talking about, but I can see it in his eyes that it is a very special thing for him to wear his uniforms. What I particularly like is that he has worked pretty hard to keep himself in as good a shape as he can. There are some guys we've seen who have let themselves go and it is unlikely they will ever see a uniform that fits again. We went to PT this morning, and then a couple of other stops at the hospital, when we were just about to leave when we ran into Bennad...

Jason and I did a little relaxing today. We took the girls to their day care centers; headed over to the hospital for the physical therapy sessions; and, then went to meet up with Anthony Netto. He was over at one of the local golf ranges were he was practicing with Jim and Gar, a retired admiral. It was nice to get to meet and talk with Gar, and also to spend a little time with Jim, who we don't see enough of. Gar is interested in learning more about the work that Anthony does and looking for ways he might be able to assist. Jason and I did not practice any golf while there (my clubs should show up on another couple weeks), it was more of a social visit, and actually we arrived only about 1/2 an hour before they were ready to leave. After this we went to lunch and had some of the local barbeque, from Phil's BBQ, and it was good. The we simply came back to the house and I worked on some of my paper work and Jason worked on some of his. I also caught up on some of my email, an...

Kind of a crazy day, but crazy in a good way. We started off getting the girls their breakfast and then taking them to their respective pre-K programs. Actually there was one other thing we did, this morning, and that was get his "new" power chair picked up so that the new module could be put on. They are to return the chair later this afternoon. Both of the girls were having a great time, going to class, and Jason did all the escorting (I got to stay back with the van). After that was done we headed over to Anthony's place where we were to meet with him, and others, or at least we thought we were. Actually, Anthony was up in Los Angeles and we're meeting with him tomorrow. We had a bit of a chuckle over that and then Jason decided he wanted to go take in a movie. The movie was Escape Plan (Sylvester and Arnold movie), and I have to admit, I wasn't too excited about going. After the movie though, I was very pleased with the story line and the acting. It was a ...

Easy morning and actually kind of exciting to get back going with the treatment plan for Jason. We ended up at Physical Therapy (PT) today at just before 09:00. The funny part was that Dawn was working with this other patient, who apparently was a newer guy, and for the first half hour, or so (maybe closer to 45min) Jason was working mostly on his own. I set up the table, as I've done in the past, and I handed him equipment as things progressed. Dawn came over a couple of times and apologized that she was so tied up with the new guy, but Jason was perfectly happy with what he was doing, kind of warming up, that when she finally did come over to focus on Jason it worked rather well. She worked on his shoulders and upper body, to get some of the muscles loosened up and Jason felt pretty good after the session. We went to MCRD (Marine Corps Recruit Depot) so Jason could get a hair cut, and then we went and had lunch. Back at the house, after lunch, Jason wanted to get his shower in ...

A very nice day for us today. We got up a little on the late side and decided to take the girls to the 10:15 service at the Big Red Church (it is the local Presbyterian Church and has many similarities to ours in Livermore). The girls had fun at Sunday School and afterward we came back to the house and I fixed a nice lunch for all of us. The girls went down for their nap, and I really don't think they slept much, because in about an hour and a half they were running around the house again, and pretty  much just stayed in their PJs the rest of the day. While the girls were "napping" I helped Jason with his shower and dressing change. His wounds look better than they ever have and I am hopeful that with a little more treatment from the laser treatment, and they will close completely. I played with the two of them for a while, and helped them first build a "tent" our of a couple of blankets, and then Stacy wanted to build a fort. Of course, if you looked at the t...

Slow day with nothing much going on, other than Jason wanting to take Gracie out to the training and the park. As their training was going on I had the girls over at the park playing on the swings, on the play structures, and... playing with Stacy's Stomp Rocket. One of the presents Stacy received for her birthday was a rocket launcher and four rockets. The rockets are made out of Styrofoam and the "launch" mechanism is this balloon like device that has a hose top a rigid tube and the rockets sit on top of that. She jumps on the "balloon" and the rocket goes up. The harder you jump, the higher it flies. We were there for about 90 minutes and then headed back home. The rest of the day was relaxing at the house and not doing much of anything, though I did take the girls to the grocery store to pick up a few things. Tomorrow is going to be another easy day, and other than go to church I don't think we have much of anything planned. I guess you'll just hav...

We had a great day today, with me being able to get out for another short bike ride (just under 5 miles this time); our friend (ret. General) Tom Lightner came by for a visit and nice gift from Grace Presbyterian church; we had a great visit with Gary Sinise, and discussed some of what Jason's future is going to very possibly look like; and, the girls are with us again, for the next five days. I didn't get up to particularly early today, though I still do call Linda for a wake up call at about 05:45 on weekday morning. I went down and checked on Jason and let him know that I was planning on going out for another short bike ride, and I wanted to eat a little breakfast before I went. He said he wasn't quite ready for breakfast, and would eat when I returned. I was only out for about half an hour, and felt pretty good after the ride, and realized I have gotten out of shape. When I returned I got him some breakfast and then took a shower. After that Jason was ready for his sh...

