Well after nearly a year, I was able to acquire my GrayStarCity.com domain back. I knew eventually I'd get it back. For now it will redirect to my current DavidGrayFamily.com website.

Oreo is coming home. On Saturday, June 28, 2008 I will receive Oreo back. Helen is moving to an assisted living center where she can not have animals.

Welcome to the all new David Gray Family Blog. I hope you like it. Be sure to save it to your favorites. Also you will need to subscribe again with the new page monitoring service shown in the lower left column.You will be able to read my blogs, leave comments and a whole bunch of other neat stuff. This blog service is provided free from my hosting service, GoDaddy.com. There will be some advertisements at the top of the page. If most of you like the new blog format, I will pay to have the advertisements removed.

Don't forget to sign up for automatic updates. Do it now! It's easy. All you have to do is enter your email address in the white box under the word Subscribe, then click on the orange Subscribe button, and then it will say "You are subscribed to the blog." That's it! You'll start getting updates automatically.

May 10, 2008:

I had a good trip last week in Kansas City. I got see and visit with some of my Army friends. It was good to get caught up date with them. I had a chance to walk over to visit the World War I museum. It took me about 3 hours to see everything. If I stopped to read everything I could have been there for 5 or 6 hours. I was mostly interested in the old artillery guns and other rifles and handguns.

Speaking of handguns. I went to the monthly Bowling Pin handgun competition today. I really enjoy that. There are four different matches for each monthly event. I didn't do so well in the first three but my times are getting better. On the fourth match, which is called the Fun Shoot, I won second place and came home with 5 extra dollars. That was the first time I came home with more money than I paid for the four events. I was off first place by a few hundredths of a second. I can hardly wait for next month.

April 30, 2008:

Two years have now past since our beautiful Terri has gone to her home in Heaven. I am sure you all miss her just like I do. For me this year is even more emotional than last. I miss her so much. I took two dozen red roses to her grave this morning representing our 24 years of marriage. I recently started reading the book Psalm. The chapters have become my nightly prayers. On the days Terri's pain was uncontrolled, I would read Psalm to her and within 30 minutes she was peacefully resting. It has been the same affect for me and my days have been more peaceful.

I am getting back into my routines I was accustomed to before last June. I have been out taking more pictures of wildlife and nature. I've gotten really involved with the monthly pistol competition and Vandenberg AFB. I now have 3 custom competition pistols. I have been hunting ferial pigs. Just last Monday evening I killed my 3rd pig. This one is going to one of my cardiologist in Santa Barbara.

April 16, 2008:

Good news. Jennifer and I went back to her doctor in L.A. for her 4 week follow-up last week. The procedure was a success. PTL!

A few people have ask if I was going to do anything for the 2nd anniversary of Terri's passing on the 30th. I haven't planned anything other than taking some flowers to her grave that morning. That afternoon I will drive down to L.A. and spent the night. The morning of May 1st, I will be flying to Kansas City for a 3 day trip. After my recent visit to see U.S. Army retired Chaplain Harding and his wife, Jackie, in San Diego, I decided to go to the biannual Chaplain's and Chaplain's Assistant reunion. You may remember Terri and I made that trip 4 years ago in San Antonio. I hope to see a lot friends I worked with while in the Army.

March 9, 2008:

Jennifer and I arrived home Friday night. Fortunately Jennifer did not have to have surgery. Jen went into the O.R. around 11:45 A.M. About one and a half hours later her doctor came out to let me know that with some difficulty he was able to get a urinary catheter through her continent stoma and into the bladder. She will leave the catheter in for 3 weeks while things heal up. Jen stayed with me the last two nights to play it safe and make sure she was not going to have any problems.

March 6, 2008:

Pray for Jennifer. I will be taking Jennifer down to Cedars Sinai for an unplanned outpatient surgery Friday morning (3/7/08). If you remember, Jen had bladder surgery December 15, 2006. Jen has developed a bladder complication that has to be corrected. Pray that she will not have any surgical complications, especially not Anaphylactic Shock.

February 20, 2008:

Well Happy New Year friends and family. Oh my! I'm a little late on that announcement.

