Words & Banter

Witching You Happy Halloween Memories

Photo courtesy of Red


Red assets.rebelmouse.io

Ghosts, goblins, and pumpkins are everywhere you look! Not the ads and not the neighborhood; I’m talking about my decorations. Plus, I indulge in all the Halloween-theme food (OK, really all the pumpkin spice things) because I love Halloween!

But I also love all the Halloween memories, which I’m reminded of every time I look out the window of my “workroom” and see our annual Halloween inflatable. And I’m not the only one who loves it because over the years, whenever it gets “old and tired” (I can relate), my daughters have insisted I replace it with an identical one. At over 6 feet tall, it towers over me, and the three ghosts popping out of a pumpkin are scary but in a friendly way. But the best part? On any given day, I can hear little kids in our neighborhood walking by with their mom or dad and stopping and “squealing” with delight. Which makes me smile because I know it’s becoming a future memory for them.

My other outdoor decoration doesn’t seem to get quite the same attention, although it always makes me smile. As in every single time I pull into my driveway. You’d think, after all these years, this witch would know how to drive, but clearly not. Or maybe she was just distracted by the ghosts.


Black assets.rebelmouse.io

I have always loved Red’s “bad driver” witch, partly because I love all things driving-related (OK, I will ignore the fact she crashed), but also because it originally was my decoration when I was married, and my stepdaughters were young.

People (of all ages) who celebrate Halloween may enjoy the decorations, candy (we all have our favorites), or even trick or treating, but my favorite part was always the candy-swapping negotiations. Originally, when Red and I were growing up, then my stepdaughters, and ultimately Red’s daughters. It is interesting how sibling rivalries and differences are put aside on Halloween and replaced with very business-like trade negotiations. Not to mention strategizing over return visits to houses that have the best candy.

And our Halloween wishes for you? (Guess who wrote “witch” one!)

  • No matter what you choose to do today or how you celebrate, we wish you a happy and safe Halloween and hope you have an opportunity to create wonderful memories for the years to come.
  • Trick or treat? Why not both? Happy Halloween!
holidays
Videos

Want To Learn How To Race At Indy?

Want To Learn How To Race At Indy?play icon
RED & BLACK: Life Is Like A Racetrack
youtu.be

This is one of the most popular stories from our speaking engagements, as it seems everyone’s interested in learning how to race a Ferrari. (People also want copies of Black’s track map, and over the years, we’ve created handouts, posters, and even mugs, with the image. And probably will again!)

But the reaction to the ending of Black’s story (Red never gets tired of watching the audience) was what prompted us to write the book, Life Is Like A Racetrack.

Of course, Black’s always more than happy to talk about cars and racing. She was the first woman to race the road course at Indianapolis Motor Speedway — and is probably the first person to use a track map to explain how "life is like a racetrack."

Curious about the back story on this student-created video?

In 2012, the seniors at YES Prep Public Schools in Houston were reading our book, What I Learned About Life When My Husband Got Fired!, and we were invited to be the keynote speakers at their Senior Summit. The theme was "Life Is A Journey," and we used our own personal journeys, as well as the "story" of Red & Black, to talk about many important life lessons.

When one of the seniors, who wanted to pursue a career in media production, learned that YES Prep had videotaped the presentation, he asked permission to create a series of YouTube videos using excerpts from our keynote presentation. Of course, we were flattered and said, "Yes." (Thank you, Aurelio Puente, for asking, and for producing such great videos!)

The videos may be “older” (but, then, so are we), but the lessons are still relevant because life lessons aren’t tied to a year, a trend, or a technology. They’re simply part of growing up, moving forward, and figuring out life … one step at a time.

Stay tuned as we'll be posting more of Aurelio’s videos, along with newer videos — both live and animated. Or, better yet, register for our Saturday newsletters, and we'll keep you updated!

Want more?

There’s always at least one item in our Shop related to cars and racing (not counting our stickers), so if you’re curious — click here.

Want a copy of the track map? Email Red (the nice one) at Red@RedandBlack.email.

student's perspective
Videos

How Do YOU Plan?

How Do YOU Plan?play icon
RED & BLACK: Black's Backward Planning
youtu.be

We’re thrilled this message resonated with high school seniors, even though we’re pretty certain they’d plan the same way Red planned — by looking forward at the days, months, and (maybe) years ahead.Black, of course, looks at things differently.So differently, in fact, that it made Red stop and ask … “Wait! What?”

Curious about the back story on this student-created video?

In 2012, the seniors at YES Prep Public Schools in Houston were reading our book, What I Learned About Life When My Husband Got Fired!, and we were invited to be the keynote speakers at their Senior Summit. The theme was "Life Is A Journey," and we used our own personal journeys, as well as the "story" of Red & Black, to talk about many important life lessons.

When one of the seniors, who wanted to pursue a career in media production, learned that YES Prep had videotaped the presentation, he asked permission to create a series of YouTube videos using excerpts from our keynote presentation. Of course, we were flattered and said, "Yes." (Thank you, Aurelio Puente, for asking, and for producing such great videos!)

The videos may be “older” (but, then, so are we), but the lessons are still relevant because life lessons aren’t tied to a year, a trend, or a technology. They’re simply part of growing up, moving forward, and figuring out life … one step at a time.

Stay tuned as we'll be posting more of Aurelio’s videos, along with newer videos — both live and animated. Or, better yet, register for our Saturday newsletters, and we'll keep you updated!

student's perspective
Videos

People Always Seem Interested When Black Says, “Ferrari”

People Always Seem Interested When Black Says, “Ferrari”play icon
RED & BLACK: Assets, Liabilities & Ferraris?
youtu.be

Whenever Black says, “When I was racing Ferraris,” it always gets everyone’s attention. Students perk up. Grown men instantly seem to become young boys. And girls and women of all ages are curious. So, we weren’t surprised that a student decided to make a video about assets and liabilities since it involves Black’s Ferraris (yes, plural). But it’s about something far more than valuable than expensive cars …

Curious about the back story on this student-created video?

In 2012, the seniors at YES Prep Public Schools in Houston were reading our book, What I Learned About Life When My Husband Got Fired!, and we were invited to be the keynote speakers at their Senior Summit. The theme was "Life Is A Journey," and we used our own personal journeys, as well as the "story" of Red & Black, to talk about many important life lessons.

When one of the seniors, who wanted to pursue a career in media production, learned that YES Prep had videotaped the presentation, he asked permission to create a series of YouTube videos using excerpts from our keynote presentation. Of course, we were flattered and said, "Yes." (Thank you, Aurelio Puente, for asking, and for producing such great videos!)

The videos may be “older” (but, then, so are we), but the lessons are still relevant because life lessons aren’t tied to a year, a trend, or a technology. They’re simply part of growing up, moving forward, and figuring out life … one step at a time.

Stay tuned as we'll be posting more of Aurelio’s videos, along with newer videos — both live and animated. Or, better yet, register for our Saturday newsletters, and we'll keep you updated!

student's perspective