michelle d. williams

Who doesn't love Pandora? I started using this service when I was working at BYU a couple of years ago and continue to love it. Where else can you hear Colbie Caillat sing "Kiss the Girl" from the Little Mermaid and Jack Johnson all on the same radio station?

If you are so unfortunate as to have missed out on Pandora for the past few years, please--do yourself a favor--check it out now!

These are some of my favorite stations:
That's How You Know It's Love (from Enchanted)
Colbie Caillat
Antonio Vivaldi
Rascal Flatts

In January I was called to be the Relief Society (RS) President in my ward. Matthew and I attend a married student ward so I am relieved to not have the complexities of a family ward but this has been quite a growing experience. I have some incredible women serving as my counselors and secretary which is a HUGE benefit. These are some of the lessons I have learned in my first three months on the job:

1. A calling like this can consume you, so you have to learn to compartmentalize your life.
2. There are people out there with bigger problems than you, trust me :)
3. People think that they are unique in being shy or feeling weird talking to someone they don't know--almost everyone feels that way.
4. Delegate.
5. It is tough to be the manager. I have managed in my previous work but it was nothing like this. It is really hard for me to be the one who is making sure everyone is doing their job without doing it for them.

I know many of you are LDS so if you are wondering, "What can I do to make my RS president's life better?", here are some answers.

1. Do your visiting teaching. There is a reason we harp on this all the time. It's a big burden to bear to be responsible for dozens of women.
2. Do your calling. Be as enthusiastic as you can about your calling and look for ways you can fulfill it.
3. Be friends with the sisters in RS. If you think you are shy see (3.) above.

Some of the blessings that I have received from this calling thus far are as follows:
1. An increased connection with the Spirit.
2. The ability to know the names and faces of the ~65 sisters in the ward.
3. A better understanding of what RS is all about and why we have it.

If any of you have any tips for a budding, young RS president please pass them on!

I thought this might brighten your day. It lasts about 4 minutes so give it a look when you have time. I'm not able to embed it so click here for a great video.

In November I received a surprising phone call from Dell asking me if I had ordered and financed two purple laptops totaling over $4000. Three payday loans and at least two new bank accounts later I think I have everything resolved. I had heard radio ads, etc. about ID theft but I didn't really know how to prevent it or what to do about it so I didn't do anything. After going through this whole time-consuming mess, this is what I wish I had known:

1. If you ever receive a letter from a company letting you know that they have lost (or may have lost) your personal information call a credit reporting agency and put a fraud alert on your account. There are three agencies and if you call one they automatically notify the others. These are the agencies: Transunion, Experian and Equifax. This fraud alert will last for 90 days but you can call again in 90 days and put it on your account again.

2. If you are not actively seeking credit you can also put a security freeze on your account. This means that credit will not be issued in your name. It's done the same way as the fraud alert. If you want the security freeze lifted from your account (when you are seeking credit) it usually just takes a phone call and a few days.

3. Most states mandate that a free credit report be available for each resident each calendar year. These reports do not provide you with your credit score but they do show you the activity on your credit history. This is helpful in identifying shady activity in your name. When I got my reports I had three false addresses, a false SS# and fraudulent requests for my credit history. To get the free report just go to the three reporting agencies listed above and order it.

I won't go into the whole headache of fixing your credit once ID theft has occurred because I am hoping most of you won't have to deal with that, but if you ever do, give me a call and I'll let you know what I did.

My wonderful friend KaLee just introduced me to the Goodreads website. It's a place where friends can share books they are reading and get recommendations. I think this is great because I am always looking for a good book to read. So if you are interested please create an account and add me to your friends. I don't like mass emailing people info like this so this is my invitation.

Here's my latest review of Joseph Smith: Rough Stone Rolling:

Joseph Smith: Rough Stone Rolling by Richard L. Bushman

My review

rating: 4 of 5 stars
I was intrigued by the title of this book and I have found it to be very appropriate. This book, written by a practicing Mormon, is a great account of the prophet's life. He gives plenty of background information which helps the reader to understand the influences of both the period and his unique family situation that may have played a roll in his decisions.



It is a long book and it's written by a historian so you can get a little bogged down with it. I've been working on it for just over a year now and I'm almost finished. It's a good book to have on the shelf to pick up when you feel like it but I wouldn't attempt to charge straight through it.


View all my reviews.

Does anyone know why it says "undefined undefined" at the top of each of my posts? I can't figure out how it got there or how to make it go away. I think it's positioned where the date should be.

I've been accepted to Idaho State University's PA program and I will be attending at their Boise campus. Matthew and I are very excited because ISU was our first choice. These are the reasons why: