Leaping through life
• A toast to the Feb. 29 wedding anniversary
By Zenaida Serrano Espanol
Advertiser Staff Writer
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| Carly Kakuda of Palolo will celebrate her second leap-year birthday — her eighth in calendar years — with a dozen of her cousins and friends at a pool party.
Photos by Deborah Booker • The Honolulu Advertiser |
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| The celebration possibilities for Wai'anae's 11-year-old Breanne Jackson's third leap-year birthday include a party at Chuck E. Cheese's Pizza or boxcar racing. |
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| Leaper Branden Gaspar, 23, of Waikele, is expecting at least 300 guests at his Pipeline Cafe birthday bash. |
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| 'Aina Haina resident Diane Chin, who will be 52, or 13 in leap years, counts herself as "one of the lucky ones" to have been born on a Feb. 29. |
Famous leapers 1968: Cary Conklin, former NFL quarterback for Washington Redskins; Chucky Brown, NBA forward for Sacramento Kings 1972: Fabien Bownes, former NFL wide receiver for Seattle Seahawks; actor Antonio Sabato Jr.; actor and rap poet Saul Williams 1976: Rapper Ja Rule — Source: leapzine.com |
Dolled up in a pink tube tank, black pants and pikake lei, Higa and about seven of her girlfriends partied hard at Jilly's, a popular Waikiki hotspot.
"I had a lei on that said, 'Hey, buy me a drink. It's my birthday,' " the bank branch manager from Mililani recalled. "Somebody had come up to me and asked me, 'If you're celebrating your birthday, how old are you?' and I had said, 'I'm 5,' and he accused me of having too many drinks."
Higa, 43, is a leap-day baby. In 1980, she was celebrating her fifth birthday in leap years, but had lived through 20 calendar years.
Sunday, Higa and other "leapers," born Feb. 29, will again celebrate an event four long years in the making.
Higa describes herself as "one of those lucky ones." She is one of the few: The odds of being born on leap day are about 1 in 1,506, according to a leap-year Web site, www.mystro.com/leap.htm.
"One of the exciting things about being born on leap year as an adult is it's a great conversation piece," Higa said. "I have a lot of fun with it."
So does Capri Garrett of Honolulu.
"My mom is turning 18 this year. I'm 33. Fo' real," the stay-at-home mom e-mailed. Garrett was referring to her mother, Johannah Stout, 71.
"My grandson, too, he's older than me," Stout joked over the phone. She has four grandchildren; the eldest is 25.
On nonleap years, Stout, a retired cook from Honolulu, shares her birthday with Garrett, who was born on Girls' Day, March 3.
"But this year, she'll have a day all to herself," Garrett said. "Our family will be taking her to one of her favorite restaurants, The Willows."
The constant question
"The No. 1 question people ask when they find out my birth date, is: 'So when do you celebrate?' " e-mailed Cheryl Naholowa'a, 31, of Pearl City. "During nonleap years, I celebrate my birthday on March 1st."
Other leapers say Feb. 28.
"I don't feel cheated, as some people feel I should, about not having a legal birthday every year," e-mailed 'Aina Haina resident and business owner Diane Chin, 51. "I celebrate on the 28th, or actually that second between the 28th and March 1, and it's fine because people still acknowledge it."
Kane'ohe resident Sabina Miller, 39, does the same.
"On nonleap years, immediately after midnight on Feb. 28, I tell myself 'Happy Birthday' really fast," Miller joked.
For Constance Bue, 83, of Kihei, nonleap years have always meant a March 1 celebration, thanks to the words of her mother, whom she called "a practical woman."
"My mother always said I was born on the day after the 28th," said the retired supervisor.
When it isn't a leap year, Patricia Margo Watson Sueno of Makaha celebrates her leap-day birthday throughout the entire month of February. She treats herself each day to little things: hot fudge sundae from McDonald's, pie from Anna Miller's, a day of window shopping, a visit to the Ice Palace or an afternoon at the beach to listen to the waves.
"I do something individual, on my personal time, away from everybody," said Watson Sueno, who will be celebrating her 12th leap-year birthday.
Celebrations, big and small
Leaper Branden Gaspar plans to go all out Sunday. Gaspar, 23, of Waikele, is a self-proclaimed "real, big-time" clubber.
"I rented out Pipeline (Cafe), the Tiki Lounge, and my buddies from high school and work will be celebrating with me there," Gaspar said. "Whenever it's a leap year, I go big."
