Staff Sgt Jason Ross - Marine

Wow, I just barley got used to 2013 and now here it is the end of January of 2014. I have a better feeling about this year, though, and think that we, as a family, will do well all around. Jason and I got going early, as he had his formation, at 07:30, and the very good positive news is that it was short, so we were able to leave before 08:30. Both of us were hungry so we went over to The Broken Yoke and got breakfast. I guess I am going through a change of sorts, as I can't eat like I used to. I ordered a normal breakfast, but was only able to eat about half of it. The rest came home for left overs, later tonight. From breakfast we returned to the base because I had an appointment, and didn't want to miss it. Actually it was a make up appointment since the original appointment happened when I was sick a couple of weeks ago, and I didn't want to miss it again. Funny thing is, Jason apparently had missed an appointment yesterday and the doctor who he would have seen saw hi...

Jason had a PT appointment today, and an appointment with Nurse Practitioner Grainie. Both of these were done by 10:30, and even a quick visit over to building 26, then we were on our way home. Actually, one of the first things I said to Jason (besides, "Good Morning!") was that I wanted to wash the van today, and was planning on taking it to the car wash, it desperately needed to be vacuumed (dog hair everywhere). I removed the two car seats and was fully intending to go to the wash. However, on the way home it started to drizzle and the sky didn't look particularly friendly, so I changed my mind. Then, again, it has been very dry to date, so maybe that was what I needed to do all along. My apologies to the state for not thinking of this sooner... ;-) The rest of the day was relaxed, and a few personal things were taken care of. We did have the rest of Jason's soup for dinner, and we're doing our best to use the food in the house, without having to go to the st...

Another day that started a little later in the day. Jason's first appointment wasn't until 09:00, and no girls to get to school, so we didn't have the crazy push to get going. After his PT appointment (about an hour - and he is doing very well with range of motion) we headed over to Best Buy to see if his computer was ready. He received a call from them and he wanted to get his unit back. As it turned out, the laptop wasn't ready, though it was being worked on, and they said it should be ready shortly. I even asked, "should we just wander around the store until the unit is done?" They said they didn't know when it would be ready, so we went on home. Almost as soon as we walked in the door Jason's phone rang and it was Best Buy... The laptop is ready for pickup. At that point we didn't go get it. Jason wanted to take a shower and I wanted to change the sheets on his bed. That all taken care of, so I made lunch and we just kind of relaxed around th...

Jason had an appointment with PT (Physical Therapy) this morning, and then there was possible visit to Nurse Practitioner Joanne Grainie. As it turned out he did make the PT appointment, but then decided to see Joanne tomorrow. In the mean time I wanted to do some extra walking. Linda (my wife) and I both have the Fitbit now and she has been "running" circles around me. A couple of days ago she had a day where she did over 10,000 steps, so I wanted to do the same today. As a result of my extra focus and effort I am happy to say that I too, now have a 10,000 step day. Actually I went over 11,000, but the award is for going over 10K. My guess is that she is going to do the same, and that way she'll have two to my one. After leaving Balboa we went over to Best Buy, where Jason wanted them to work on his laptop. He has a service contract with them and the laptop has been running poorly. While he was talking to the guys there I walked the store - again to keep the focus on t...

Today started out pretty much as normal, with the weather bouncing back and forth from nice to looking like it was going to rain. We headed over to the hospital at Balboa and Jason's formation. The formation was over and then he went on to his class. The class was over in about 30 minutes, so that didn't take much time at all. That's when things got a little different. We went to see Nurse Practitioner Grainie and Jason needed his shot (he gets an injection every two weeks) of testosterone. While waiting there she asked me if I wanted to learn how to give the shots and I replied that it was up to Jason. I was comfortable doing it, if he was comfortable with me being the one doing it. I went through a short instruction on the types of needles and how to draw the fluid and on how to inject. Then I did it, and everything went fine. Now I have another talent to add to my list of things I've learned. It also helps us to be just a little more independent and not have to com...

