Lean into it.

Do you ever find yourself in a post-vacation slump? That's what I've decided to call my current state. It's only been three days since I got back from Gulf Shores, and I'm already having withdrawals. I wish I never had to leave behind the familiar rush of the waves and that pink evening sky. I miss playing card games with the family, eating birthday cake after every meal, and holding my baby cousins close to my heart. Drinking coffee on the balcony first thing every morning, trying my hand at tennis and racquetball, and reading Catching Fire on the beach. Yeah, that's the life.

It's easy to take things—people, places, experiences—for granted when life is passing at a hundred miles a minute. But when everything slows down, it becomes blindingly clear how much there is to be thankful for.

Family photos taken in Gulf Shores, Alabama.