Well, here I am... over 2 months since my last post and all I'm thinking about is the week ahead of me.

Thursday... wow Thursday is going to be the day from hell.... first off its my mother's 55th birthday and for the first time in 21 years, I won't be there to celebrate with her... yet, my entire family will be there to make her happy... secondly, thursday is also my final day as a teacher at Webster....

And here come the water works again...
For the last 8 weeks of my life I have allowed 29 fouth graders to steal my heart. I was so scared the first day I walked into that school... what the hell was I doing? Was I really ready for this? I checked into the office and was escorted up to my room. Understand folks, I'm a 4th grade teacher in a public school in down town St. Paul. In one sense of the word, I'm completely shocked they didn't go as far as strip searching me... instead through a process of metal detectors, drug screenings, searches... I was in.
For 8 weeks I was Ms. Gross, I was in charge, and I was loved. Each student became closer to me as the weeks grew on. I was in charge of the classroom for 2 days...all by myself... can we all say... OH SHIT. No, really, I did good! I LOVED it too... :)

But this thursday I must say good-bye. Not knowing what will happen to my students tomorrow, and I know that I can't protect them anymore. but this "drill" sargent must throw in her towel... I made them line up A B C order, toes forward, heads looking to the back of the person ahead of you, mouths shut... because Ms. Gross DID NOT hear voices in the halls... (numerous times I would stop as we were walking and say to the students... "Ohhh I know that I do not hear voices") my teacher laughed at me when I attempted to scold a child but ended up crying myself...

My time there has been an expereince... a crazy one... one that I never wnat to loose. I got a job offer.. 4th grade 1.0 teacher, full health bennefits, 31k a year, no housing assitance... what do I do now!? Where am I going... how will I move on?

My heart aches for the fact of saying goodbye...


Life goes on? yes, but not without hurting....

Okay, so yea... its been a LONG time since I actually wrote anything in here...
And believe me, it might be short... I have to urinate and I'm in class!!!

Well Gilbert decided to cheat... I kicked him out of the house... and told him to go to hell!
I'm on the outlook of life that I don't know where I'm going or who's going to be with me... and I'm happy!
I'll be 21 on Wednesday... it is seriuosly unreal that I will be able to go to the bars... or legally drink!
I miss Mindy like non tomorrow. I don't know why I miss her so much... I just do! I know there are about 10 of you who read this... but I know Mindy's the only one who comments on here... well I miss you damnit! I want to go to Seattle again... It was a georgous but dirty city... I guess I would like to just go anywhere right now... I'm sick of Minnesota... I want to come home and see the leaves turning colors, it be a NICE 50 degrees... (none of this 90+ shit on SEPTEMBER 11th!!!!!!) And about 35 at night, where I can curl up in sweats and read on my patio...
Damnit, I just hate being in school... being here... not having anything to do BESIDES homework... I had a creepy man who lives next foor to me (about 30 from Virginia) hit on me the other day...
Well I don't know what else to write...
Classes, well they are classes except I at times feel like I am about 12 yrs old in college... the way professors make you feel when you're in the practicum block. I'll be at Webster Magnet in St. Paul starting Oct. 28th...
Then on January 18th, I'll start student teaching... I'm at Trinity Lone Oak *http://www.trinityloneoak.org/* I'm in Pre-School for 6 weeks and then 2nd grade for 9 weeks! EEEK!!! No one will ever understand how much damn work this is!

Well that's it for me! I'm outta here

Okay, so it's been a while since I actually updated on this thing... I'm not good at it I know... anyway, the only reason why I'm updating tonight is to just shout from the top of the mountains... I'M ENGAGED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Tonight he popped the question...
Here's how it all plays out
I made him a steak dinner (with EVERYTHING including a 29.00 cheesecake!)
We then decided to take a walk and visit our friend Julie who ended up having a friend over and they were at the pool but she had us come over there... We hung out over there laying on a chair together... went back to Julie's...
We hung out there for awhile until we came home and laid on the couch... (me laying on him)
He came upstairs and took a shower, I plugged a lamp in... I laid on the bed to play Digby's Doughnuts as I do every night while he's getting ready to go to bed.. and he came to the side of the bed and asked... "Will you marry me..." at first I laughed... didn't think he was serious... but when he brought out the ring MY ring I started to cry... he just held me and played with my hair... I cried some more.. kissed him... then laid next to him...
I love him to DEATH and back!!!!! I can't wait to spend the rest of my life with this man!

