Trips from my past: Wyoming, 2008.

In July 2008, the summer before I turned 17, my family and I road-tripped through Yellowstone National Park. I remember thinking that Wyoming was the most awe-inspiring place I'd ever seen, and I'm convinced that I would still feel the same today.

While on our week-long tour of the park, we hiked up the sides of cliffs despite the rocky terrain, swam in hot springs and frolicked in snow, rode through the rolling hills on horseback, sat on boulders overlooking cascading waterfalls, and counted down the minutes until Old Faithful did its thing. Not surprisingly, Jason almost got himself killed with his crazy stunts, Lance threw a fit when we had to sleep in an old cabin, and Alyssa made fun of Granny at every available opportunity (like when it took a team of cowboys to put the old lady on a horse).

But as dysfunctional as our family is, I wouldn't have it any other way.

It's breathtaking places like this that I fall in love with every time I look at the photos. And it's times like these—those memorable moments spent with close family and friends—that I long to relive over and over again.