6

Ryan and I had been to New York before, but never like we did at the end of August. We ventured north to attend the Phoenix Society's World Burn Congress. Operation Comfort was kind enough to host a group of about 30, burn survivors and their caregivers, and they pulled out all the stops. When we arrived in New York, the pilot asked the other passengers to remain seated so our group could deboard the plane. When we did, we were greeted by New York's finest firefighters and police officers and a round of applause from everyone nearby. I was not expecting that and it really got me choked up. The FDNY provided vehicles and escort to our hotel and it really started our trip off with a bang.

The World Burn Congress is held in a different city every year, but New York drew a bigger crowd than any year past. There were over 900 burn survivors, caregivers, medical professionals and firefighters in attendance from all over the world. Over the four days of the congress, there were guest speakers, break out sessions, classes, and open mic opportunities. Never had we been around so many burn survivors and it was very moving to hear all their stories. People who had been burned in house fires, work accidents, meth explosions, and domestic violence. People who had been burned at all ages, recently and long past. Obvious burn injuries and "invisible" burns. Everyone was willing to share and everyone was willing to listen. We learned so much in just a few days and were so glad to connect with Phoenix Society. The event ended with a gala on the last night, and by that time it seemed like we'd all known each other forever. It was sad to say goodbye.

Outside of the congress events, the firefighters were our New York City tour guides taking us to the Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island, Coney Island, and the World Trade Center Memorial and Museum. They took us for a ride on the Hudson in the marine one fire boat, for an authentic Italian dinner, to a street fair in Brooklyn, and fed us a huge meal at every station we visited. It was a tour of New York that we felt honored to be a part of.

The best part of our trip to New York was spending so much time getting to know the firefighters. There was such a connection between the military and the firefighters, and each had so much respect for the others' willingness to sacrifice their lives for others. What can you say for a group of people who run into a building when everyone else is running out, who run into the fire to try to keep others from being burned. We knew we were in the presence of heroes, it was very humbling.

We came home from New York with an unforgettable experience.

There are fire stations every few blocks in Manhattan because of the dense population in the city. Ladder 4 here is the "Pride of Midtown", while the Engine next to it read "Never Missed a Performance".

Tenhouse is the home of Engine 10 and Ladder 10 directly across the street from the World Trade Center. They suffered heavy losses on September 11, 2001.

All jazzed up for the gala.

As we were taking the ferry back from Liberty Island and Ellis Island, the fireboat put on a show just for us!

The firefighters in Brooklyn were kind enough to let a few of us slide down the fire pole.

No trip to Brooklyn is complete without a stop at Coney Island and a ride on the Wonder Wheel.

7

Now, back to the countdown.

In July, I was invited to Washington D.C. with the Wounded Warrior Project. They assembled a group of 21 caregivers to lobby on Capitol Hill for caregiver legislation. We arrived on Sunday and spent all day Monday discussing our needs as caregivers and reviewing the proposed legislation to see how it met our needs. Our group was a cross section of wives, mothers, and fathers who have provided care for the nation's most severely wounded. I felt out of place in a room full of people who are providing full time, lifetime care for severe traumatic brain injury, severe post traumatic stress disorder, and quadriplegia. But when we spent all day Tuesday and Wednesday with senators, congressmen, and directors of agencies that provide service to wounded veterans, I found that my input was valuable. The biggest concern for a lot of those we spoke to was the cost of this legislation. Opponents to the legislation were estimating that thousands of caregivers would be eligible for support under the proposed programs forever. But I was an example of someone who could have benefited for a period of time, but would eventually (and thankfully I have) outgrow the need. Unfortunately, most of the caregivers in our group would need support for the lifetime of their veteran.

Our efforts met with some success on November 19th, when the Senate unanimously passed S.1963, the Caregivers and Veterans Omnibus Health Services Act of 2009. However, the proposed House Caregiver Bill, H.R. 3155, is not nearly as comprehensive and only provides support for a fraction of the families that would be supported by S. 1963. If you would like to learn more about the legislation and take action to support the families of America's most severely wounded veterans, please go to the Wounded Warrior Project website to learn more.

I learned so much from my experience on Capitol Hill. It was interesting to see how laws are made and it felt good to do my part on behalf of all caregivers. More than anything I came home realizing, yet again, just how blessed I am to have my husband, in every way still the man I married.

I walked back and forth from the Senate to the House

more times than I could count.

But it was worth it!

Caregivers from Texas meet with Congressman Chet Edwards.

Brief interruption

I'd like to interrupt this Top Ten to bring you a little Christmas cheer.

Merry Christmas from our family to yours!

Well, mostly merry.

8

If there's one thing I can say with certainty about our "post injury" life, it is that we have had a lot of opportunities that we wouldn't have had otherwise.

One of those opportunities came along in October. Our friend Chaz is one of the Marine Officer Instructors at Texas A&M University in College Station. He and his family moved to Texas last summer and even though they are only a couple hours away, we hadn't yet had a chance to visit.

