Family is a concept that is pretty important to most people. I know many of us think that family matters, but thinking it and showing it are two very different things.

I just got back from Litchfield Beach, South Carolina, a coastal town that means a lot to my family. I’m almost 20 and I’ve been going on family trips there since I was eight or nine years old, so it’s been quite a few years.

This trip in particular was very special because we just lost one of our own family members this summer to breast cancer and it was the first time we have gathered since the funeral.

My family travels from Florida, North Carolina, South Carolina, Ohio, and Texas (and sometimes as far away as Missouri!) for these trips and with all 28 of us there, these events are always far from boring.

One night some of the kids went ghost crab hunting and found a bunch of crabs. They brought them up to the house to show everyone and naturally the biggest one escaped in the house... This led to a frenzy of screaming and laughing while we were trying to catch the thing and not get pinched!

However, it’s not just happy chaos; there is some much needed rest & relaxation as well.

Whenever I picture our trips in my head, I see our whole family with our ridiculously long line of beach chairs, kids running in and out of the ocean, building sand castles, the smell of sunscreen everywhere, and the sunburns that are soon to follow.

These trips are a little piece of heaven for me. I get to take a pause from life and just enjoy the people who I’m lucky enough to call my family.

From a 1 year old to an 83 year old, there is a multitude of ages and personalities in our bunch. Everyone adds something to the mix.

Even though we have a lot going on in our lives, we make time for each other, and I think that’s the most important thing for families to do. You only get one family. I’m so fortunate to have been able to spend my childhood with this group and to have these fond memories of all my family members.

You never know when things are going to change. I’m so glad that I have spent so much time with all of my cousins, especially my sweet cousin Allison, before it was too late.

Y'all are pretty great. Love ya long time.