My wife Shannon and I have done the usual things like working hard, buying cars and clothes, and going on vacation, but mostly, we’ve taken going into debt with new gusto. I’m enjoying Casino Arizona, and writing for Arizona Gaming Magazine is a treat!

After visiting with Dad and Edie in Kauai, we began to realize how precious and short time can be. It was great seeing the folks and having our daughters visit with them. Our last dinner together before heading home was at Duke’s, at Nawiliwili harbor. Delicious as always, we topped off the meal with Hula Pie for dessert. You can’t beat that.

Dad’s about 6’2 and 190 pounds. He’s mobile, but he’s got Alzheimer’s, and it’s getting tough around the house. Their home is two stories, and Edie will never be able to help him get up the stairs or even off the floor if he falls.

We hate to move him, but there aren’t many options on Kauai. We’ve been lucky enough to have the VA consider transporting him to Tucson, AZ, and then, after a few months, to Phoenix. It’s $8,500 a month in Tucson. Yikes.

Sometimes Things Just Take Time

At the last minute, there’s an opening at the Yukio Okutsu State Veteran’s Home in Hilo. It’s on the Big Island of Hawaii, and none of us have spent time there. Edie finishes the arrangements, and my sister Cathy visits several times after he’s moved. It’s an experience.

The staff is terrific, but nothing is like being at home, so Dad’s a bit disoriented and uncomfortable. He adapts, and Shannon and I think about changing our lives. We’re going to get small.

Everyone faces several options for managing debt: strict budgeting, better-paying jobs, bankruptcy, and debt consolidation. After weighing the options, we paid down some debts by taking cash from Shannon’s savings. It’s risky, but we weighed the pros and cons and moved forward.

We planned a new trip to Hilo, HI, thinking we might buy a little land there in the future. In the meantime, we’ve been looking at homes all over the island. It’s Hawaii, so prices are crazy, but raw land isn’t terrible if you don’t mind the rain.

If we want to manage the move and the financial changes, we’ll have to detach ourselves from most of our belongings and move to a tiny house. We’re considering everything, including a shipping container home. Nothing is off the table yet.

I’m still writing for several gaming outlets, including my blog at Nevada Gaming History. With book sales, articles, and several ghostwriting assignments in the past few years I’m confident we will have at least some income. Scarry, but possible.