New Blog

I've started a new blog! Check it out at: http://thetofts.blogspot.com/

Less than a week to go!

The big day is coming soon! This time next week, Parry and I will be married and beginning our honeymoon!

Yesterday, some friends and my mom and I met to do some preparations. We made the centerpieces, ironed a bunch of tablecloths (and I mean a bunch!) and made some bows. It was so nice to actually be working on something that we've talked about for the past couple of months!

I've done something kind of out of character for me...taken two whole week's off from work! I had taken the three days off before the wedding and the honeymoon week (of course). Last week I decided to take off the whole week, since my head/heart probably won't be in it anyways with the wedding so close.

I haven't taken two weeks off of work since I started working after high school! But I figure, what better time/excuse to take this time than now - one of the most important events of my life.

Parry and I both had wedding dreams last night. Both dreams involved something that went wrong at the ceremony. Parry's was about people being bored at the reception...he remembered thinking in the dream "maybe we should have got the DJ!". Mine involved the photographer not coming and me not noticing until after the ceremony. Apparently we have some anxiety that things won't go smoothly! :)

Less than 20 days to go!

Well, we're closing in on the big day! Tonight we met with the gals who will be helping to decorate at the wedding.

Dee, Charla and Marie had some really great ideas! I used to work with these ladies at Penney's and let me tell you they are magicians when it comes to visual displays! When Marie offered her services a couple months back, I was ecstatic! Since they are involved now, I know everything will be just beautiful.

Parry was with tonight at the meeting. I think he's a little overwhelmed. He comes from a small town area where weddings are on the pretty simple side. (Just to give you a little insight, the first wedding we went to together he was disappointed because they didn't have those church bun sandwiches...you know the kind where it's one piece of lunch meat on a small buttered roll. He had been looking forward to that since he agreed to attend the wedding!) So the idea of all this planning and decorating is a little more than what he's expecting.

I think we've made some really great compromises though and we've come up with a wedding that reflects our personality...casual elegance.

27 days to go!

A conversation with a friend on Wednesday brought some things into perspective. She described her upcoming wedding reception as a "big party". When I think about Parry and my reception in this way, it seems to take away some of the pressure.

I don't know if it was the impeding deadline or the "big party" talk, but a lot of stuff got done this weekend!

Saturday was the "day of decisions". In the morning, Mom and I met with the gal who will be helping us with the flowers. We spent the afternoon shopping for things we've put off until later...because later has arrived! Then I went home and spend a few hours on the Internet looking for stuff that we haven't been able to find in town. By the end of the day we checked a lot of things off our "to do" list.

The extreme happiness is back. You know, when you're so happy that everyone comments on how happy you look? Right after Parry and I got engaged, I couldn't contain my joy. I found myself unable to stop smiling. Well, this seems to be happening again. I just can't believe that in a few short weeks we will be Mr. & Mrs. (or will it be Mr. and Ms.?)

BUSY!

So...time to vent a little bit. My job has been SO stressful for the past couple of months. Not only is this a super busy time of year (I've been working 2-4 nights/week the past few weeks) but it's also really frustrating.

We're going through a transition...the merger is complete. Now there are all of these loose ends that are getting tied up...meanwhile those of us who work directly with customers are left to answer unanswerable questions while things are getting tied up. Instead of just having ideas and then implementing them...we have to present the idea to our supervisor who then submits to to someone for approval...and so on and so on. It feels like it's taking about ten times as long to get anything done!

Anyhow, this on top of my dad having some medical problems and planning a wedding is a lot to handle! Needless to say I've got a little stress!

Parry and I are getting in gear on wedding planning. Yesterday was really productive. Mom and I went veil shopping, then we visited the inside of the reception hall (mom & dad hadn't seen it yet), then Parry and I met with a potential photographer. Check. Check. Check. Awesome!

Parry picked up our invitations today...I was hoping that we could get started addressing them tonight but I ended up being at work until 8:45. So...maybe Friday?

We booked most of the hotel rooms for our honeymoon. We're staying in St. Louis for the majority of the time. We found this awesome hotel using a cool website: Http://www.hotwire.com/. The website doesn't let you know the name of the hotel until you book and pay for the room...which is why it can be so cheap!