I saw my heart plumber today. That's what I like to call my cardiologist who makes sure my heart is sill pumping well. I have to thank God for the great results on the stress echocardiogram test. The last time I had this test was January 20, 2007. I have a note below about it. I peddled that bike for 12 minutes and once again I hardly broke a sweat. This time my max heart rate was only 137 bpm vs 159. This was very surprising considering I have not been exercising as usual the past 7 months. That's partly due to a new medication I started taking last October. I've lost about 15 pounds since November last year. My Mom scolded me when I visited her last January. I've stopped losing weight and I'm eating better now.

Now for the best news. Christopher and Annique became engaged on January 25, 2008. They plan to marry in April 2009. I'm real happy for them. Annique is a wonderful young lady and I look forward to her becoming part of the family. I only wished Terri got to meet her.

July 18, 2007:

Oh my, how time flies when you sooooooo busy. I really need a government job back so I don't have to be so busy and be able to rest a bit. NOT! Even as I empty my plate of responsibilities it doesn't seem to make much difference. I did hire a house keeper and she started today and will come weekly. Jennifer turned 24 on June 14th and Christopher turned 20 on July 16th. They continue to try to make an old man out of me but that's not happening. I continue to take wildlife photographs. I just sent another 1200+ to Windigo Images. They still haven't posted any of my pictures on their Website. I have been trying to update and merge address books between 3 computers. I purchased a new more powerful computer to be able to process my photos and it has taken awhile to install and update software. As of August 3, 2007, my home phone number as well as my Verizon.net email addresses will be terminated. I sent out an update to everyone with an email address.

May 11, 2007:

It’s official. I am now a contributor to WindigoImages.com. I received my letter today. I’m honored and humbled to be considered to be worthy enough to have my images shown along beside some of the world’s best photographers. In the next few weeks you should start finding my images posted there.

I want to give some special thanks and recognition to a few: Thanks to Dibblee Hoyt, my instructor at Hancock College who gave me enough encouragement to keep my dream alive. Thanks to Outdoor Photographer magazine and the weekend seminar with Bruce Dale and Bob Krist. A special thinks to my late wife, Terri, for her foresight by buying me my first digital SLR camera. Most of all I thank God for His blessings in spite the sinner I am.

“The truest life is when we are in our dreams awake.” Henry David Thoreau.

April 23, 2007:

In one week will be the first anniversary of Terri living life to the fullest in Heaven with our Lord. Some have asked if I plan to do anything on the 30th. Christopher and I discussed it during dinner tonight. I guess we will go to her grave, leave some flowers and spend some time there. I still miss Terri and I guess I always will. I just know it's only a matter of God's time before I too will join her in Heaven.

I saw my pastor last week and asked him to keep a look out for a church group going to the Holy Lands next year. That is something I've desired to do for some time. Lord willing, next year I'll go. I have really been enjoy the DVD lessons from Ray Vander Laan. Ray teaches from areas in Israel and is an outstanding teacher. The series is published by Zondervan and was produced by Focus on the Family. The series title is That the World May Know. I highly recommend it to all adults.

April 4, 2007:

Good news, bad news, good news...

Good news: Chris has made some big changes in recent weeks. About two weeks ago, he moved back home to his newly painted bedroom in Carolina Blue. Go Carolina Tarheels and Panthers! I find it kind of odd he wanted that color because he's a Cowboys fan. The reason he moved back home was his last quarter schedule was only 2 days a week. Rather than pay $530 a month in rent, he could commute for less, even at $3.20 a gallon of gas.

Bad news: During Chris' spring break, he learned that his grades were not good enough to allow him to change majors. Chris has realized that his selected major in Computer Science is not what God designed him for. He wants to change his major to the Information Technology/Networking field. So far in the Computer Science classes, he has learned how to create bugs in software that the professors could not or would not troubleshoot. Chris went above and beyond to get help and the system did not work for him. (In my opinion, CalPloy has failed to teach Chris.)

As a parent, it's been hard to see Chris going from outstanding grades in high school and struggling at CalPoly. I had thought that Chris was having difficulty because of the home situation with Terri. Please keep Chris in you prayers.

Good news: Chris saw a counselor at our local college, Allan Hancock, this week. He will start classes there this summer and should get his AA very quickly. After that he will transfer to Park University and get his BS though online classes. Considering the successfully completed classes at CalPoly, Chris should be able to get a BS in about 12 to 18 months. He just left to talk to the Park University counselor.

