Florida Trip

For the past week we've been in Florida! Earlier this year we set up a a plan with 3 other couples to go to Orlando and visit Harry Potter Land (Universal Studios) and Disney World. Besides the ridiculously humid temperature and the nasty Florida tap water the trip was a blast. We started our journey in Harry Potter Land which was extremely crowded but just like the movie set. Here I enjoyed my first taste of Butter Beer... delicious! The shops were really cool. They sold Bertie Botts every flavor Jelly Beans (we tasted them and some are truly disgusting), chocolate frogs and pretty much everything from the books. Of course, being 6 months pregnant, I couldn't ride many of the rides but I enjoyed watching the shows and hanging out with everyone.

I also got the iphone 4 which is the BEST! I went from 250 text messages a month to the world of 3G and I love it! If anyone has any good app recommendations let me know! We also went to Daytona Beach which was beautiful.

The water was perfect and not even one Sting Ray attack! We headed over to Disney World after where I got to enjoy the beautiful Animal Kingdom, which was my favorite amusement park.

It was so cool to see the animals close up. We saw gorillas, giraffes, a baby elephant and mommy, tons of gators, and much more. Epcot was pretty fun and different. Lots of futuristic simulations that I could participate in.

Finally the Magic Kingdom, which is just like Disney Land... super fun! Our resort was gorgeous. I loved just hanging by the pool and relaxing. Now that the trip is over it's time to get back to work! I've got lots to do in my classroom before school starts! I can't believe how fast the summer went. I have a feeling the rest of this pregnancy is going to fly by!

It's a boy! And...we're renting our Condo!

As of Tuesday, Chris is officially working as a pharmacist! Woo hoo! We also found out that little baby Gifford is a boy! I thought that Chris was going to cry tears of joy at the doctors office. We are thrilled! My belly is finally starting to come in and people are beginning to notice that I'm pregnant. Lately, I have been working out at the gym a lot. Since Chris started working, I've been a little bored, so I've been doing lots of Zumba! I love it! Hopefully this baby will just pop right out on delivery. We are also renting our Condo so I thought I'd count on the blogger world for some help.

$800.00/ Condo for rent! East Sahara & Sloan

958 Square feet

2 bedroom

2 bathroom

Includes Washer/Dryer & all appliances

Gated Community with Security Guard day & night

Community Pool

Pets OK (dogs must be less than 50 pounds & maximum of 2 animals)

No smoking

See pictures and email or call Tracy

traceface04@yahoo.com

(702) 274-2806

Summa Time!

I think I will put the year 2010 down in the record books of one of the best years of my life (cheezy I know, but really)! Since school got out (wahooo!) the summer is flying by! Chris graduated from pharmacy school! The ceremony was pretty awesome and we all felt so proud to see all of his hard work pay off on that day. He is taking the boards in 2 weeks and has officially gone into hibernation for some serious studying. After he passes he will be working for a CVS here in Las Vegas. We're not exactly sure which one yet, but we're hoping it's on the Northwest side of town because...we bought a house!!! We signed our contract last week and are in love with the place, or at least we will be when they build it. Below you will find pictures of the model home. We decided to buy a new house, because we will be living on the same street as my brother and his wife (Grayson and Amy), Chris' brother and sister-in-law (Eddy & Kristin), and our good friend Travis. Our own little cul-de-sac! The house it scheduled to be ready by the end of September so hopefully everything will be ready by the time the baby arrives. Buying a house is a pretty stressful situation filled with high and lows!

I've also gotten to the half-way point for my masters program and have earned 16 credits towards my administration degree. I'm so glad I decided to bite the bullet and get that over with. It hasn't been too difficult and I've gotten some great information along the way.

