Why did I think July would feel slower and more relaxed than June?! We’re almost halfway through August, and I’m still trying to figure out where July went!
July was full of visiting friends, becoming South Dakota residents, avoiding wildfire smoke, and finally getting to enjoy some time on our boat. It certainly wasn’t the slow, relaxing month I somehow convinced myself it would be—but it was a good one!
Celebrating the Fourth with Friends
We started July by visiting some very special people. One of my best friends and her family live in southern Minnesota, and we had originally planned to visit them on our way back to Duluth this spring. The timing didn’t end up working out, but honestly, I think it was for the best because instead, we got to spend the Fourth of July weekend with them!
They have two daughters, one a year older than Trygg and one a year younger, and the three of them get along so well. It’s been really fun to watch Trygg reconnect with old friends after being away for so many months.
We spent a couple of hours at the local pool our first day, followed by a cookout and a nice, relaxing evening. Saturday morning was another slow one before we headed to a nearby town for their Fourth of July parade. For such a small town, it was a very impressive parade! The kids had a great time collecting candy, freezies, and even hot dogs along the parade route. And somehow, the rain held off until the parade ended and we were safely back in our vehicles—perfect timing!
After the parade, we headed back to our friends’ house for some downtime, snacks, and a chance to regroup before heading back out for fireworks that evening. The fireworks display was amazing, and it really was the perfect way to end the day.
Sunday morning, we all slept in and enjoyed one more slow morning together before we started getting organized and packed up to head to South Dakota.
Ace, Ryan, Eleanore, and Ruby, thank you for such a fun Fourth of July weekend! We loved getting to spend time with you all and can’t wait for our next visit—hopefully next spring!
We’re Officially South Dakota Residents!
After saying our goodbyes, we headed to Sioux Falls, South Dakota, for the night. We had appointments the next morning to officially become South Dakota residents!
Despite making two phone calls ahead of time to make absolutely sure we had all the correct paperwork and documentation, I was still convinced we were going to get to our appointments and discover we were missing something. Thankfully, we weren’t!
The whole process was actually pretty easy. South Dakota even prints your driver’s license right there, so you walk out with it in hand instead of waiting weeks—or months, as we were used to in Minnesota.
And just like that, we officially became South Dakota residents!
With our shiny new licenses in hand, we climbed back into our vehicle and made the six-hour drive back to Duluth.
Finally, the Boat Is in the Water!
That Friday, we FINALLY got our boat in the water!
It was a very exciting—and very long-awaited—day.
If you’re wondering whether we managed to finish all of the painting before putting it in the water, the answer is…no. Maybe we’ll get it done before we leave in four weeks. Maybe it’ll have to wait until next June. At some point, we realized summer was flying by far too quickly, and if we waited until every project was finished, we might never actually get to enjoy the boat!
So, into the water it went.
And while we were finally getting the boat ready for some summer adventures, Trygg, my mom, and I had a little adventure of our own planned up the North Shore.
A Quick Getaway to Tofte
At last year’s fishing tournament, Trygg was lucky enough to win a two-night hotel stay in Tofte, Minnesota. With summer quickly getting away from us, we decided it was time to finally use it!
So, my mom, Trygg, and I headed north for a little getaway. Even though we had two nights at the hotel, we decided to only stay for one because we had company coming that weekend—including one of Trygg’s favorite people—and we definitely didn’t want to miss that!
It may have only been one night, but we made the most of it. We grabbed takeout from a local restaurant and enjoyed a lazy evening at the hotel. The next morning, we walked back to the same restaurant for coffee and some delicious morning treats before slowly making our way back toward home.
Of course, there was no reason to hurry home, so we made a stop along the way to do a little crawfish catching. Because apparently, when you’re traveling with Trygg, even the drive home can turn into an adventure!
That weekend, we got to enjoy time with our family friends who came to visit. Charlee is four years older than Trygg, but the two of them have always been good buddies. Maybe it’s because they’re both only children, but despite the age difference, they’ve always connected really well and genuinely enjoy spending time together.
It was a pretty simple few days—a quick night away, good food, crawfish catching, and time with people we love—but those are often some of the best parts of our summers in Minnesota.
Our Tofte getaway came courtesy of last year’s fishing tournament, and before we knew it, it was almost time for this year’s tournament. We were planning to take the boat to Silver Bay and make a weekend out of it. Unfortunately, Mother Nature had other plans.
When the Smoke Rolled In
Two days before we were supposed to leave for Silver Bay, wildfire smoke settled over the area—and it was unlike anything we had ever experienced before.