Not much to report on, for today. We both got up a little later than usual, but actually, not too much later. I was down stairs by 07:30 and fixing Jason his breakfast - mine too. A little while after that I decided to go for a bike ride. I hadn't been on one for a couple of weeks, and the weather was reasonable, though I sure wouldn't mind if it rained. I've even threatened to wash the van, to see if that would make it rain. I did wash the truck, and that didn't do much. The ride was only 11 miles, and I could tell that I hadn't ridden in a while. It still felt pretty good, and I was glad that I chose the route I did. If I'd gone much farther I think I would have been exhausted when I got home. As it was, I was just very tired... ;-) The rest of the day consisted of taking care of a couple of personal things; washing a load of clothes and dishes; and fixing the meals. Jason basically used the time to just sit back and relax. Tomorrow he will be heading off ...

Nice day today with the girls. We got up in a much needed relaxed manner and had a nice breakfast. Jason wasn't pushing at all, about getting out the door to get to Gracie's training, and as a result we did get out late. Actually, I was the one doing most of the pushing this morning, but the girls were still having fun and it all became a great big game for them. We left about 30 minutes later than we typically do, and then... we needed to stop to get some gas. We got to the training more than 1/2 hour late, but that's okay, they still let Jason and Gracie come in. The girls and I headed over to the play area and immediately hit the swings. Funny thing is, this time they only spent about 15 minutes there and decided they want to do all the other things available, like the different climbing structures and slides. We were over by the climbing tree when Stacy decided that she wanted to go for a run, as there is a nice running pathway around the park. I went with them (Jackie ...

An interesting day, for sure. We got up this morning, much like other mornings with early formation. We went over to building 26, and he went to the gathering of the troops. It was a quick formation, and right afterward I needed to head over to see one of the admin techs, to sign some documents. Jason also needed to go to another building (14) which happened to be in the opposite direction, so we went or two different ways. I did a bunch of walking, but I have to admit it was because I wanted to get some distance recorded on my Fitbit. I was tired of Linda always making me look bad... okay, maybe not "bad" just she was doing so much more. Anyway, I found out where the new case manager was located, though she wasn't there - not back from a vacation or something - so we'll have to connect next week. After this initial walking around I got back to the van and sat down for a few minutes and then Jason called. He was done with the training and was ready to be picked up...

Last night I was coughing a bit more than I liked, so I took some Nyquil, and hoped that it would allow me sleep better. It sure did. I went to sleep and didn't wake up until right before my alarm went off. Normally I am awake hours before the alarm, and then go back to sleep and wake up again, before the alarm. Anyway, I woke up and called Linda (I'm her alarm), and then went back to sleep. I slept for another two hours. I got up and felt more congested than I had in the past several days. After I was up and moving around it all seemed to clear up, and I actually felt much better. Right now I am feeling pretty good and only have the occasional cough. So on to the rest of the days activities. Jason had been asked to head up to Camp Pendleton, to attend a "Jobs Fair" type gathering, and it was set up for all the Wounded Warriors to get a chance to talk and interact with people from the civilian work world. The meeting was held up in a large conference room, where a p...

We got up this morning, and I let the girls sleep in for a little while, just enough for them to start to wake up on their own. I really don't like having to get them up early in the morning, but sometimes I guess it is what has to be done. Breakfast was simple, more Cheerios, and I packed Stacy's lunch, and then we were all off to the pre-schools. Actually we dropped Stacy off first and then headed over to Balboa to drop Jason off, and then I took Jackie to the CDC (Child Development Center), on base. Jason had his PT appointment, and that took just a little over an hour, and while he was there I stopped in and visited with Jenifer T. She has responsibility for much of the goings on with C5, and she let me know that in fact, C5 is NOT going away, and that much of the core structure or programs, are going to remain in tact. I apologize for any confusion that I may have caused with yesterday's statement, so hopefully this provides the correct information. After his appoint...

