TESTIMONY

What is a Testimony?
Well this has been the question on my mind lately.  This Sunday, I get the Opportunity to teach a Lesson on Testimonies in Relief Society.
I have never been comfortable getting up and speaking in public, In fact it Terrifies me. I Literally make myself sick worrying about it.
Well this week has been No different, reading articles and preparing, except the fact that I have been questioning where my Testimony is at.
I know that I have a Testimony, but sometimes I wonder, how I can be better, so that my testimony will be stronger and I will "feel" it more.
I'm not sure that I have ever been able to stand and bear my Testimony in public without getting emotional, because the things that my Testimony are based on, are some of the most important things in my life, and I know my life would be so different without them.
So What is a Testimony?

A testimony is a spiritual witness given by the Holy Ghost. The foundation of a testimony is the knowledge that Heavenly Father lives and loves His children; that Jesus Christ lives, that He is the Son of God, and that He carried out the infinite Atonement; that Joseph Smith is the prophet of God who was called to restore the gospel; that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the Savior's true Church on the earth; and that the Church is led by a living prophet today. With this foundation, a testimony grows to include all principles of the gospel.

I'm so thankful for parents who raised me in the Gospel, and who taught me the importance of staying close to the Savior. I have a Testimony of the prophet Joseph Smith, he is an Amazing man, who at such a young age, did things that I'm not sure I would have the courage to do at any point in my life. I'm so thankful for the Scriptures, and as I take the time to study, my understanding grows, and I feel Safe.
My life would be so different without the Understanding of the Atonement, and the opportunity that it provides me to repent and come closer to Christ. The Sacrifices that have been made so I can return to Him, help me want to be a Better person.
I have a Testimony of the Priesthood and the Blessings that come as we follow the counsel of Priesthood leaders, who love us and are concerned for our well being.
I know that as I continue to do good, and try harder daily to be better, that my Understanding of "my" Testimony will increase. I'm so thankful to be a member of the church and to know these things for myself. I know that God Lives and he Love me, and I know that as I continue to learn and grow in the Gospel, my Testimony will be strengthened.

Here is a great article to read from a President. Henry B Eyring- A Living Testimony(lds.org) Sorry, if I was smarter, I'd post the link, but I couldn't figure it out :)

Dear Intex

To Whom it May concern,
I am Extremely Dissatisfied with my recent experience with your products. On Saturday(6/18) I bought an Intex 15x48" metal frame above ground pool.
Shortly after getting it home and after taking all measures to make it a successful experience. we set the pool up,  After filling the almost 5,000 gallon pool, we noticed a defect in the side wall of this pool and it was leaking. Imagine my Frustration!! I called Walmart and spoke to a manager and was told we could exchange it for the same pool, having purchased other products from Intex, I felt good about this exchange. I have never been so messed around and frustrated by a store, which I know is not your fault, but I was still angry inside about all the time and work it took to set up and fill the pool just to have to take it all apart.I didn't expect them to bend over backward to make things right, but it sure would have been nice if they had tried to do something to make me feel better about the situation. After 45 minutes of waiting we did the exchange and headed home. That night we set up our new pool and checked it for holes, and defects. After we had filled over 3/4 of the new pool we noticed it was leaking from a seam in the bottom. Could this seriously be possible??  Well it definitely was. Once again I called Wal mart and made a complaint about the situation!!
Like I mentioned before I have purchased products from Intex in the past and have been fairly happy, so this is a Huge Disappointment that not only did we have major problems with one pool, we had problems with 2. Another frustrating thing that happened, was we put the cover on to keep debris from falling in, and noticed a tear near one of the pre-cut holes in the pool cover, it was not a big tear, but none the less it was torn. All in all this has been a terrible experience with the Intex product. I have no plans of Ever purchasing anything again from your company.
Stacy Chandler