We really didn't do much of anything today, other than a load of clothes and I went for a short (very short) bike ride. It was the first time for me being on the bike in several weeks, so I figured I'd better take it easy and not try to start out with a 15 mile ride. I plan on doing the same tomorrow, and get a short ride in, in the morning, and then continue getting some ride time in next week, and rebuilding slowly. The only other thing we did was to go to a taco dinner, over at building 26. Apparently, every Thursday there is a meal put on by the Purple Heart folks (Ladies) and Jason decided that he was ready to investigate. The tacos were good and more importantly the social gathering was even better. The down side is that I don't have anything else to really talk about today, and maybe that is a good thing. Instead I am going to put some of the pictures from the event we went to, last week, on the blog today, as I finally got around to loading them on to the laptop. ...

Another relaxed day, to say the least, for the two of us and the girls. We really didn't do much of anything around the house, except for a couple of loads of laundry (I find that doing laundry is actually kind of relaxing for me - especially when I can just sit in front of the TV and fold clothes), and some dishes. When I did the dressing change for Jason I was pleased to see that the effects of the trip up to Livermore were already starting to reverse and all was looking better again. About 18:00 (6PM) we went over to have dinner with Anthony Netto. He wanted to show us his new grilling unit that is actually close to real barbeque, though still far enough removed that you honestly can't call it a barbeque. Anyway, the burgers were good and the girls had a great time. Jackie was all over the place, as always, and I think she wore all three of the adults down pretty well. Stacy was happy staying close to where we were sitting and we didn't have to expend too much energy kee...

Well, considering how I started yesterday's post I felt I should follow it up with a little more information. I will be going to the folks here, at Balboa, who were directly responsible for establishing our travel, and check with them on what was or was not done. Of course I will have to wait until Tuesday, as tomorrow is an official government holiday, so those that are not impacted by the shut down (I think there might be as many as 7 civilians still working) will have the day off anyway. Today was a nice day for us, with nothing to do except some laundry and shopping. Jason did want to go see Captain Philips, so we went to the early morning showing, and then on to Costco. The movie was good, I would recommend it to just about anyone. It gave a good portrayal of what happened, and even though I knew what happened, based on news reports, the suspense was still there. We went to the matinee, but only because the time slot was available, and we would have enjoyed it at a later sho...

Okay, what happened to the October 11 post? Well, we traveled back to San Diego on the 11th, and because our flight got changed, at the very last moment, we didn't get home until almost midnight, and the girls didn't get to bed until almost 00:30 (12:30am) as a result. What happened was that we arrived at the airport later than I had wanted, but still 45 minutes prior to our flight. Should have been enough time to get to the plane, but wait - we were traveling with a wheelchair and a service dog, and both issues perplexed the folks at the ticket counter. But wait, there's more - United didn't know Jason was traveling with anyone else, even though this was a return flight; they didn't know he even had a wheelchair; and, they didn't know he had a service dog. I guess they don't track that sort of thing. It also took them nearly 10 minutes to find me and both girls on their terminals. AND, there were already two other service dogs on the plane, and therefore, s...

Wow, what a day. It started off with Linda heading over to the house open the daycare and finish packing before Home Depot arrived with their army of workers to modify the house. I stayed at the hotel  with Jason and the girls. As usual, both of the girls were full of energy and were excited with the idea that they could go down stairs and get their breakfast. Granted, their breakfast was simply a bowl of cereal and a glass of juice, but it was still exciting to them, because they get to pick out their own cereal. The work on the house was scheduled to be completed today, and it was amazing how much work had been accomplished when Jason, the girls and I arrived at the house for lunch compliments of Carl's Junior. A short while later Linda showed up (she was still out running other errands). It is very gratifying to be recognized, and to meet and thank all the volunteers.  What was particularly nice to see was that there were a bunch of folks there that we actually knew. Fr...

Today started with us taking advantage of the free breakfast, down stairs and then heading off to take care of some simple errands. Not a great deal was accomplished, other than to connect up with Anthony Netto and Angelica, and to talk a bit about the rest of the week. This evening Linda's parents (Jason's grandparents) arrived and are going to be here for the next few days, so Jason has more family around. All of his brothers should be here in the next day or two as well, along with a few others. As a result of the running around this morning it kind of wore out Jason and the girls and when we got back to the hotel they all laid down for a nap, and slept right up until dinner. Linda and I had a night out, together, and that was great. Marilyn Carter came by to stay with the girls and we went to dinner with her parents. After dinner we went to see a movie (Gravity - good movie, I recommend it, but don't be surprised by the number of characters in the movie) then we came ...