Jason was in fine form today, and really drove the direction of the property search today. We got up early, though not too early, and even had plenty of time for a nice easy breakfast (they love their Cheerios). We got them to school and made a quick stop to see the folks who are the new contacts for his care and case management. We were told that C5 no longer exists, or maybe more appropriately, has been shut down. We both thought, "Wow! I would have expected a little  more communications on that." Now Jason will simply be handled via the regular medical pathways, though I do plan to find out more about it tomorrow, when we go in. Anyway, after the Balboa visit we headed off to Fallbrook, to meet up with Tim and go look at some property he had lined up for Jason. Fallbrook is a little over 1/2 an hour to get to, via I-15, and it seems to be a pretty nice area. We actually spent a good six hours driving around and looking around and found some very nice properties that Jaso...

Good day today, with the girls showing up at a little after 08:00 this morning. Today is a federal holiday so no school for either of them. We spent the day at the house and just enjoyed each other's company. We did make a short trip to the pet store, Jason wanted to get a few things for Mr. Jingles (the rat); and, we spent about an hour in the backyard, with the girls riding their scooters and trike. Other than that not much to report on. Jason is doing well and I'm feeling better. Tomorrow we plan on taking the girls to their schools and then head up to Fallbrook to check out some possible home sites. We figure it is going to be an all day thing, so we want to get going early, so we don't have to pick up the girls too late. Thank you, for all the continued support and prayers. Take care and stay positive.

Kick back and relax kinda day. I made breakfast and a short while later we went off to Costco for a shopping trip. I wanted to go earlier in the day so that I could possibly watch the NFL playoff games, and as it turned out, I did. I didn't want to do too much, mostly because I am starting to feel much better and I didn't want to over do anything to just get sick again. Now I just have to deal with this darn cough for the next two weeks (that's generally about how long it takes for me to get rid of it) then I should be completely back to 100%, or very close to it. We got back from Costco about 20 minutes before the first game, and that gave me the time to put away all the items we purchased. The game started and played out pretty much the way I expected it to, with the Broncos being the better team. They are an experienced team with a bunch of talent, and Manning is playing at the top of his game. Now with the second game of the day, the one I was more concerned about; it...

Jason and I stayed at home today, other than a quick trip to the post office. I'm still getting over this darn cold and I think Jason is just wanting me to rest and get better. There were a few phone calls, with folks we haven't seen in awhile, wanting to find out what we're up to, and that was good. I feel like staying off my feet most of the day was a good thing - though I did do some clean up of the garage, about 20 minutes worth. Tomorrow is going to be another day of resting and minimal effort. I intend to watch a football game, maybe two; and, then we need to get to the store to pick up a few things. Thank you, for all the continued support and prayers. Take care and stay positive.

Today started out with an early morning drive to the base, so that Jason could participate in his formation. The difference is that today, at his formation, there was a retirement ceremony. A member of the Wounded Warrior Battalion, a Corporal who is a double amputee, retired. It was a very nice presentation and ceremony and I hung around to watch. Besides, by hanging around I got a chance to see some folks I normally don't see on a regular basis. After the ceremony was over we, Jason and I, headed back to the house, and then had breakfast.  The funny thing is, we didn't have much planned today, other than attending another retirement ceremony, though this time it was for Commander Laura Ledyard. She has been Jason's Recovery Care Coordinator since we arrived in San Diego, and we've gotten to know her pretty well. Laura had asked us to be at the event, and I said I would love to be able to take the pictures, if she needed someone to do that. She was very happy to have...

Today started out a little slower than the past few days, and that is kind of understandable, since the girls are not with us, and Jason's first appointment wasn't until 09:00. I was up before 07:00 and went down stairs to see how Jason was and to ask if he wanted Cream of Wheat for breakfast. I was in the mood and we had time.  He said, he would like to have some so I went to the kitchen, and we didn't have any. I immediately grabbed the car keys and headed off to the store to pick some up. It didn't take long too get there and back, and I looked around and noticed the pan was dirty. Now I was washing dishes, and thought, "time is running out." By the time I had the water on the stove, heating up I looked at the clock and saw that it was now just a little after 08:00. Okay, we'll have to push this until Saturday, now. Tomorrow we have to get going early so Jason can get to formation. We headed over to the base and we got to C5 with plenty of time to spa...