We found a hotel for $60/night...the sight would only tell us that it was a 3.5 star hotel in downtown St. Louis. We hemmed and hawed about pushing the "buy" button (I did most of the hemming and hawing). Check out the hotel we are going to stay in!

http://stlouishotels.explorestlouis.com/1034_hotel-photos_h21084.html

Isn't it amazing? We're so close to the arch it's ridiculous! I'm so excited for the wedding and for our trip. It will be the first time that I've taken a whole week off of work...with weekends before and after. And the first time that Parry and I take a trip where we don't try to find as many free things as possible and stay in the least expensive resting place (we're talking KOA folks...). This is going to be spectacular (and expensive)!

An Update - long time since last post

Okay…so it’s been a while since my last post. All I can say is that starting a new job and planning a wedding simultaneously takes a lot of time!!! Fall is a really busy time for my job, right around the time that school starts. Hopefully things will calm down soon.

We’re using a very valuable tool to help plan the wedding. It’s a website called “The Knot”. I’d recommend it to anyone who is planning a wedding. It’s the best! There is a checklist and everything!

So far for the wedding preparation we have:

Booked the site
Confirmed an officiant
Purchased my dress & shoes
Chosen colors (fall colors concentrating on red/green/orange)
Decided on a dress theme for the bridesmaids (They will be wearing black dresses of their own choice and drape a pashmina around their arms/shoulders.)
Purchased Parry’s suit
Picked out vests for the groomsmen
Registered for gifts
Purchased the rings
Decided on a honeymoon destination
Contacted a photographer
Sent the invitation design to the printers (I put something together on my computer and they will print it for us-we’re a couple weeks behind on this part.)
Purchased stuff to make centerpieces (just yesterday!)


There is still so much to do!!! We had been at kind of a stand still for the last couple of weeks with my job and spending time with our friends, the Matson’s, before they left for Ohio. But this weekend we got a few things done, so that’s good.

Sometimes I catch myself getting caught up in the stress of planning the wedding…making sure that everyone is pleased with the decisions and getting everything put together. Then I’ll stop and remember that this is the start of Parry and my life together…what a wonderful thing!

Check out our websites:

http://weddings.theknot.com/pwp/view/co_main.aspx?coupleid=9110164679460281

http://www.gonnagetwed.com/ourbrides/index.php?id=&profile_id=11

Pictures from the Sleepover

Me and the girls

Bubble Fight!!!

Storagf? (This was a sign by the elevator.)

Ah, memories...this is the actual Ouija board used at many sleepovers in my teen years.

According to the Ouija's predictions that night, Parry and I will have 8.5 kids, at least one of those in the next year, and it's going to snow at our wedding! :)

MAKEOVER

Makeup, by yours truly...we're watching TV too... (Chris did my hair...isn't it amazing?)

Make up...done by Chris

Ta Da! April after out makeover efforts.

Thanks again ladies! What a fun night!

Slumber Party!

Last night a spell was cast and I was 13 again!

Last night was my bachelorette party. Chris, my Matron of Honor (or as I like to say, MOH), planned an awesome slumber party for my bridesmaids and me. We started the night out at Applebees for dinner then headed off to a hotel for the slumber party. We had all the essentials : magazines, junk food, Ouija board, bubbles. Chris and I stayed up all night gossiping about boys, life, and our futures. We didn't get to sleep until after 3:30AM. What a blast!

I'll post some pictures as soon as possible...some of them are pretty funny! :)

I'd like to say a big THANK YOU to Chris, April and Megan for such an awesome night. I will remember it forever! :)

The Wedding...Again

So, I've become one of those crazy people who thinks about wedding planning all of the time. Maybe it's because I took so many days off of work this week to work on stuff for the wedding or maybe it's because we're hurrying things up (only 4 months to plan a wedding)...but it seems like I can't go for a day without talking about, researching something about, or shopping for "it".

Who knew planning a wedding would be so stressful? (And keep in mind, I'm used to event planning, that has essentially been my job for the past two years.)

There are so many things to think about: invitations, reception, rehearsal dinner, caterer, photographer, tuxes or suits?. There are so many opinions from so many different people....so many things to consider.

