Why is Leap Day/Year Special?

This mythical day rolls around every 4 years, do you know why? 

I'd always sorta know about a Leap Year & why they are necessary or whatever, but it wasn't until yesterday that I was putting together an Internet Hunt for my students that I really did learn more about the day/year.  I also now have an incredible fondness towards February 29th (more on that further on in this post).

So Leap Year/Day:
So obviously, the year 2012 will have 366 days in the year as opposed to the usual 365, that doesn't take a math major to see that....
BUT, did you know that if we didn't add on this day to our calendar every 4 years our calendar would be off by about 24 days in just 100 years!  weird.....
It takes the Earth 365.242199 days OR 365 days, 5 hours, 48 minutes, & 46 seconds to circle the sun, but our Gregorian calendar only has 365 days in a year, hence the need for an extra day every 4 years. 
Three areas of criteria must be met for a year to be a "Leap Year":
1.  Year has to be divisible by the number 4
2.  If the year can be evenly divided by 100, it's NOT a leap year, unless:
3.  The year is also divisible by 400
If you are lucky enough to meet that criteria, you are a LEAP YEAR! 
So 2000 is a Leap Year, but 2100 won't be a leap year.  And 2000 was a special year (not only because I graduated from high school that year) but becuase it was the first year that the 3rd criterion was used in most parts of the world since the transition from the Julian Calendar to the Gregorian Calendar.
Also, Leap DAY babies refer to themselves as "Leaplings".....and it's LEAP DAY babies, not Leap Year babies....all babies born during a Leap Year are "Leap Year Babies"
COOL STUFF!  I found said cool stuff at:  http://www.timeanddate.com/date/leapyear.html
Stuff like this not only satisifies my very very random brain & thought process but also my nerdy history side!  LOVE IT!

So why is Leap Day/Year Special to ME?!
Well no, I'm not a leapling (a baby born on Feb. 29th), BUT Lake & I got married during a Leap Year (2008) AND our Rehearsal Day/Dinner was held on February 29th 2008, so we celebrate, for the first time, our "anniversary" of our rehearsal on Leap Day.  It's kinda silly, but kinda cute as well.

So Happy Leap Day & Happy Leap Year!  Enjoy 2012, I sure have so far!  :)

February 29th 2008

 

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!

The Royal Wedding

Yes, I've been sucked in, I can't help it, the Royal Family has always fascinated me, for the same reason I think the Kennedy's have fascinated me....America doesn't have royalty, but at one point I suppose you could say that the Kennedy Family was close to that! The pageantry, the poise, the properness....just so different from everyday life....

So, my school friends & I are having a "Royal Wedding Viewing Party" on Friday night. I'm going to find my "fascinator" today after school. If you don't know what a fascinator is, it's a smaller hat that may be worn instead of a hat to occasions where hats are traditionally worn—such as weddings—or as an evening accessory. As far as my attire goes I'll be wearing a black & white polka dot wrap dress with either red or black heels. Ah, I can't wait, what girl doesn't want an excuse to dress up?!?!?! :)

This weekend is also setting up to be a fun one! Lake & I will be attending a Crawfish Boil on Saturday. I haven't been to one of those since college, so I'm pumped! And Sunday I'm hosting my first ever Fashion Swap Party....hooooooray! Hopefully everything goes smoothly, it's Asian themed (don't ask me why b/c I have no clue!, just wanted to go with that theme) & I made cute little signs for each category of items brought in as well as tickets that each gal will get for each item that she brings in. I cannot wait!

Pics to come of all the fun stuff that's happening this weekend! AND....the month of May starts on Sunday....wow-wee, how'd that happen?!?!?!

me & my Katie enjoying dinner before viewing the Royal Wedding :)

yay spring!

I love Spring, the weather is amazing, everything is green again, Spring Break, Fiesta, Easter, just awesomeness! I haven't had a post in a couple of weeks now & it's basically for one reason..... I'm so dang busy!! Not that I'm complaining....simply stating a fact.

