This week reminded us that one of the greatest gifts of this lifestyle isn't just the places we get to see, but it's the people we get to reconnect with along the way.
Our home may have changed, but relationships have a funny way of making any place feel familiar.
From West Virginia to Kentucky...and On to Indiana 🚐
We packed up after the week in New River Gorge and pointed the truck northwest for a two-day travel stretch.
Our first stop was one we'd been looking to return back to after our travels last summer: our new camper's very first Harvest Hosts stay in Mt. Sterling, Kentucky.
If you've never heard of Harvest Hosts, it's a membership that allows RVers to stay overnight at farms, wineries, breweries, and small local businesses instead of traditional campgrounds. It brought so many fun memories during our summer trip last year that we were eager to return back & experience more hosts.
Of course, we couldn't leave empty-handed.
We stocked up on homemade cinnamon rolls, baby back ribs, breakfast sausage, and Italian sausage. Safe to say our freezer (and our stomachs) were pretty happy.
The next morning we hit the road again and rolled into Columbus, Indiana earlier than expected. We got parked, settled into our new campground, and before long it was time for the part of the week we'd been anticipating most: seeing friends we hadn't seen since our time living in South Africa.
Some Friendships Don't Skip a Beat ❤️
It's funny how years can pass, kids can grow, families can change...and somehow it still feels like yesterday.
We've added an extra little one (plus one more on the way!) since we last saw each other, the girls have grown so much, and life has taken us in different directions. But within minutes, it felt like no time had passed at all.
Watching Lowina and Nolitha together again was incredibly special. They spent so much of their early childhood together in South Africa, and seeing them pick right back up where they left off was one of those moments that makes you realize friendships don't always measure time the same way we do.
Lizzie (who was just a few days old when she met Nolitha & her family in South Africa) and their newest addition Micah took a little longer to warm up (two shy kids sizing each other up), but before long they were running around together too.
The afternoon was everything summer should be.
Slip-and-slide races in the backyard.
A barbecue dinner.
Lots of catching up.
Kids playing until they were absolutely exhausted.
We even celebrated Nolitha's birthday a little late with cupcakes, Happy Birthday, and air clay creations around the table. These are the kinds of days we'll remember long after we forget what campground we stayed at.
A Sunday We Needed ⛪
Sunday morning we all headed to church together. The pastor who was also named John was celebrating 20 years since his ordination and shared a message from the Gospel of John about our attitudes and the posture of our hearts.
It was one of those sermons that seemed to arrive at exactly the right time, especially for John as we continue navigating so many new changes in this season of life.
The girls loved singing worship songs and spent the rest of the day randomly breaking into Jesus songs.
After church, we split up for some well-earned fun. The dads headed out for a round of golf while the kiddos and moms enjoyed a pool day with new friends, complete with tacos and lots of swimming.
Worldschool Week One 📚
Monday marked our very first official day of homeschool.
While this lifestyle is full of national parks and road trips, we're also settling into what everyday life looks like on the road.
We started the morning with another weekly journal entry, documenting our journey from West Virginia to Kentucky to Indiana before jumping into our first Spanish lesson. The girls learned the names of each finger through a song that has already been stuck in everyone's heads all week.
John tackled math and language arts while I worked through art projects with the girls.
After school, we celebrated our first official homeschool day with an afternoon at a local park before grabbing dinner at Upland Brewery.
By Tuesday, we were starting to find our rhythm. After sleeping in a little, we worked through another full morning of school: Spanish, handwriting (yes, Lowina requested another cursive lesson), math, language arts, and even dance class as the girls learned the choreography to the sister dance from "Voicemails from Isabelle."
We're learning that school doesn't have to look like four walls and a desk.
Sometimes it looks like journals written from a campground. Sometimes it's learning a new language on the girls bedroom floor in the camper. Sometimes it's making memories first and worksheets second.
And honestly...that feels pretty special.
Tuesday evening brought another reminder of just how special this week has been. We headed over to our friends' house for dinner, where we got to spend time with their friends who were also passing through town.
There was something really special about having everyone together around the table: more conversations, more laughter, and more time for the kids to simply be together.
A Museum Field Trip 🏛️
Wednesday morning brought our first official worldschooling field trip: a visit to the local children's museum.
Ellie's favorite activity? Sliding down a giant flushing toilet. 😂
Lowina was fascinated by an activity where she melted blocks of ice to uncover hidden artifacts, including marbles, buttons, letters, and little animals. It was such a simple activity, but it turned into a great hands-on lesson about history and discovery.
We also learned about mummification through ice and the story of the man discovered frozen in the Alps in 1991. Suddenly, our children's museum visit had turned into a pretty memorable history lesson.
After the museum, we headed to Nolitha's school to have lunch with her. Getting to see a little piece of her everyday life and having our girls back together again was another highlight of the week.
That evening, we kept things low-key and headed back to their house for dinner.
We're soaking up these last few days together before we continue on our journey.
It's easy to get caught up in the miles, the campgrounds, the national parks, and the next destination when you're traveling full-time. But this week has been a beautiful reminder that often the most meaningful parts of the journey aren't places at all. They're people.
And getting to watch these kids reconnect, make new memories, and pick right back up where they left off has made this stop in Indiana incredibly special.
Just a few more days together before we point the camper toward our next adventure. 🚐❤️
Thanks for riding along with us this week, and for letting our travels inspire your own. Your next adventure is closer than you think.🤍
Until the next stop,
The Wagner Family
