Staff Sgt Jason Ross - Marine

I was up a little after 05:00 this morning and by 05:30 I was on line and working. I made sure to wake Linda at 06:00, or very close to that time, so she could get the girls up and moving. I needed to work on a couple of things, so I wasn't of much assistance to her, though I did wake up the girls. The girls were particularly excited today, because they were going to get to see their mother, after school. This is good because we've had them for just over four weeks now, and kids need their mothers.  Linda got the girls over to the school and then took on the tasks of working on the house and helping Jason get ready for his appointment. Me, I was pounding on the keyboard and doing my best to get some information together and ready for presentation.  Jason had his appointment with Wound Care, at Balboa hospital, and I'm glad because I needed him to pick up some specific supplies. Because Jason is using a wound-vac he needs some different items that we normally don'...

Some times, things happen the same way, each day, that it makes it difficult to start the post on this blog. And, today was just another one of those days, except that we got up at 06:00 (I actually got up at 05:50) and started our day. Linda went to bed feeling like she had been drug through a ringer, with aches all over, and in the morning she still felt pretty much the same way. Fortunately, whatever it was giving her all the problems seems to have been beaten by her system and she is feeling more like her regular self again. I was concerned that she had caught a flue bug or something and I am VERY glad to see that she is better. She still managed to get things going and had the girls off to school on time. I helped a little, but then I had to get to work, as we're working on a bit of a deadline. I think I was able to get a considerable step closer to meeting that deadline, so I feel pretty good about it. I knew going into the job and working again, it was going to be a challe...

Today was a little different, for one of our Sundays, in that Linda was headed off to a Blue Star Mothers luncheon, honoring Gold Star Mothers. For those that don't know - Gold Star Mothers are those that have had a child in the military and also lost a child due to a combat related incident. One of the things we learned today (both Lind and I) is that the last Sunday in September has been designated Gold Star Mothers Day, by Congress, and was done in 1936. The idea of the Gold Star was begun by President Woodrow Wilson, back in 1918, to give them recognition beyond the Blue Star, that was already known. Anyway, Linda was gone for most of the day, with fellow Blue Star Mothers - Loretta,Tina and Lynn, from her chapter. It sounded like she had a good time meeting all these new people, and spending time with friends. While Linda was off doing this I was home with the girls and Jason. The girls wanted to go to a new park, Live Oak Park, that isn't too far from where we live now....

We had a pretty good day today - especially considering all that we had on the task sheet. First we got up and made French Toast. I say, "We" because Linda basically put everything together and I did the cooking. A very nice, and unexpected aspect was that we had bought some of the "Texas Toast" to make the French toast, because it is so much thicker; and, when I was done cooking we were out of the bread and everyone had eaten all they wanted. I love it when there are very little left overs, and everybody is happy with a full tummy. The next thing on the agenda was to take the girls to The Picture People, to take some up-to-date portraits of the girls. We had to drive over to Escondido, about 20 miles away and we really didn't have enough time to get there, for our appointment. We were supposed to be there at 11:15 and I think we got there about noon, or just a little before. The young woman working there, who greeted us, said it wouldn't be a problem and ...

Today was pretty much like what a Friday is supposed to be. The anticipation of the weekend coming and everyone is in a good mood (almost everyone - I'm sure there are some grumpy types out there). We (Linda and I) were able to get up before 06:00 and there was no rush to get going. I enjoy laid back days, with some minor targets to go for, but basically a relaxed day that we can take care of things, as we can get to them... Okay, enough of the day dreaming... We did get up this morning and it was prior to 06:00, and the first thing I did was to push the on button on the computer and then go wash my face and brush my teeth. There was to be a big meeting this morning, and the team was getting together to make sure we had everything ready. There were no urgent emails for me to address, so I was able to help Linda a little in getting the girls up and going, and making sure Jason had some breakfast. Because we did get up early, there really wasn't much of a rush to do things, tho...

