San Antonio - Top 10 Things I'll Miss

So, as you know, or maybe you don't, Lake & I are moving to the Dallas area in ONE WEEK!  While we're so excited to take on this new chapter of our lives, leaving San Antonio is going to be so hard!  Lake has lived here for the past 10 years & I've been here for the past 8 years.  That's a long time!  San Antonio is our home, so leaving it won't be easy.  So before we say "good-bye" to the Alamo City, I wanted to compile my Top 10 of things that I'll miss about San Antonio.  So here we go:

10.  The Traffic...or lack thereof....

San Antonio is a pretty big city, kinda spread out, but it's nice to just be able to stay in your area without having to travel too far.  Other than when there's construction or when there's a drop of rain, traffic in this city is non-existent most of the time.  I know that I'm going to miss that, A LOT!  I've heard the horror stories of traffic in the DFW area, but I'm mentally preparing myself for it already.  I guess the I-10 construction in the DeZavala/Huebner area is just getting me ready....

9.  Fiesta Texas Fireworks on I-10

On any given evening during the summer, you can catch the Fiesta Texas fireworks display on I-10 heading west around UTSA to La Cantera around 9:15pm.  It's one of my favorite things about SA & about living in Leon Springs.  It's always a nice little treat to see as I'm heading home & BAM, they're the fireworks....I'm going to miss that.

enjoying the fireworks at the La Cantera parking lot
one warm summer night

**Side note:  If you park in the back lot at The Shoppes at La Cantera (around Perry's Steakhouse), you can catch an even better view of the fireworks show.  Show up by about 9:05pm & you can catch the entire show, it starts going really "crazy" around 9:15pm.

8.  The River Walk

I've been visiting San Antonio since I was a little kid.  We used to come up to SA as our "vacation" which I see it now & I'm like, "what did we used to do when we would come?", but the second that I get on the River Walk I remember how cool this city really is!  It's just so pretty & busy & just fun!  We don't necessarily get ourselves down to the River Walk "proper" all the time, but it's definitely the spot we bring out of town guests to.  It's nice to have something like that at our disposal, now I just wish we had taken advantage of it more.  

7.  Distance From The Valley
I can't even begin to imagine how hard it's going to be living over 9 hours away from my parents, grandfather, aunts, uncles, countless cousins & my best friends in the entire world (might as well be my sisters).  Right now, the drive down to the valley is about 4 hours (give or take with traffic & how fast I can get away with).  Now, that drive isn't happening, there's no way I'm spending 9 hours in the car, half of it driving on 35 Southbound.  Luckily, there's a direct flight to McAllen on American or direct to Harlingen on Southwest.  I already miss The Valley so much, losing the ease to get there is going to be rough.  Guess that's what FaceTime is for.....

6.  My Students!

I've been lucky enough to teach in 3 different districts in the area.  I started my career in Boerne ISD at a smaller school.  I look back fondly at those years & those students & it makes me smile.  I "grew up" a lot during those three years & I'm grateful for the time I spent there.  I ended my San Antonio teaching career at Northside ISD teaching students that I never thought I would teach.  I'm going to miss the pressure & fun of working on a daily "newscast" with my advanced students, I've learned so much over the past 4 years not only dealing with video/photo editing, but also just a lot from my students.  Being a teacher, in my opinion, is one of the hardest jobs in the world!  Career wise, I'm not sure what my future holds, will I be back in the classroom?, will I try my hand at something totally different?, at this point, I really don't know.  What I do know, is that I'm the person I am today partly because of my amazing students, the good & the bad....and I'm going to miss getting a whole new batch of them every school year.


5.  Fiesta!

I can't even deal.  Those days in April every year where the entire city comes together for a giant party are some of my favorite days of each year!  The food, the festivals, the friends, San Antonio knows how to throw a party, that's for sure.  I'm especially going to miss my Shrimp Po-boy from the French Quarter section at NIOSA.  I've said it before & I'll say it again, there's a few foods in my life that I miss, like my very favorite Nutella-Banana crepe from the best creperie right across the street from the Eiffel Tower along the River Siene in Paris....my shrimp po-boy definitely falls into that category!

shrimp po-boy...mmmmm....

 

4.  THE FOOD

Speaking of food....that's one of major things that I know I'm going to miss about San Antonio!  And it's not just the Mexican food!  We've discovered plenty of other amazing restaurants that don't have anything to do with Mexican food.  I can tie lots of memories with food & restaurants & good times, so maybe that's why this ranks so high on my list...