DEAR WAL-MART

To Whom it May Concern,
 I am Extremely Dissatisfied with my recent experience at Wal-mart. On Saturday(6/18) I bought an Intex 15x48" metal frame above ground pool.
Shortly after getting it home we set the pool up, after taking all measures to make it a successful set-up. After filling the almost 5,000 gallon pool, we noticed a defect in the top of this pool and it was leaking. Imagine my Frustration!! Well I called Walmart and spoke to an Assistant Manager named Melissa who reassured me that I could exchange the pool and that the next day(after having to drain all the water) I would be able to go to Customer Service and a pool would be waiting so we would not have to be messed around waiting for the exchange. Well Much to my surprise and disappointment, the pool was Not there and No one knew what was going on! So what was supposed to be a quick and Easy exchange turned into a 45 minute wait for a stock man to find the right pool and bring it from the backroom upfront. In the meantime I was frustrated about the situation and the wait, to then, be told by the Customer Service worker in a condescending way, To Just Be Patient!! ARE YOU KIDDING ME?? I tried to remain patient, but this should have never happened. Well it gets worse! We returned home to set up the new pool and were shocked to see that this brand new pool liner had a hole near the seam at the bottom! After calling and speaking with another Assistant manager who was not very helpful,. We have decided to make a return on this and support some other store and hope for a better experience all around!  What happened to "guaranteed satisfaction with what you buy; friendly, knowledgeable service;  a pleasant shopping experience?"  This is so Extremely far from my 2 most recent experiences at Wal-mart!

Grandmother Willow

I've been thinking A lot about my Sweet Grandmother and How Lucky I am to have her in my life! She will probably never see this post, but I thought I'd Write some things about this Great Lady, so I will never forget the good times!

 Dear Grandmother Willow,
You probably don't even know that I call you this, but when I decided that I would make the move to your home to help care for you, I changed your name  from "Grandma" to WILLOW!

Just F.Y.I. -Grandmother Willow is a Slightly Creepy looking, talking tree from the Disney movie, Pocahontas, but the reason you have received this special name is because, she is a Very Wise Woman, just like You!!

Willow you have always been a great lady in my eyes, I'm so Thankful for my time spent with you, all these years!

Somethings I remember from my childhood.

    Playing- I remember playing at your house when I was a little girl and spending a lot of   time with you and Grandpa.  I loved Playing the baby animal matching game and doing the Map puzzle,  I also loved listening to you tell stories of "the Farm" and all your Pets. and Watching Movies with  you! Playing the piano was also something I could watch you do for days, Such a talent, and one I hope to have someday.

Hair- I remember sitting on the couch as a little girl as you brushed my hair, and then I would brush your long beautiful hair. I used to love that, and I still love having people play with my hair to this day. I will Never forget coming over and seeing you without your Wig, for the 1st time, and I was Terrified that some Stranger was hanging your wash out to dry!!  I now have the chance to brush and fix your silvery white hair and I still enjoy it!

"Grandma Parties" were always a time for us to feel special! I remember all the fun things you planned for each of us, and how much fun all the cousins had spending time together and just being with Grandma!

Fishing! I remember that Fishing and being out with the Bugs was Not your Favorite, but you still came sometimes, and would spend time with the "cold, Dirty kids" in the car! Those were always fun trips, maybe you would disagree?

Kittens-   Cats and Kittens EVERYWHERE! I loved those baby kittens as a kid, they were so fun to carry around and pretend that they were my little babies! I grew up not being much of a cat person, until I adopted the 3 kittens and brought them home last year, I Loved Callie and her Kitties, and Prince Michael and Olive loved being Spoiled by you and somehow wormed their way onto your couch on more occasions than one!! Sorry Grandpa :)

Holidays- I have always been lucky to live by one set of Grandparents. I love the Holiday traditions that we as a family have enjoyed All the years growing up and I look forward to adding some of these traditions to my own family someday. Some of my Faves- Christmas Nativity and singing after,the last few years have gotten a little more eventful, but we always have a great time. Memorial day, grave decorating and BBQ,  4th of July Parade, BBQ and Fireworks. I love spending holidays with you and the Family.

