Day 1027 – Grayson’s Journey

Dear family and friends

We managed to make it through another week! The house has once again been filled with the sounds of demolition and construction. We are sleeping in the living room and we are down a bathroom. Work has been crazy for me and we have just pulled of a major reorganization that was effective today. Now I need to spend some time on the road again and that means that Regina will have to manage things on her own for a while. With Grayson that can be difficult. It means short days in the office and limited time to get everything done.

Grayson continues to be in his up-cycle and has been quite sharp and alert. That is a blessing!

Pax!

Brant

Day 1026 – Grayson’s Journey

Dear family and friends,

Today the plumber came to the house and did a thorough inspection all of the drain and supply lines in the master bath. He had a better than average opportunity since they removed most of the walls and flooring in the room. When they did he discovered not one but several cracked pipes – obviously the cause of the leaks flowing into the family room below.

It reminds me of Grayson's situation. Every day we are dealing with leaks in his abilities. His short term memory is so porous that he is able to hold what he just heard or experienced for less than a minute. That makes it hard for him to build new patterns, to weigh choices or understand consequences.

With our home, we have the ability to remove the walls and floors, see the damage, replace the damaged old pipes with new, solid pipes and restore functioning to as good as or better than before.

With Grayson, we can't see into his brain or nerves. We can't see or repair the damaged, oxygen starved cells. We search blindly for conduits that might still be open and hold on to the threads of functionality.

As our dear cousin, Robin recently said, "We don't know what the future holds, but we know who holds our future and we are seeking to trust Him."

In peace and hope,

Regina

Day 1025 – Grayson’s Journey

Dear family and friends

Grayson’s caregiver was back today after a long weekend. It was good to see Danielle again!

Grayson has memories that still surprise me when we tap into them. Tonight we were watching TV and Conan had a bit spoofing Katie Couric. She was showing off her home and it showed that she had many pictures of Saddam Hussein, clearly photoshopped in. Grayson was just rolling with laughter. When I asked him who was in the pictures he quickly responded between laughs, “Saddam Hussein”.

There is still a lot still in that head of his. We just need to find a way to get it out!

Pax!

Brant

Day 1024 – Grayson’s Journey

Dear family and friends

Today was a busy day after the holiday weekend. Austin had the day off and came over to help Regina clear out the remainder of the bedroom. Workers were here before 8:30 to start demo on the master bathroom. Demo they did and at the end of the day the bathroom as we knew it was gone! We decided that as long as we had to do major repairs, we should update our circa 1976 bathroom with some enhancements. There is no turning back now!

Grayson was a champ today! He was calm while the world around him was in a bit of chaos. Austin came over and was a great help all day. Zach also pitched in to help. It was a team effort to finish moving things around so we could function during the update.

At the end of the day, Grayson was pooped and went to bed without a peep. The rest of us did also!

Pax!

Brant

Day 1023 – Grayson’s Journey

Dear family and friends

Today was filled with lots of labor! While the nation took a day off to celebrate the achievements of American workers and organized labor, we spent the day moving out of our bathroom and some of our bedroom. We were “celebrating” a leak from a drain line that runs over our family room. That leak has now done some damage to the ceiling but before we can affect a repair we need to fix the source. So tomorrow the crew will arrive to start tearing into our bathroom. After 36 years, it is time for plenty of other deferred maintenance in this room!

Grayson went with me when I ran my errands during the day. He has been sharp and active all day. In fact when I went to wash his hands at one point today, I told him to address the sink, and he said, “Hi sink!” then looked at me and grinned. The boy still has his sense of humor!

Back to work tomorrow after a long and wonderful weekend!

Pax!

Brant

Day 1022 – Grayson’s Journey

Dear family and friends

This afternoon while Regina ran several errands, Grayson and I went over to Rita and Richard’s newly remodeled pool and hung out in the Southern California sunshine. Grayson and I had a great time together relaxing and playing in the pool. As the sun dropped lower in the sky, we headed home.

Grayson is still doing well. He continues to be on an up-cycle which is fun for us.

Happy Labor Day!

Pax!

Brant

Day 1021 – Grayson’s Journey

Dear family and friends

Today was a busy day of errands prior to the start of Trojan Football for the year! We spent the late morning and afternoon dealing with life’s essentials before settling in to watch our beloved Trojans take on the Warriors of Hawaii. The Warriors played tough but were no match for USC. Final score USC Trojans 49, Hawaii Warriors 10.

For those that have known Grayson a long time, “sports fan” is not how one would refer to Grayson. However he does seem to perk up with anything related to his alma mater, so he is content to sit and watch the game with us and read his book. He does tent to jump a bit when I suddenly holler at an exciting play, but he is content to be surrounded by us during the action.

Grayson continues in his “up-cycle” and his “get-up” cycle. By that I mean that he had a difficult time staying in bed after I put him down for the night. Fortunately, he went down for good after just one sounding of the door alarm tonight!

Pax!

Brant