Took the girls to their schools this morning and won't see them again for five days. I guess the break will make it a little easier to heal up from this darn cold, but we miss them anyway. The house always seems do empty when they're not here, and far too quiet. Heck, even right now I have some music playing  just to have some noise to keep us company. After dropping the girls off I took Jason to his appointment and pretty much just laid back in the van, so that I could relax as well as not be around too many people. I don't think I'm contagious but it probably is a good idea to stay a little isolated. After his appointment he came back to the van and asked me if I had anything planned for the day. I told him that I wanted to finish up cleaning the house and get the vacuum going on the carpet, other than that the only thing I wanted to get done was to cook that large turkey breast that was given to us. I wanted to get it done before it went bad and besides it took up ...

Okay, we are now two weeks into the new year, and so far it seems like not much has changed, that is, with regard to our daily lives. I woke up feeling a bit better and after getting the girls to their pre-schools and Jason to his appointments, we came back home (I'll tell you more about the appointments in a moment). As we were getting ready to head back to the house Jason only had one more thing to do, and that was to get his prescriptions into the pharmacy, so that we could pick them up later, when we came back for Jackie. He asked me if I had anything planned and I said, "No, not really. I just wanted to finish up with the laundry; get the floors cleaned; head over to Target or Walmart to pick up the vacuum cleaner bags; and, then get started on the rest of the house. Other than that I don't have a lot to do." He just sort of smiled and said, "Oh, so you don't have much planned." and chuckled. I said it was only about 10 hours worth of work, and I re...

Woke up this morning feeling pretty good, though still not 100% (closer to 85% I think), but good enough to get going with the day because Jason had his early formation call, and the girls needed to get to their preschools. With everything done and everyone where they needed to be I found myself with that rate moment of time, where I could call the VA. I did just that, I called and connected with a very nice receptionist who informed me that I needed to speak with someone else and attempted to transfer the call. Before doing so, she provided me with their extension, and I am guessing she did this because of what happened next. I sat on hold for about five minutes (fortunately I had something else to do) before I finally gave up. The phone simply rang and never rolled over to voice mail. Anyway, I called a little later, about 30 minutes, and this time I got through. The appointment was rescheduled to April, as that was the next available slot, open to me. Anyway, I didn't have my ha...

Today was a day that I didn't even get out of my pajamas, and neither did the girls. I am not feeling well right now, though it is better than yesterday. I asked the girls to not come up to greet me this morning, and it turns out that I didn't need too, as I was up before them and came down stairs before they were out of bed anyway. All I did was some laundry and watch football, well, okay, I just watched the 49er game. I wasn't up for anymore football after that one, and I kind of figured that the Broncos were going to win the game against the Chargers - and they did. Jason had a nice laid back day as well, and the girls got to spend some time with him, which made me feel better. I got some of the clothes folded and even put away, and now I just have to get the rest done, at least now I have a wide selection of clothes for the girls. The young ladies from Serving Spoons brought dinner tonight (they come once a month and today was their day), so I didn't have to worr...

The day started out with taking the girls to Gracie's training class, maybe I should say Jason's training class, anyway, the girls really enjoy the playground area, so it works out nicely. Jason is in the training class for a little more than an hour and that gives the girls plenty of time to burn off some of their energy. As it turned out there was another family there with three kids, and one of them was about Stacy's age. They hit it off reallly well, and that made it that much easier. When we were done we headed back to the house, where the girls had a quick lunch and then got ready to go see Beauty and the Beast (Disney on ICE). They were gone for about 3 1/2 hours, and that gave  me a much needed rest, as I think I'm coming down with a significant cold. I am hoping that it is under control by Monday, as I have surgery on my hand on Monday, for trigger finger. Bottom line is that I slept for a couple of hours and then got up and started moving around. Felt a litt...

