Va-CAY! Hilton Head Island 2016

Bring me back! What a blessing it was to spend an entire week at one of our favorite places (Hilton Head Island) with some of our favorite people (my twin sisters and their families). Of course we missed the rest of the Graham family...

I love that Hilton Head is so family-oriented and allows you to enjoy the simple things - riding bikes all over the island (especially to the ice cream store), building sandcastles and crabbing on the miles of quiet beaches, eating fresh seafood and listening to live music by the water.  I also love how lush the island is - you feel like you are in the middle of the jungle. My parents brought my sisters and me to HHI when we were growing up, and now I'm creating some special memories with my own children. I love that my kids are now old enough to remember our vacations. Anna will talk about our time at the beach months after we have come home. 

When we arrived, we unloaded as fast as we could and ran down to the beach. We couldn't get our toes in the sand fast enough...Anna's dress may have gotten a tad wet. 

Another night we went to Harbour Town to celebrate my niece, Grace's 17th birthday. 

I've also started a fun little tradition of taking the kids out at sunrise to a special spot for some photos each year. It's so fun to see how they have grown and matured. 

Here they are in 2014: 

And last year in 2015: 

And this year!

I can't believe how David looks so much less toddler-esque and so much more like a little boy...I call this next sequence "the many faces of David". 

We spent one of our last nights on a sunrise dolphin cruise! It was David's first time on a boat and he loved every minute. 

I think my favorite part of vacation was the ability to truly unplug. I deleted all social media from my phone (and yes, I had to delete the apps so that I was not tempted). I read books. I slept. I sat in the sun. I played with my kids. I snuggled my husband. I was not distracted and thinking about the next thing that needed to be checked off my list. I felt...present.

But I'm left with the question - do I really need a week-long, expensive vacation in order to rest and enjoy my family? I certainly hope not. How can I learn to incorporate rest and recreation into my weekly, even daily rhythms? What would that look like? I'd love to hear more of your thoughts on how you take time to rest and enjoy life RIGHT NOW in this fast-paced world.