Today was a nice relaxed day for Jason and a pretty much normal day for Linda and the girls. However for me it was a particularly busy day, in that I didn't get done with work until about 21:00 tonight. There is a pretty big presentation coming up and we wanted to be sure it was done correctly. The challenge was that there wasn't a great deal of time to get it done. Therefore, we, my team, had to put in a number of later hours to get it all together. The positive is that it looks pretty good. Linda and Jason had another visit from Lori, from the dog training that Jason goes to, and she stayed for a few hours. It was particularly nice because she stopped and picked up some sandwiches for us, and the one I had was very good. Actually, Linda and I had been to the same deli that she went to, to get the sandwiches, and we were happy to have found the place. The girls had a good day in school and Jason had a relaxed day at home. Not much else went on, and it was nice to have a re...

Today is Stacy's Birthday! She is now seven years old and loving life to the fullest! We got up today and both girls were ready to get going bright and early, and there was no problem in trying to get them up. The plan was for them to be up and go to school, and then after school their mother was to pick them up from school, to celebrate Stacy's birthday then bring them back to Jason at about 20:00 (8pm). The girls have been with us for more than 3 weeks now, and this seemed like a good chance for them to get together, at least for a little while. The only problem is, that isn't quite how it happened. The girls got to school on time, and in their class rooms, and then their mother showed up and pulled them out of school. She decided that they would spend the morning and early afternoon together, and go to Chuck E Cheese to celebrate. After the "party" was over, they were brought back to Daddy's house and dropped off, at about 16:00 (4pm). The only thing miss...

Today started on the earlier side, as we woke up at about 05:00, and then we just stayed in bed for another hour before actually getting up. It was a nice easy relaxed beginning to the day, and then after being up for about a half an hour it got busy. The girls were in their typical playful mood, which can be a bit of a hindrance when trying to get them going in the right direction. All they want to do is have fun and play, so we get to be the bad guy and make them focus more on what they should be doing. Fortunately we don't have to push too hard, though in fact, Linda is the one who usually has to do most of the redirecting.  The girls were off to school and I was off to work. Jason was resting in his room and Linda was out taking care of most everything else. One thing, though, that happened today, Jason received a Roomba, vacuum system and that is going to help with some of the cleaning of the floor. This house has more hardwood floor than just about any other house I've ...

We got up a little on the late side, this morning, as it was about 06:20 when we rolled out of bed. I was okay, since I didn't need to get on the phone until 07:00, though Linda needed to get the girls going, and fed so she could get them to school. I spent the first part of the morning helping Linda and getting the girls up and moving. As it turned out, we were able to still have them up and ready, and then out the door, with time to spare. Jason had a couple of visitors, as well as a technician dropped by to take a look at one of his chairs. The chair needs a new battery, and the tech said they would be shipped here. The other visitors, were Sherry and Chris (I probably spelled their names wrong), to women who are connected to the group who has been helping Jason with the training of Gracie, and we hope will be helping with training of Kojak. It was as much a social visit as a professional one. I think it was good for Jason to have a chance to speak with somebody outside of the...

What a wonderful day, today has been. We woke up late, it was nearly 07:30, and we decided that today we were going to just stay home and not go anywhere. We needed a break and today was going to be that break. Yesterday was Stacy's party, and it was lots of fun, as well as doing a very good job of wearing out the girls (and us). They were both still asleep and so we decided to take advantage of the quiet and just relaxed in bed for a little while. We did manage to get up, a little after 08:00 and we went in and checked on Jason. That's where we found out the girls got up a little while after we had gotten back in bed, and they were in the room with Jason. They were watching cartoons and having a very good time.  I decided to start breakfast and Linda started laundry (I think mine was more fun). By the time she was ready to sit down, breakfast was done. I scrambled some chorizo with egg and potatoes for Jason and I; I also made some French Toast for Stacy; and, Linda and Jack...