March 30, 2007:

Please accept my apology for the past few weeks for the loss of GrayStarCity.com. I will eventually get it back. This problem started because I placed too much faith in my former web hosting service, Global Internet Solutions, to notify me when my domain was to be renewed. The domain subsequently was placed in redemption period. They wanted me to pay $199.00 to have my domain removed from redemption period, then pay for the renewal. I decided to take my business to GoDaddy.com.

For all of you who previously signed up for the monitoring service will need to do so again.

I just celebrated my 48th birthday on Wednesday (28th). I spent all day hunting pigs, hiking and taking pictures. The morning hunt was interrupted by an extremely low flying yellow helicopter in the area looking for unexploded ordnances. They could've just asked me first. I have yet to step on any landmines. I spent much of the afternoon hiking and exploring an area I've never been in before.

By evening, I was back to hunting pigs. At 4:45 p.m. I saw a group of pigs about a half a mile below me in the valley. When I finally arrived, I saw a couple of sows and piglets. There were also 3 boars in the group and I placed my rifle scope's crosshair on each of them. I decided not to shoot. I have been looking for the opportunity to take pictures of piglets. Since it was my birthday and Terri gave me my camera for last year's birthday, to honor her, I decided to take pictures instead. It was an awesome time. I got within 10 feet of them. The pictures are already posted at VandenbergWildlife.com.

March 10, 2007:

This past week I have been busy taking more wildlife pictures. I have posted them on my Website at VandenbergWildlife.com. I recently received an invitation to go to Point Mugu Naval Air Weapons Station to take wildlife pictures. I'm waiting for the details and special instructions as I'll be a guest of the Wildlife Biologist there. I am really enjoying my new 4X4 truck. I've been able to go to new places and discover unique landscapes and pretty flowers.

March 1, 2007:

I saw my Arrhythmia Cardiologist today. He gave me great news. The arrhythmia I had Friday evening was not life threatening. Because of my excited state and my adrenaline was elevated, I had Atrial Fibrillation. That is a very fast heart rate in the left atrium. To be specific, the atrium was beating 240 bpm. My doctor prescribed cardizem and I will take it only before I go hunting. My doctor is also a hunter and I invited him to be my guest at Vandenberg AFB to hunt pig, so he’s planning to hunt with me next month.

February 25, 2007:

My friend Ben met me at the base of the mountain on Saturday morning to help look for my Pig. We drove to the area where I shot at the pig. I pointed toward the direction I shot and Ben took off. Ben looked for about 10 minutes and then move further down hill. A few minutes latter, Ben waved and pointed down in the waist high green weeds. No wonder I couldn't see it after I shot. As it turns out, that pig dropped right in his tacks, he never knew what hit him. I grabbed my backpack and started down hill. When I got to the pig I realized we needed help. I called one of my friends at the base fish and wildlife and he came out to help. Ben help me gut the pig and started pulling it up hill about 10 yards at a time. After the game warden arrived, the decision was made to pull it down hill to an old corral down below. I went back to my truck and drove to the corral and met them there. We took some pictures and I posted them for you in the gallery. The field dressed weight of the pig was 152 pounds and the estimated live weight is 180 pounds. After taking the pig to the Rod & Gun Club to skin the hide off, I discovered I actually shot the pig between the eyes. That's a pig farmer's shot. I either I pulled the shot off a bit or the pig turned his head just as I squeezed the trigger. I want to believe the latter. I was actually aiming for a head forward quartering shot in the neck.

I've posted pictures of my truck too.

February 23, 2007:

Well I had an exciting evening. I just got home from the ER. I was out pig hunting on base this evening when my heart started beating too fast and my ICD (defibrillator) shocked me twice.

I had been sitting in my new 4X4 truck when at sunset I spotted a pig 500 yards away. I drove within 200 yards and got out to walk closer. As I was making my way down the hill, I felt my heart racing a bit. I stopped and told myself to slow down and take my time. I got within 100 yards of the pig and sat down near the edge of the jeep trail to shoot. As soon as I set down, BLAM! I got shocked. About 5 seconds later, BLAM again, another shock. I laid down on my back after tossing my rifle aside. After 5 minutes, I rolled over to the prone position and saw the pig was still there. I grabbed my rifle and waited for the pig to turn broadside. When he did, I fired off a shot. I still don’t if I hit it or not. It got dark. I made 2 phone calls, one to Alan and left a message and one to Ben. Ben got in his car immediately. Two other hunters showed up after hearing my shot. I told them what happened. They had me sit in their truck while they went out to look for my pig. A little while later, Ben showed up.

