It’s time to take time.
We’ve embarked on a period of adventure. Follow along as we record both the journey and the strategy we use to make it possible.
It’s hard to say exactly when this adventure started. It could be when I retired from my job as a rhetoric and writing professor in May 2025. Maybe it was when James’s job as a software engineer ended in July 2025. I like to think that it started in August, when my scheduled sabbatical would have begun. That’s when we started getting rid of our stuff. That’s when we readied our van for its final cross-country road trip.
Regardless of when it started, this period of adventure is an intentional life reset. You could call it a sabbatical or taking some time away (and we have and continue to), but I prefer to frame this time as an adventure. I like describing it (as the dictionary might) as a rare experience, an unusual opportunity.
The Dawnatella Edit is where we share the adventure as well as the plan behind it.
To commit to the edit.
We believe in financial sustainability, mental sustainability, and the edit.
Financial Sustainability Is the Foundation. We explain simple, robust financial systems and strategies that allow our travel to run without stress.
Mental Sustainability Is the Goal. Our planning is designed with our mental well-being in mind. We’re taking things in small chunks, starting with three months at a time.
The Edit Is the Ethic. Right now, for us, everything is about the edit. We’re in a moment of constant revision. As a former writing professor, that means a lot to me. We’re not just polishing. We’re not just moving things around. We’re deliberately reviewing our lives with an eye toward what comes next. That doesn’t mean a lack of spontaneity or an absence of fun. It just means that we’re choosing and not coasting.
The Dawnatella Edit shares how we’re building the systems for our period of adventure. Journey with us.
To journey with us.
Our content is delivered across two essential categories: the adventure and the resource.
Adventure. Travel log content includes informal, spontaneous updates and candid snapshots. It documents the immediate, everyday realities and unexpected joys of traveling, shared for family with friends and as a personal record.
Resource. Guide content provides comprehensive, structured analysis, including functional budget breakdowns, gear assessments, and lessons learned from each trip.