So I paid off DH's car. That was very liberating to know that I decreased our monthly expenses by $435 by doing so.

Next goal is to pay off his credit card with our tax return. And then if I keep paying $800-$900/mo on my credit card it will be gone by December.

However, there has been an unexpected turn in our lives.

Last Sunday, DH's dad called and said he needs a pace maker or he could go at anytime. The next day I called MY Dad to vent because I was concerned for DH and needed someone to talk to.

My Dad is still recovering from Nasopharyngeal cancer, he was diagnosed in Oct '07, went through chemo & radiation and received an "all clear" in July '08. But he told me on Monday that something came up in his 6 month PET scan showing an abnormality in his lungs. He met with the oncologist on Tuesday and on Thursday did another CT scan.

All of this is just reminding me that our time with our parents is limited. They are both 68, and how this relates to money is - I genuinely feel torn because I can choose to stay on track with our finances but not see our parents despite their failing health... or I could post-pone our financial goal to get out of debt in order to ensure that we can see our parents.

With 4 kids, it makes traveling very expensive. Even just going to Missouri will cost around $1500, and I could maybe get the trip to Hawaii to see my Dad down to $6000. I just don't know. I'm trying to stay wise too... they aren't dying TODAY but they are getting older and these are things I need to think about.

So I'm in a state of limbo with that. I remember when my Dad was diagnosed with cancer the first time, I asked him - cause again I was torn - I could choose to go back to Hawaii for a family vacation or pursue my master's degree. If my Dad was younger and in better health, the answer would be obvious... but when you realize you don't have all the time in the world, its a question I do stop and ask myself.

I wonder if I get my degree but because of it lose the chance to spend what little time I have left with my Dad... will I regret it?

My Dad told me to get my degree, though. That it would make him feel so much better to know that I would be receiving the education I need to ensure security for myself and the grandkids.

Still yet, as you face the unknown with what will happen to your parents - sometimes you do just want to say "Forget my education, I can always get it later... I can never get back this time with my parents."

On top of that, I am also thinking about my career. I graduate in December so the next step is the CPA exam. In order to be a CPA, I also need 1 year of accounting experience and unfortunately my job doesn't qualify for that. But I enjoy my job because it gives me the perfect work/life balance. With DH in the Navy & nobody else to rely on but ourselves, I need to be the main "family" person to respond to sick kids and doctor's appointments. The baby is also still pretty young.

So I'm thinking about taking the CPA exam and taking a part-time bookkeeping job while keeping my current job in order to get the accounting experience. And I guess see where it goes from there, then when the baby is in preschool I can start taking on a more demanding job.

I know what I want to do so clearly, but I wonder sometimes how to get from HERE to THERE. In 20 years from now, I want to be a CPA. I'd like to specialize in taxation and helping others make decisions regarding legal & tax matters. Probably sounds silly, but I'd love to one day help other people become wealthy and stay wealthy in regards to those matters. I'm not so much worried about money for myself cause I know I'll be okay as long as my heart is in the right place.

Anyhow, so thats what has been going on here. In addition, tomorrow DH and I meet with an attorney to sign our wills & all other legal documents. Seems silly we never did this sooner, its been on my to do list for years.