Holiday Hell!

The holidays are stressful enough, add in a little Combat Stress and you have a ticking time bomb.. ME!

This year is worse as I lost both of my grandparents the past year. My Grandpa (Pa) was a huge part of my life and it hit me a lot harder than I expected. Thanksgiving is a lot of work with cooking cleaning, entertaining, more cooking and cleaning and then final cleanup and food storing. It's a mess to say the least.. So after all that stressing then stressing over Christmas (which is my favorite time of year) thinking about my Pa and my issues with PTSD and I have a bad day or two. I tend to shut down and decompress for a day.

I look at myself as a machine, less well oiled more well greased machine. After so much use that machine has to be shut down and restarted. After so much stress I shut down, it's not bad just a little time I need to fix my run down machine.

With all that said I do love this time of year. Like a love hate kinda thing.. I love watching the girls celebrate "rip through paper as "we plunged into the cornucopia, quivering with desire and ecstasy of unbridled avarice." See what I did there, Ralphie?? I love the weather, putting up all the decorations and all the food, what fat kid doesn't! But at the same time I overwhelming thought of bills, money, is everyone happy, did I get this done, cleaning up, taking down all the decorations. However, it's one time of year and it is something special. Our hearts feel warmer, we're (supposed to be) more giving and it's a chance to warm each others hearts with love and laughter.

Gingy

Yes, we do the Elf on the Shelf thing!! We like to have fun with it and our elf "Gingy" is fairly mischievous. This was his morning antics. Bostyn loves looking for him, Bayleigh knows about Santa so she likes to help Gingy be ornery! If you're into the whole Elf on the Shelf stuff we heard a pretty funny song this morning on our way to school.. 

http://youtu.be/6xGBrDcrSM8

Our Blog

I was thinking to myself how fun our family is, how crazy our kids are and then I thought about how much I like writing. Sooooo.... I figured why not start another blog, this would be my second blog, so why not!

My first blog was about my time in Afghanistan TaskForcePhoenix5, serving with the 1-180th during Operation Enduring Freedom. Now I thought I would spend time writing about my family. My wife and three girls (and peanut on the way) are the most important thing in my life so why not brag and show how crazy, fun and imaginative my life is. However I won't just talk about my family, I will also talk about the life of a Veteran. Dealing with PTSD, daily life and what we go through as Veteran dad's. I wand to use this as an outlet a daily journal in a way to hopefully remind others that there is a person behind PTSD. We may be broken and afraid at times to show the darkness but we force on, Charlie Mike and continue that mission we have first off. Do anything for our family! There is always something going on in the life of a Larkin.

Stay tuned for at least weekly updates.



This is my family! The Larkin's... Of course I'am the short drink of water, which helped produce the shorter shot glass size little ones. Jodi my beautiful wife in the middle of us all, she is the glue that keeps things together and flowing. I tend to fly by the seat of my pants on a whim kinda guy, like our youngest and tiniest Bostyn. She is the life of the party, what I enjoyed being in high school. Bayleigh our oldest is like her mom; very emotional, not afraid to tell you whats on her mind kinda girl. They and this little shrimp currently growing inside my wife is what make up my life. The shrimp, we hope will have the relaxed and chill mentality that would round out our circus side show.

I hope you enjoy, learn, laugh and maybe even grow with us!