3.  The Junior League of San Antonio

I joined the Junior League of San Antonio (JLSA) during the Spring of 2008.  I joined to make friends, quite honestly.  During my first 3 years of living in San Antonio I was a busy cheerleading coach who barely had time to do anything outside of my job.  So when I left that, I decided I needed to find something to do with my new found extra time.  I joined the league with my friend Kathleen & knew only one other person in the JLSA aside from Kathleen.  Sitting at my first prospective member meeting I felt slightly inadequate.  I was sitting at a table with ladies who all knew each other, I looked at Kathleen & I think both of us were like....ummmmmm, I'm not sure about this anymore.  Fast forward 5 years & it's one of the best decisions I've ever made!  Not only have I made the friendships & relationships that I wanted to create when I joined, I've become a better person!
The JLSA has not only taught me how to be a better leader, but just a leader in general.  I've been out of my comfort zone on numerous occasions, sometimes I was shoved, but in the end, it's always been the best thing for me.  I've learned how to work with a whole array of women & I've formed relationships with ladies that I would never have the privilege of knowing outside of the JLSA.  And throughout all of this self-growth, I've given back to the city that has given me so much, it's really a perfect combination!  I can't thank the JLSA & the ladies of the JLSA enough, I've been changed for the better because of everyone that I've worked/volunteered with, laughed with, or on some occasions cried with (most of the time out of sheer laughter).  SO THANK YOU JLSA LADIES!  Even though I'll be transferring out soon, the JLSA will always hold a very special place in my heart.

2 & 1.  Our Friends & Family

Friends
Short & simple, we're leaving so many amazing people that we've been lucky enough to call friends.  Thinking back to 2005, the only people I knew were Mark & Kathleen.....they thought I should meet this guy named Lake, so we did, the rest is history.  My friend circle grew by one more with the addition of Lake in my life, & I also got his super awesome roommate Andrew in the deal!  Score!  I could go through our "friendship history" in the city but that would take a really really long time.  Over the course of 8 years I've become friends with some of the most amazing people & then those amazing people started having little people, the circle keeps growing!  Aside from my family, my friendships are the most important thing to me & I've been blessed to have such great friends!  There's not much more to say other than, I'm going to miss everyone so much!  VISIT US!

Family
And yes, this includes our friends that I consider our family.  My in-laws live in SA & I'm sad we won't be as close to them.  They throw the best bday dinners & it's always nice to go over to their house & spend time with them & hear about all of their adventures around the city.  I'm also sad to leave my brother, sister-in-law, niece & nephew.  Sure, they'll only be in SA for another year, so this was inevitable, but seeing them on a regular basis for the past 2 years has been priceless.  I've seen Maryn go from an adorable toddler to the sweetest little girl, over the course of two years.  And we met Hayden when he was only 2 weeks old, now he's a full blown 2 year old kid, who seriously says the most hilarious things!  It's been a true pleasure to have them so close, I count my blessings to be given the privilege of being their "Yaya."  FaceTime dates are definitely in order!  Also, M's bestie, Blythe lives in Dallas, so she's pumped I'm going to be living so close to Miss B!

While good-byes are never easy, I know we'll be visiting the area a lot.  I'm very excited to see where this new adventure takes us & who it brings in our lives.  We're very blessed to have called San Antonio our home & I'm really looking forward to creating a new home with Lake.

And of course...as in most situations in life, there's an SATC quote for that:

"After all, things change, so do cities, people come into your life and they go. But it's comforting to know that the ones you love are always in your heart... and if you're very lucky, a plane ride away" 

Is it really May? ALREADY?!

It's hard to believe that we're already into the month of May.  2013 is just flying right past us & so is the school year.  So far it's been a good year, the usual stuff here & there.  We haven't done anything too outrageous or crazy....just yet....

Fiesta 2013 has come & gone & it was another fun one.  This year, we did "Fiesta Light" only attending Alamo Heights Night, NIOSA, & I made my way to Taste of the Northside with my friend Lorena.  Lake was out of town at a car race with his dad....in which they placed 4th place.

In 2013 we've watched golf, babysat Maryn & Hayden, I got all dressed up for the JLSA's Fete du Cuvee at the beginning of March & got to visit my bestie, her hubby & my adoptive pup Biggie in Fort Worth very recently!

Am I still running you ask?  Why, yes, yes I am.  Trying to run as much as possible actually.  We'll be participating in Beach to Bay in just 2 short weeks!  I'm super pumped!  Our team name is:  The Coastbusters....yes, as in a play on the "Ghostbusters"  The team consists of Team Ellis, Team Gideon & Team Barbour, I'm anchoring our team, which I'm super excited about!  My leg is just under 5 miles, so I'm also a little nervous, but I think I should be able to handle it!

So what's ahead....WELL.....school ends in just 5 shorts weeks, the day after school gets out I'll be flying to Orlando with my parents, my baby cousin Clara & Maryn & Hayden to DISNEYWORLD!  It's been almost 3 years since our last visit so I'm itching for this trip!  CANNOT WAIT!  I'm currently planning our "character dining" & trip itinerary.  :)  I fly back on that next Thursday & then leave for Vegas the very next day!  Lake & I will be hanging with Team Walkup & hopefully some other friends....get on it y'all!  ;)

But yeah...that's kinda it, I'm sure I'll throw in a Valley trip over the summer as well as a trip up way north...to FTW, it works out perfectly...I have besties in the Valley & a bestie in FTW & I'm right in the middle!  Life it great!

In Case You Were Wondering......

The 2012 New Year's Resolution is still on & going strong!  To say I've been busy is a slight understatement, but oh well, whatever.