We recently went to the doctor to check the sex of the baby. I was only 16 weeks and the doctor wasn't sure if he was seeing a little "unit" or the umbilical cord. Towards the end he said he thought this baby Gifford was a boy, but he was only 60% sure. We go in again June 24th for my big ultrasound. Hopefully we will find out for sure then. I'm starting to get pretty excited for the new addition to our family and I think I have begun to feel the baby move. I just can't get over how faint the movements feel considering the baby is supposed to be the size of an open hand at this point. I am still in the "fat" stage- and you mothers out there know what I'm talking about. This is the stage where I just look fat and don't look pregnant yet. It's an in-between stage and I don't like it! However whenever I talk to mothers about just feeling "fat" they tell me I haven't experienced anything yet!

Well now that summer's here (and it's really here- 105 degrees already in LV) I'll try to keep updating more frequently!

Graduation Day

New house

Floor Plan

The Model

Our Lot!

I'm back!

I know what you're thinking. Where has Tracy gone? Well let's just say these last couple of months have been pretty full! March was a very exciting time for me. First, I was given the "New Middle School Teacher of the Year" award. This school year has been a blast and it's gone by quickly. My principal nominated me and then a group of people from the district determined the winners. I was pretty excited! So what do I get??? No, no not a $10,000.00 bonus. I actually got my photo put up in the school district building and a plaque. It was nice to be noticed for all the hard work I've put in this year.

I also found out that I was pregnant! Chris and I are thrilled and the baby is due November 19th! We're still not quite sure how Nadi Spoiled Girl Gifford will handle the new arrival but I'm sure she'll manage. Below you will find a video clip of the ultrasound at 12 weeks.

Well, needless to say I've been exhausted the last couple of months and I am just now starting to feel a little more lively. I haven't been too sick at all, just a little nausea here and there.

1 more month of school and I'm on a much needed summer break!!

Hiking at Red Rock

This morning Chris, Nadi, and I all went hiking at Red Rock. It's a shame we don't take full advantage of all the incredible things Vegas has to offer. I think the last time I went hiking at Red Rock, I was 7 years old, so we decided to just drive on over and do a quick hike. Nadi was a pro. She loves the outdoors and I love having a dog that I can take anywhere. Here are a couple pictures of our adventure.

1/2 marathon and more

Needless to say, since school has started back up, my time for stress free blogging & relaxation has drastically decreased. The last 2 weeks of school have gone by so fast. It's nice to be done with the first semester. I feel like that's a pretty big milestone for a first year teacher. I had to do a quick presentation on staff development day on Friday. It was pretty exciting. My task was to re-invigorate some veteran teachers who were feeling a little stressed out. For about 5 minutes I talked about my personal appreciation for Clark County School District teachers and what they've done for my life. That part was pretty easy. I've had so many teachers that have motivated & inspired me over the years. I know that I wouldn't be the person I am today without these teachers. Then I discussed what seems like the lack of appreciation that we sometimes get from our students and how we encounter numerous behavior problems daily. For the past week I had been creating a video on the students at Brinley and how they feel about their teachers. They all had something appreciative to say on camera and the teachers loved the video. The presentation was a hit! Go me!

In other news...I completed my first 1/2 marathon! I hate to say it, but it may be my only 1/2 marathon. Yes, it went that good. 13.1 miles of strait running is just so hard. Not to mention the numerous hills that we had to face on the course. Even though I had been training, I still managed to throw up everything in my stomach by mile 12. It was pretty humiliating to have a guy have to stop & ask me if I needed 1st aide. However, it's done. I finished. Go me again! And while I've decided that Marathons just might not be for me, I do plan to compete in some triathlons this season. I have to admit, it feels great to be on a bike!

Back to School

Well the last 2 weeks have gone by in a flash! I have been ridiculously lazy. I'm actually ready for a routine again. When everyone else is at work, it just doesn't seem like a vacation. For the most part, the highlights of my day have been going to the dog park. I think I watched a total of 20 episodes of family matters and golden girls.

This year for the holidays Chris' side of the family all went to see the Lion King...which I loved!

If you haven't seen it- you should. I also saw Sherlock Homes (I'd give that movie an A+), Avatar 3D(A++), It's Complicated (A), The Hangover (B), Inglorious Bastards (A-), and Julie Julia (C-). And this is exactly why I need to go back to WORK!