While they were out looking for the pig, we all noticed about a dozen cars coming down the highway in the valley with flashing lights on. We wondered what that was all about. As it turned out, Alan called the base officials.

We give up on finding the pig and started driving back down the mountain. When we got to main road, here comes the flashing lights. I learned they were looking for me. It seemed like half the base came out to find me. All my friends from the base fish and wildlife department were there, the fire department, base security police and the paramedics were there. They insisted on transporting me to the hospital. I'm fine now, I just need a little rest for the night. I'll go back out in the morning with some of my friends to find the pig. I promise, I'll just sit and watch.

My final words: I'm a die hard hunter!

February 17, 2007:

Last week I was really sick. For 9 hours I was eliminating everything from my body and I lost 5 pounds that day. I'm fine now and hope none of you get that nasty virus. I haven't been sick like that in a long time. I got my new Toyota Tacoma 4X4 last Tuesday and on the way home I got a call from a person who wanted to buy the Avalon. Good timing! This family bought it Wednesday. Now that means my new truck is paid for. PTL!!! I christened it today in the mud. Christopher and his girlfriend went with me off-roading. I got to this one hill and stopped. Chris asked me if I was really going up that. I put that new baby in low 4 wheel drive and crawled right up, no sweat. Now I can get to those backcountry places I've been wanting to take wildlife photos.

I have a Relay For Life Team this year to honor Terri. It's called Of Fairy Tales and Happily Ever Afters. I'm looking for team members and donations. You can join or donate at my Web page. Here's the address: http://acsevents.org/relay/ca/lompoc/gray  

January 28, 2007:

Last night I give my speech at the Relay For Life Kick-off Rally in Lompoc. I had my speech video taped and you can view it online. Click on RFL Kick-off Rally 2007 in the Movie Gallery.

January 20, 2007:

Last week and this past Monday I saw my two cardiologists for my semiannual check-up. They where very pleased with my test and I'm excited about that too. For the first time in years, after 15 minutes on the bicycle, I hardly broke a sweat. My max heart rate was only 159 bpm. I asked for and received their blessing to go elk hunting this fall. But that came with two conditions though. 1) I must hunt in an elevation less than 5000 feet & 2) I must hunt with an Outfitter that provides kill removal services. I contacted Cabela’s Outdoor Adventures for help. Not only did they find a place for me in Missouri, it turned out to be an extra blessing. When the ranch manager learned that I was a dis-Abled veteran, he waived my additional daily $400.00 lodging, meals and personal guide service fee. PTL!!! I’m planning to hunt September 24-28, 2007. Lord willing, this will be another life time dream come true for me.

January 14, 2007:

I just finished reading an autographed book from Howard Dayton, CEO of Crown Financial Ministries. His book, Your Money Map: A Proven 7-Step Guide to True Financial Freedom is right on the money, no pun intended. Although it was just published last year, it certainly is proven by my on personal experiences. The 7-step guide accurately describes how Terri and I reached true financial freedom. If you want to understand God’s definition of financial freedom, then read this book. But more importantly, follow it and apply it to your daily lives. Larry Burkett said, “Information without application will lead to frustration.” Order here: Your Money Map: A Proven 7-Step Guide to True Financial Freedom

I will begin premarital counseling next week to a young couple in my church. Please pray that the Lord will guide me during the 8 weekly sessions. I will covering communication skills and finances. Pray too for the couple as they prepare for their April wedding.

Jennifer moved back to her apartment yesterday. She’s doing well and even drove her van to a few stores.

I've changed monitoring service for this web site. The other service stop working and they never responded to my emails. This new service from ChangeDetection.com has been used by my church for about 5 years and has worked fine.

January 10, 2007:

Jennifer is doing much better. She will probably go back to her apartment this weekend. She got all her Foley catheters removed and was able to finally take a real shower. She felt so much better. I have learned that the email update service I was providing was not working for all of you. I sent two emails about the problem and have not receive any response. I'm testing another service right now. If that one works I will update this page with the link for you to use to sign-up. I have cleaned up (detailed) my 2002 Toyota Avalon. It's now officially for sale. The price: $14,920.00.  Once that is sold, I'm going to buy a new 2007 Toyota Tacoma 4X4. Want to know what's going to feel really good? I'm going to be able to walk in the dealership and pay cash for it. No loan at all. God is good and faithful to those who follow His money plan. Then I'll sell my old 92 Chevy Pickup. With my new hobby, I've learned I've got to have a 4X4. My old pickup just want take me where I want to go.

December 31, 2006:

Well this year is drawing to a close. As I write this there are only 8 hours, 25 minutes and 20 seconds left in 2006. This year has been of great happiness and sadness. I am so happy that Terri is resting in the arms of our Lord and savior, Jesus. I look forward to the time when the Lord calls my name to come home to Him. There, I'll see my precious Terri again. I know many of you feel the same. I am happy that Terri no longer feels and sees any of the sufferings and pains on this side of Heaven. I can only imagine all the things she may be doing there. I'm happy for good health this year and hope that continues in 2007. I am happy that Jennifer's recent surgery was successful in spite of some mechanical malfunctions with the catheters. Hopefully she can get rid of those soon. I am happy that Christopher is back in college and is doing well. I am  happy that I now have 20/15 vision without the aid of glasses. I'm very happy that some of the people that Terri and I prayed for for so many years are now serving the Lord. I am happy for all the loving family and friends who have been so helpful and generous this past year. I couldn't have gone through this year without you. It's been said that the Lord will not give you more than you can handle. I'm not sure that's completely true. If it was, then I wouldn't need family and friends like you. Thank you for everything.

I won't share all the sad things. I think you already know them. But I will share one. I'm saddened that there are some whom Terri and I have shown the love of the Lord the best we could, yet they are still not serving the Lord Jesus Christ and some have turned from His face. I will continue my prayers for them.

I wish you all a very happy and prosperous New Year. I pray that your prayers will be answered in 2007.

December 24, 2006:

Jennifer was discharged from Lompoc Hospital this afternoon. She is staying with me until she is well enough to go back to her apartment. Chris is on the way here now from visiting his girlfriend in Gardena. I went to Terri's grave yesterday. I cleaned up the gravestone and left a large poinsettia plant there. Some of Terri's friends continue to keep fresh flowers there. Recently, a very special friend left a beautiful lei direct from Hawaii.

I wish you all a very Merry Christmas.

December 22, 2006:

Jennifer was discharged on Tuesday while I was delivering a Christmas gift to my in-laws in Sonora, CA. Sunday, the doctor said it wouldn't be until Wednesday which was fine for me to make my delivery. I needed to get that done before Jen came home. As I was driving up on Monday, Jen called and said Dr. Freedmen wanted to discharge her that day but when he learned I was out of town he said she had to go on Tuesday. Well I wasn't happy about that. Jen stayed at EJ's home until I picked her up on Wednesday. Wednesday night, I took Jen to the ER and her primary care physician (Dr. Blifeld) met us there. To keep this short, I'll just say there was a malfunction with the catheters caused by grossly incorrect instructions by a nurse at Cedars-Sinai to Jennifer. Dr. Blifeld placed new catheters in and sent her home. Thursday, I took Jen back to Dr. Blifeld and then went to the hospital for an ultrasound. All appeared to be functioning. By the time Jen got back to the van, she started vomiting. She was still vomiting this morning so I took her back to Dr. Blifeld. Well, Jen is back in the hospital in Lompoc. We did learn this evening that one of the catheters that was put in on Wednesday also malfunctioned. We did learn that the bladder augmentation was a success because she had a little over 600 cc's of urine in there. She is feeling 500% better tonight. Dr. Blifeld is going to keep Jen in the hospital until Sunday afternoon. Just another typical week for the Gray's. I will admit that I've really missed Terri this week and I have cried a few times. Philippians 4:13

December 17, 2006:

 Jennifer's surgery was a great success. There were no complications at all. She is recovering amazingly well. Thank you for your prayers. If she continues to do well, she could be coming home as early as Wednesday. She started a clear liquid diet today and will progress to regular diet as tolerated. She is off all IV drugs and will take oral pain meds as needed. I made sure all the nurses on the floor clearly understood Jen has a severe latex allergy. I guess the hardcore military approach was effective. LOL.

Well I finally got it uploaded today! You can now view Terri's "Celebration of Life" online. Just click on the "Movie Gallery" link above and then select "Memorial Service". I will be making a DVD soon for purchase and will make it available online. The price will be small; just enough to cover DVD and shipping cost.

December 13, 2006:

My how time has past so quickly. Here is almost Christmas. I've been working on my Christmas letter and the mass mailing this week. I'm behind this year. At the last minute, I decided to include something special so I'm waiting for it to arrive. I hope it arrives before I go down to Cedars-Sinai tomorrow. That'll give something to do while Jen is in surgery.

Reminder: Jennifer's surgery is Friday, December 15. We will go down Thursday and spend the night.

I had a great time visiting my family and hunting with my Dad in North Carolina in November. I didn't get the big buck I hoped for. I did kill 3 does with my muzzle loader. I've been muzzle loader hunting on Vandenberg AFB from Nov. 25 to Dec. 10. I didn't get that buck there either. I hunted long and hard for this old buck that was smarter than me. I did get one shot at him but he was just too far for a muzzle loader with open sights. I'll soon get back to hunting ducks, geese, quail and pig. And will start taking pictures of wildlife too.

October 24, 2006:

The duck and quail season opened here last Saturday. I was up early and down at the river before sunup on Saturday and Monday. So far I've shot 8 ducks. I also created my own recipe called Crock Pot Chipotle Wild Duck Breast. I cooked it yesterday and I thought is was very good. I'm still waiting to hear my neighbor's opinion. I'm going quail hunting this evening. On Friday, I'm going to the Bacara Resort and Spa in Goleta for another Dream Foundation fundraiser. To help them with the fundraiser, I will greet the sponsors and attendees to thank them for there support. I will also make it personal as they will meet someone who has benefited from there support. This was my idea to help the foundation.

Relay For Life is coming up again soon. My new web page is ready for viewing and receiving donations. The address is http://www.acsevents.org/relay/ca/lompoc/gray

Jennifer's surgery has been scheduled for December 15th. The doctor said she should be home before Christmas. I asked Jen if she reminded the Doc that she is a Gray and he shouldn't make promises like that? Please keep us in your prayers during this time.

Chris has informed me he has a girlfriend. He met her when on the mission's trip to Fiji. I haven't met her. Chris pointed her out in some of his Fiji pictures. Her name is Annique Yoshida.

October 13, 2006:

Last Friday night, Oct. 6th, I had great time at Priscilla Presley's home for the Dream Foundation fundraiser. I talked with Priscilla a few minutes and learned she had two Boston Terriers. I asked if I could see them and I did get to see them later on. Afterwards, I stayed at the Beverly Hilton. That place is really really nice. On the Tuesday, the show Entertainment Tonight, aired an interview with Priscilla and twice they showed a picture of Terri, Priscilla and me. Wow, we made it on national TV. I did record it so I will try to upload it for viewing as soon as I can.

Saturday nights speech at the Relay for Life went well. All the practice I did while staying at the Beverly Hilton paid off. My speech was about 8 minutes long. Several people came to me afterward to say they were blessed by my speech.

I went out yesterday to shoot some wildlife pictures. You'll have to check out my website for the full story. http://vandenbergwildlife.com/pig.html

September 30, 2006:

Here I am trying to get caught up with the family news. I have been so busy the last two months. Christopher started back at CalPoly on Monday the 25th. He did find a house to live in with 4 other student friends. Jennifer finally got her allergy blood test results back and it was negative to medications. Her primary care doctor is convinced her anaphylaxis was due to latex. Jen should be scheduled for surgery in December, before Christmas. Good news: I can see 20/20 in both eyes. May not need any corrective LASIK. I added pictures of Terri's grave. I'll be adding other pictures very soon. Jen, Chris and I had a great time in Houston for Sean's wedding on September 2nd. The following weekend I went to L.A. for 2 days for a outdoor photography seminar. During August and September I volunteered at the Vandenberg Fish & Wildlife during the deer hunting season. This was my 2nd year doing that. I did get to go deer hunting 3 mornings and I also went dove hunting 4 times. I'm going to N.C. to hunt whitetail deer with my Dad the first two weeks of November. I have also started shooting my new Beretta A391 Xtrema2 shotgun at the skeet range on base. I'm looking forward to hunting quail and ducks starting October 21st. Its been nearly 30 years since I've done that. The quail population on base is outstanding; so if you want be my guest, come on up and if you have a bird dog, bring it. Friday night (Oct. 6) I will be at Priscilla Presley's home for a Dream Foundation event. Saturday night (Oct. 7) I'll be giving a short speech in Santa Ynez at the Relay For Life Luminaria Ceremony. As you see, I have a very active life. I'm going to need a vacation soon where I can lay back and do absolutely nothing. Oh! One other thing. I put together the first annual Block Party for my neighbors on Tulip Street last Sunday (Sep. 24). It was a blast! See the pictures at: http://graystarcity.com/blockparty/.

August 4, 2006:

Today turned out to be long day and Jennifer still didn't have surgery. It started out as planned. Jennifer was taken back to pre-op about 9:30 a.m. We saw Dr. Freedman and he went over the procedure again. Finally, at 11:40 a.m. she was taken back to surgery, more than an hour late. Since this was going to be a 6 hour procedure, my in-laws and I decided to go down to get some lunch. Afterwards, we took a walk outside and ended up at a mall. We visited Macy's and Bloomingdales. It was our first time there and we don't plan to go back. No wonder all the rich talk about it. Blue jeans for $172.00; I don't think so!

While in the mall at about 1:30 p.m., I got a call from Dr. Freedman on my cell phone. Well without a second thought I knew something was wrong. He assured me Jennifer was fine and stable now and went on to tell me she had a very severe Anaphylactic Shock. I knew what that was and how serious that is. Rather than me trying to explain that here, click on the link below to learn about it. The information is frightening but very real as it was today.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anaphylaxis

This occurred after the anesthesiologist, put Jennifer to sleep and administered antibiotics. The anesthesiologist check Jens breathing sounds before the knife touched her and she could not hear anything from the left lung and bad sounds from the right. Jen’s oxygen rate began to fall and the breathing got worse quickly. The docs recognized what was wrong and went to work immediately to save her life.

The first thought was a reaction to latex which Jen has severe allergy to. The docs rechecked the O.R. and could not find anything with latex. At this point we don’t know what triggered this. Jennifer is going home Saturday morning. She will have to have some allergy testing to find out what caused it. Dr. Freedman told Jen not to have any surgery until we can discover what caused this. He told us it was a good thing this occurred in the O.R. because anywhere else Jen may have died. Dr. Freedman thinks it may be from one of the antibiotics.

Jen finally got to a monitored room at 6 p.m. and had a meal by 8:15. She is doing just fine now. We don’t expect anything to happen over night and we are looking forward to going home.

Thank you all for your prayers. They were answered today! She’s alive and well. Thank you God! As for me, I’m exhausted and need to rest.

August 3, 2006:

I am in L.A. with Jennifer right now. We are waiting in the hotel room for a phone call to take Jennifer over to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. She is scheduled for surgery at 10:15 a.m. Friday morning. Jennifer will be having bladder augmentation and will be in the hospital for up to 10 days. This will be a long and complicated surgery. Please keep her in your prayers. As soon as I know and have the time, I’ll send an update on her condition after surgery.

Jennifer turned 23 last June 14th and Christopher tuned 19 last July 16th. They are helping me to understand that I’m getting older. Their birthdays were low keyed. I baked them each a chocolate cake. (Yes, I do know how to do that.)

Christopher leaves for Fiji on the 8th and returns on the 20th. He is excited about this Mission trip. It will be a great experience for him. His nonstop trip from LAX will take a little over 10 hours. Do you know where Fiji is? Well, it’s way out there in the Pacific Ocean in the direction toward Australia. The weather here recently has been preparing him for this trip. (Sorry, the very hot climate has move to the east coast.)

I had LASIK surgery on July 20th. The surgery was uncomplicated, but I still don’t see as well as I hoped for by now. My right eye is at 20/30 and the left is 20/20. I am having a problem with ghosting. (Seeing double images with the second image appearing like a shadow.) I can’t read fine print at all. It’s very slowly improving. My doc wants to watch and wait. If he has to, he’ll perform a follow-up correction in 3 months. This has put a halt to doing photography for now because I’m having difficulty processing the images on my computer. I see well at a distance, the problem is seeing up close. I’ve increase the size of the font on my computer to read and write.

