I can feel your heartbeat for a thousand miles.

Isn't he good looking!

Once again my wonderful sister Emma let us use here and her skills for pictures! I think she did such an amazing job, once again! Those of you who know Andrew like we do, you know he hates to have his picture taken. And that it is really hard to get him to smile and look relaxed. I figure practice makes perfect and that slowly he will get better! We did get quite a few really awesome shots!

Since it was a Sunday and we were all dressed up anyway she took a few shots of us... awww! I have said this a thousand times, I think she should start her own business. I would help! I already advertise for you Em!

Here are more beautiful pictures!

Awesome you say? She can do some for you! Theses are just plain ol' flowers. Imagine what she can do with your face! Just call her..

Prices subject to change according to your status in her family.

Happy picturing!

We should never gamble

The Mayo is no longer an option.

Seems they are not looking for a histologist.

The search is on

Nothing worth anything ever goes down easy.

I love this boy.

And

I am so proud of him!

(that sounds like I am his mother!)

But I am.

He has graduated!

There was a time we both thought that his schooling would never, EVER end.

Now that he is done with school the job hunting has begun.

It may be stupid, and maybe a little reckless, but we are banking it all on one place.

Rochester.

On June 26th he submitted his application to the Mayo. We are still waiting. Impatiently.

There is a glimmer of hope though! The other day Heiko Schoenfuss (an old professor of Andrews, and current boss) told Andrew that he got an email from the Mayo asking Heiko if they could somehow set up a system where he "grooms" people to work there. Little to they know he has already been doing that! Yesterday Heiko sent an email back telling them about Mr. Meister, and forwarding on his application to those who can get him hired there.

My fingers, toes, and eyeballs are crossed.

And the anticipation is killing me.

Andrew seems calm, me on the other hand am a wreak waiting for a call.

All the prayers and finger crossing you can offer are more than welcome.

Opie "Optimus Prime"

Miss Opie

Her little self!

She is adorable isn't she? This little dog stole my heart the first time I saw her.. Andrew really loves Dachshunds and I really like long haired dogs. Well this little one was the best of both worlds! I was sold because of her ears. I really love those things. The first time I held her she licked my chin and put her head down on my shoulder..again I was sold! She really has been the best dog ever. She loves to cuddle on both of us. Last night while watching a movie she would not settle down until some part of her was touching both of us.. very odd.. but at least she doesn't have a favorite! Today I have seen the scared side of her. The house next door is getting re-shingled and the noise scares her, along with the bunch of men out there working. At 7 I took her out and she immediately ran back to the door. I had to physically stand between her and the guys before she would do her business. The other times I took her out today she ran to the furthest part of the lawn, paws on the edge, and went again. Its been really funny to see her freak out like this, other than the fact that she wont eat while all this is going on. Because of this little dog I have been outside more than not this spring. And to be honest, I'm loving it. Andrew and I used to go on walks, at least around the lake, at least once a day, and now days I don't see much of Andrew due to the end of school coming so quickly. (of which we are all very excited for!) If you have not met Opie yet we would love to see you, so get on over here.

Little Miss Adella

First off I would like to wish this cute little bug Happy 1st Birthday! We Love You!

By far the cutest little bum in the world!
I could hardly get her to hold still, then Grandma Gross gave her mini M&Ms..


The best cake ever! Em, you did such a good job!

The Adorable hats Emma made!

The little freak!

Andrina used to do this when she was little, never thought it would something each Gross child would share! I guess we are all just little freaks-in our own little freak show!

again,

Happy Birthday little one!

Yes, I am that far behind!

Princeton Zoo, and Milaca Corn maze!

My dad was picking up some cows from a farmer in Princeton and we decided to tag along!

Little did we know we where visiting the local zoo! They had 4 wallaby's, Canadian swans, and two types of deer! We have had a baby deer at my parents house before, but not as many, and not just hanging out with us. It was so awesome! They had all sorts of other animals.. too many to count! I thought it was funny to see Kevin trying to pet the very deer he shoots at!

We later stole Andrina and took her to the corn maze in Milaca. We decided to do the longest and most difficult maze, which only took us about 35 minutes. When we got out of the maze they had a small "petting zoo" and jumper castles. Andrina immediately went jumping, it was the idea of riding the horse drawn wagon that got her outta there.

There was a small tent that had a corn box.. we must have spent a half hour in there and came out with corn hiding everywhere. Once Andrew showed Andrina that corn flying through the air was funny, she just couldn't stop!

more corn...

Petting zoo, and the wagon ride...

State Fair 2009

I can't even seem to remember why I have not posted these pictures yet. We had such a blast at the state fair last year. In fact I am really looking forward to going again this year! If you are interested in going, let us know! Just the two of us have gone the past two years, and as much as we enjoy each others company.. we would love someone else to talk to! I miss those warm days, smell of good fair food, and the crowds! I don't think summer can come fast enough this year!

Lets take a walk

Munsinger Gardens

During the summer Andrew and I try to get to the gardens as often as possible. When I was working at US Bank we would meet for lunch and walk through the gardens after having a quick picnic lunch. Now we try to go whenever its an enjoyable day out. At this time I was trying my hand out at nature pictures. My favorite is the rose with the dew drops. Looking at it now with it being so cold makes me so excited for summer! This summer we will have to try to make it there a bit more, since we will be moving sometime this year. I think the gardens being so close and the lake being just out my back door is what I will miss the most.

Great River Road

For Andrew's birthday I decided to take him to see Minnesota. We decided to take the Great River Road and see where it leads us. I found out while mapping our little trip that this road starts at the very tip top of the Mississippi and travels all the way to the ocean.. part of the trip is scenic while part is highway. We traveled through a part of the cities that was new to the both of us. Until we reached Psycho Susie's, where we had such an amazing BBQ pizza with my family at Christmas. Andrew had been craving it for so long, and so we decided to meet up with a few friends of his from Brooklyn Park and go there for dinner.

Before we went to dinner we had to reach our destination. We decided to travel into Wisconsin and visit Willow Falls. At first we took the wrong path and went to a Damn a ways up the river from the actual falls. When we found the right path we where amazed at the beauty of the falls. It was cold enough that the water seeping out of the side of the hill had little icicles, but warm enough that while walking we didn't freeze our hind ends off.

St. Croix River

Andrew has a friend from state that has peaked his interest in fishing, fly fishing to be exact. One of my days off they planned to fly fish in the St. Croix. I decided to tag along and get some reading in.. as well as taking in the beautiful fall colors. It was a bit cold, but I brought a blanket and bundled up while they fished a while. When I got cold I would take the hike to the car and back down. On my warming trips I was able to get these beautiful photos. One of my favorite things about living in Minnesota is the amazing colors fall brings.