The commercial bank teller said he has yet to experience a major leap-day party for himself.
"This one might be it," said Gaspar, who's expecting at least 300 guests.
But huge bashes aren't on the schedules for all leapers this year.
Shannon Britt, an elementary school teacher, plans to keep it low key.
"A bunch of the teachers are getting together, and we're just going to have dinner and just hang out," said Britt, 27, of 'Ewa Beach.
Breanne Jackson had hoped to spend her third leap-year birthday at Hawaiian Waters Adventure Park, but the facility will be closed that day.
"I don't know what would top Hawaiian Waters. She's been talking about it for four years," said Breanne's mom, Carmela Senensi, 42, of Wai'anae. "I'm just going to let Breanne decide what to do."
The alternatives include a party at Chuck E. Cheese's Pizza or boxcar racing, said Senensi, a painter.
Carly Kakuda of Palolo will celebrate her second leap-year birthday — her eighth in calendar years — with a dozen of her cousins and friends.
"It's a small party," said the Wilson Elementary School second grader. Plans call for painting pottery, then a pool party at her grandpa's place.
"I feel good and excited because my birthday only comes once every four years," Carly said.
The 83-year-old Bue, a movie buff, is incorporating this year's Academy Awards into her 21st leap day birthday party; it will be an intimate soiree with just eight guests.
"We're just going to have a light celebration," Bue said. "We're going to have pupu and drinks and try to figure out who's going to win."
Clea Saldania-Rountree of Wai'alae Iki will celebrate her fifth birthday in leap years — she'll turn 20 — with her immediate family at a luncheon at Tiki's Grill & Bar in Waikiki, followed by cake and presents at her parents' house.
"It's just going to be simple ... 'cause it's a school night," said the Kapi'olani Community College student.
The fast-thinking Miller, a secretary, said she hopes to celebrate her "real" birthday at the University of Hawai'i men's basketball game against Rice University — UH's last home-court game, she said.
"I'm a UH men's basketball fanatic," Miller said.
The game will be followed by dinner, cake and ice cream at her mother's Kane'ohe home.
The waiting game
While leapers take pride in their one-of-a-kind situation, the four-year wait is, by far, the worst thing about being born on Feb. 29, some say.
"I feel like it's not cool because I have to wait four years till I have a real birthday," said 7-year-old Marissa Bray, formerly of Makiki. who's "planning a big party this year because it falls on a weekend."
Naholowa'a, the Pearl City resident, said her elementary school classmates would make a big deal about her infrequent birthday.
"I used to think why, of all the days to be born, I had to be born on a day that only shows up on the calendar once every four years," the homemaker e-mailed. "As I've gotten older, I look at it as that I'll always be young."
Higa, the bank branch manager from Mililani, is patiently waiting for her next milestone birthday.
"I'm looking forward to my sweet 16th birthday," Higa said. "That's 20 long years from now. ... I love it."
Reach Zenaida Serrano Espanol at zespanol@honoluluadvertiser.com or 535-8174.
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A toast to the Feb. 29 wedding anniversary
While leap-day babies have no choice but to wait around to celebrate their big day, there are those who deliberately pick Feb. 29 to mark their special event — a wedding. Here's how they'll celebrate:
Bud and Jeannette Maxwell of Columbus, Ohio, were married in 1944. The Maxwells are visiting their daughter, Drinda Maxwell of Nu'uanu, and will celebrate their anniversary with a brunch at Michel's. Jeannette Maxwell, a World War II bride, e-mailed: "My husband, Bud, was on a five-day leave with the (Coast Guard)... The minister was only available that eve for a church ceremony. The advantage of every four years is: everyone else remembers — lots of teasing!"
Renwick "Uncle Joe" Tassill and June Toguchi-Tassill of Punchbowl were married in 1996. "We're going to a luncheon out at the Kahala (Mandarin) Oriental," Toguchi-Tassill said.
Bob and Bobbi Crane were married in 2000 in Waikiki. Bobbi Crane e-mailed: "Our wedding invitations read,'We're making the leap.' Bob thought he was clever and was under the assumption that he only had to come up with one gift every four years. NOT! I picked leap day, knowing it would be difficult for Bob to forget our anniversary since it is an unusual and festive date ... We tend to celebrate on the 28th and March 1st. This year, we are taking a trip to Italy in late spring."