Now, let's talk races:

Saturday, August 25th - Jalapeno 10K Trailrun
Never have I EVER been so mad for an ENTIRE race, NEVER!  I don't blame anyone but myself for agreeing to sign up for this race but I think I was fearing for my life the entire time.  When someone says "trail run" I will completely believe that they mean crazy, rocky, hilly, dirty, branches ready to take your head off, TRAIL RUN! 
The run was through the back woods of McAllister Park which is very pretty, but you know when you're running on a trail & you see those crazy "off roaders" come zooming towards you from one of the side trails & you think to yourself....WHY?!?!  Why would you off road when you have a nice safe & clean paved trail right here in front of you....well my friends, on this day, I was one of those CRAZY people!
I ran this race with Mireya, I've given her enough grief since then so I won't here, but she seemed to enjoy it much more than I did.  I wanted to turn so badly at the 5K mark, but I stuck with it & finished in around 1:06...and to think, I was aiming for under an hour, HA!  I was so spent after that race was over, not even funny! 
Best part of the race was having brunch at Tre after the race....

Monday, September 3rd - Dry Comal Creek Wine Run
Ah, Labor Day, a day to take it easy & rest & not do anything....but run 5 miles.
I did this race last year & I figure any race that ends with a Sangria Slushie is amazing in my book! 
The race runs through a neighborhood off of Highway 46 which is across the street from the vineyard.  It's a 5 mile race but it's hilly.  I started off the race not feeling great, walked for a bit, then had a surge of energy to finish it out.  I ended up finishing just over 51 minutes, which was 2 minutes slower than my time last year, so that made me sad, but oh well, you can't win 'em all!
For this race we had a big group!
Myself, Lake, Kristen, Ariana, Mike, Anne, Leah & Sarah, it was fun & the food & drink after was good!  Glad I ran that one again, it will probably be a yearly occurrence. 

Sunday, September 9th - Mission Possible 10K
Second race for September & this one I'm happy to report was my best race ever!  (at least in terms of 10Ks)
The race started at Concepcion Park which is located on the south end of the river.  We ran north up the river towards the King William area, it was a really pretty route!  About halfway through the race I realized that my pace was pretty good & that I had a good possibility of PRing, so I figured why the heck not!  I kept up my pace & starting pinging people off in my head.  I was passing folks & checking them off of my list, kinda fun actually!  haha.  I ended up finishing the race just under 1 hour!  A personal best for me, I was so proud!  Mireya & I ran this race, she came in just ahead of me, I think it was a good race for both of us. 

Saturday, October 6th - 10 Miler Pancake Run
Yes that's right, 10 miles!  UGH!  This race!  OK, another race where I was really mad the whole time...but this time for a much different reason.
The race started at Blue Star Art Complex, we run up about a mile, then turned back down the river, then headed waaaaaaay south on the river about a mile and a half south of Concepcion Park....where there is absolutely zero shade anywhere! 
The race didn't start till about 8:20ish, this race should have started at 7:00am, it was just too hot & there wasn't any relief from the sun, it was miserable.  Seriously, I don't even know what my time ended up at....like 1:58 or something awful, I don't even care!
Someone who did do well was my freakishly fast sister in law, Leah.  I don't know what her final time was, all I know is that when we passed each other she was around Mile 7 & I was around mile 5.3....awesome!  A few of her friends & Lake also ran this race....everyone did great, I'm just glad that I finished in one piece & didn't throw up...though I felt I could have.......

So what's next? 

I think I'm done for October.....I have a 10 mile run to do tomorrow & probably 9 miles to do next weekend.....then it's November!

In November Lake & I will be running a 5K in Austin on the NEW Formula One Race Track, or at least that's the plan.  The race is scheduled for Saturday, November 3rd, then the next weekend we will of course be running in the San Antonio Rock N Roll Half Marathon.  I'm not sure what I'm "goaling" my time for, I'd like to PR which would be anything faster than 2:16, but I'm hoping for 2:10, we'll see, it'll all depend on the weather honestly.  Let's all start praying for cooler, crisp weather.....AMEN!

In December I'll be running the Color Me Rad Run on Sunday, December 2nd & then a few days later I'll be running the Light the Night 5K at Sea World, which is a SUPER fun run!!  That's it...the year's over....I told my mom even if I get hurt there's no way I'm not finishing out this stinkin' resolution!  I'm too close!

I'm also not letting Anne, Mike, Ariana, Kristen or Mireya not finish it either...DO YOU HEAR THAT FOLKS?!?!?!?  You think I'm annoying right now, just wait!  You're finishing this with me whether you like it or not!......but it's all out of love!  :)

I've had some people ask me about 2013, honestly....finding a race a month is a lot of pressure, it's been super fun, but I don't think I want to have to do a race a month again.  I do however already have a race planned for January...you should run it with me.

January Race - Resolve for a Better SA 5K

The Junior League of San Antonio will be hosting it's FIRST EVER 5K race!  The race will start & end at The Bright Shawl (819 Augusta) which is located on the northern end of downtown.  The race will run along the north end of the Riverwalk on the Museum Reach, it's going to be a really pretty run, I'm so excited to be apart of the planning for this race, I cannot wait!!  The race is on Saturday, January 12th at 8:00am, maybe YOU want to try to do a race a month for 2013....why not start with Resolving for a Better SA! 