During all of this stuff there are times when it hits me that Parry and I are getting MARRIED! We're going to commit to spending the rest of our lives together. Like today...when my mom and I were shopping and I picked up a "T" stencil on it and studied it. It hit me in a wave...soon I will be a "Toft". I will change my name and start a different life. The life of a wife. Realizations like these hit me out of nowhere sometimes. I'm so moved that I choke back a few tears. Sappy I know! But good.

p.s. if you'd like to check it out, Parry and I have a wedding website at theknot.com. Here is a link: http://weddings.theknot.com/pwp/view/co_main.aspx?coupleid=9110164679460281

Wedding Stuff

So...an update on the upcoming marriage. Parry and I were originally planning to have our wedding next summer. We've decided to move the date up a bit....we're trying for October 20...this year! I know, it's kind of soon but I think we can get everything pulled together.

The date will be sorta neat and easy to remember....10/20. And in 23 years we can through a big party...on 10/20/30!

So far we have the place booked...and that's about it! I logged on to "the knot" (a wedding planning website) last night and discovered that we have a lot to do! Caterers, photographers, a dress, tux/suit, officiant....and so on and so on. Who knew a wedding was so much work? :)

Mom and I went dress shopping on Thursday. It was not at all what I was expecting. We found 1 dress that fit (out of the ten that I tried on!)...but we didn't make any purchases yet. It was so real when I saw myself in the mirror with those dresses on...I almost started to cry! (Sappy, I know!) I can't believe this is finally happening!

Big News!!

Parry and I are officially engaged! We've been talking about getting married for quite some time now...we got really serious about it a couple months ago. We decided that instead of taking our usual May vacation, we would use the money we'd saved to go on a different journey (so to speak). We're getting married!!

We went to pick out an engagement ring a few weeks ago. The ring we decided was only available in yellow gold in the jewlery store, so another ring was made off site. The ring came in to the store this week. I was so excited...those of you that know me may or may not know that it is REALLY hard for me to keep a secret. Especially something as big as this. We had decided not to tell everyone until the ring was bought, paid for and on my finger. So, now we can tell everyone!! And I won't have to keep this big secret any more!

We plan on getting "hitched" sometime next summer.



p.s. I was thinking about this the other day. You know how for famous couples how they combine thier names in the tabloids like this:

Ben Affleck + Jennifer Lopez = Benifer

Brad Pitt + Angelina Jolie = Brangelina

Well, if Parry and I were one of those couples I think it would go like this:

Parry + Melissa = Parrymel

(you know like caramel, but with a "p")

I figured this out a few days ago and busted out laughing...I though I'd share it with all of you. Hope you get a laugh out of it too. :)

Camera Repairman

By the way, you can expect more pics again. My brother fixed my camera this weekend. He saved me between $125-$200!!! That is how much it would cost to send it in to get fixed or "trade up" to something else from Kodak.

The dial that turns on the camera was stuck, making the camera pretty much useless. After calling Kodak and getting that price information, I had decided to save up for a new camera. We were talking about it when Mike was over this weekend. Being the electronic genius that he is, Mike just popped my camera open, figured out what was wrong and proceeded to fix it! Great work Mike! :)

No more books!

So, just for fun while Parry and I were cleaning tonight I decided to make a stack of all the books that I have purchased but not read yet. Check out the picture of the stack on my desk. There are 17 books in this stack!! This is just ridiculous! So, I've given myself a ban on book buying until this stack is finished.

I've really gotten lazy when it comes to reading lately. It seems like I spend most of my free time on the Internet soaking up (sometimes useless) information. So, this will be my motivation to get back to reading again.

It shouldn't be hard, I love sitting outside and reading while taking in some sun. I just need to get back in to the habit.

Hopefully I'll be able to finish this stack by the end of summer (at least!).

Yeah, I have a job!

Great news...I have a job!

We had our "interviews" on Wednesday. The interview consisted of me sitting at a table between the CEO and the Chief of Membership and Program and chatting for about 15 minutes. It was SO not what I expected. I was worried over nothing!

The CEO and CMP wanted me to remain in my current position, but I told them I was looking for a change. So...they told me to chose between the other two jobs I'd applied for. I can honestly say that has never happened to me before! They said: "Just tell us what you want to do, and you can do it!"

Starting July 1st (officially) I'll be a Membership Specialist. What is a Membership Specialist, you ask? Well, it's a lot cooler than the job title sounds! I'll be in charge of recruiting and supporting the efforts of adult volunteers. I'm really excited. I think this is going to be a great fit for me.