Cristina & Dyver's Wedding Weekend With the start of March last weekend Lake & I were in McAllen for Dyver & Cristina's wedding. We both took off work on Friday & drove down to the Valley with just enough time to have lunch at Renee's in Sharyland, then I got myself a pedi, got ready & we met up with Ames at House Wine, I'd never been there before or even heard of it, but let's face it....I'm no longer in "know" for what's happening in the Valley. While we were there we enjoyed the BEST, no seriously, THE BEST pommes frites! (potato & sweet potato fries sprinkled with some cheese & what I can only guess was garlic seasoning, not 100% sure, but what I am sure of is that they were amazing!). After that we went over to the church for the rehearsal. The Seals were married at the First Presbyterian Church. The rehearsal went great, I felt so tall, I was rocking these 4 inch heels that I ordered from ShoeDazzle in September. I've worn them a few times, while they are not characteristically "me"....I think the word "rocker" would be a good way to describe them, I feel they are fun to sport with certain ensembles. The dress of choice for this night was one that I'd purchased at my very favorite store, Anthropologie. It was a gray top, with a green, purple & gray high waisted skirt attached. I fell in love when I saw it, I'll also be re-wearing it to my cousin's wedding next weekend in Dallas, all in all....a good purchase! :) The wedding day (March 5th) was filled with hair appointments, make up, laughs, tears, joy, fun & dancing, lots of dancing! The night was the most perfect night for the reception! It rained early on in the day & with that rain came a nice mild cool front that dried everything out! The reception was partly covered & partly open air so the cool breeze felt awesome that night! Cristina's colors were a baby blue color coupled with a mango-y orange color, perfect combo!

Lake & I at Cristina & Dyver's Reception at La Placita in Pharr, TX

me, Ames, Cris, Mon, Connie, & Monica....AKA the Memorial Crew, AKA, the bestiest friends that a gal could ever ask for!

Spring Break This week pretty much consisted of being lazy, cleaning, shopping, running, & most importantly RELAXING! I was quite proud of myself for the amount of running that I did during this week. I was able to run a total of 22 miles that week. I had 3 long runs, one of which I ran at the Salado Creek Greenway & the other two long runs I did at the Leon Creek Greenway, which, thanks to my friend Christy, I newly discovered. It's located at the corner of 1604 & I-10 & runs all the way to Babcock & farther, but that's as far as I took the trail. One day during the week I pushed my running start time to 2:00 p.m., BIG mistake! Mid-March is already pretty warm in SA, so I quickly regretted that decision! It was way too hot to run outside at that time of the day, I ended up walking half of the run & wanting to die! (over dramatic much?!?!), I also ended up with a pretty ridiculous short, tank, & sock tan....oh well, summer is around the corner for me to even that out! ;) That was pretty much Spring Break, again, nothing much, just relaxing. The last weekend of the break we drove up to Dallas & attended my cousin Tabitha's wedding in Grapevine. Lake & I stayed at the Gaylord Texan, that place is AWESOME! It's huge, wowza! Loved it though, we had a great time & it was a pretty wedding :)

St. Patrick's Day at Kennedy's with some of my best buddies (Shaunda, Michelle, & Janine)

Miss Maryn ready to go to Tabitha's Wedding

The "Gandaria" Cousins & their spouses at Tabitha & Josh's Wedding

Lake, me, Demitri, Leah, Josh, Tabitha, Christopher & Samantha

Dallas Rock 'N Roll Half Marathon Back to work for me.....the very next weekend we were back in Dallas. I ran the Dallas Rock 'N Roll Half Marathon on Sunday of the weekend. I was extremely ill-prepared for this race & had actually contemplated NOT running it, but I sucked it up & did it! The day before that race both Lake & I ran the Green Door 5K in Rockwall, TX to benefit CRI (Children's Relief International) which a non-profit that our friends, Jason & Lindy work for. The city of Rockwall is a beautiful quaint little town about 30 minutes east of downtown Dallas. So normally I don't care how I "place" when I run a race, finishing is the most important thing & I can almost always guarantee that someone will always be behind me......well let me say....the people of Rockwall are FIT people!! My 5K time was by no means "stellar" but it was under 10:00 minutes a mile, which is decent...I'd say that I finished in the bottom 1/4 of the entire 100+ people running the race, geez! It was definitely NOT a confidence booster for the 1/2 marathon the next day!! The night before the race we met up with our SA transfer to Dallas friend Misty & she drove us around for an awesome dinner!! Tanya was also running the race & she was in from Dominica, so it was so great to see her! At dinner we were also joined by Tanya's mom, Janine & Anthony who were all there for moral support to their runners! ;) Sunday morning, bright & early we got down to the start line. Michelle, Tanya & I were nervous but ready to get the race started, so was everyone else. The weather was crisp, but definitely not cold, it was really good race day weather. Lake & Misty met up to find places to cheer me on during the race, it was definitely needed! And shout out to Cameron & Jennifer who also braved the chilly morning to cheer me on as well! I have an AMAZING support system. As the race went on, I lost Michelle & Tanya & got into my groove. The race started at the Dallas Convention Center, ran through uptown, Turtle Creek, Highland Park, around the SMU area & back down to Fair Park. I really hadn't mentally prepared myself for running the entire race, but once I got to about mile 8 & I hadn't stopped, I figured why not just keep going, I've gotten this far! At about mile 10 I realized that I was going to be able to beat my previous "PR" for a 1/2 marathon, so that was even more motivation! I ended the race at an "official" time of 2:18...I say "official" because my watch said I finished in 2:16:10, but I did stop my timing when my watch told me that I'd run 13.1 miles...so whatevs. Either time, I beat my previous PR which was 2:21! I was so excited & quite proud of myself....oh yeah & exhausted!

