It sounds like ultimately this is a lifestyle question my wife and i need to answer.  

I think it will be a few more years before my rentals can fully fund my lifestyle, but every month that mortgage goes down, and I'm one step closer:) I'm also thinking about tapping into my ROTH, and perhaps starting the trad-IRA to Roth-IRA conversion as a way to help jump start FI. 

One of the sayings that makes it's way around Bigger Pockets all the time is, "Don't take advice from anyone whose lifestyle isn't a lifestyle you don't want to lead."

With the mountains, trails, 300 days of sun, it's a lifestyle, not a place to live.

By not purchasing properties yet, they can enjoy a good lifestyle right now.  

By letting your W2 gig pay for your lifestyle and needs, you leave all that great RE cash flow / profit to go right back out into the playing field, because you don't need it to eat.

Not sure exactly what you talked about and maybe you already did my suggestions, but I wouldn't talk figures or numbers so much with her, but rather the dream, lifestyle that making a smart move would make.

So a setup like SFR or small plexes, where I can be a landlord and have property management company maintain it for me, then it would fit my lifestyle. 

Our holds, ie rentals and notes, pay for themselves, for their repairs, pay for any vacancies, AND pay for our lifestyle.

At this time I am doing an insurmountable amount of research to figure out would work best for me, my lifestyle and what do I want out of it.