Oh yeah, and they gave me a raise. Yeah!

World Wide Web-Awesome!

Okay people....the internet rocks! In the past two months I've been reunited with 4 people from my "past lives". Today one of my best friends from middle school found me on myspace! Now with the help of the internet we can catch up on 12-14 years of separation! How awesome is this?

They took your jerb!

I keep talking about this really funny South Park Episode where the characters say "They took our jerbs!" It's hard to explain but it's pretty funny. I found the sound byte on the South Park website. Enjoy!

http://www.southparkstudios.com/downloads/display_sound.php?ep_number=806&ep_name=Goobacks&snd=http://images.southparkstudios.com/media/sounds/806/THEYTOOKOURJOBS3.wav&snd_name=They%20took%20our%20jobs!

It is over yet?

So...I submitted my resume yesterday. I hope I applied for the right positions!!!! We interview May 15-16, less than two weeks away! Time to prepare for that.

I keep telling myself that it is in the hands of someone else now. I did the best I could with my resume and cover letter, now it is up to someone else to put the right people in the right positions. I just hope I'm the right person for one of those positions!

On a lighter note, Parry and I and some of our friends went to see Spiderman 3 last night. Wow! What a great show. I laughed, I cried, I jumped out of my seat. I always seem to get fooled with the previews of the Spiderman movies. Just when I think I know what's going to happen, POW! they change the plot on 'ya! What a thrill.

Ahh...television!

Last week I participated in "Turn Off Your TV Week" here is a website with more information: http://www.tvturnoff.org/week.htm

I spent the whole week not watching TV, which I have to admit was pretty difficult the first couple of days.

I did not realize how much time I spend watching TV!!! We don't have a cable subscription which means we only get 4 channels or so, and I still probably spend most of every weekday evening in front of the TV. There's not even anything on! What a waste of time!

So, I wasn't sure how I was going to feel about not watching TV. I loved it! I got so much stuff done. And after the first couple of days I really started to enjoy the peace and quiet. It seemed like the days went by a little bit slower, something that I've been hoping for for quite sometime.

What does this mean now? Will I turn off the TV forever? No Way! I've still got my Grey's Anatomy and a couple other shows that I like to catch every now and then.

Will I still turn on the TV as soon as I get settled in after work? Probably not. If there's not something I really want to watch, the TV will stay off! More time for other stuff.

This is the plan for now, we'll see if I fall back in to my old habits.

I have to reapply for my job?!?!?!?!?

So...my company is currently going through a realignment process. They're scaling back from 300ish sites to 100ish. My site is nearing the end of this process.

Soon the company will encompass the entire state of South Dakota, the entire state of North Dakota and part of Minnesota. It's going to be huge! 8 offices throughout the area will serve customers.

The good news: customers will be much better served
The bad news: some people are going to be losing their jobs

My city will house the headquarters staff, so we're lucky. There will be lots of jobs here. Several of the satellite offices are scaling back.

Current employees all have to apply for jobs in the new company.

We should find out what's going on by June 15th. Right in the middle of one of my job's busiest seasons...

I've know about this for some time now, it's just now sinking in for real. Here's hoping I have a job after June!

Weird Lunch Invitation...

So, my dad called me this morning at around 8:00AM...weird, first of all because my dad doesn't usually call me (unless he wants something) and second because he asked me if I'd like to go to lunch.

So, I agreed to go to lunch with him and spent the morning wondering what he wanted to chat about/ask for/complain about/etc. Here's the weirdest thing of all....he just wanted to have lunch! We had quite a nice time, just talking about work/life/etc. It was almost normal (save the liquor store pit stop and video lottery extravaganza). What an unexpected occurrence!

Monday....from blah to great!

This morning started out as any other typical Monday morning...I hit the alarm clock an extra time and found it a little tough to get out of bed and get ready for work. (Parry and I decided weekends should be at least 3 days long instead of 2...anyone else up for that?) Anyhow, I headed off to work to begin the week.

It turned out to be a pretty great day...work was really productive, I ended up getting invited to lunch with friends. The work day went by pretty quickly. Our friends decided to continue to fun from lunch outside at a barbecue since the weather was so nice (78 degrees!). We sat outside, chatted and enjoyed the weather.

Who knew a Monday could be so great?

Ahh..technology!