Click here to sign up for the race!  If you can't run the race but would still like to support the Junior League of San Antonio, click here to check out my super awesome & fun fundraising page!!  :)  Any donation would be greatly appreciated & I'll give you a shout out on my FB page....you know that's SUPER cool!

PS--I forgot how much I love blogging...I need to not let months go by without blogging.....

26 Day Picture Project - Days - #4, #5, #6, #7, #8 & #9!

Day #4 - Happy 4th of July!

Here's my nephew, Hayden & my sister in law watching Hayden's first fireworks display! I'm not sure he really appreciated all the noise, but he sure did love the colors! 

I'm very happy to be there for his first witness of fireworks :)

Day #5 - What's Old is New

I had a lunch meeting today & decided to wear a new dress that I bought this past weekend at Old Navy (on sale no less!) & I wanted to wear fun heels with it, so since I just cleaned out my shoe closet I thought it would be nice to wear these shoes, circa Nine West around Spring 2005. I love when I can wear "old" things & make them new again.
Plus, I got lots of compliments & that's always fun! :)

Day #6 - Goodwill
I took in my Goodwill San Antonio donation today for Junior League of San Antonio! Getting my check marks done early ;) The house feels lighter now....

Day #7 - Sunrise Running
This picture was take at mile 2.6 during my 5 mile run on Saturday morning along Loop 1604, run was tough, but the pic sure is pretty! :)

Day #8 - BFFs

This past weekend some of my very best Valley friends came to visit! Weekend was filled with lounging, catching up & laughing :)
I've known Monica since we were 10 years old & I've known Cristina since we were 5 years old. They're the best! :)

Day #9 - Curriculum Writing 2012

Today started my first of 7 days of curriculum writing for school.....yeah, that's all I got.....

The 26 Day Picture Project!

I can hardly believe that today is June 30th, hence today is the very last day of the month, which means that an entire month of my summer break has quickly dissolved into only memories, weird how quickly that happens.....

Not that I've been sitting around just twiddling my thumbs, watching TV & vegging, I could only wish that I had the luxury to do that, but alas, summer is flying by & I'm incredibly busy, but it's been quite fun!  I've been busy running, junior leaguing, emailing, conferencing, & unfortunately NOT cooking, which makes me really sad!  Usually summer is my prime time to get back in the kitchen, but it just hasn't happened yet.  I'm hoping July will lend it self to cooking, fingers crossed**

July is promising to be just as busy!  More of the same....it's still nice to have this time & I'm not going to lie, I have spent a few hours here & there just sitting on the couch, being lazy, watching re-runs of Grey's Anatomy & Sex and the City.  I've also gotten to see VEEP & Girls, which are both HI-LARIOUS!  Thanks HBO!

With my 30th birthday looming in less than 30 days now (27 to be exact) I wanted to do some sort of countdown or like bucket list or something.  I thought about starting it on June 26th, exactly ONE month before my bday, but I was driving back from the Valley & it didn't lend itself, then I was like, ah, oh well, not gonna do anything, but then on Thursday I got a brand new point & shoot camera & I got an idea, why don't I start on July 1st (my birth month, best month ever, just FYI) & take a pic of the coolest thing I do that day or the coolest thing that I see that day.  GENIUS!

This idea is actually a play of something I do with one of my best friends, except with her it's...."Weirdest/Randomest Thing I Saw on my Run Today", and trust me, we both see some weird/random stuff (chancla, chonies, live chicken, preggo test), I tell no lies!  So for 26 days I'll chronicle my life through pictures...through the eyes of an almost 30-year old....ah, it's the best I could come up with.

We'll see how well I can keep up with it....Stay Tuned!

Seven Years Later

If you would have asked me 7 years ago,

"Where do you think you'll be on May 31st 2012?" 

I really don't know how I would have answered you, honestly, I have no clue!  On May 31st 2005 I was a newly hired teacher working at Boerne High School & I had just taken 20 JV & Varsity Cheerleaders & 1 Mascot under my wing, I had NO IDEA what in the world I was doing.  There were some days that it was very obvious that I had NO IDEA what in the world I was doing & other days I think I hid it well....or at least that's the hope.....but looking back on 7 years of teaching all I can do is smile & be really really proud of how much I've grown as a person.

Nostalgia is a funny thing....it kinda sneaks up on you.  Life has changed since 2005 in so many ways...:

*I'm an old married woman & have been for more than 4 years now! CRAZY! Lake & I have traveled the world (literally) & I can't think of anyone else I'd want to share this awesome experience with, to say that I've been blessed is quite an understatement.

*I no longer work at Boerne HS & I haven't for sometime, but I'll always carry that experience with me, forever!  I'm happy to say that I still keep in touch with a handful of my colleagues from Boerne & that was probably the hardest part of leaving there, leaving my friends.

*I'm no longer a cheerleading coach.  During my first year of teaching I was convinced that I'd taken on the hardest job in the world, on top of being a first year teacher, I was also a first year coach & a cheerleading coach to top it off.  Each year was a little easier & a whole lot more fun!  I especially hold my "girls" (my cheerleaders) very close to my heart. Sure I haven't seen most of them in years, but I still think of them often & love to see what they're up to on Facebook.  They are all growing up, getting married, having babies, it makes me feel old, but I love seeing what they're becoming, it's truly a beautiful site!  The tears, laughs, bruises, & all the other things that accompany coaching 20 girls will always stay with me & I'm grateful for that..