We started the day early, with the intentions of going in to Balboa, and building 26 for Jason's regular formation. I went in to make sure he was up and moving, at about 06:45 (I'm up showered and dressed) and ask the regular question, " What shorts do you want?" His reply was what was different. Jason said he had received a text message from his section leader and it basically told him he didn't have to come in, unless he wanted to, and that the guys were going to be doing PT Basketball. Because he is in a power chair he really can't play basket ball with the other guys, and besides, basketball has never really been his game. I immediately asked him if he wanted some breakfast, and he declined. He usually doesn't eat breakfast until after 08:00, and that's what we targeted. As it turned out, Jason needed to go in anyway, to take care of some paperwork, so at about 10:10 we went to take care of that. Anthony Netto was flying back from Pennsylvania, a...

Today started at a different pace, as we didn't have to get up for anything in particular. When I went down to see how Jason was doing, and to get him breakfast, he told me that he did need to get over to Balboa, but it could wait to a little later. After all, it was only 07:30 and besides I wanted to get a nice ride in. I went for a nice 15 mile ride, and I'm feeling better about the rides all the time, so I guess it is just a matter of time before I build up my stamina again. Anyway, after the ride I cooled down a bit and cleaned up, then Jason and I went to take care of the business at Balboa. As it turned out, there really wasn't much that he needed to get done, but because he was contacted he wanted to get it taken care of. He is very dedicated to being a Marine and he has a strong reputation for doing whatever is asked of him. When we were done, I needed to get over to the VA office and take care of some paper work of my own, and fortunately the office is close to B...

Early start to today's activities; Jason had a 07:30 formation. Unusual for mid-week, but still something we have gotten used to dealing with. The girls got up this morning with only minor protest. Actually Jackie was up and raring to go while Stacy pleaded to get more sleep. Because of that I got Jackie up first and then went to work on getting Stacy to move. Still, we managed to get down stair with clothes on, hair brushed, and time for breakfast. I finished getting my shoes on while they ate, and then helped Jason to get Gracie ready. Actually, we were at the base with plenty of time; Jason was dropped off and then Jackie was taken to her day care preschool. The next stop was getting Stacy over to her preschool, and that just about gets me back to the house. I went to the house and since Jason was going to be doing his Marine thing I went for a bike ride. It was a modified version of my ride along the harbor, and I would have liked to modify it more, but I was worried I wouldn...

Not much to talk about today, as it was a slow starter and there really wasn't a great deal of movement in any one direction. The girls slept in until after 07:00, and then I started cooking French Toast. I was actually a little surprised with the fact that Jackie didn't seem to like the French Toast, yet Stacy did. Usually if there is something that Stacy likes, Jackie is going to be right there. Oh well, tomorrow we'll simply have Cheerios and leave it at that. I know both of them do like their Cheerios. We took the girls to their respective classes and then Jason had some things to take care of on the base. That took us a couple of hours, and it was mostly paper work that had to get done, with some updates. We were on our way back to the house, well before noon, and Jason said he would like to get some lunch and then take care of the dressing change. I fixed him his lunch and at the same time told him that we needed to get tot he store to stock up on a few things. By t...

Today is kind of like the first day of the new year, and actually it is the first Monday of 2014. Those first five days were sort of a getting used to the idea of a new year and not really focused on doing to many of the things we need to. Today, however began like so many of the other Mondays, with Jason needing to get to his formation and then some sort of a training period. On the bright side, the training didn't take very long and we were getting back over to C5 to visit with CMDR Ledyard, and taking a moment to wish her a prosperous new year. She is going to be retiring soon (later this month) so she won't be around much for very much longer. Anyway, we visited for a few minutes and then we were on our way. Jason asked me if I'd like to go to the movies, and see 47 Rhonin. It is a new release and most of the critics don't like it, so I figured it was probably going to be a good movie. It had some of the Asian fantasy characters and magic, and some excellent costu...