When Chaz called Ryan and invited him to be a Guest Coach for a day at an Aggie football game, we thought that was a pretty good excuse to make the trek. We had no idea what a fun day it would be.

Ryan got a tour of the sports museum, a look at the press box, a special VIP breakfast, amazing seats for the game, and a great view of the Corps of Cadets marching into the stadium as he stood on field! But the best part was hanging out with an old friend.

Chaz and Ryan on the field.

Gig 'em!

One unexpected surprise was meeting former President George H. W. Bush. President Bush was kind enough to meet the guest coaches and take a few pictures before the game started.

The kids and I didn't go to the game, but we probably had more fun hanging out with Allison, Andrew, & Ava back at the house. Not to mention we had lunch at the Hullabaloo Diner and it was fabulous!

We can't wait to visit College Station and our dear friends again soon!

9

For as long as I can remember, Jaida has always wanted a dog. When she was little, she would ask and ask, and the answer was always no. So sometimes she just pretended to be a dog.

Jaida as "Max" the dog

When she got a little older, "no" wasn't enough. She wanted to know why. And when.

So, I told her she could have a dog when she was 8-years-old. That seemed so far off. And I thought by then I'd be ready.

I wasn't.

When she was 9, I was pregnant with Maya. The thought of having a new dog and a new baby at the same time didn't sound like such a good idea. And when Maya was 1, and Jaida was 11, I was pregnant with Noah.....and Ryan was deployed. Nope, still not the right time for a dog.

Then Ryan was injured. So we moved to San Antonio. Three girls with Daddy in the hospital.

Noah was born. And Ryan came home. Dogs were nowhere in our future.

But sometime last spring (I'm pretty sure it was when Jaida's guinea pig died) we started thinking about getting a dog. Ryan liked the idea. Jaida loved the idea. Maya and Noah loved dogs. And I was pretty sure I was ready to assume all responsibility for said creature, knowing that it was likely to be my duty most often. But not yet. We had a really busy summer planned and it wouldn't be fair to welcome a new dog into our home just to leave him repeatedly. So we just started thinking about what kind of dog we wanted and where we would get him.

After much discussion, debate, and research we came to a decision. We wanted a small dog because it would mostly be indoors. But not so small that Noah could easily crush it. We wanted a smart dog so that we could train it to be well behaved. But we wanted our dog to be energetic and fun to play with. And important to me, but not really anyone else, was having a dog that didn't shed a lot.

And we all agreed we wanted a rescue dog. We wanted to save a life and give a dog a home and a family.

Our searching led us to the Poodle Rescue of Houston. We made the drive on Labor Day weekend and found the dog for us.

At last!

He's a brown miniature poodle weighing about 16 lbs. We think he's about 4-years-old, but we don't know for sure. He's an anxious little guy, but he's doing well with his training. He's very protective, especially of the children. And he's very tolerant, especially of Noah laying on him, pulling his tail, and petting him in a less than gentle way. (We're working on Noah's training and it's taking a little longer!) His name is Huey (like the helicopter) and he's a welcome addition to our family.

And speaking of additions to our family, don't ask me why getting a dog when I was pregnant with Maya seemed ridiculous, but getting a dog when I'm pregnant now doesn't. I guess because it's my 4th baby I think I can handle anything. Ha!

Huey feels right at home.

10

Will someone please tell me where the year 2009 went?

A new year is upon us and as I look back over my blog, I see I have neglected to blog about several things that we did in 2009. So here are the top ten things, in no particular order, I forgot to tell you last year.

#10

In February, I told you about an amazing trip we took to Vail, Colorado, with the Vail Veterans Program. Ryan was able to snowboard for the first time since his injury. What I didn't tell you is that we were invited back to attend their summer program in July. The summer program gave us the opportunity to go fly fishing, white water rafting, and horseback riding, in addition to just enjoying the beautiful mountains and connecting with other wounded service members and their families. Photographer John Moore captured some of the best images of the trip in this slideshow.

Yet again, Cheryl Jensen, founder of the Vail Veterans Program, managed to think of everything to make this trip challenging, inspiring, and empowering.

No amount of rain could ruin our day

when we're fly fishing on the Colorado River.

I managed to get a fish on the line,

but I couldn't bring him in. Maybe next time.

A trail ride with my sweetie before dinner is a nice way

to end a great day.

After just a few nights at the Yarmony Creek Ranch

we felt like we could stay forever.

Back in Vail, the view from the top of the mountain

is just as beautiful without all the snow.

Lots of happy faces after an unforgettable stay in Colorado.

We're even more excited to be going back to Vail for their winter program again at the end of January 2010. And this time it is a family program! Be watching for pictures of our little family tackling the slopes in Vail. And tune in tomorrow for #9 on the list of things not blogged about yet this year!

Wordless Wednesday