Today was a good productive day for all of us, and it was also filled with some new challenges. The challenges were things like trying to figure out how to balance the day, and still get the girls their afternoon naps; how to be available for all the materials that were coming in for the remodeling work, courtesy of Home Depot; and, the new one being how to get the pool cleaned. Apparently the pool has not been cared for as well as I would have liked, and now the water was all green. I ended up putting in four gallons of the pool shock, and I hope it does the trick. I'll know tomorrow - if needed I'll put in more. Not sure where I'll get the time to really clean it, but I'll do what I can. Anyway, because the laptop is giving me some challenges today, I'm going to be making this a relatively short post, yet attempt to get in all the information. We got up early and everybody was ready to go by 08:30. Linda took the girls down to the breakfast that is being offer...

Okay, first - sorry that I didn't get a post out yesterday, but it was a busy day (and night) and I was just plain tired by the time I would have had to get the post in. That seems to have worked out okay, though, as today was pretty laid back and not much happened, other than taking the girls to see the Cloudy With A Chance Of Meat Balls 2. It was, as far as we know, Jackie's first theater movie, and it was a little rough. She isn't one to just sit and enjoy and likes to continue to move around, looking for other things to do. Linda basically held her on her lap through about half the movie. Stacy, on the other hand, enjoyed the movie from Grandpa's lap for about the same amount of time. The difference is that Stacy wanted to and Jackie wanted to run around the theater. The movie it self was enjoyable and silly, and that is about what I expected. The day yesterday was challenging as we arrived at the San Diego air port with more than enough time to get to the gate, a...

Days never seem to work out the way one expects (or wants) them to. I have been attempting to get to the bank for the past couple of days, and because of other interrupts I have not been able to do so. Fortunately we will be heading up to Livermore tomorrow and I can get to the bank up there. Funny thing about the bank we use, and have been using for 30 + years, they seem to be plentiful up in the Bay Area, and sparse down in San Diego. Not sure why, but for right now we can still get our business done. I began the day with doing some packing, and getting ready to do more packing. Jason had to be over at a formation, at Building 26, at 07:30 this morning, so we got an early start. The reason he was asked to come in on his leave was because he was being recognized for achieving his fourth Good Conduct Medal. I guess there aren't too many Marines who achieve this level of behavior with their Marine careers. All you have to do is stay out of trouble for three years and you qualify f...

Today was an interesting day, in that I got up early enough, and went through my emails this morning, then fixed breakfast for the two of us. Jason was up and he was just a little hungry, so we had cereal. After that I cleaned up the dishes, or more accurately, but them in the dishwasher, it wasn't even half full so I didn't start it. Then I told Jason that I wanted to get over to the bank to take care of some business. Jason said he wanted to get over to the base, and Miramar and get a hair cut and wanted to come along with me, so we could get everything taken care of in one trip. Jason wanted to get to the base (Balboa) to pick up some meds, since we're going to be gone all next week; he wanted to head over to Miramar to pick up the clothes he was having tailored (Dress Blues and Charlie uniforms); and, then he wanted to get a haircut because he found out that he needed to go to formation tomorrow - he is being recognized and awarded a good conduct medal. This will be h...

Another quiet day with just Jason and I at the house. We took care of a couple of small errands and then Jason said he wanted to go to the movies. The previews for Don Jon looked pretty funny so he decided that he wanted to see that one. I do not recommend it unless you really enjoy crude humor. It did have some funny spots, but not enough, as far as I was concerned. Anyway, after the movie we came back to the house and while Jason was taking his shower (yeah, we got started late today so he wanted to push it off until tonight) Anthony Netto came by to pick up the ParaMobile, since he is transporting it up to Livermore for us. Right after that we had some left overs for dinner and then he fell asleep, and I guess I did too. I woke up on the couch, with the TV on and figured I better get up stairs to take care of the blog and go to bed.  Thank you, to everyone for all their continued prayers and support. Take care and stay positive.

Today was a day that was taken up by a number of personal issues that Jason is dealing with and therefore I don't have much to blog about... at least not yet. The girls went to their daycare at the CDC and were happy and healthy, prior to going over to their mom's place. They went over early because  the mom asked if they could come early, so she could take them to an event on MCRD (a.k.a. "The Depot"). It sounds like some sort of activity that the kids will enjoy so Jason agreed. After we finished our dinner we walked them over to the house and dropped them off. So now we're in the house on a Tuesday evening, without the girls... something that hasn't happened in several months... feels a little strange. Tomorrow should be another quiet day, as we have some errands to take care of, but by late morning we should be completely done for the day. Thank you, for all the support and continued prayers. Take care and stay positive.