Scriptures and Prayers- I have enjoyed the quiet times, reading scriptures and saying prayers with you. You have such a sweet spirit and I'm so blessed to have been able to have some of these special memories with you!

Laughing and Joking- Oh Willow, You are a Funny One!! You say some of the craziest things, and quite simply, some of them keep me laughing for days!
I'm so lucky to have been able to spend some quality time with you, and see this side of you that some people have never seen and probably wouldn't believe me even if I told them!!! Good Times :)

Willow, I hope you know, Just how much I love you! I feel pretty lucky to have had this time with you, and to have you as my "Willow" and have benefited from your sweet and loving Spirit. Your are someone who I look to and am so thankful that Heavenly Father has blessed my life by giving me one of the Best Grandma's in the world!

Disclaimer** From this post, it may seem as if Willow has gone to a better place, but No! She is Alive and Well, and I'll continue to make memories to add to this list, as time goes on :)

Life is what happens to you, while you're busy making other plans.

When I was younger I used to dream of the day when I would be All Grown Up and Successful, like one of those famous Women on the Big Screen, You know the ones, Beautiful, with the perfect home, perfect man, perfect family, dream car, ya know the one, Who Had It All, Or so I thought in my Naive little mind!!

Well as I grew up, I realized that Life was NOTHING like this.  I'm not a downer usually, but I know now that life is Not At All Like The Movies! I know that there are parts of life that can be almost perfect, and I feel pretty blessed with how my life is.   I set some goals for myself before I turned the Big 30 and Guess What?? Most of them Did NOT Happen, I was disappointed in myself for awhile and then I realized that although I may have felt it, My life was NOT over at 30!! So Now I added those goals to "My Bucket List"

Here's a Sneak Peak of My Ever Growing Bucket List!

Find a Job I Love**

Graduate from College

Get to  my Dream Goal Weight

Run a 5k without Stopping

Go to England

Learn to be more Humble

Make a Professional looking cake

Swim in the Ocean**

Travel the World
Get a Massage**

Go to the Barnum & Bailey's and Ringling Brother's Circus

Go to the Temple Monthly for one year

Buy and Drive :) a Jeep Liberty Sport

Become a Mother
Finish my Louisiana Scrapbook

Meet my Mom's Family

Learn to Water Ski
Play the Flute really good

Wear a Freaking Cute bathing suit in public Without a Shirt!

Learn to control my Emotions

Marry "my" Perfect Man

Speak in public without "shaking"

Sleep under the stars without a tent

Learn to really trust

Go to Disneyland

Serve a Mission with my Husband
Organize my Craft stuff  so I can craft ,When ever I want and be able to find what I need :)
Do a Session at the Baton Rouge La Temple
Be Brave
Go on an African Safari
Go on the Terror Ride at Lagoon With my eyes OPEN for the Whole Ride
Master the Sewing Machine
Be More Consistent in putting others first
Make it to the Celestial Kingdom (I guess that's After I kick the Bucket!! ha ha)

I had Better get my butt in gear, I've got a lot to do before I die, Which hopefully is not too soon :)

**- Accomplished

Dear Mr. Benjamin Franklin,
I feel like I need to let you in on a little secret. I think I Love You!! Okay maybe that's a little(Or A Lot) Creepy. "Frankly" you are Not my type, but I'm seriously so happy when I have one of you tucked nicely in my Pocket. Who says money can't buy happiness??  I may just disagree here!! I'm kinda shallow, I know!! But I need to tell you just one more thing. I think my love for you, grew just a little more when I stumbled upon this quote last night, in the most unlikely of places, Facebook!!

"While we may not be able to control all that happens to us, we can control what happens inside us."  Benjamin Franklin

Thank You for being such a Wise Man
Love Your Admirer,
 Stacy