The air quality was literally off the charts and well beyond the hazardous level. With Derek’s asthma, there was absolutely no way we were going to attempt the trip. Even being outside for short periods of time while wearing a respirator was too much for his asthma.
It definitely wasn’t the weekend we had hoped for. We were disappointed to miss the fishing tournament and the time with our family, but we kept reminding ourselves of the bigger picture. We were safe. Our home was safe. All of our belongings were safe. So many people affected by the wildfires in Canada couldn’t say the same.
Yes, we were bummed to miss our trip, but in the grand scheme of things, missing a fishing tournament was certainly not the end of the world.
Thankfully, Trygg was still able to head up with my parents. He got to spend time with one of his second cousins and even managed to get some fishing in Sunday morning. He didn’t win any prizes for the fish he caught, but that didn’t seem to matter—he still had a great time!
While the smoke may have changed some of our plans, thankfully it didn’t stick around forever, and we still had plenty more packed into the last couple weeks of July.
A Quick Trip to the Cities
The second-to-last weekend in July, we made a quick trip down to the Cities to see a play written and directed by one of my lifelong friends and her husband. Since it was just a one-day, one-night trip, we tried to pack in as much as we could, but the main reason for the trip was the play—and I am SO glad we went!
It was amazing, to say the least. I truly have no idea how they do it! Every year they come up with an entirely new play, write the whole thing themselves, write the music, choreograph everything, and then somehow direct around 50 kids and turn it all into an incredible production. I’m exhausted just thinking about it!
The entire play was so well done, and it was pretty special to get to be there and see everything they had worked so hard to create come together on stage.
I think Trygg enjoyed it just as much as we did because he has already asked me multiple times if we’ll be going to next year’s play too. So apparently, this may need to become an annual tradition!
Reconnecting with an Old Friend
Another highlight of July for Trygg was getting to reconnect with his friend Mara.
Mara, Trygg, and one other friend attended preschool together when they were three and four years old, right in the middle of Covid. It was just the three of them and their awesome teacher! They all continued going to North Shore Community School together and have remained good buddies over the years. Even while we’re traveling, Trygg stays connected with both of his preschool pals, sending them postcards from the places we visit along the way. I love that a friendship that started with just three little preschoolers during such an unusual time has continued all these years later.
This summer, we were lucky enough to get together with Mara two days in a row! The first day, she came over to my parents’ house to catch frogs, play outside, and, of course, get a tour of our home on wheels.
The next day, Mara’s sister and another friend joined us for a little crawfish hunting.
I know what you’re thinking…Trygg sure knows how to show a girl a good time. Frog hunting and crawfish catching—oh my!
Mara was a trooper, even if those probably wouldn’t have been her first choices for how to spend a couple of summer afternoons! Regardless, it was so much fun watching the two of them reconnect and pick up their friendship again.
One of the harder parts of traveling is being away from friends, so these opportunities to reconnect when we’re back in Minnesota are pretty special. We’re hoping we can squeeze in one more get-together before it’s time for us to hit the road again!
And Just Like That…July Is Gone
At the beginning of this post, I asked why I ever thought July would feel slower and more relaxed than June. Well, after sitting down and writing about everything we managed to pack into the month, I think I found my answer as to why it went by so quickly!
July definitely felt busy at times, but looking back, it was the good kind of busy. We spent time with friends and family, became South Dakota residents, finally got the boat in the water, squeezed in a little getaway, reconnected with old friends, worked around wildfire smoke, and made a lot of really great memories along the way.
So maybe July wasn’t the slow, relaxing month I thought it would be—but it was a pretty great one.
Looking Ahead
Well…August is already almost halfway over, so clearly time isn’t planning to slow down anytime soon!
We kicked off the month with out-of-state guests, followed by me leading VBS for our church and our annual trip to Cornucopia, Wisconsin. There’s plenty to share about all of that, but I’ll save those stories for our next post!
The next few weeks will also bring a lot of preparation. We’ll be getting the boat ready to be pulled out of the water and put into storage—which seems absolutely ridiculous considering we JUST got it in the water! We’ll also start getting the Brinkley ready for departure day, which is somehow only four weeks away.
But more than anything, we’ll be trying to soak up as much time with family as we possibly can before our summer in Duluth comes to an end and it’s time for the next chapter of our travels to begin.
This life we’ve chosen isn’t always easy—but it is ours, and it’s filled with so much more than we ever could have imagined. Through it all, we’re reminded that every challenge brings growth, every adventure adds another chapter to our story, and in the end, we only regret the chances we didn’t take.
