Staff Sgt Jason Ross - Marine

Today was a good day, though a bit of a challenging one. We got the girls off to school just fine, and then came back to the house. I had the colonoscopy scheduled for this afternoon, so I continued to not eat - the toughest time was when I was making the girls lunches. I managed to deal with it, though, and focused on other things. My appointment was at 13:00 (1pm) and Jason also had an appointment at 13:40 (1:40pm), so Linda took both of us to the VA. This is where it got to be a little challenging. Jason's appointment should have allowed for plenty of time to have whatever they were doing, taken care of, and still be able to get back to the girls when they got out of school. My situation was much more relaxed, since I was going to be in recovery for a little while, Linda could take Jason back to the house and then come get me. Well, as it turned out, my appointment was delayed a little, as most of them are with the VA, and this was no big deal. Jason's, on the other hand...

We got up this morning and I decided that I'd like to go for another bike ride, since we didn't have the girls this morning, and Jason's appointment wasn't until this afternoon. I jumped on the bike and Linda jumped on to her elliptical trainer, and we were both exercising (I told you, we are serious about loosing some weight). I got in a nice 18+mile ride and then, after getting back to the house, cooled down and took a shower. Linda was going to be focusing on some personal matters and taking care of the girls and I was to help get Jason to his VA appointment. His appointment today was with Dental Care. I have absolutely no experience with VA Dental, so I don't know what it is like. We arrived on time, and they called him in, only after waiting about 5 minutes. So far I am impressed. When finished, about 15 minutes later, Jason told me that he has to come back for a follow up cleaning and that today they only examined his teeth. I hope this is the level of care ...

Linda and I got up this morning and the first thing we wanted to do was to get some exercise in. Funny, how your life adjusts when you start exercising regularly. Anyway, it was early enough that we could get some calories burned and get our bodies moving, and still have time to get ready for church. It felt kind of strange going to church this morning, and not having the girls with us, but they are not so we couldn't bring them along. Also, today was the last day for the Aloha Shirts and next week the pastor will be wearing his more traditional robe again... Summer is officially over now. After service we came back to the house and jumped on a few other things that needed to be accomplished, and we worked pretty hard, all day, at getting them done. We didn't get everything done, but we did make a serious dent, so I'm pretty happy with the way things worked out. Jason is doing well, and his wounds are still making some very good progress. He has been staying down more, ...

The year continues to move forward and time just keeps on moving along. We are already coming up on the end of September, and time just seems to fly by now. But I guess that is what we should expect to see as we move along with it. I got a nice bike ride in today, about 17 miles, and then Linda and I continued to work on our projects, mostly finally getting our 2013 taxes filed. There were a couple of other smaller projects we got involved in, and that was a nice break; and, Linda used one of those "smaller" projects to fulfill an obligation with the Blue Star Moms. The San Diego North County Blue Star Moms (Linda has gotten involved with them) held their annual fun raising dinner tonight and they wanted us to be there. Especially Jason, as they wanted him to read a message to the guests - about the POWs and MIAs that come from every war. Jason did an excellent job and showed that he really enjoys being in front of a group, no matter what size. That was pretty much all ...

Today was a much better day for us, and Jason has his truck. Actually, the Ability Center brought it, and his chair, by at about 08:50 this morning. It was pretty exciting and we did take some pictures, but for some reason I am having difficulties getting them down off the camera right now, so I'm going to have to wait to share them - I'll do my best to get them to you this weekend sometime. Linda and I worked on some paper work, most of the day, and Jason relaxed and played his video games. There was also an appointment that Jason had to get to, with Wound Care, and that went very well. They were pleased with how the healing is coming along, and it was very visible just how much has healed up. So much so that the wound on the left is just about closed, and the one on the right is now only about half as big as it was just a couple weeks ago. Jason and I did head over to Costco, to pick up a few things... really, there were only 17 things on our shopping list. He was still s...

Today was a rough day for us - with a number of things that went wrong and errors made. I went for a bike ride and the ride took longer than I had originally planned. It was a matter of construction and obstacles that contributed to my delayed arrival at home, but bottom line is that I shouldn't have gone on the ride in the first place. Linda needed to get to the base so she could attend an event, and so she left on her own, and that caused problems for her to be able to get on to the base. Not being able to get on to the base made her late for the event, and by the time everything got straightened out she was no longer able to go. She came home just as Jason and I were getting ready to leave, to go pick up his new truck. When Jason and I arrived, there were no handicap parking slots left, so we had to improvise, and it worked out okay. We met with Terry, at the Ability Center and they took us back to see Jason's new truck. He got into the truck and with Terry in the back sea...