June 21, 2006:

First day of summer. David was up before 5 a.m. today and out taking wildlife pictures by 6. None of his pictures came out just way he wanted them too. So far the morning shots aren't as good as evening shots. Maybe the eyes are still asleep. Last week he got some really good shots of a buck. He has a new website for his photos and is including a few from others as well. Please visit http://VandenbergWildlife.com.

This past weekend, Christopher flew to Phoenix to meet and visit for the first time some of his friends he plays online computer games. He says he had a great time. David posted some of his pictures of the trip in the Photo Gallery.

Jennifer is in Los Angeles visiting E.J. and will be back Monday. She celebrated her 23rd birthday on the 14th. She spent the day with one of her girl friends and shopped at the mall. David and Christopher met her at Hudson's Grill for dinner and afterwards came home to have birthday cake.

June 5, 2006:

Many of our friends and family have requested a copy of the video from Terri. I have reproduced it into an internet viewable format. Please go to the Movie Gallery and click on Terri's Video Message or click here. If you want a DVD of this video, please contact David.

May 28, 2006:

David hastily made a new website for his wildlife photographs. It's very basic but it's a start. As he post more wildlife shots, he will improve it and add a navigation menu to appropriate pages. Now at http://VandenbergWildlife.com.

May 25, 2006:

David is saddened again to have learned that Terri's friend and author, JoAnna Lund, past away Saturday, May 21. JoAnna wrote an endorsement for Terri's book. Like Terri, JoAnna battled inflammatory breast cancer. I'm confident they rejoicing together now with our Lord and Saviour. Click here to view her obituary.

May 17, 2006:

Second magazine article.

Thom Rollerson, founder of the Dream Foundation, was featured along with Terri in the June/July 2006 issue of the Santa Barbara Magazine. The article primarily tells of Rollerson and the history of the Dream Foundation. Terri was featured in 2 paragraphs and in two pictures with Rollerson. Terri was a Dream Foundation precipitant in 2004. To learn more about the Santa Barbara Magazine, click here.

May 5, 2006:

A story about Terri made front page news in local paper.

The Lompoc Record newspaper featured a story about Terri. To read the story online, click here.

April 30, 2006:

It is with a great deal of sadness that we announce that Terri passed away this morning.  She put up a valiant fight but is now resting in the arms of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Obituary

April 28, 2006: David & Terri Gray's first magazine article.

A 2 and 1/3 page article appears in the Dividends magazine. Dividends is a quarterly publication of Crown Financial Ministries. The article, Series of Hope: David and Terri Gray, is found on pages 4, 5 and 8. To view this magazine online, click here.

April 21, 2006: Author Terri L. Gray's first magazine book review.

Book review appears in March/April issue of MMAM magazine. It is featured in the "What's New in Books?" section on page 55. To learn more about MMAM, please visit their Web site at: http://www.mamm.com

April 19, 2006: Author Terri L. Gray’s first national radio interview.

Terri was interviewed for the national radio program, Money Matters, hosted by Howard Dayton and Steve Moore. Money Matters is one of Crown Financial Ministries' radio programs. By permission, an edited version follows. To download audio right click and save as or just click on it to play:  Radio Interview (6 min. 45 sec.)

July 16, 2005: 

Christopher celebrated his 18th Birthday today. He was surprised by Mom and Dad getting him a notebook computer. He was also surprised by a party with friends. See his pictures in the Photo Gallery.

July 11, 2005:

Terri's book editing is finished and has gone to layout. It will be about 3 weeks or so for them to contact her. The layout folks will be arranging the book for printing and will work with Terri to create a cover.

June 20, 2005:

Jennifer has a job! She is working part time at the Base Exchange on Vandenberg AFB. She is a cashier clerk. You go girl!

June 10, 2005:

Terri finished her book and it was accepted to be published by Tate Publishing in Mustang, OK. The process is in the beginning stages and can take 4 to 6 months to be available for sale in bookstores nationwide. The title of her book is Of Fairy Tales and Happily Ever Afters: My Story of Breast Cancer.