Hello! It’s been a while! I recently went back and read my last post, where I shared that I was learning about letting go. Letting go of the plans I tend to hold so tightly. At the end of that post, I shared our plans after San Diego: Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, and eventually making our way north. But, as I’m learning, our plans are not always the plans God has for us.
Not long after that post, we received a phone call from our dear friends, Justin and Emily Dodson. Emily had been diagnosed with stage 3 pancreatic cancer. She was given a few months to live, but that turned into just 21 short days.
Emily stood beside me in our wedding. We attended Bible studies together. Our first children were born just months apart. We sat together with cups of coffee in hand, navigating marriage, motherhood, and all the joys and challenges that come with raising a family. We laughed over dinner with husbands and friends every time we were in Ohio. How could this be happening to our dear friend? So young. So much life ahead of her. This certainly wasn’t in their plans.
And so, without debate, we dropped all of our plans and headed straight to Ohio. We were so thankful to reconnect with old friends and to be there as we celebrated Emily’s life and mourned the incredible loss of someone who meant so much to so many.
While we were in Ohio, our rig was scheduled to return to the Brinkley factory for what we hope will be its final repair! While it was there, we were able to spend time with my dad after his hip replacement, meet up with friends we had made on the road who were passing through Ohio, road-trip to a few national parks, and enjoy some sweet time with cousins.
At the end of June, we headed to the UP while the boys attended camp at Upper Peninsula Bible Camp. This year was especially special because it was Grant and Miles’ final year at boys’ camp, while Charlie was finally old enough to serve as a counselor! Having all three boys there during the same week was such a special gift. Camp, as always, was full of amazing memories, friendships, and experiences. The boys are still talking about all the things they did and the memories they made.
After Charlie’s final week of camp, we headed out on our next adventure. We started making our way toward Duluth, Minnesota, stopping for a night at an airport Harvest Host in Wisconsin. Somewhere along the way, we also got a flat tire, which turned into a great real-life learning opportunity for Charlie! We also learned that there are some unique joys to carrying your house with you on long travel days, especially when you’re potty training a toddler!! No searching for the next rest area. We just pulled over and went at home! 😂
As many of you know, Charlie loves Great Lakes freighters and has always wanted to visit Duluth. We stayed at a fun campground, Mont Du Lac, which has a little waterpark that was especially wonderful since the temperatures were in the 90s! We made many trips into town to watch the freighters come and go beneath the Aerial Lift Bridge. It was such a fun week and a wonderful way to transition back into life in the camper.
From Duluth, we headed north to Voyageurs National Park. Voyageurs covers more than 218,000 acres of lakes, forests, and streams along the Canadian-U.S. border. It is named after the French-Canadian voyageurs who navigated these very waters centuries ago. It is such a beautiful and peaceful part of our country. Because so much of the park is accessible by water, we enjoyed a boat tour through the park along with a few small hikes. There was something so refreshing about slowing down and simply enjoying the beauty around us.
Our next stop was Colorado—which, as it turns out, is not very close to northern Minnesota! With more than 20 hours of driving ahead of us, we split the trip into three days and stayed at two different Harvest Hosts along the way. Harvest Hosts is a membership program that allows us to stay overnight at places like farms, wineries, and attractions. We can usually leave our rig hooked up to the truck, making it a pretty easy in-and-out stop and a perfect option for long-distance travel days.
Our first night, we returned to a Pygora goat farm we stayed at last year in Bismarck, North Dakota. The second night, we stayed at PLF Farm, a goat dairy farm in Newcastle, Wyoming. The boys loved helping with the evening and morning chores and interacting with all the animals. There is something pretty special about watching your kids step into a completely unfamiliar place and find joy in the simplest things.
And finally, we arrived in Estes Park, Colorado, where we’ll be for the next two weeks as we explore Rocky Mountain National Park!
As I look back, I had no idea when I was processing through all the Lord had been teaching me in March that our spring and summer would look so different from what we had “planned.” But maybe that’s the point. I’m thankful for the detours. I’m thankful for camp, for freighters, for quiet lakes, for goat farms, for long drives, and for the unexpected places we’ve found ourselves along the way.
I’m thankful to be learning to slow down. To hold my plans a little more loosely.
I was reminded this spring that I don’t know what tomorrow holds. But I’m learning that I don’t have to. I’m learning to loosen my grip on what comes next and simply be thankful for what God has placed in front of me today.
Because today is a gift. And I don’t want to miss it while I’m busy planning for tomorrow.