Parry and I just got Internet installed a few weeks ago at home.

The good news: I feel like I'm more in touch with my friends & family and I've been "reunited" with some old friends that I never thought I'd "talk" to again.

The bad news: I'm spending WAY too much time on the Internet! There is so much stuff out there, it's unbelievable. Don't get me wrong, I've been on the Internet and gotten pulled in many times before. But when it's right at your fingertips everyday...what a time sucker!

I've always been pretty slow to embrace technology. I was the last one in my social circle to get a cell phone, I just recently got a lap top (WINDOWS 98 got me through many years), and someone had to buy me a DVD player before I'd think of using one at home. I don't know what it is exactly about technology that keeps me away: the expense, the discomfort of change, or just a feeling of having to make do with what I have.

When it's all said and done, I do love the technology I have. It makes life so much easier.

For instance, the Internet. When I was a kid sitting around chatting with my Grandpa, we'd ask him lots of questions. If he didn't know an answer he'd say "Go look it up!". We'd dig out the correct book from the set of extremely expensive encyclopedias. (When my parents purchased these books they only received a few volumes in the mail at a time., it took forever to get the whole set.) In the encyclopedia there would be a few paragraphs about whatever topic we'd look up and we'd get a pretty good idea of what the answer would be for our questions. The initial question would lead to more questions and then we'd look those up and so on. This could last for hours. Now you can just type the subject into an Internet search engine & you have thousands of sources of detailed information right at your fingertips!

This is so amazing to me...I had to do an event this week and I chose to present a craft about platypuses (it was the cheapest/most educational project I could find!) It only took me about an hour to find the craft, become an expert on platypuses, and develop the presentation materials I needed for the event. AMAZING!!!!

Does anyone else out there share my wonderment as it relates to technology?

Ready for the Weekend

Man this week went by quickly! I've been busy for the past three nights, tomorrow I'm headed out of town for a couple of days. I spent the evening doing laundry and getting ready for that. It's my cousin's birthday tomorrow, my brother and I are headed to Spearfish to celebrate with her.

I can't believe how quickly live seems to be moving now a days. It's one of those things that I never really understood until the past couple years or so. Time used to drag by soo slowly. When I was in high school, I remember when a week seemed like FOREVER! Now it seems like I blink and a week passes by. My cousin is turning 22...it seems like just yesterday she was 12. Where does the time go?

Spring is Here!

My "little" cousin came home from college on Saturday and Sunday for a visit! She brought her new boyfriend. His name is Jake and he seems pretty great. It's great to see April so happy! I posted some other pics from the weekend on my pics blog.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

This morning I saw worms (it had just rained) and robins. Spring is here my friends!

Does it seem like time is flying by to anyone else? I'm still preparing to start my new year's resolutions and here it is almost April! Who is pressing the fast forward button on life?

So if there is anyone out there who hasn't quite got to their new years resolutions started and would like to join me, I'm starting on April 1 (April Fools Day, sort of funny don't you think?)

Any good ideas for what to call this day of resolution starting? We can't call it "New Year's Resolutions", because it's April. Hmm...think, think, think...let me know if you come up with any good ideas.

Dream Girls

Parry and I just went to see Dream Girls tonight at the cheap theater. WOW! What a show! The songs were so good, I was tearing up and had goosebumps nearly the entire film! No wonder it won two Oscars & was nominated for so many more!

Here is a website about the movie:
http://www.dreamgirlsmovie.com/

I strongly recommend that you check it out!

Big Read

I just started reading My Antonia as part of Sioux Falls' Big Read. For more information click this link: http://www.siouxlandlib.org/adults/book_clubs/big_read.aspx

I read this book in college and am loving it the second time through. It's about a young American boy and Bohemian girl and their life growing up in Nebraska. I really connect with the author's descriptions of grass, seasons, winter and life in the Midwest. Check it out!

Visit to NYC

I was recently in New York doing some training for work. This is me on top of the Empire State Building. If you look really closely, you can see a teeny tiny statue of liberty in the background behind my right shoulder. (Very teeny, tiny...)

This was my second visit to NY. What a great city! I saw a show and ate a slice of honest to goodness NY pizza!

First Entry

Hello there! I'm pretty new to blogging, so bear with me as I learn this new process. I'll use this page to ramble about random life happenings. Enjoy! and feel free to comment!