What I Really Think: Living

This weekend we took our second staycation of the summer. What is a staycation you might be asking? A staycation is a mini vacation where you stay in town (or at home). For us that means heading to the Hilton Anatole in Dallas. There are several reasons why we've become addicted to the overnight staycation.

First off is the hotel. When was the last time you went to a hotel and enjoyed some of the amenities they offer? My guess is never. For adults, hotels are places to stay while we're on the road or visiting cool destinations. But when you visit cool destinations (ex: Disney World), it seems you're pressed for time. We stayed at a beautiful resort in Florida last year, and never once had a chance to even swim. That was a bummer for my kids since they LOVE hotels! Hotels are the funnest and most memorable part of a vacation for a child. What's not to like? There's a bed you can usually jump on a few times before you get yelled at. Glass elevators and escalators, the need for trips down the hall for ice, fun new bathrooms, indoor pools in the winter. Okay, I think you get the idea. Hotels are super cool to kids!

Second, we love that there really isn't much of a drive. It takes us about 35 minutes to get to the Anatole. Right about the time the kids decide to start repetitively asking "are we there yet?", we are pulling in. Not to mention that you don't need to plan ahead with oil changes, gas fill ups, etc.

For us, the Anatole is also positioned closer to "new and different" things to do. Since we were staying close to downtown, we ate dinner at El Fenix which is super yummy! Plus, my husband and kids had never been. Although, being close to downtown has a few drawbacks, such as the strong smell of pee outside the restaurant. :)

The third reason we love the staycation, is the leisurely mornings. With no rushing to get back on the road, we enjoyed a full breakfast and swam in the indoor pool while it poured down rain outside. I even got to soak in the hot tub! Then we packed up (but didn't make our beds!!) and headed to the Dallas World Aquarium right down the road. The aquarium was lots of fun and a great indoor activity with all of the rain.

Finally, the trip home was quick and there was not a pile of laundry to wash, that's a win-win for me.

Have you tried a staycation? What did you do? Will you do another?

Guest Post by Keith Wilcox

I rent my house and I've always rented my homes. In all this time I've never rented in an area with a HOA (Home Owners Association). When it comes time to finally buy a house I will never ever belong to one. People who do belong to them either don't realize the freedom they are giving up for no good reason, or are mindless drones who don't care that they are paying to live under fascist rule. These houses that people buy, in these massive sub divisions, are not cheap yet they come with strings. Why are HOAs most common in suburban subdivisions? Because the are implemented by builders who are keen to protect their investments. I bet you thought once you bought your house that it was yours. You'd be wrong. If you don't follow the rules the builder, who has contracted out with an HOA management company, will foreclose on you. They don't care about you, they care that they get return on their investment and they use the banks and HOAs to make it happen. Older neighborhoods don't have HOAs. They don't have them because the same builder did not build all the houses; each house was typically built by either an individual or a small company. This is why, in old neighborhoods, the houses don't all look like they were sucked out of the pages of 1984.

My Neighborhood

People will argue that HOAs protect residents from unruly and disruptive behavior. That's bull crap! HOAs protect investment property in the same way landlords don't allow residents to paint the walls or hang hooks because it will increase repair cost prior to the next resident. I live in a HOA free neighborhood. It's a rich neighborhood too. It's the Newlands Neighborhood of Boulder, Colorado where the median home price is about a million dollars. No two houses look alike and they all carry their own distinctive flavor. My house was built in 1927 by a father and son who dragged stones out of the mountains for construction material. Yeah, my house is stone and it's not going anywhere. My neighbors house is a big log cabin, and the neighbor after him has a gingerbread looking house. The guy living across the street from me is a rent house like mine. Nobody can tell the difference between the rent houses and the others because we all respect our neighborhood and don't throw wild parties or disrupt people with redneck stupidity.

Suburbia

Suburbia is where you find HOAs. They exist in areas where every house is within 10 feet of the next and they all look just about the same. They're all built from the same materials and they all conform to the same building code. My friend lives in one of these areas. I tried to visit him last month and I got the wrong house because I couldn't tell the difference between them. Think about the people who want to be a little different. They hang a flag outside to add a little character. They fancy up their mailbox a bit so the mailman and guests can find them better. And god forbid they have a family and the kids want a tree house. Try getting that past an HOA! Holy crap; it a nightmare. I won't live in suburbia. I won't live there because I refuse to pay out the nose for a house that isn't really mine and where I have to listen to a half wit about how I didn't cut my lawn to specification. I refuse to live in a tract of houses that have shoddy construction. Yes, modern suburban houses have shoddy construction. The cost of lumber is going up and they reduce cost by using less of it while increasing the drywall to cover it up. Sure, these suburban houses look fancy, but which ones are going over in a hurricane? You bet it's the shitty HOA ones first!

Not only do you give up freedom while still paying, in many cases, the same or more than someone who lives free, you are also living in inferior housing in a suburban wasteland where nobody has a speck of individuality left. It's enough to really create a lot of stress in people. No wonder folks are so unhealthy; It's all because of HOAs. But really, I would pack it up and move to the city or out to the country. Being stuck in between sucks the life out of good people who simply don't realize what they're actually giving up. The Nazis did the same thing. They pushed further and further and people accepted it. They got themselves elected based on a promise of financial conservancy and responsible stewardship of the state. Sounds just like an HOA.

Visit Keith's parenting & caring for kids blog, AlmightyDad.Com. Keith is an awesome stay at home dad who spends his days home schooling his two boys, playing, writing insightful articles, studying languages, and exercising.

On a personal note, I live just where Keith described. So, yes, I'm a mindless drone!! Does it make it any better that I'm aware of the fact? I honestly couldn't agree with him more and I think our neighborhood would look exactly the same HOA or not. There will always be people who take pride in home ownership and there will always be those who don't care and have weeds & cars on blocks. The later just ignore the HOA anyway.