Today was an excellent day, though it began a bit shaky. Typically I am the household alarm clock, and I'm usually awake no later than 06:30. This morning I woke at 03:00 and realized it was a bit too early to be up, and managed to get back to sleep; then I woke again at 06:00 (almost exactly) and thought to myself - "this is still a little early, so I'll just lay here for a minute or two" - I fell back asleep and woke again at 07:03. The room was all lit up by the sun light coming in and I immediately knew it was later than I wanted and grabbed my phone to check the time (that's why I knew it was 07:03). Anyway, I jumped up and also woke Linda. I told her we were late and needed to get moving right away. We had to get the girls going because it is a school day. Turned out that it was okay, and the girls got to school on time, looking as cute as ever. Linda and I work pretty well as a team getting them going and off - just like the old days when we were trying to ...

Other than being threatened with eviction, it has been a relatively normal day, well maybe a busy day, but still kinda normal. Yes, I said eviction. Apparently there has been some sort of clerical error that took place a few months back, that Jason wasn't aware of, and in fact, we're still not certain of what actually took place. The way military housing works is, each member of the services, who is entitled to be compensated for housing, receives a specific amount each month. This has been an on going thing with Jason, since the injury, and actually he has not even seen the money. They set it up so that whatever allowance you receive, it is exactly the same as the rent costs for base housing. This has been working just fine for the past 3+ years, here in San Diego. Then, at about the same time the divorce was final all of it got mucked up. Jason is working on getting it straightened up, yet in the mean time he was notified he had to pay up a bunch of money (TODAY) or be evicte...

Not much to report about today, as we had a nice quiet one, the kind I like to see as often as we can. Jason had a visit with the VA, Wound Care folks and they were just as positive and friendly as the last time, only this time it was decided that since Jason prefers to be treated with the Wound Care folks from Balboa, that is where he will be going until there is a need to change (I don't anticipate any need for change). I had to agree with what they were saying, that is, that there should really only be a single point of control for the wounds, otherwise different treatment patterns could generate more problems, rather than solutions. Once Jason was finished with the Wound Care we went over to their Physical Therapy area, where there is a real concerted effort to find a more comfortable seating arrangement for Jason's chair. Rick, the supervisor at the VA Clinic, gave us 3 new seats to work with and try out, and attached a new back on Jason's chair. So far Jason likes ...

I know I was supposed to post some stuff from Stacy's birthday party, yesterday, but by the time Linda and I were able to stop and relax it was getting late, and we were both kinda tired. Anyway, I will do my best to give you a nice update. I'm also going to post a few pictures, so you can see all the people who were there. Actually, we received R.S.V.P. responses up until just a couple of hours before the party. Did that make it a little difficult to plan? Yep. Anyway, at one point we had about 50 people in the house, with the majority of them being about 5 years old, and full of energy. Stacy was having a great time, and I think Jackie was also, though she was just amazed at how many people were there (I was too). Linda had put down that they party was to begin at 11:00, and right at 11:00 people started to show up. There were name tags, and that helped a bunch, and there were also neighborhood kids showing up, so name tags were even more important. I had to tell the neighb...

Jason and I were up and out of the house by about 08:00 this morning and Linda stayed behind to get things ready for Stacy's 6th birthday party. Jason and I were on our way to the Holes For Heroes golf tournament. Funny thing is, neither of us has ever really played golf, so we were kind of walking in on the blind side. When we arrived we were greeted with the update that we were not on their roster, and our names had been removed from their play list. I found this interesting, since I had been trying to keep in touch with the planning folks, and letting them know our status, almost on a daily basis. I even called last night and let them know that we were going to be there, though we might not be able to play the entire 18 holes. As it turned out, we were teamed up with a couple of other guys who came in late, and they needed partners. One was named Vince (the best player in our team) and the other was named Trevor (almost as good as Vince). Because it was a scramble and shot gun...