Crazy-busy day for us, today, as we got up early so that we could make the final touches on Stacy's birthday party. There was cleaning to do and still preparations to be completed. The amazing thing was that we managed to get it all done, and before the first guests arrived. With Jason's new place here, parking is not an issue. The land, down by the road, is perfect as a parking area, and it is easy to get to. I had made up a sign and put it on a sawhorse, so when folks arrived they'd know where to go. We ended up with about seven vehicles parked in that area and no one was blocked in, in any way. The girls were very excited as some of Stacy's friends from her new school and some from the previous school, were able to make it. Unfortunately not everyone was able to come though, and that did leave Stacy a little disappointed. It seemed to me like there were close to 20 or 30 kids here, but I know it was closer to 12. Jason had ordered a Jumpy House for the kids to play...

Some of you might be wondering what happened to the blog last night. Well, Linda and I actually got a "Date Night" in, and we went to a movie and dinner. The dinner was at a local Mexican restaurant and the food was pretty good, though I think some of the spiciness that was in Linda's made her tummy a little upset. Then we went on to a movie and saw, "No Escape." It was a very intense movie, and Owen Willson and Lake Bell did an amazing job, I was very pleased. We didn't go to the movie for the stars in the movie or for the content of the movie. We went because of the time it was shown, and it fit our open window of opportunity. As it turned out it was very intense for just about the entire movie, and as a result, that level of intensity, along with the spicy food, Linda's tummy was really going. Prior to the getting out and doing something different, the day was busy enough and Linda continued to plan for Stacy's birthday party (she'll be sev...

Another wonderful, though busy, day here in Fallbrook. Linda and I got up before 06:00, and it was a good thing, because I had a conference call going right at 06:00. The benefit was that it provided a little extra time for Linda to get the girls up, and fed breakfast. My call lasted for about an hour and a short time after getting off the phone I was assisting Linda, helping to get the girls to their school. We also decided to go out to breakfast, since we both had a little "free" time, at that point. We made sure Jason was okay and we weren't gone for more than an hour. Jason had a few appointments today, and Linda went with him to the various appointments, all of them being at Balboa. Jason ran into a few friends there and was able to do a little catching up, and so it was a very positive excursion for both of them. While they were gone I had work to do and then, a little while after the girls were out of school, I picked them up. They ride the bus over to a bus stop...

Another exciting day at the Ross household. We got up early, as I needed to be on a conference call at 05:30, and I got Linda up at 06:00. Actually, I broke away from the call, just so I could wake her up, as I was taking the call in another room. She got up and then we noticed something different about today - IT WAS RAINING! The girls got up and it was instant excitement. Linda still managed to calm them down enough to get them ready and off to school. She wanted to get out a little earlier than normal, as rain usually means traffic is going to be much rougher than normal, but then reality was that she got out a few minutes later than normal. As it turned out, the girls got to class on time and Linda got back to the house in a reasonable amount of time. While all this was going on the workers, who started working on the fence, yesterday, came back and took up where they left off. They did manage to get a few of the sections done, when they finally called it a day. It was raining ...

I was woken up at about 02:00 this morning, because Kojak wasn't feeling well, and had pooped on the floor, in Jason's room. Needless to say, I wasn't happy about having to do this, but I was the one who was awake, and I'd rather Linda stay in bed - as she will have to be getting the girls up and to school later in the morning. After getting it all cleaned up I told Jason that he needed to make a pet doctor appointment for Kojak, so we can find out why he has been having these stomach issues. I went back to bed and finally got back to sleep, and then had to get up around 06:15, because Kojak had again, messed in the room. Linda was up this time and between us we were able to get the girls up and moving, the dog mess cleaned up and a short walk out in the backyard, and then a quick breakfast and I had to get to work. Fortunately, I don't have to travel far, and work right out of the bedroom (my "Office"). Linda finished getting the girls ready and their l...

