#MomsGotEpilepsy

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Posted: February 22, 2019

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I had my first seizure at the tender age of 33 (statistically, the most uncommon time in your life to present, but I'm special that way), I was also 37.5 weeks pregnant with our second child. 

I was taken by ambulance to the hospital, only becoming conscious to notice exit changes on Mopac (a local highway) and to hear them do the "Grey's Anatomy", the transfer of information from the first responders to the hospital staff. After a very scary and intense couple of hours, we had a healthy second son. We were all sent home with a clean bill of health after the standard stay in the hospital. The seizure was considered connected to the pregnancy and a "one-off."

Eighteen days later, seizure #2. This time I only remember seeing the lights of the hospital ceiling as they wheeled me through, they're very distinct. I left that hospital visit with my first seizure meds and the decision to get a tattoo. It was around this time that I was told, "everyone gets one seizure, after two you've got epilepsy."  My seizures continued, giving any new med cocktails the finger. Also taking from me the ability to carry our newborn, drive, or be alone.

I have Generalized Primary Epilepsy. In short, it comes from both sides of my brain with no known cause. I have tonic-clonic seizures (formerly known as grand mal seizures). They are the kind you see on TV because they're the most dramatic. Who wants the see the "boring" kind? It took somewhere around a year and a half to two years to get my medication right. Justin can answer most questions better than I can because there are a lot of holes in my memory. Thank you nuerological disorder!

At the beginning of this, Justin and I didn't know how to navigate this diagnosis without Googling it and bracing for the absolute worse. That is where the Epilepsy Foundation of Central & South Texas saved us. The Adult Support Group meetings became an invaluable way for us to get information and support (bet you didn't see that one coming). We met amazing people who understood what we were going through, were a lot of fun, and could put away some pizza.  

Living with epilepsy is a daily challenge, however with the help of amazing doctors, friends, family, and a plethora of pills I've been seizure-free for a long stretch now. Every case is different and others are still trying to find a way to manage their Epilepsy, you can help change that.

Posted: March 5, 2019

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June 2015.

This is me with my head tied to a wall in the hospital. You can tell this is the first day I was there because I look cute and my looks slid quickly downhill, according to Justin. I was tethered in the Epilepsy Monitoring Unit somewhere between five and seven days for a video EEG. A video EEG is a fun little experiment where they shove strobe lights in your face, deprive you of sleep, and take away all your meds until you start having seizures so they can record what’s going on in your brain. I don’t remember how long I was there because I forgot everything after day two-ish when I had the first seizure of my stay. I also don’t remember the entire week after.

Silver lining—this test played a huge part in understanding what was going on in my brain during the seizures. When the results of the EEG were studied and my medications were adjusted, I became fairly stable pretty quickly. So some weird captivities are worth the final result?

Okay, gotta go take some meds. Truth. #MomsGotEpilepsy

Tarrytown Bungalow for Lease - Not on MLS -

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Fully furnished turnkey rental in Tarrytown!  Totally updated 2 bedroom, 2 bathroom with 2 living areas, open floorpan and vaulted ceilings in living room and master offer a classic Tarrytown bungalow feel with modern amenities. 


Master Bedroom with adjustable queen bed includes walk-in closet and en-suite bathroom with freestanding shower and soaking tub. Second bedroom has a sturdy twin bed over queen bunkbed and dual closets.  


Kitchen is equipped with stainless steel high-end appliances, stone countertops, and under-cabinet lighting which all make cooking at home a joy.

Main living room features beautiful built-in bookshelf with discrete 5.1 Dolby Digital surround sound and large screen plasma TV. Included cable, internet, and dimmable lighting make for great movie nights.  Front living space offers additional seating and desk, great for working from home, or spreading out.

A beautiful and historic Live Oak tree frames the front yard.  Included landscaping keeps zoysia grass and beds healthy so you can enjoy being outside. The large backyard includes a sizable deck, playscape, multiple sitting areas and built-in mosquito control system.

Walking distance to both Tarrytown, West Enfield Park and Johnson Creek hike and bike trail. Great house, great school district, and a great location!

Available starting January 1, 2021 for 6-12 month flexible lease.  Personal belongings in photos will be removed. 24 hour notice for viewing preferred.