This morning started out with me jumping on my bike and going out for a nice ride of 17+miles. I really wasn't sure where I was going, so I began in one direction and then turned around, about 5 miles into it and came most of the way back, and made a right hand turn. This took me out to Mission Bay, and out another 5 or so miles. I would have liked to have been able to stay out longer and go farther, but I had to get back to the house because of a phone call I was expecting (it was from Jason's case manager and there were a couple of things we needed to talk about). The phone call went well and I got some new information, as well as requested more compression shorts, specially designed for Jason. Right now, she seems to be the only source where we can get them. The rest of the morning and into the afternoon went well, and at about 14:00 (2pm) we headed out to the Ability Center, where they are working on Jason's truck. They had been working on both the truck and the van, ...

Another warm day in beautiful San Diego. This morning was crazy busy for me, with  the beginning starting with the girls needing to get to school on time. Linda and I both slept in a little later than we normally do, but were still up by 06:45, so we had plenty of time to get that aspect done. I was also doing my best to work with my counterpart with Stand Up And Play, only he is in Washington, D.C. area, so 3-hours ahead. I needed to get him some documentation, and there was still things to do, to complete the documentation. Well, it all worked out and everything was done on time, and the girls were walked to school with a few minutes to spare. Linda and I got back to the house and Jason tells me that he is in need of a couple of medications, so I had to quickly head over to Balboa to pick them up - I thought he still had some and could have waited until later. The surprising thing was that I was able to go, pick up the meds, and get back in less than 45 minutes - that's the faste...

Quite an interesting day for us, here in lovely San Diego. The morning started out bright and sunny, and also quite warm. By the time we had walked the girls to school and come back to the house (about a six block walk, round trip) we were sweating. The humidity was up a bit also, and I think that had a lot to do with it. Shortly after getting back to the house, and having our breakfast, the folks from the Ability Center came by to pick up Jason's power wheelchair. The chair was needed to do some final "fitting" in the truck and van, so Jason will be able to operate both. Linda was off running errands and Jason had an appointment at Balboa, and by 09:00 the house was empty. We got to the hospital and both Jason and I thought he was to receive some laser treatment, as a means for helping the wounds to close. There was also going to be another phytoplast (not sure about the spelling) treatment, and we thought we'd be in and out in a matter of maybe two hours. Well, it...

One of those days where things just sort of go right, for the most part. We got up and dressed, and had a nice breakfast (I fixed some oatmeal). We got ready and then we headed over to the Ability Center, to see Jason's future truck and van. We got there (Linda, Jason and I) and Terry, the owner, was soon right there greeting us and asking us to come to the back, where they were working on the vehicles. The truck is awesome, and Jason got to sit behind the steering wheel, and he looked very pleased with being there (check out the pics below). After getting the required measurements and some initial adjustments, we went over to the van, and that one was just about as awesome as the truck. The truck is a crew cab, but due to the equipment that has been installed it will only be able to carry four people, or maybe three and Gracie, the dog. The van is a full sized Ford Econoline Passenger van, and will carry as many as seven as a time, so one is definitely for his personal use and the...

Wow, two weeks into September already, and it seems like last Christmas was just here. The girls have been growing quickly, and we've gotten into a much more stable routine (though there are still plenty of times when we get surprised). Jason is continuing to get healthier and healing up nicely again, and now he is a civilian, just like me - they just seem to treat him better at the VA than they do me, and I'm glad they do. This weekend was relaxed and we were able to get some simple chores done around the house. It also afforded us the time needed to get some solid planning for Stacy's up coming 6th birthday. Well, Linda is doing most of the planning and Jason and I are more like consultants. From what she has done so far I'd have to say it is going to be a very nice party, and it really isn't going to cost very much. Jason's biggest expense (I think) is the jumpy house that he ordered, and that shouldn't be more than $150.00, or maybe even less. Invites ...

Jason has been really focusing on getting his wounds to heal, and he and I both share the same sentiment, that the more he is "off" the wounds, the better they'll do. So far it seems to be working in his favor, and ours too. We did go into Wound Care, at Balboa, today, and they were pleased with the way the left side was looking. The right side also has shown improvements over these past few days, so over all things are much more positive. Next week he will also be heading in to the VA for a follow up visit, with their Wound Care folks, and I think they'll be pleased as well. The rest of the day was spent taking care of other errands and cleaning up around the house. The weather has been warmer than normal, and more importantly the humidity has been high. This makes the task of walking around, outside, kind of uncomfortable. The evenings are better, so we make our mail box run a little later in the evening. Tomorrow is Saturday; Linda will be attending a San Diego B...