Tanya, Michelle & I after completing the Dallas Rock 'N Roll Half Marathon

FIESTA! and now Fiesta is finally upon the fair city of San Antonio! :) This week & a half celebration is such a great tradition in this city & I love it! Last year was the first year that I decided to go all out for Fiesta. Mainly because Lake was in India during Fiesta & I was just trying to keep myself busy! This year on the schedule is: Alamo Heights Night at Incarnate Word Oyster Bake at St. Mary's University NIOSA (Night In Old San Antonio) at La Villita Taste of the Northside at Sonterra Gartenfest at Beethoven's King William Fair at King William District PHEW! What a jam packed 10 days, but oh so fun! Along with all the fun events my place of work also gives us April 15th off for Fiesta! nice perk! Honestly on Friday, I'll just be relaxing & sleeping in, oh & hopefully going to the movies to see Scream4! Happy Spring All!

Lauren & I at Alamo Heights Night

Lake & I enjoying the sun & good food at Oyster Bake

NIOSA with Janine, Michelle, & Erica B

Taste of the Northside at Sonterrra with the hubs

Gartenfest at Beethoven's with Miss Kristen

King William Fair with Little Miss Izzie (Kristen's Dog)

BLOG....where have you been?!?!?

WOW, haha, I guess I have more time to blog during the school year, than I do during my summer break! I can't believe that summer is half way over, it's gone by sooooo fast!! Lake & I have been pretty busy doing fun things. Although I am excited, I still would rather have summer go on....forever! haha. Well, let's see...summer....um.....I think the best way to recap would just be to post pictures & comment from there.....

--*June*--

Here Lake & I are at Shakespeare in the Park at the SA Botanical Gardens. They were performing "As You Like It" I had absolutely no idea what was going on, but it was fun to get together with friends & enjoy "community" events. This was also the evening before my last day of school, so I was very excited!


Here's some of my friends at Stonewerks for dinner & drinks to celebrate the start of summer! About half of us here are teachers. It was a fun night!

My handsome husband before leaving for downtown to see Wicked at The Majestic

here we are

WICKED!! I adored the show. It was amazing & the songs were great & I just loved every moment of it! We had a wonderful time & I would love to see it on Broadway....one day....

During the month of June one of my best friend's Monica (we had a shower for her last month) had her baby!! :) Here I am during a Valley visit with Baby Lily. Isn't she just a little doll?!?!

Lake & I hanging out at Chango's Havana Club for Wendy, Mark & Kelly's birthday extravaganza! It was a good time, but we had to leave early because of our early morning run the next day. On that subject, running has been going pretty good. Still trying to run on Monday, Tuesday, & Thursday, & Saturdays. The week runs we do on our own & Saturdays we do with our running group that meets in Stone Oak, it's fun & I forgot how competitive of a person I am, haha. Good times.

Kathleen, me & Whitney at the St. Anthony Hotel right before Cardo & Ashley's wedding in downtown San Antonio. It was a great time!

Lake, Toby, Whitney, & John at the reception. It was probably one of the best receptions that we'd even been too! LC Rocks was the band that was playing & they were totally awesome! We had such a fun time & it was great for Lake to catch up with all of his old buddies! :)

me & Kathleen at the reception. haha, they had her sister Liz watch Caroline for the evening & they were able to stay downtown for the night, which was nice for them.

Cole, Sunni, me, Lake, Toby, Whitney, & John in front of the Alamo. This was the next day after the reception, we all had lunch together before eveyone left town.

--*July*--

me & Lake downtown, just hanging out last week. We actually were at Hotel Contessa for a salsa dance class, it wasn't exactly what we thought it'd be, but it was fun & it's always fun to go downtown! :)

The Llano River for Valerie & Brian's "baby shower" It was more just floating the river, but we had a great time & floating is always really fun!

me & Lake in Vegas for a quick vacation. We were hanging out at the Flamingo Hotel, we were in the pool area, it was interesting.

me & Lake at Olives at Bellagio, it was the best food ever! It was also the best view ever, we could see the fountains at Bellagio from our table, it was beautiful!

us at downtown Las Vegas, haha, I love going downtown, it's so shady!

at Wynn!!!