*I'm in charge of the "news" at my school, whaaaat?!?  I have the funnest job & get to work with some pretty awesome-ly creative kids.  Everyday is a new adventure with them!  Just like with my former cheerleaders I look forward to seeing where life takes my Falcon's Eye News Crew kids, their talent is endless!

*I've run a FULL marathon, I'm insane, enough said.

*I LOVE SAN ANTONIO!  I mean I've always liked the city, growing up we'd come visit SA & run track meets here during the summer, it was always fun & always reminded me of the Valley but it was bigger with better places to shop!  ;)  During my first 3 years living in SA I didn't have time to make friends outside of school or to really get to know the city.  After I left coaching I found myself with spare time, which was a luxury I didn't have before.  I decided to join the Junior League of San Antonio, a women's volunteer organization that promotes volunteerism & develops the potential of women.  I wasn't sure what the journey would entail when I joined but I thought it would be a fun way to make some new friends & get to know the city better & also help out in the city!  What the league has given me I can never repay.  I've been pushed, sometimes shoved, out of my comfort zone on numerous occasions, but I'm a better person because of it!  I've also met some of the greatest women & friends through the league.  That's something that has definitely changed since 2005......

*I have FRIENDS!  haha, I mean I've always had my core group of HS friends that I'm still very close with & I talk to all the time, but in college I really only left with a couple of good friends (Kathleen & my roomies), I moved to SA knowing no one other than Mark & Kathleen.  I quickly welcomed some new friends in the mix, but it wasn't until I joined the JLSA & got more involved that I made my SA Circle of Friends.  Sure people have come & gone, faces have changed, but I love all the friends I've made in SA even if I've grown apart from some, I truly believe that people are placed in your life for a reason & sometimes that reason isn't meant to equal out to a life long friendship....but sometimes it is :)

So, if someone were to ask me today....."Where do you think you'll be on May 31st 2019?".....

I have no idea, really....and I kinda like it that way!

So I HATE Giving Speeches.....

I've never been the type of person who can stand in front of a room & just speak.  Public speaking is a huge fear of mine.....not as big as snakes as I can immediately go from 0 to petrified at just the sight of a snake & I get incredibly nauseous even THINKING about a snake let alone seeing one in person!  YIKES!  But that's not the point of this post....and plus my stomach is starting to knot up because I'm thinking about snakes....

Back to public speaking, this became the subject of conversation the other day in the Ellis house when I was telling Lake that I had to deliver a very short speech at a small celebration ceremony for the New Members of the Junior League as they completed their first year yesterday (CONGRATS AGAIN LADIES!)  After I had a mini panic attack in front of my friend & chair, I decided to suck it up, get over it & give the speech.  It's not something I like to do, but I know that the only way to get better at something is by doing it, right?!?!  Plus, I really loved what I did this year & did want to share what I had to say, I just wasn't super jazzed about having to give the speech....

Well I prepared my "speech" on Monday & had it ready to go by that evening.  I practiced it in front of Lake a few times & I think he gave me the biggest compliment EVER!  (at least in the context of public speaking for myself)

After I finished, I stopped & said:
"so what do you think??"

He smiled & said:
"Wow!  I can see such an improvement in not only your presentation & presence, but in your writing skills, you've just gotten better at this.  That was really good & you don't need to change a thing!"

Now, I'm not saying I hit it out of the ballpark yesterday when I actually gave the speech & or anything, but it was a vast improvement to where I was last year at this point!  SERIOUSLY!  I felt a million times better when I was done & it hit me in the middle of my speech that I was speaking to my friends out in the audience & it wasn't until that point that I realized that really does help; knowing that you're speaking to people who care about YOU & what YOU ARE saying!  :)

But just for future reference....I'm not volunteering myself to give any speeches anytime soon.....just sayin!  ;)

Fruit Salsa

Next year I will serve on the Board of Directors for the Junior League of San Antonio as the Communications Council Chair.  This past Sunday I invited my council over to our home to meet, mix, mingle, snack, & play a couple cheesy "get to know you" games.  All in all it was quite a fun afternoon if I do say so myself!  ;)
I prepared a variety of snacks for the group, but I'd have to say that the most popular dish was the fruit salsa I made.  I apologize for not having step by step photos available for view, but I didn't think it would be so good that it would be worthy of a blog post, I was surprisingly wrong! 

Fruit Salsa
3/4 Cup Sliced Strawberries
3/4 Cup Sliced Mango *I went ahead & bought the pre-cubed ones that are available at HEB right now.  I think mangoes are the most difficult fruit to deal with, so yes, I paid more for the convenience, but in my opinion, the convenience was well worth the extra couple dollars I spent
1/4 Cup Sliced Red Onion
4 Basil Leaves Sliced
2 Tablespoons of Lemon Juice
Salt & Pepper to taste

Combine all of the ingredients & gently mix together.  You want to let all the juices mix together nicely so if you can, make this a couple of hours ahead of time. 
We enjoyed this salsa with Sweet Potato chips which I discovered over the weekend as well.  YUM-O!