September 11 is one of those days that has a special meaning to Jason, and that is besides the obvious remembrance of those who were killed and injured as a result of the strike on the twin towers. It is also the original day that Jason was supposed to begin his career with the Marines. He was waiting, along with a bunch of other guys, to head off to Boot Camp, down here at the Marine Corps Recruit Depot, and all transportation suddenly stopped. Well, at least the airlines did, and they couldn't get any ground transport that would accommodate all the guys going off to their various points. Anyway, he basically just waited a week and then his career began, so he actually has two days that he remembers, and always will. Today was a day for him to remain down and the positive out of that is that the wounds are doing much better. Both of them are showing positive signs, with the one on the left looking like it will be closing up here in a matter of just a couple of days. We are stayi...

We had a great day today, with Jason and I going over to Balboa, and working with Dr. Shue (Jason's primary), and the folks at prosthetic fitting. They brought in an outside party, call Ride Design, and they seem to have some good ideas on how to make Jason more comfortable, as well as allowing him to sit up and not put pressure on his open wounds. This is the biggest challenge they have with Jason, and if they can get beyond the pressure challenges I do believe Jason will be so much better. They appointment lasted for a little more than an hour, and then there were a couple other things to be done, then we were on our way back to the house. The rest of the day was pretty much laid back and relaxed. This evening, Linda and I were able to go out and catch a movie. We have found this smaller theater that still shows first run movies, but the prices are much lower. We saw the movie If I Stay  and I have to admit that I wasn't too excited about going, but Linda wanted to see it. ...

A good day for everyone here, and we hope you had a good day also. Jason didn't have any appointments, and didn't have to go see anybody, so he basically stayed in bed, and that is a very good thing. When he is not in his chair it allows for healing to work so much better, and progress is again moving in the right direction for him. I did, however, have to take the Rollx van in for servicing, and that was quite the experience. I took the van to Rancho Dodge, because that is where I have been told to take it. If it wasn't for the fact that the van belongs to the folks in Minneapolis, and they pay for the service, I wouldn't go to Rancho Dodge. They are, by far, the worst run business I have ever had to deal with. The mechanics seem to be competent, and most of the service people want to provide help, but the management side is really out of touch with what needs to be done. They consistently bring in more vehicles than can be handled, and apparently the management does...

Today was another good day, with Jason's back not bothering him too much, and mentally ready for the VA visit, to their La Jolla VA Hospital. I found out recently that the La Jolla VA Hospital is rated as THE Best of the VA hospitals, and I guess we are fortunate to have that available to us. I know I have had a few challenges with them, so when we went there today I was a little apprehensive, to say the least. When we did get there, about 20 minutes prior to the appointment, we were directed to the area Jason needed to be at (for those that don't know, the La Jolla Hospital is very large), and this was all done very efficiently and quickly. He notified the receptionist that he was there, and why, and within less than 15 minutes we were back with the Wound Care folks. We both thought we were going in to see someone else, but that was due to our own ignorance. Their naming structure is such that Ortho care and Prosthetic care, also means Wound Care. Anyway, we went in and met ...

A relatively easy day for the family, with Linda and I taking the girls to church (they both really enjoy going to Sunday School). Jason is feeling a little better, though his back still giving him some challenges and spasms. While at church we got a special treat, and got to meet the pastor's son Elliot Powers. He is an ordained Presbyterian Minister and has been doing some evangelistic work, and then about 1 1/2 years ago decided that he would turn it into a musical evangelistic ministry. He has amazing talents and singing voice, and we really enjoyed listening to him. He later did a performance in the evening that about 100 parishioners attended. I really do think this guy has a true calling and I hope he continues with this work. He is a little older than Jason and has two daughters, 2yrs and 4 yrs old (about the same spread as Stacy and Jackie). Anyway, after service there was a carnival of sorts, at the church, with a big Jumpy-house for the kids to play in. They also had s...