Towee Calusa Pro Boat w/ Yamaha 25HP Outboard and Minn Kota Trolling Motor for Sale $13,500

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The Towee Guide Tested Skiff is the Swiss army knife of boats. At home on shallow rivers, bays or lakes the Towee can go anywhere. Titles for hull, outboard and trailer in hand. Series inquiries only, gently used Towees are hard to find.

Yamaha 25HP 4-Stroke (broken in, but very few hours in total)

Minn Kota Riptide 55 iPilot (with charger)

Jet Sled Anchor System

Fold Down Cleats x2

Full SeaDek (custom - no Towee logo)

Carbon Marine Tiller Extension

Seat Mount Base/Ped and chair

2018 Towee Pro Trailer by Tennessee Trailers w Tilt, mounted spare tire

2 x Cup Holders (stainless)

Deep Cycle Battery

Chocks

Anchor, lines and bumpers

Boat cover

Dell Rugged Tablet 2 - Baydelta Maritime

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This is one of my productions at Dell that I'm the most proud of.  It wasn't the biggest budget, but it was a stellar and small team, working with an amazing customer.  Baydelta Maritime granted us full access to their crew for 3 days.  We flew drones, played captain, and told a great story.  

Baydelta Maritime chose Latitude 7212 Rugged Extreme Tablets because in the high traffic and harsh conditions of the San Francisco Bay, failure is unacceptable.

Dell Gaming Upper Funnel

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I produced this, and coming soon, a number of versions for an upper funnel campaign to showcase Dell's gaming hardware lineup.

Yesterday, my video is playing on the YouTube.com masthead and as of this morning it has over 4 million views!

Whatever level you're on, you're one of us. Get deeper in the game with powerful technology by Dell and Alienware. Learn more at dell.com/gaming

This production was a large scale coordination.  We worked with Anonymous Content from LA and Director John X. Carey and Jason McCormick as our Director of Photography.  Leslie Owen was our Producer from Anonymous and she was so awesome.  Local production in Mexico City was facilitated by Spectrum Films Mexico.  Custom music was composed by Justin Tapp of Group Therapy. Post Production was handled by Cut + Run and they couldn't have been better to work with.  

Check out our production in Mexico City.

We have more Dell Gaming spots rolling out and I will be adding them here.  

Don't just play.  Game. 

Arial Videography

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So, I have a Mavic Pro and I love it.  

It combines a lot of things I love.  Shooting video and storytelling, but also exploring new terrain. With the flying camera, I can see places in a way I never have before.  I can identify topography which was previously only in my mind.  Plus it's a total adrenaline rush.   

It's another way of interacting with the world around me.

Here are some selects from the last couple of weeks.

Pyramid of the Sun

A sunset cruise around Mt Bonnel
Flying around Penny Backer Bridge with Steve Perkins Audio: We Are Heading To The East is by Springtide

 

 

Silver ADDY for Dell Precision Rugged Tablet

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I was honored this week to be recognized with a Silver Addy for my work as a Co-Producer showcasing the Dell Precision Rugged Tablet, along with a tremendous @DellBlue team.  Shot over a week in Alaska, the Dell Blue Photo and Video team knocked it out of the park.

#atxaddys

A photo posted by @chauncey322 on

You can see the work we did in the 2 videos below, really thought these turned out great.

Hello, World!

This is a production I am extremely proud of.  In my experience, one of the most challenging videos to pre-produce, but also one of the most well executed.  Cheers!

Award winners @icekuhler and @steve4ustin at #atxaddys. Cheers to us!

A photo posted by Justin Ross (@jross3030) on

Dell Blue took home a total of 4 Addy's, proud to be a part of the team.

E-Rock Summit Trail

/ enchanted rock state natural area/

Enchanted Rock is an old volcano that never erupted, at least that is what I read somewhere and told Arlo, which really stuck, so i hope it's true (real truth here).

While I had been to E-rock many times, it has been years since visiting, and apparently a lot more people like old volcanoes these days, so that if you get there after the parking lot is full, there is a 2 hour park closure.  Not cool with kids.  We get there at 10:30 and didn't have a problem, but it's a thing.

We stayed at the Hill House and BC and Thatcher stayed behind, while April, Dan, Arlo and myself met the Langdon's (sans their youngest son Jack) to hike to the summit.  

Arlo did pretty good, although it was so windy at the top, he needed to be carried.  We tried to play in the boulder field on the way down, but he just hit his head.

