Our Story

Seems only fitting to share how we got here. DJ & I always aspired to travel, but graduate school, young children, and limited funds became our staple excuses. We managed a honeymoon to Mexico, a trip to Gatlinburg, and a few other assorted trips, placating ourselves with the promise of someday.  

 

The Wake up Call

The jolt that initiated a chain reaction started with the sudden tragedy of loosing our dear friend, Hitish Nathani. He was a one-man party! Tish was full of life, deeply loving, full of challenging questions, and inspirational tid bits. He LOVED to travel. His death was our wake-up call. If not now, when? We had to stop delaying and get our butts on a plane.

 

The year after Tish’s death, we took trips to Florida, Mexico, Aruba, Seattle, Washington DC, and the US Virgin Islands. The excuse of young children melted away as our four year old slept through take-off and our oldest navigated airport security with more ease than her father. (Between a screw in his ankle & his absolute love for the entire TSA security process, DJ’s usual saint-like calm reveals a tiny crack under that pressure.)

  

We also wanted to learn to sail. So we bought a small sailboat. It was appropriately named Hei Hei after the comedic chicken in Moana. Why Hei Hei? Simple. That was our level of sailing expertise. We learned, we hit a few docks, and then we bought a bigger boat. DJ LOVES to sail! The girls & I love DJ. I think morale would be significantly increased if final destination was an exotic beach instead of back to the dock at the Rez. Sailing the Caribbean is definitely on the wish list.

 

Reorganizing Our Money  

We started earmarking money each month for adventure. Then, COVID shut us down hard in 2020. We worked from home, like the rest of the world, and discovered that with minimal childcare & gas costs our savings grew even faster. We got serious about eliminating debit, first our cars, then our mortgage. DJ learned how to maximize our investments and reduce tax burden with IRAs and HSAs. Without a mortgage payment, we were living on my income alone and saving all of DJ’s. That’s when the snowball became the avalanche. Enters a sellers real estate market and here we are.

 

We had the funds for more than a 10 day stay in Hawaii. On a meager budget we had money for a year, then two, then even more. What if we took a sabbatical and traveled aboard with the girls? We’re already comfortable with homeschooling. Why not learn history by walking through it & drill multiplication facts on the beach. Now the issue was how to negotiate time off to travel. Easy enough to quit, I guess. But hella scary, too.

 

What about the logistics of living aboard?

Where should we visit?

What language do they speak?

Is it expensive?

Where will we live?

How long can you stay on a visitor’s visa?

A yellow fever vaccine costs how much? 

What is Japanese encephalitis? (I still don’t know, but it sounds terrible!!) 

How long is a minor’s passport valid?

Can we get cell service, health insurance, our favorite brand of toothpaste?

What about our mail?

What should we pack and in what suitcase?

 

I could go on, but I think you get it. One by one we researched those questions (and so many more).

 

All our junk

That brings us to dealing with a home full of stuff we’ve accumulated. I tell ya what, if you want to be truly humbled go through your records. Every tax document, childhood journal, boxes of family photos, every card you saved, or letter from your high school pen pal. Do I need tax documents from 2004? Oh, I had them. What about land deeds? Over the past few months I have scanned thoooousands of documents, pictures, client files, and kiddie masterpieces. I’ve ripped apart yearbooks to save only the sentimental pages and I finally found the motivation to finish the girls baby books…I’m only 5 years late (facepalm!) 

 

While we did all these time consuming, emotionally loaded tasks, I began to realize that this was why more people don’t do this. This is the hardest and (so far) the longest most drawn out stage. Categorizing, scanning, destroying, packing, storing, donating, or selling EVERY SINGLE ITEM in your life requires a special kind of persistence (& lots of caffeine). 

 

Paring down sentimental items was a challenge. Letting go of all my shoes, but 4 pairs . . . I’m going to need a trophy! (And I wouldn’t even call myself a shoe person.) It was (by far) easier for the little ladies, especially when we promised any money they earned selling toys would be earmarked especially for them to refurnish their room upon completion of our tour. 

 

That’s where we stand. We have a dream to travel and have new experiences. We’ve researched, read & watched hundreds of hours of You Tube travel videos. We’ve saved money, put our house on the market & resigned our jobs. Now, we say good bye to our home for the last eleven years. I spent the last Christmas with my dad in this home. We brought two beautiful baby girls home here. Our girls played with the next-door neighbors for hours in this backyard. Sweet friendship were made here, businesses built, and memories made.

 

To have this adventure, we have to let go of the familiar. I have to wrestle with uncharted challenges, both logistical & personal. Come face to face with my ignorance & privilege. Buckle up, we’re going in.