Okay, in all honesty I have NO idea what I am going to write about.

There are only 42 days until I move into my NEW HOUSE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Okay, so yea I'll be living in Woodbury... you might as well conclude that yes I'm a damn suburbanite!
So I'm going back to writing my papers... I hate the fact that finals are in 3 weeks! ARG!

Okay, so lately I haven't really been all up and up on this updating thing... but here goes what's been going on in Annie's life lately... (Mindy, it's about a boy so read at your own discression... I WARNED YOU!)
On February 2nd, I went on my first date with a boy named Gilbert... the MOST amazing date at that... we didn't do anything special except go walk around Rosedale (which is a pile of crap if you ask me) but then we went to Perkins, where the food quite casually gave me FOOD POISIONING... I was sick for the entire weekend... it SUCKED.
The next Monday (which is the 7th) after class I came over to his place because I hate it on campus... more than anyone of you will ever know! We started to officially date that night, and I spent the night in his really big COMFORTABLE leather chair... I wasn't all that comfortable sleeping in bed with him yet.
Tuesday, I ended up going home becuase I have a double ear infection. Yea, it was absolutly wonderful.
Wednesday, I came over to his place and made dinner, cleaned the kitchen you know the things annie does on a regular basis. I spent the night, tonight was the first night in bed with him... CRAZY... I've never slept in a bed with a boy and that was the strangest thing I had EVER done. Lets just say I didn't really sleep well.
Thursday morning the routine continued. I wake up, wake up him... I get out of bed... go into the kitchen feed the cats.... YES he has cats... NOT like my stella though...:( I miss her so bad! They get fed in the morning (JUST like I did with Stella). Then I start to pack his lunch....and do the dishes! It is so funny how I already feel like a wife, becuase at the same time this is all happening, I'm getting ready for my day, and making breakfast...
Friday after classes I stayed with him for the night after I cleaned my dorm and packed for the weekend... I don't think we really did anything on Friday, I can't remember..
Saturday, oh yes my friends we ended up going to st. cloud TOGETHER. He met my parents, my parents love him... BUT here's the kicker... he met Paula, then JoAnn... and he really wanted to meet Missy, so we picked her up from work. He loves the family, and what's funny is the family loves him... besides my mother calling him CLIFFORD all the time... haha yea. We went over and saw Danny at Villa. That was fun because he wasn't busy (for once) and he actually got to talk to talk to us!
Sunday we got up and went to church together... here he was able to meet Matt, Chris, Kaity, and Karl... it was cute Kaity was SO shy around him while on the other hand Chris and Matt TALKED the poor man's ears off... :) We left St. Cloud and came back down here... We went to Target and while there he purchased a whole bunch of things that I would need for being at his apt. We also purchaed food for the weeks dinners. It was insaine!
There is just something about Gil that makes me just want to be with him all the time. Right now he's at work and I'm at the apartment because I don't have classes today, so he told me to just sleep in! I still got up and made lunch, cleaned the kitchen, fed the cats and sent him off... My mom and I were discussing the situation and it was so strange because my mom is not like this but she said something about adding another chair around the table in a year or so...
This is going to sound REALLY crazy but I whole heartedly can see myself with him when I'm 70... I can see us having a marriage and children... We've talked about if we do get engaged the situation... He gets really nervous about marriage and so he tends to back out of the situation... SO I told him as soon as we get engaged I'm calling Mindy, telling her to get her butt to the airport cuase she's going to meet him and I in Vegas... (plus his best man!) but we're goign to get married there then come home and have our big wedding... haha Yea... I really like this one! Anyway, I shoudl really get going... I need a little more sleep and then a little cleaning before I work at Trinity First at noon! I hope you all have a great time and sorry this is so 'sappy' I love you Mindy!

I just was reading files on my computer and found this... I couldn't post it a couple weeks ago.. it made me cry

Okay, so here I am, writing to you while I am on the plane to Vegas, because I can! As I was resizing all of the rest of the pictures I was thinking about the last 11 days, and I have to say that I wouldn’t trade them for the WORLD! Then as I was thinking about our friendship I realized that it has been 13…. 13 years since I met you and instantly became a friend with you! So I’m sitting here thinking about not only the last 11 days but the last 13 years of our friendship… and I have to say that you are the greatest person anyone could ask to be friends with. (okay, yes I am TRYING to refrain from crying… so sue me! I’ve had 4ish hours of sleep in the last 2 days and I’m a LITTLE emotional!) I was looking at a picture that was taken of you and I yesterday (Monday) in the wee hours of the morning when we were cooking for the ‘crew’ and I just can’t imagine my life without you!