The Ross Boys on the Zilker Zephyr

/ Zilker Park/

This weekend was so nice, I decided to take the boys to Zilker, right when we got there the train was pulling away.  

None of us had risen it before, so we hopped on.  Thatcher wanted to be a big boy and refused to sit in my lap, only on the seat like his big brother.  He even kept pushing my arm and hand away when I wrapped it around him.

Arlo's biggest concern was if there would be a tunnel.  He loved fearing the thing.  Think it was related to a Planes scene where Dusty tries to fly through a tunnel and nearly head ons a train. 

An impromptu stop at Zilker landed us on the Zephyr for their first time. Wish I had my GoPro, but the iPhone will have to do;)

5D Mark III

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I really do love cameras.  I guess I always have.  I can remember the old school DSLR's my mom and grandmother had back in the day vividly.  When I got into high school I was all about Mary Ann Palmer's video class.  We used VHS cameras.  I had a chance to use the Cannon 5D Mark 3 over the weekend and had so much fun playing with it with the kids.  I had the L-series 24-70 f2.8 lens on and the thing was s fast.  The first series the kids are playing freeze tag and each photo is in focus.  Minimal post done in Lightroom.

Movember

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Good colleague of mine Steve Perkins invited me to join his November team this year.  While I'v been aware of the movement, I hadn't looked closely at wall all the organization does, nor did I understand how growing a mustache helped men's health issues.

Me and my mustache encourage you to check out the November Foundation website to learn how they are helping:

Prostate cancer.
Testicular cancer. 
Poor mental health. 
Physical inactivity.

If you are looking for a mustache to sponsor, or talked to me about my mustache and I told you to go to my website, you're in luck, you're in the right spot. 

Help change the face of men's health. Donation info found here:

By the way, for every donation I get, I will post a personalized updated thank you image of my 'stache, so you can see what you're investing in.

Thanks!
Justin Ross


Happy 3rd Birthday Arlo!

/ Peter Pan Put-Put/

Can't leave my main man Arlo of this year's list of birthday blog posts.  

I guess when you're 3, your birthday lasts an entire week.  Arlo got started at the Hill House, while I was at ACL, but that's another post...I guess it's the previous one.

I took Monday after ACL off from work, which was the greatest thing ever.  Got the kids out the door, had a nice lunch with @DPJones15, took a leisurely stroll through Central Market and even had a coffee while I shopped.  Record scratch.  Wait a second, this wasn't my birthday, it was my boys'!  

I broke Arlo out of Open Door and took him to Peter Pan Put-Put.  He's really into Golf, his favorite golfer goes between Rickie and Rory, no matter how much I'm pushing Jordan Speith. 

Check back here after the weekend.  We have a Cars themed birthday party in the park that should garner some good times.

What a day!  Such a perfect little party, spending time in the park, which is what Arlo and I would like to be doing anyway, but with tons of family and friends!

After the party, Texas beat OU!  As Arlo would say, "Whaaaaaat?!"  

Adrians, Mom and Dad, Linda and April came over to the house to watch the Bears and the Horns, I snuck a jog in during nap time, then dinner with the Kauffman's and Guillory's.  Nice lil' Saturday.

Cheers!

Justin Ross

ACL 2015

/ Austin City Limits Music Festival/

I've always enjoyed the Austin City Limits.  It's just such a great staycation, worth the ticket price considering the show is a short bike ride away.  

This year Amber took the boys to the Hill House, for a restful weekend, and to make room for Langdon to stay at our house and enjoy his first ACL.  Needless to say, a good time was had by all.  I think Amber only complained about a little blood on the door of the master bedroom, and the cops definitely did not make it to our house Saturday night.  


Family Vacation - Colorado

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Ah the family vacation, time together, with children, small children, in the mountains.  Remove the schedules, the routine, the toys, and cell service... Luckily Aunt April was there or I don't think we would have made it out alive. 

Saturday

Today was a travel day, and the kids did great, actually.  Our direct flight to Denver kept getting delayed, so we took our time heading to the airport. It was a good thing actually, Amber left her phone at home and we doubled back halfway to the airport to get it. She was going to look up ABIA valet Service when she noticed it was missing. More on the valet upon return.... 