We all got up early this morning... I woke up and looked at the clock; realized that we didn't have a great deal of time; and, quickly got Linda up and moving. We had been invited to go to the Grace Presbyterian Church, up in Vista, by Tom and Carol Lightner, and we didn't want to be late. Linda and I got up and started to get ready, and dressed. I went down stairs to make sure Jason was awake, and it was a good thing, he was asleep. Fortunately it really doesn't take him too long to get up and dressed, so we were okay. We didn't need to worry about eating as we were also invited to go to brunch after church. We drove up to Vista, up to the Lightner's place and then on over to the church. The drive up was faster than I first thought it would be, and that was good because my GPS decided to take us the wrong way, at just about the end of the drive. Fortunately we had been there before and I did remember some of the way to their home. I had to call Tom and ask for a ...

Jason had a good day today, and we even went for a ride, out in the country side. Of course, around here that means you basically can only go in two directions... North or East. The other two directions will get you to Mexico or out in the Pacific ocean. Anyway, it was something kind of different and it was fun to get out and explore a little bit. We were gone for about three hours and the effort was a bit of a load on Jason, so after we got home we had a quick lunch and then he went to sleep. The rest of the day was spent with Linda and I making a quick trip to Target and then the rest of the day was spent at the house. We even had a simple dinner of soup and sandwiches for dinner, and it was nice. We still had some of the ham from the Honey Baked Ham left over and it made a couple of very nice sandwiches. We also sat back and watched a movie, something we always enjoy doing, and won't be able to do again until she comes back down (or I have to go up north for some reason). All ...

Nice day today, with a formation in the morning and a very relaxed evening. Miss the girls, though they will be back, so we'll just have to deal with that. After formation, Jason and I came back to the house and picked up Linda so we could head over to the Original Pancake House. It isn't too far away and we all like the food there. Once that was done we headed back to the house so that Jason could get his shower in and I could change the dressings, and then Linda and I were to head off to Wal-Mart (actually about the first time I've been to a Wal-Mart this year). Another thing that I didn't mention was that prior to heading out to do some shopping, we took down a bunch, almost all, of the Christmas decorations that were left. Tonight we ate Linda's stew, and it was great! Jason had a big bowl and Linda and I used two slightly smaller bowls. Of course we also had seconds, so we made up the difference... ;-) One thing that I like to do is to spice it up a bit, and ...

Today was a pretty exciting day, and also a bit of a downer day. The downer part was related to the fact that the girls went away for a few days (we get them back on Monday). The exciting part was that we had a great deal of fun with them, while they were here, and they even helped to take down a bunch of the Christmas decorations. Of course, because it is military housing we really only had a limited amount of decorations we could put up, but we still had a great time. The other exciting thing was that Scott, the Gary Sinise Foundation project manager for building Jason's house, sat down and talked with us. As you might imagine, most of the conversation revolved around Jason and his needs, but it was still nice to be a part of the conversation, and I enjoy getting my two cents in there, when it is appropriate. As the house develops I will be putting more of it in the blog, but for now just be aware that we have begun the process, and depending on a number of factors it could take ...

What a great start to a new year. We were up kind of late last night, though we didn't make it to midnight. The girls were up with us until close to 23:00 (11pm) and then began showing serious signs of being tired and needing to go to bed. We thought that since the girls had gotten to bed so late that we could figure on them sleeping in a little. Well, that's about what we got... At 07:10 this morning Jackie was up poking Linda and asking if she was awake. Obviously we both opened our eyes and Linda helped Jackie on to the bed. A few minutes later Stacy came running into the room and immediately jumped up on to the bed and landed with both knees right on Grandpa's belly... "Good morning!" So much for sleeping in. We ended up playing with the girls for about 10 minutes and then we all got up. Grandpa was making pancakes for breakfast! The rest of the day was fun, and even productive. Our son David and his wife, Miriam bought us FitBits for Christmas so I got them...