No post yesterday, for multiple reasons. I suppose I could have said that it was due to network issues, and though we are being challenged by the network (or lack of sometimes), that wouldn't be accurate. The reasons for not posting yesterday were basically related to two things a) there wasn't much to put in the blog; and, b) I was really tired yesterday, by the time I would have been able to get to the computer I just wanted to get some sleep. Jason is doing well, and he did get a shower in, and both of those are good things. We also unpacked a couple of boxes and put away a few more things, but generally it was a laid back kind of day.Though we did get to meet a couple of our neighbors, as they were walking their dogs on the street, or just happened to be driving by. We are feeling welcomed here, and that is a very good thing. About the biggest bit of excitement, though was that Linda was able to attend her first Blue Star Mothers meeting as 1st Vice President of the North C...

Fourteen years ago, Jason was sitting with a bunch of other new recruits waiting to go to the MEPS so that he could become a Marine. He was eating breakfast and happened to look up at the T.V. and saw the news, only he thought it was a movie. He saw an airliner fly into one of the Twin Towers and then found out that it was real. The thought ran through his mind that something was very wrong and after the news caster said that it had been a hi-jacked plane, flown by some unknown middle easterners, he thought, "We're going to war over this one." How right he was. It did not change his mind in the slightest, about joining the Marines, and in fact, he was looking forward to it more. The problem was that now all the transportation to get down to be inducted, had been shut down, and the folks in charge didn't know quite what to do. The recruits all got to spend another night at the hotel and then the next day parents and others were called to come get them, and they would...

Wow! I feel like this is a special kind of post. I am entering into my blog and it isn't even 21:00 (9pm) yet. Of course, it still won't be posted until after Linda reads it and does her editing job, but still I think it is special that it is being written, early for a change. Actually, Linda doesn't read all of my posts, prior to them being posted, just most of them, over these past couple of years. I suppose most of you were able to tell when she had seen them and when she had not - that's why I asked her to check them out. I get going sometimes and use wrong words or missed words, and it makes it difficult to read, or make sense of it. Anyway, here goes. I got up, right after Linda did. She had been thinking about Friday's activities and it made it more difficult to sleep. Tomorrow we are being filmed for a presentation and Linda wants the house to look better than brand new. She has been doing a great deal of extra cleaning and putting things away and though i...

Funny thing happened yesterday, with out "Smart" devices. The guys came out to instruct us on all the particulars of the different things we will be dealing with and they even gave a couple of tutorials on Security, and how the in-home communications works. They also helped load up on some of the music we each like, and it was all well and good. Jason had them do a password change on the Wi-Fi, and shortly after that is when we ran into trouble. I hadn't even given it a second thought that with the password changing that we would be knocked off the network and have to get back on. The getting back on was the tough part... Jason had fallen asleep, by the time we (Linda and I) wanted to go on line and read some email. I thought no big deal, I'd just jump back on and enter the new password. Now, you have to appreciate that I haven't had to deal with an operating system in about a decade, other than to simply have it running on my computer, and the occasional softwa...

A busy day, especially considering it is Labor Day, a day that is meant to wind down and maybe even get a little rest. We did get some winding down in, and relatively early on, in the day, I took the girls out kite flying, again. They both seem to enjoy it, and because we have a prevailing breeze coming through, it is kind of easy to do. The down side is that by the time we were out and flying it was getting to be a little later in the morning, and the sun was definitely up. It got to be well above 90 today, and just standing there in the sun light wore me down just a little. We had fun, though, so I think it was well worth the effort (We also had plenty of sun block on). After getting the girls down for their naps, Linda and I laid down to get a little rest as well. We were back up after only about an hour of laying down and started putting things away, and emptying boxes once again. I managed to get through five boxes and Linda did several, though I have to admit, I don't know ...

We had a nice visit from Linda's parents, Joe and Jess, as they brought Linda's brother Tom, and Tom's wife Palmeira. They stayed for a couple of hours and got a nice tour of the house, and then we had Pizza for dinner. This was actually decided upon well before they came. Only Jess had spaghetti, as she isn't a big pizza fan. There was some time visiting with Jason and playing with the girls, and then it was time for them to head on back home. It was getting late and they didn't want to have to be driving in the dark, any more than they had to. Joe was doing most of the driving, and he has a fractured wrist, so doing too much with the hands is kind of uncomfortable, and I don't think there are too many out there that enjoy driving at night anyway. Jason spent a good portion of the day, relaxing in bed and watching a number of shows, while also doing different things on his phone. He has gotten pretty good at doing both and it helps to keep him from going a ...