While in line to board, Arlo suggested that we get the entire plane to countdown while we "blastoff," then added that we should do it in Spanish, which garnered a chuckle from the nice lady that would wind up sitting behind us.  April got to sit next Arlo on the flight, and he probably asked if we were blasting off about 100 times while taxi'ing on the runway. I think he sufficiently blown away upon departure, and even better, he got to watch Diego during the flight.  In the van and on the road, Arlo did quite well, until he said he was peeing his pants. I played my Dad card and pulled off the road to have him hop out and drop trough, to which he said, "is this some bodies house?"  "Yes son, it is" 

He would grow up that night, sleeping in a big boy bed for the first time.  We have been blessed he hasn't tried to jump ship all too often in his crib at home, but this VRBO home had a kids room with a bunk bed and room for a pac and play for Thatcher.  He was stoked to be going to bed in his big boy bed and really looked good sleeping in it, I guess it's just something I had never seen before.  

Sunday

Sunday was spent getting our bearings.  April, the boys and I went for a walk around the neighborhood, and it was pretty crisp.  We headed into town and stumbled into (what was the name of this bar?  Seemed like a drinking bar, but the breakfast was dynomite.)  We soon found the town park with access to the Blue River, and Arlo could hardly keep his pants on.  I wasn't about to deny his desire to play in the mountain river, so we crossed and played, much to the jealousy of other kids I'm told.  "Hey, why does that kid get to go out there?!"  

Naps would prove tough this week, but this day everyone went down but Thather and I, we had our own little back patio session, to which I believe he enjoyed himself.  Arlo and I later went for a hike where he slipped a little bit.

Monday

My fishing time has been greatly reduced as a new Dad.  Monday I was really excited to have booked a day with Mountain Anglers to go fishing.  As you may know, this is a passion of mine, well, anything that allows me to interact with the natural environment around me could be considered a passion of mine, so maybe it's just that trout live in some really beautiful places.  

Anyway, I met up with my guide Pete via High Mountain Taxi (super convenient for Amber, April and the boys) and drove to the Upper Colorado River, NW of Vail.  The Upper C was big water and Pete thought it would be great for us as most folks were floating the river, therefore fewer wading anglers to compete against.  As bad luck would have it, a father son combo had decided to make the haul to the exact same location, and were hooking up in the holes immediately above us.  This proved frustrating for Pete and me, so we bailed after a couple of hours.  I have to say, there was some beautiful pocket water here. 

My family was taking advantage of fun town, up the mountain at Breckenridge.  Turns out, Arlo loves a gondola (aka spaceship) ride.  This is where Arlo really starts to get into the photography side of traveling (see photos and video below;) Kid after my own heart.

The afternoon proved more productive for me and the bite finally turned on.  We caught browns and rainbows until it was time to head back, and ended on a catch.  We headed back to meet the family at the Blue Stag for dinner.  I think they had quite a long day, and were probably glad to see me;)

The first of a productive afternoon with @mountainanglerflyfishing

A video posted by Justin Ross (@jross3030) on

 

Tuesday

Boreas Pass is a beautiful, and mispronounced by this Texan, drive out east of town.  To be honest, Amber immediately jumped back into high anxiety when driving on the sides of mountains, so we took it pretty easy on the drive.  Arlo was also napping after a long morning and when we got to Baker's Tank, Arlo was in a funk and Thatcher was hungry.  A bottle in the woods fixed Thatcher's 'tude, but it took April's camera in the hands of little Arlo to bring out the kid we know and love.  Then it was hard to contain.  Told you he really loves directing photographs.

Diego loves helping animals, and Arlo loves Diego.  With a handy dandy pair of binocs we brought from home, Arlo was stoked to go on a neighborhood hike in the afternoon.  

Wednesday

Fun City was calling, and according to Amber, she thought Arlo might have a little more fun with Dad in charge.  I'm not sure about that, but I was eager to see what was up there.  After chatting with the powers that be, I learned that Arlo was barely eligible for some of the bigger activities.  I was most excited he could do a brand new children's rope challenge course and a zip line.

Arlo was most excited about put-put, which he's pretty good at actually.

After a cool 18 holes, he wanted to get on those bungee trampoline things.  30lbs was the weight limit.  "Step on the scale, little man."  30lbs. exactly!  Ha!

After a run through the bounce house, Arlo was tired, but I was determined to get him on the ropes course.  I have had many great confidence building experiences doing challenge courses, I was stoked Breck had one for the little man.

While tired, he was ready to go.  And it wasn't easy, especially considering his size, but I was so proud of how he did.

