I’m Jenni. My husband, Alan, and I quit our nice, 1.5 mile commute, beautiful Santa Monica office, work-across-the-hall-from-eachother, cushy jobs in the finance industry to give up our apartment, many of our belongings and our schedules in exchange for the freedom to roam about the world for a while.

“remember this, that very little is needed to make a happy life.”
– marcus aurelius

Why? Well the cliche answer I give (and hear) often in response is: the time is right. We have no mortgage, no kids, no massive responsibilities or obligations we’re leaving behind (except the jobs, which was a difficult decision which I’ll cover more later). But it’s clearly not just timing, or else most newlyweds a few years shy of  child-rearing and home ownership would be on the road. Beyond the basic starting point of the simple fact that we can do this, we are seeking something. We’re pursuing our passions, testing the non-traditional waters, and hoping to learn much more in the process. What exactly, I’m not sure yet. But my hope is that this blog will serve as a tool that allows me to explore such things, chronicle the beautiful places we see and experiences we share on the journey, and (more importantly) stay connected to you!

“let yourself be silently drawn by the strange pull of what you really love. it will not lead you astray.”
– rumi

And if you want a little more detail on where I’m from, check out this poem I wrote my for my father for Christmas one year while  I was a kid (and which he read at my wedding):

Where I’m From

I am from the old grandfather clock,
From the collections of antique furniture,
Paintings of beach scenes and landscapes.
I am from the pond,
The lily pads, frogs, and the puny fish,
The brown slimy ones caught again and again.

I am from Fortunes Rocks and Kenilworth,
The rocky beach and the pleasant town.
I am from Buyukanne Leman, Dede Asir, and Gul,
I am from Ishkibibble,
The starfish found under the rock,
From laughter and joking and a southern drawl.

I am from Istanbul, the gravel pit,
And the ocean and the sea.
I’m from the baklava, the salep, and the snowball cookies,
Which melt in my mouth,
Like the fresh fallen snow.
I am from scrapbooks and old photographs –
Moments of time frozen on paper,
From memories of lifetimes happened
Before my branch grew from the family tree.