Today the girls had a special visitor, and her name was Joselynn. It isn't the same Joselynn that comes to the house frequently, it is the daughter of one of the tile guys, who worked on Jason's bathroom, Joe. He came to the house this afternoon, to finish a project, and he asked if he could bring his daughter along, and both Stacy and Jackie were thrilled to have another little playmate. When we moved in, Linda had set up a play area, just for the girls, so having one more person to join in worked out just fine. Joselynn is older than Stacy, by about two years, and it was very cute to see Stacy get very nervous, prior to Joselynn's arrival. Stacy was concerned that they wouldn't play well together, and as soon as Joselynn arrived, all the fears and concerns went out the door. They are about the same size, so that helps, and Stacy is mature for her age, and that helped as well. Over all, it was a very good visit, and they even were able to go out and fly kites together...

We're going to be working towards getting settled in this new house, for the next several days, and even perhaps weeks. We have been emptying boxes, and I now have a small pile of broken down boxes on the patio. What I am going to need to figure out is how we're going to be getting rid of those boxes, once we're done emptying and breaking down. But, that isn't something I need to worry about right now. Jason is doing better, though he is getting tired of just laying in bed. He only gets up to do very short activities, and then goes back to lay down. He is very aware of the need for him to stay down, and I'm glad he is that way. I would be uncomfortable trying to tell him to stay down, rather I'd like to just encourage him to stay down. As my grandmother used to say - "You get more done with honey than vinegar." The modifications to Jason's shower are nearly completed, and should be done tomorrow. They are meant to allow him to have a more comfo...

Linda and set a target of getting five boxes emptied and put away, each day. So far, I think we're on an average of closer to two. I'm of the opinion that if God had wanted us to get 5 boxes a day emptied he would have given me a lot more energy and time, to do it. Today, when I wasn't working or doing something else, I was working with contractors getting some work done around the house. I'm happy to say that Jason's shower looks like it will be completed tomorrow, and he'll be able to jump into the shower again. He will have been without a shower for almost three days, and that is quite long enough for all of us. The other area being worked on is the network, wi-fi, and assorted digital items that are being used at this house. The network is functioning much better now and they installed a Blue-Ray player on Linda's and my side of the house. The technicians wanted to take some time to go over the operations of all of what they have done, but there wasn...

You know, I feel like now that we have rolled into September, the year is just about over... and it is. We only have four more months to go, and one of those months, September, is getting shorter. I look forward to the holidays, here at the new Ross homestead. Because we have the extra room, we can have more people over and more importantly, we can have more family over. It was a productive day, in that the folks who were involved with the building of the house, had some workers come over today, to work on Jason's shower. Because of the way it was designed, he has some difficulties in transferring from his chair to the shower. The solution is a simple one, and one that we should have caught earlier. It is a matter of notching out a section, near the bottom, so that the wheels of his chair have a place to go and thus the transfer will be easier. The opportunity to do it right the first time was there and none of us saw it, not even Jason, who was very involved in the design of the...

Because it is getting late, again, and I am feeling a bit tired. I'm afraid I'm going to make a relatively short post. First of all, Jason and I went to the hospital at Balboa and the primary reason was to get him in to see the folks at Wound Care and to see the doctor there. We were successful in both areas. They took a look at his right side and also expressed concern, because of how the tissue was healing up. What had happened was that a "tunnel" was forming and those can be problematic, if not taken care of. They showed me what I needed to do, and I think, over the next several weeks, I can get him back on track, like we want. We also discussed his chair, and some of the challenges he was having with it, and now that is being address, as well. If we can get both of those corrected, I believe it will be a much better Fall and Winter for all of us. Otherwise, Linda spent a great deal of time unpacking boxes and putting things away. The challenge with this is tha...