I'd like to edit a little video of him walking the course and will post it here when ready.

After that, Arlo couldn't stop hiking up to the top of the zip line and zipping down.  I hate zip lining.  Psych, I love it.

 

Thursday

Seems like we woke up Thursday morning and were like, "wait, tomorrow is our last day in the mountains!"  We decided to take advantage with a family "hike" though the woods.  

brief internet search, backed up by the welcome center write up on hikes in the hood, revealed that Sawmill Trail could just be right for our crew.  It really was, through the woods, mellow grade, by a stream.  You can read about how it ends at a reservoir great for wading out in, but we wouldn't make it the 0.7 miles 1 way to find out.  We did however find a lovely stream to have a snack by.

Now all week we had been seeing sign about road closures due to the USA Pro Cycling Tour riding through town Thursday and Friday.  That's great and all, but we are staying on the pass, and that's the road they were coming down.  Concerned about being cutoff from our basecamp, we hustled home for some hot dogs and walked down to view the race.

Arlo did so good, we probably waited by the road for an hour and a half, all the while getting updates from a state officer working the race.  When the racers were a couple of miles away, Arlo said, "I have to go potty."  Are you kidding me?  He wouldn't give up, so Amber walked him up to the house as helicopters whirled close by.  Suddenly, after much anticipation, a few bikers rode by.

Friday

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Our last day in the mountains, and what would you do, and let's not forget that it's the matriarchs birthday?  Well, April felt challenged by the nature surrounding her, and took of solo on a moderate to difficult hike, McCullough Gulch Trail.  I'm proud of you April, love me a good hike in the hills.

Now what would you do on your last day if you had 2 little kids, and 1 has had only had 1 shot at the ropes course?  Of course we took our 3rd trip up the gondola for Fun Town.  I think the gondola ride alone could have been worth the trip to Colorado for Arlo.  That and the zip line.

Mini Me.

Mini Me.

For Amber's birthday, we rolled 5 deep back into town to stroll and look for dinner.  We found a few gifts to bring back, and stumbled into Rita's.  While we figuratively stumbled, I think a lot of the race patrons literally were stumbling.  I did have one of my most harrowing baby bathroom experiences when I went to change a stinky Thatcher in a head with no changing table, and find poop all down my arm, and on my shorts.  Siri was of no help, "Call Amber, Call Amber, Hey Siri, call Amber!!!"  Luckily we both had a wardrobe change, well I removed my shirt and went with Gore-Tex jacket, which is kosher for that part of the country.

After dinner and during the magic hour, we cruised down Main, which was still closed from the race.  A concert was going on in the park by the river which we had started our week at, and some of the final comparisons to our time in Idaho were made.  Arlo and April danced, Thatcher even got in on it, and it was really a perfect birthday celebration and end to the week.

Saturday

It was time to get to Denver, and as Linda Geary would say, we were all over this house.  We did alright though, taking note of the damage, getting the van packed up, and started thinking about what we could do in Denver when I got a text from my boy Paul.  Paul runs some interesting places in Denver, including the Little Man Ice Cream stand.  What I love about his place is that for every scoop of ice cream you order, they match it with a school of rice that is hand delivered in a developing country in need.  That's guilt free ice cream.  While Paul couldn't meet us there, he had other obligations on his motorcycle in Boulder, our crew stopped by and the rain nor the line could keep us away.  

Our flight was in the evening, and all went as good as can be expected.  No seat assignments though, so Amber and Arlo sat together, while April was solo and I was left with ever determined Thatcher.  The valet guy at ABIA failed to give us our key fob after loading our car, otherwise I would love that expensive service.  Finally home, April turns her car key to go home and it wouldn't start.  Classic long travel day.  We jump her ride and she gets home fine.

He had done so well in the mandatory big boy bed, that we didn't want to take a step backwards.  We removed the wall to his crib upon return.

One last thing I'm still pondering about...Sunday Arlo was just the best behaved and self entertaining little boy I'd seen in a long time.  A lot of Colorado was reminding him about wining or using his listening ears.  At home, he played with his cars and magna doodle with hardly any interaction from us. Maybe he felt safe and secure back in his environment.  Maybe absence makes the heart grows fonder.  Maybe it was the feeling I remember when I was traveling a lot, that there are a lot of beautiful and wonderful places out their, but it always feels good to be home.