Long Time, No See

Well, I’m back! I can’t believe how fast time has gone! One minute I am talking about my resolutions for 2015, and the next, it’s 2017?? Well as I am sure as anyone can imagine, time has flown by and Loren and I have gone through some MAJOR life changes since talking about my resolutions for 2015.

The first change being that our family has grown by one person! That’s right, Loren and I welcomed a precious baby girl, Madison Elizabeth, on December 11th of 2015. Our whole journey has been such a humbling and rewarding experience, and we are very blessed that we were able to welcome such a sweet little girl into our lives. I am also excited to be able to share that journey with you all.

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the week before I had Madison

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our sweet baby girl

The other change that happened for our family was that both Loren and I started new jobs. I switched districts and grade levels. While I was so sad to be leaving my amazing team that I had spent 2 years with; I was excited to start my new journey teaching 4th grade math, science, and Texas history. It is the complete opposite of what I have taught in the past, but it is so much and I am learning so much from the experience. I have also come to meet some really amazing women who make coming to work each day a joy. Loren also started a new job. He is now an assistant band director at the high school level. It is sort of a dream job for him, but does require a lot more of a time commitment. I couldn’t be prouder of the work he has put in, and although we are very busy, we wouldn’t change it for the world.

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one of Loren’s very first football games

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these wonderful women make coming to work everyday a joy

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my wonderful partner, I literally wouldn’t know what to do without her

If you are friends with either of this on Facebook, none of this is a surprise, but as we begin 2017, I hope to dive in a little deeper into my pregnancy journey, motherhood, and trying to balance home, work, and play. Can’t wait to share with you!

XOXO, Amie

 

What Happens at Meet the Teacher… Stays in Vegas

Okay, so I know this title is super cheesy, but I am combining two posts into one. This past week has dawned the beginning of yet another school year in the Gray household, but not before meet the teacher and a very fun girl’s weekend in Vegas (hence the title). So here we go!

Meet the teacher night is always a pretty hectic day, there is a lot to get ready in a short amount of time. For the most part I had my room ready to go with a few exceptions. At my school, our second and third grades loop, which means we keep our same kids from second to third grade. This is going to be my first year experiencing the loop, and so far it has been great. Usually, meet the teacher is a little nerve racking just meeting my new students and their parents. I pretty much had my same class from last year, so it was really good seeing all of my kiddos and their families. Here are a few pictures of my room.

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My classroom library

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Half of my class

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The other half of my class.

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My door

All and all it was a successful night!

So the day after meet the teacher night I went on a girls weekend to Las Vegas. I was pretty excited because I had never been to Vegas before. We stayed at Caesar’s, which is a huge hotel. Once we got in on Friday we just walked around on the Strip which was entertainment alone. We went to Sprinkles Cupcake and Ice Cream. The Sprinkles in Houston only serves cupcakes so we took advantage of the ice cream. The ice cream was pretty good and worth the try. If you are ever in the Dallas area it is the closest Sprinkles that has ice cream. On Saturday, we got up to make our 9:00 reservation at Mon Ami Gabi, which is at Paris Las Vegas. It was a recommendation given to us and it was a good one that I am passing along. It is definitely worth the try. I had the Salmon Eggs Benedict, the eggs were a little overdone, but the hollandaise sauce and salmon were amazing, and even though the eggs were slightly over done the meal was not at all horrible. After breakfast we began our day at the pool. The group that I was with were not big gamblers, so we were just fine with a couple of spins on the slots, but the main thing we knew we were going to want to do is sit by the pool all day. I would definitely recommend staying at Caesar’s. The staff is very friendly and the rooms and pools are out of this world. There is plenty to do just at Caesar’s. This of course is my first time in Vegas so I am sure the other hotels are just as amazing. If you are an avid pool goer I would definitely recommend getting a day bed, especially if you have a group. The day bed was $250 for the day. I know some of you are probably in shock just for a day bed, but if you have a group the split of the cost per person is not that bad, and trust me, it is totally worth it. It was in a really good location and the service was really good for as many people were around. I think they were a little backed up in the kitchen, but our waitress was really nice and she kept the drinks coming. That night we planned to go to the Brittney concert, and had dinner reservations at 6:00. We ate dinner at one of the restaurants at Caesar’s called Nobu, which is a Japanese restaurant. All of us love sushi and it was another recommendation from one of the girls co- workers. The had some different rolls and it was very good, and I thought it was also reasonably priced for Vegas. Dinner was cheaper than breakfast, but we also had drinks at breakfast, which is honestly what will get you in Vegas. I will say that being from Houston has made somewhat of a food snob (I mean our restaurant week lasts a month). If you know anything about Houstonians, know that they love their food and they love to eat out, so I have had my fair share of five star food. Nobu was definitely amazing and the food was absolutely five star worthy, but it isn’t anything that I couldn’t find at my favorite sushi restaurant here in Houston. Again, it is so worth the recommendation and a place I would recommend to others. To end our night we went to the Brittney concert, which was absolutely amazing. Now don’t get me wrong she is no Beyoncé, but for her being one of my favorite childhood pop stars she put on a really good show. She played all of her hits and then some, and kept me on my feet the whole time. She comes on about 15- 30 mins late and she plays for about an hour and a half, but the best thing is that she costume changes every three songs. After the concert we went back to the hotel because we had an early flight the next morning. Here are just a few pictures from the weekend.

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Paris Las Vegas

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Caesar’s

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Bellagio

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Breakfast at Mon Ami Gabi

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The Britney concert

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The girls at the concert

It was a wonderful weekend and my last quick trip before the school year. This past week went great. It was tiring, but great seeing all my students again. I hope everyone has a wonderful and safe Labor Day weekend!

Love Always,

Amie