Complete Fruit Salsa before hitting the fridge for a couple hours

After trying this, I think I may try a variation.  I think the mango was so good, as were the strawberries, next time I may also add in some pineapple & a little more basil (2-3 more leaves).  I think the amount of onion was fine though, I guess I'll have to slightly increase it if I add more fruit.  All in all a very good, yummy, & easy salsa.

Enjoy!

*recipe courtesy of Pinterest

Junior League of San Antonio: Join a Junior League....Make a Difference!

Junior League of San Antonio: Join a Junior League....Make a Difference!: It's a fact, ladies: Junior League women make things happen. Even though we're a little past the beginning of the new year, why not add anot...

2011: The Re-Cap

So I guess I've been busy......that's my excuse I guess, because why else would I have a 6 month gap in posts?!
Well, since 2011 is now over & I did oh so much enjoy my year in review post from last year, I thought I might as well do that as my first post for 2012, so here it is:
January 2011
Back to school & routine & just regular life, but I did throw in a little visit to Vegas there with my best friends from the Valley. We went to celebrate Miss Cristina's single-dom one last time! It was a weekend filled with lots of laughter, food, gambling, & fun! I'm so happy to have taken this trip with this group of ladies. The rest of January was pretty much par the course, which isn't a bad thing
February 2011
During this month we celebrate love, right?! What better way to celebrate than to host a Twilight Movie Night! DUH! This party was so fun to put together. It also "snowed" in San Antonio & we got a day off for it, then had to make it up on President's Day. The same weekend of the "snow" was also my first race of the new year. I ran a 5K in New Braunfels with Michelle, which ended up being a great race, the weather started off chilly, but warmed up nicely & we ate Chicken E on the way home. Any day that contains Chicken E is a good day in my book!
March 2011
Happy Anniversary Lake & Happy Birthday! :)
On March 1st Lake & I celebrated our 3rd anniversary, crazy how time just flies on by. During this month Cristina got married & we had a great time celebrating her & Dyver. Spring Break was also in March, I spent the week being lazy & relaxing, it was awesome! During March I also ran my first half marathon for the year in Dallas & hit a new personal record! It was a great race.
April 2011
April was all about Fiesta fun & starting to look forward to summer! Lake & I had a very laid back Easter & just celebrated together, it was quite perfect actually! :)
May 2011
May began our race training for the fall. I'm still not sure why, but I made the decision to run the FULL marathon in San Antonio this past year & my training started the last weekend of May. We quickly went from running 3 miles the very first weekend to 12 miles by my birthday at the end of July. To say that the training was "hard" & "intense" is quite the understatement. Although, while I was going through it, it wasn't so bad, it's now that I look back on it that I realize just how crazy I really am! May also shoved me out of my comfort zone when it came to public speaking. I'll pretty much do anything to avoid having to stand in front of people & speak....I know what you're thinking, "but Erica, you're a teacher!" There's a HUGE difference between standing in front of a group of high school students versus a group of your peers. The position I currently serve in the Junior League of SA is New Member Chair Assistant which basically does lots of the background work for the New Member class, however, the New Members have a big kickoff before their year "officially" starts & it's run by the NM Chair & Assistant. As far as the presentation stuff went, I was in charge of showing off the website. To say I was nervous doesn't really begin to describe how I really felt. Alas, I did survive (obviously) & I think I've taken a positive step forward in public speaking. I still don't like it, but I now know I won't throw up on people even when I'm THAT nervous! May also brought my brother & his family to San Antonio. I am beyond grateful, happy, & blessed to have them so close, even it's only for a few years. I love seeing Maryn all the time & seeing her grow up right before my eyes. I'm also really loving being close & seeing Hayden during his first year, it's so exciting to see his new "tricks"
June 2011
Ahhhhh, the lazy hazy days of summer! I would say that I thoroughly enjoyed myself over the summer. June was filled with laying out, running, a super fun beach trip, & being lazy! I also was in Dallas for a week at the AVID Conference & got to meet up with some Dallas friends! SHOUT OUT to Misty, Mary, & Holly. They were all very sweet & came to pick me up from my hotel. I ate italian with Mary, ate mexican & saw The Bachelorette with Misty, & ate burgers with Holly & got all caught up on her life as a newlywed! So not only did I get to attend a really great conference, which I will go to again this summer, but I got to spend time with friends that I never see, it was a super fun week!
July 2011
July is my favorite month of the year, why you ask, because it's my birthday & the heart of summer! I turned 29 this year & had a great birthday, all thanks to my husband & friends! On my actual birthday I did a day bar crawl with Kristen. We covered a lot of territory. We hit up The Friendly Spot, took the downtown trolley to Esquire, & walked over to Zinc. It was one of the funnest birthdays that I've ever had! To top it off, Lake surprised me when I got home & said to pack a bag & we were headed BACK downtown to have dinner & stay the night. We took our time the next morning & did lots of fun touristy SA things! I really love doing that. That next weekend we bowled for my bday. It was a really fun night! :) Thanks to everyone who was able to make it!
August 2011
August always signifies the end of summer.....we had our last few pool times & last few lazy days, but back to work was definitely on the horizon. Coming back to school is always so stressful, no matter how many times you've done it! You're nervous & you feel unprepared, but just like every other year, you make it through those first couple of weeks & get back in your groove & things are great! August pretty much involved getting ready for school.
September 2011
Now's when the marathon training was getting a little crazy! We were approaching our "milestone" run & during this month I ran some pretty crazy amounts! The farthest & by far worst run was the 15 mile run. There was one point in the run where it was 90 degrees & this was in LATE September! UGH, South Texas, you make me sad! Although the first "cool" front to blow in was over Labor Day weekend, which coincided perfectly with a 5 mile race that I ran with Leah & my friend Dawn. It was a very hilly race, but I PRed with a 49 minute run, I felt amazing after! There really is nothing like a runner's high! :)