Today began with a quick bike ride for me, while everyone else was still getting up. Funny thing was that I didn't know there was a Tri-athalon competition going on, and the route I decided to go was on the bike portion of the event. I had to modify my ride a bit, but that was okay, it was nice seeing all these folks out on their bikes. I really didn't know what was going on, until I stopped and asked one of the officials along the route, what was going on. Anyway, I made a quick adjustment and turned the ride into a nice little 12 miler and was back at the house pretty quickly. When I walked in Linda had gotten up with the girls and made them, and Jason some breakfast. Our next task was to get the girls ready for the Eagle Court of Honor that we were going to, later in the morning (11:00 start time). Everybody, including Jason, was ready and we took off for the church, where the event was being held. Still not much traffic on the road and we got there with 15 minutes to spar...

Just a quick post, so that you all won't think that I forgot you. Jason is doing well, and the visit with Wound Care went well, though they do have some concerns with the wound on the right side - as I do. It seems to be doing better now, but for a while it was going the wrong way. We just need to keep a close eye on it. The other one is look so much better, and my thought is that once it is healed the other will also start healing faster. Tomorrow we will be headed to an Eagle Court of Honor (Boy Scouts) and then to a special dinner with another group. It is going to prove to be a busy Saturday, but I hope that it is an enjoyable one and that Jason and I both have a good time. Linda will be with us, as will the girls, for the Court of Honor, but the evening dinner is going to be just Jason and I. Depending on how he feels we may not stay for all the speeches afterward. Thank you, for all the continued support and prayers. Take care and stay positive.

Today was a very exciting day, and one that made me smile. Jason had his first meetings/appointments with the VA, as a retired Marine. There were three appointments scheduled throughout the day, and the first one started at 10:30, with one of the guys who makes sure all the paper work and registration information is correct. As you can imagine, this was a little on the dull side, though very necessary and lasted nearly an hour. The next meeting was with his care coordinator (she had a much longer title than that, but care coordinator gives a basic idea of her position). Linda and I sat in on the meeting with her and Jason (he invited us) so we got to know her a little and that is a good thing. We all felt pretty good about her attitude and energy, so now we just have to hope that she is as good as she presented herself. The last meeting was a few hours later, so we took the time out to actually go to lunch at a little after noon. We have a habit of eating later in the day, for some r...

This morning we got up and Jason and I went with Anthony Netto, to go shooting. For those that don't know, Jason has a new rifle and he wanted to try it out, and the folks over at Miramar, the Marine base. were willing to help out. They opened the shooting range, today - a day typically set for just maintenance, just for Jason and Anthony to get some target shooting in. First they had to "zero-in" Jason's scope and rifle at 200 yards, and then Jason made some shots at 500 yards. I guess they did a good job because in Jason's words, "You can drive nails with this gun, at 500 yards." That means you can hit a very small target, or at least he could. The two of them had some fun and lasted for a few of hours, then we all came back to the house. For the shooting, both Jason and Anthony used their paramobiles, as Anthony is also in a wheel chair. I chose not to shoot today, and was basically there for moral support and to be a driver. Once we got back to the...

Today started out a little on the slow side and then quickly ramped up. The girls got to school on time; I was able to get in a nice bike ride (over the last three days I've done about 60 miles); Jason got his new computer unpacked (not set up yet); and Linda took care of a whole bunch of little things (I think she worked more than anyone else today). One of the big things Jason and I got done today was to go back through a bunch of his personal belongings, and found some of the items he was wearing, when he stepped on the I.E.D. He reacted pretty much like he has with everything else, and basically said things like, "Wow, so here it is." or "Gee, some of this stuff is pretty dirty." Over all, though, it was a good exercise. He found some things he is going to donate back to the guys in Building 26, so that if any of them need the items he isn't going to be using, they are available and free. While we were going through all of this, Linda was with the girls ...

Good day for Jason and the family. We started the day out with a trip to the zoo, right after breakfast. We didn't spend too many hours there, and were, in fact back to the house by noon. But I'm getting ahead of myself. When we got to the zoo we simply walked in and found a path that we could easily walk down. The girls loved it in the reptile area and then over to the tanks of water, where an alligator lived and right next to it another tank where a couple of pygmy hippos lived, both tanks were also filled with all kinds of fish. The alligator came right up to the glass and looked awesome. The hippos didn't seem to want to move at all and were kind of basking in the sun. From there we walked on over to the gorilla area, and got some very close up views of the different gorillas living there. The zoo guides (they were all over the place) said that this was the bachelor enclosure, and most of the gorilla were younger - and it showed. However, even with all these very intere...