I will never be able to forget the memories from Seattle… it’s kind of imbedded in my head now! You know, as the week went past the memories only began to stick to me even more and more…. I guess because they are fresh in my mind… but I would say the best parts of Seattle was while we were at the grocery store and as I’m walking into the building not paying attention to you (yea and I was a little tired), I hear you scream that there is a problem… you locked your keys in the car! Well, after that was all taken care of, and we’re leaving some hobo hits on you, then grandma/grandpa (I still would like to beg that it was  MALE!) walking across the road… then passing out over at Tyler’s… then Diffy coming in and you talking to him. The whole day was amazing!

I have to say that I can see why you love it there. The people are the best people in the world! You are so lucky to be there, and be with everyone from Steph and Will, to Tyler and Adam, and Katt, and Alvin and Louis… and none other than MANDI! The each hold a huge place in my heart! I’ll never forget any of them… and I know I said to you in the car that I heard what Mandi said, and in all reality I heard about 1/3 of what she said, because I was crying…. But, I should get going. Thank you again Mindy for the greatest time of my life!

Okay, at 9:45am on Tuesday February 1st, I get this random phone call... it's from an unkown number so I thought it was Krippner. I answered it.... and then comes a woman's voice...

"Annie? Annie Gross"?
"uuuhhhh yes?"
"CONGRATULATIONS! Your name was drawn from the Twin Cities Bridal Association's Bridal Fair to recieve a 3 day 2 night Honeymoon/Vacation to a destination of YOUR choice..."
"you've got to be kidding"
"Nope, I'm not kidding, I'm very serious!"
"Uhhh so how much do I have to pay out for this?"
"You don't! That's the great thing it is an all expence paid honeymoon/vacation! PLUS You have a $500 shopping spree online!"

"Okay, I need to get going, can I call you back?"
"YES please do... (insert name).... you have to claim your prize within the next 24 hours {Insert number}"
"thank you!"
"No problem, CONGATULATIONS again!"
*hang up*

Then you would have heard me screaming as to... WHAT THE HECK!

Yea, that was my morning!

<img src="http://images.quizilla.com/C/coreina/1080319872_ilderaaaa7.jpg" border="0" alt="7"><br>LOVING ONE. You need  safety in your relationship.<br>You want to  be sure in his/her arms, knowing<br>that he will protect you and you can be totally<br>devoted to your other. At this point you are<br>very vulnerable. You open yourself and dont<br>even think that he/she could cheat you. You<br>totally trust your partner in every single way.<br>SO if you find out that she/he lied to you or<br>played a game this trust is broken. You may try<br>to forgive your other but this will be very<br>difficult.He/She has to be friendly and<br>trustworthy.
 <font size="-1"> ~THE big LOVE TEST!! What do you need? With PICS! For girls and boys!~</font></a><BR> <font size="-3">brought to you by <a href="http://quizilla.com">Quizilla</a></font>

Okay, so I arrived back in Minnesota on the 18th, and well it was less than perfect for me. It was really cold, and it was SNOWING. The guy on the plane was all shocked that there would be snow AROUND the airport... I laughed! But I had to drive my father's Lincoln TownCar from the cities to St. Cloud, listening to him bitch and complain about how slow traffic was moving...

But after we got home it was fine, but I have been so TIRED since I got back... I have no idea why. It sucks though becuase I just want to sleep. Oh well... I went back to school! I don't think this semester should be bad... but I have only gone through 2 days! :) Then I came home on Friday.... and well... This is what happened all over the state!

 

 

 

We recieved a FOOT of snow in ONE day... and now the winds are picking up... it is SO wonderful... (NOT!) but... that's about it! Love ya'll

 

So here are a BUTTLOAD of pictures taken while I was in Seattle. I'm now home and getting ready to begin my Spring semester of college tomorrow... so it's going to be fast... and lovely! If you want to see more pictures believe me I have some... aprox. 400 pictures are on my computer! It was the BEST TIME OF MY LIFE in Seattle. I love ya'll
 Stella trying to come home with me!

Stella's just chillin' :)

The TARGET CART!!!!!!!!! (Yes it is on an escolator for carts!) I KNOW it's AWESOME

 

 Mindy and I.... we were painting!