October 2011
October was more of the same, running & school & junior league, but all fun! During October my training group hit our "milestone" run which was 21 miles. I actually didn't run this with my group though. The weekend that we were scheduled to run this was also the weekend of my friend Monica's bachelorette party at SPI, so Lake & I got up extra early & headed out to the Valero Trailhead & ran. We ran the first 6 miles together & by that point the sun was up, so Lake felt OK to let me run on my own, so he finished his 12 & I powered through to run 21! WOW! Lake picked me up, I showered & was at the airport by 12:30, I was on the beach by 3:00, haha, it was a great & tiring weekend, but lots of fun!!! For Halloween I dressed up as the Tooth Fairy, thanks to Leah's help with my accessories.
November 2011
Monica & Tommy got married the first weekend. Since Connie (another bridesmaid) & I both live in SA, we decided to carpool to the Valley. We made it just in time for Monica's Bridesmaids Luncheon. Later that day was the dress rehearsal & rehearsal dinner at Pappadeux, yum!! The next day was make-up & getting ready in the morning, then wedding time! The reception was at Quinta Mazatlan, which a beautiful outdoor venue in south McAllen. The whole weekend went by in a blur, but it was a great time! The very next weekend was the marathon! The weather wasn't shaping up to be on any one's side & I started getting really worried. It had been so long since I'd trained in warm weather, then it totally freaked me out to see it would be in the mid-80's when I was supposed to finish! So the race didn't go as I wanted, but I did finish, and I suppose that's what counts, at least I have to say that! This race seriously taught me that running really is just putting one foot in front of the other AND I quite possibly have the greatest friends EVER! Seeing them sprinkled throughout the course cheering me on made me feel so happy & very special. Although I am glad that only Lake saw me between miles 16 - 22, I looked rough....someone only a husband could love! But having him pump me up during that point was definitely needed! Special shout out to Anne who literally ran with me around mile 6 & Kristen, Mireya, & Matt who walked with me around mile 24, I'm sure they would have run with me, but I was walking at that point, so they didn't have to! ;) We were off to Tulsa for Thanksgiving & I left with a very worried mind. My dad was hospitalized the Friday before Thanksgiving with pneumonia & stayed for an ENTIRE week! Things got scary around Wednesday, but he's made a full recovery & is doing great now!
December 2011
And finally the last month of the year! So I started 2011 with a trip to Vegas (see January 2011 section) & I also ended it with a trip to Vegas. Lake & I ran the Las Vegas Rock N Roll Half Marathon the first Sunday of December. I was really thinking.....hey, you already ran a full marathon, you've run more than 13.1 miles on SEVERAL occasions over the past 6 months, this half, well it's gonna be CAKE for you! But boy, was I ever WRONG! UGH! The weekend overall was fantastic. We flew in on Saturday, checked into our hotel at Aria, which was awesome by the way...highly recommend! After check in we made our way to The Venetian to packet pick up & here's where I learned that 44,000 other runners would be joining Lake & I on our run down the strip the next night, that's a whole lot of runners. This was the largest race I'd ever participated in by far! I was excited though, running on the stip, at night, pretty cool! Well, the weather was OK, a little chilly, but after running a 1/2 marathon almost 2 years ago while it was sleeting, I thought, hey, it's not THAT bad! The race started at 5:30pm & right away I could tell I would be annoyed. There so many people in my corral (Corral 15) who were NOT supposed to be in there. You are given your corral number based on your estimated time of completion, so everyone that SHOULD be in your corral would have --### (ex: 15339), so I know that I'm supposed to be in Corral 15 because of the first two numbers on my bib. Well, looking around me there were tons of people with 20, 25, 30, 40, 21, 19....well, you get the picture & I'm thinking....hmmmmmm, so moving up a couple corrals isn't the worst thing, but jumping 25 corrals IS! And just like I predicted they release my corral & BAM, a whole bunch of walkers. I mean, more power to ya if you are going to walk 13.1 miles, that's awesome, good luck, God Speed, but MOVE OUT OF MY WAY! I'm sorry, but when I spend half of my energy saying "to your right" or weaving in between people because YOU chose to move yourself up when you had no business doing so, YEAH, it's going to annoy me. I actually had one lady call me a SUPER mean & disgusting name because after I'd politely said "to your right please" & she didn't move I passed her anyway & while I did that I acidentally bumped her & wham....super mean disgusting name, what the?!?! After about 6 miles (yes, almost half of the race) things finally starting clearning up & I was feeling great! I was right on track to hit my PR. Then mile 9 rolled around, which has always sorta been my personal mile nemisis & it reared it's ugly head again. I physically could not make myself go any faster than I was going, it was sad....I finished the race, my 3rd best time, which isn't saying too much considering that my 2 slowest times are REALLY REALLY slow. And to add insult to serious injury I felt AWFUL after the race was over. I still don't know what happened, I'm not sure if it was too cold, if I didn't hydrate well enough, if I was too tired because we'd walked around all day or maybe my body just wasn't ready to run for that long of a time. Who knows, oh well.....Lake PRed though, which is awesome! YAY! December saw the end of the 1st semester of school & a 2 week much needed break! During those 2 weeks Lake & I traveled to jolly old London to enjoy holiday! That's a whole other long post though. Stay tuned.....
All in all 2011 was a fabulous year! I learned a lot, got way more involved at school & in Junior League, to which I'm so grateful for all that I've learned & the leadership skills that I've gained. I've lost a few relationships, but gained knowledge from the losses & also gained some amazing friends, so thank you 2011, for being fun, awesome, & pushing me out of my comfort zone! Ready to take on 2012, let's see what you've got in store!

