From the Inside Out

Gary and I have a Halloween tradition. Every October we get together with our friends and check out the local haunted houses. I’m not sure why, but it’s something I’ve never grown tired of doing. It’s fun to go to some dark, spooky place in the middle of nowhere and have people jump out and try to scare you. I love it!

Some of the haunted houses we visit are lame, but others are quite scary. We’ve been to so many over the years that we now know the best ones to frequent. Our favorites are in Ft. Worth. Hangman’s House of Horrors and the Cutting Edge (voted one of the best haunted houses in America and Guinness World Record holder for the world’s largest walk through haunted house) are the best. Verdun Manor in Terrell and Screams in Waxahachie are not too far behind.

We didn’t visit any of our favorites this weekend, though. By the time we left on Saturday, it was late, so we decided to visit a couple of haunted houses closer to home. First up was The Parker House in Lewisville. The Parker House does a good job of creating an eery environment while you are waiting in line. And that’s a good thing because you will be waiting a long time, even with the fast pass. Once you finally get into the house, it’s worth the wait. There are some good scares, and the attraction offers a nice mix of inside and outside haunts, complete with the chainsaw wielding maniac at the end.

Our “scary” picture while waiting in line

The next attraction we visited was Phantoms Ghost Ranch in McKinney. Phantoms consists of 15 old western buildings that are haunted. You walk through the town and go into the various building to get scared. The environment is pretty cool, and it was well staffed when we went through last night. It was fun, and I’d recommend it, but I wish it lasted just a little bit longer.

Even though we didn’t make it to Fort Worth, we had a great night. Two haunted houses + friends + a few screams = another priceless Halloween memory.

Tuesday started with an early morning cycling ride. We rented road bikes from West Maui Cycles so we were fully equipped for a great ride — similar to what we have at home, but with even better bikes. Our ride treated us to some amazing views as we rode along the ocean. I think I’m really spoiled now by the Maui scenery. Riding in Plano while looking at concrete and houses just can’t compare.

Mountains of Maui

Our view for most of the ride…ah-mazing

Stopping for some shaved ice along the way

Large trees that covered the road and provided nice shade for our ride

After our 20-mile ride, we ate lunch at Kimo’s on Front Street in Lahaina and then went to our next adventure, Makawao. It’s a small town on Mt. Haleakala with an old Hawaiian Cowboy flair. There are some quaint shops, galleries, and a sampling of restaurants along the main road. We spent a few hours browsing through them and then went on to our next stop.

Shops in Makawao

Twin Falls, along the famous “Road to Hana,” was next. We hiked through the forest and came across our first waterfall.

We don’t have these in Texas!

Posing with the water

Since the spot is called Twin Falls, we hiked away from our first waterfall and went on the search for waterfall #2. It wasn’t long before we found it, and since it was empty (i.e. no people except me and Gary), I went for a nice little swim.

We continued our hike and found a third waterfall, but it wasn’t as dramatic as the first two so I’m not posting it here. By the time we finished our hike, it was near sunset. We headed back to Makawao to eat dinner at a little Mexican food joint we found when we toured through the area. We had a picturesque drive back.

On this blog, I sometimes write about interesting, but completely useless information. Well, that’s not happening tonight! Tonight’s post will improve your productivity, make your life easier, and give you more time to watch those Dr. Phil episodes you’ve been dying to see (if you’re into that kind of thing).

Thanks to Howcast.com, you now have access to the secret method of how to flawlessly fold a t-shirt in two seconds flat. Just think about all the time you will save after doing laundry or when packing for your next trip. What used to take roughly 4-6 seconds can now be done in only two by simply following the easy instructions in the video below — whew, what a relief! It’s fabulous, darling.

And yes, you can thank me later.

Inevitably, the question always comes up. Sometimes it’s the second question they ask; sometimes it’s the third. It usually falls somewhere between “are you married?” and “where do you work?” If you read the title of this post, then you already know where I’m going with this one. It’s the “do you have kids?” question. I hear it all of the time. People who don’t know me well ask it innocently. I think others are simply hoping that someday I will eventually give in to the “dark” side and join the insidious cult of parenthood.

I have nothing against people who have children. Almost everyone I know has them. In fact, I enjoy being with my nephews and niece immensely. Kids can be lots of fun, and from what people tell me, having children can be very rewarding. But, that’s just one perspective. For those who can’t seem to wrap their heads around why someone wouldn’t want to have children, maybe a post from the famous Ann Landers will shed some insight. I saw this the other day and just had to share it. I think it’s hilarious. Hopefully, you’ll see the humor too. Enjoy!

“There is nothing sadder than a childless couple. It breaks my heart to see them relaxing around swimming pools in Florida, sitting all suntanned and miserable on the decks of their boats — trotting off to Europe like lonesome fools. It’s an empty life. Nothing but money to spend, more time to enjoy and a whole lot less to worry about.

The poor childless couple are so wrapped up in themselves, you have to feel sorry for them. They don’t fight over the child’s discipline, don’t blame each other for the child’s most obnoxious characteristics, and they miss all the fun of doing without for the child’s sake. They just go along, doing whatever they want, buying what they want and liking each other. It’s a pretty pathetic picture.

Everyone should have children. No one should be allowed to escape the wonderful experience that accompanies each stage in the development of the young — the happy memories of sleepless nights, coughing spells, tantrums, diaper rash, debts, “dipso” baby sitters, saturated mattresses, emergencies and never-ending crises.

How dismal is the peaceful home without the constant childish problems that make a well-rounded life and an early breakdown; the tender, thoughtful discussions when the report card reveals the progeny to be one step below a moron; the end-of-the-day reunions with all the joyful happenings recited like well-placed blows to the temples.

Children are worth it. Every moment of anxiety, every sacrifice, every complete collapse pays off as a fine, sturdy adolescent is reached. The feeling of reward the first time you took the boy hunting — he didn’t mean to shoot you, the lad was excited. Remember how he cried? How sorry he was? And how much better you felt after the blood transfusion? These are the times a man with a growing son treasures — memories that are captured forever in the heart and the limp.

Think back to the night of romantic adventure when your budding daughter eloped with the village idiot. What childless couple ever shared in the stark realism of that drama? Aren’t you a better man for having lived richly, fully, acquiring that tic in your left eye? Could a woman without children touch the strength and heroism of your wife as she tried to fling herself out of the bedroom window?

The childless couple live in a vacuum. They fill their lonely days with golf, vacation trips, dinner dates, civic affairs, tranquility, leisure and entertainment. There is a terrifying emptiness without children, but the childless couple are too comfortable to know it.

You just have to look at them to see what the years have done: He looks boyish, unlined and rested; she’s slim, well-groomed and youthful. It isn’t natural. If they had had kids, they’d look like the rest of us — worn out, wrinkled and exhausted.”