June.....Where'd You Go?!?!?

Happy 4th of July! :)

I can't believe that June is already over, summer is just flying on by.

What I want to accomplish for my last 6ish weeks of summer break:

-re-decorate/just decorate our master bedroom/bathroom

-plan a fantastically fun & successful fashion swap party with my valley friends

-plan a fantastically fun 29th birthday party for myself ;)

-clean out all the closets & get my Goodwill Quota for JL done!

-run between 20 - 30 miles a week

eeeeeek, that's a lot, but it'll be fun! :) can't wait!

Picture Re-cap from the last half of June:

during the 2nd to last week of June I was in Dallas for a conference for school. This was our DART train stop

Natasa & I enjoying dinner at Iron Cactus in Dallas

Maryn & Avery enjoying lunch in Boerne at Bumdoodler's, best sandwiches ever!

some of my best friends after a fun day in Boerne :)

Holiday Time

I can't believe it's already Dec. 12th, it's crazy how fast this school year is flying by! I feel like I was just starting getting my new classroom ready & now I'm talking to my students about their semester exams!

I'm really looking forward to the break, I have another full week of school coming up, but then we're done on Friday, thank goodness! On the 20th I'm having dinner with my old cheer girls, then on the 21st I'm doing Christmas/Wine Night with my girlfriends, I'm very excited about that! :) We leave for the valley on the 22nd & we FINALLY get to see my brother, sister in law, & MARYN!!! (our goddaughter), we can't wait. We haven't seen her since she was 2 1/2 weeks old! She's 3 1/2 months now! She's getting so big, we've skyped with her a couple of times, she's changing so much, every time we see her in pics & skype. I'm also really excited about Maryn & Lily's playdate that is coming up on the 23rd, they've never met, but I'm pretty sure they're are going to be long distance BFFs ;) The 24th we have Christmas Eve at my parents house, I love Christmas at my parents, it's always so fun! The 25th should be pretty low key & we come back to SA on the 26th & I think we're doing Christmas stuff with my in laws that day too, when we get back. So yeah, I have a busy couple of weeks ahead, but hopefully this week will go by really fast & the fun get started.

Anyway, kind of to update, I'm going to post pictures & hopefully everyone will get the idea of what Lake & I have been up to recently.

Lake & I in the Valley for my 10 year HS Reunion

Cristina, me & Amy before going to the Memorial HS Homecoming game--Sept. 09

Dawm, me & Wendy at Sushi Zushi after a JL recruiting meeting, they're both joining, very excited to have time in the league!! :)

Miss Caroline & me on Halloween, she's a lady bug & I'm Christmas Minnie!

Lake & I at the Kelly Clarkson concert in Cedar Park! :)

me, Laura, Shaunda, & Camp at Shaunda's 30th "80's" birthday party! Great Times!!

at the SA Rock n Roll Half Marathon Expo, I was very excited!!!

FINALLY finishing the race.....13.1 miles later, it was so hard, but I'm doing another one again in 4 weeks!!!

at HEB getting our grocery shop on. We then went to see Twilight & the midnight showing of New Moon...it was a fabulous evening!

me & Stacy at The Chicken after the A&M/Baylor Game

Joe, Lake, & Anthony, the 1st dudes on the scene :)

Christy, Dawn, & Misty at our "Thanksgiving with Friends" meal, the Sunday before Thanksgiving

Janine, Shaunda, Camp, & I....the hostesses!!! :)

Our 2009 Christmas Card Picture :)

My Family at the SA Botanical Gardens the day after Thanksgiving, so much fun hanging with my sister in law, brother in law, & niece for 4 days! YAY!!

Kelcey, Curt, me & Lake at Acenar for Kelcey's 29th birthday :)

Laura, me, Rachel, Camp, Shaunda, & Katherine at Acenar before The Nutcracker. Merry Christmas y'all!!