Long time, no see!

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I'm back!!

I'm sorry I haven't been on here in a while. My sister's computer is messed up so I currently have limited access to the internet. 

I would like to start off by expressing my deepest sympathy to everyone in Tuscaloosa and anywhere else in Alabama that has been affected by the tornadoes a few days ago. I have seen many pictures of the damage and I can't express how upsetting it is to see that devastation happen somewhere that's so close to home.

As for us, we didn't get much of the storm. I am very thankful for God's protection that night. We seemed to be one of the few places that did not get a tornado. I also want to thank everyone who has checked up on my sister and I to make sure we weren't affected. It's nice to have friends that care!

We have been pretty busy this week, or maybe it just seems that way because of the craziness of the storms. My sister, lil' man, and I went to the zoo with one of her friend's and her two boys. (One of which is a red-headed baby boy and he is TOO cute!) We had a lot of fun. I have been around a lot of babies since I have been here and it's giving me baby fever......bad! Hopefully, my husband and I will be adding a little one to our family soon.

I only have a little over a week here in Alabama. My sister and I will be heading to Georgia in a week to spend Mother's Day weekend with my parents. After that, I will be staying with my Mom and Dad until Zach graduates from school. There are only 42 days left from today until I get to see him again and I am SO excited. I already bought my dress for his graduation!! I will definitely miss my sister and her family (not to mention a certain lil' man will miss my dog, possibly more than me) but I am excited to spend some time with my parents. I am still doing the 6 week/ 10 lb challenge. Since it's been kind of hectic this past week, I haven't really had time to weigh myself. I am debating on not weighing in until the 6 weeks are over, but I will let you know.

As for Zach, he is still doing VERY well in school. He was number 18 or 19 last week due to a not-so-good grade on a final, but he has done such a good job this week that he is back up to number 7 or 8!!! I am SUPER proud of my baby and I am so glad that he is working hard! He was supposed to take his mid-term today, but something was wrong with their computers so it is rescheduled for Monday morning. He got our list of picks today, though. There are a lot in the New England area, two in Alaska and Louisiana, Washington, Hawaii, and Georgia. Zach and I are really hoping to get Kings Bay, Georgia! We have friends that already live there and it's close to family. That's only an hour away from Zach's brother and his wife, and a fellow military wife and friend. There is a really good chance we will get it. But, we are trying not to get our hopes up because the military tends to be somewhat unpredictable. As of now, our second choice will be Venice, LA and our third will be Honolulu, HI. Please keep us in your prayers that we will be placed where God wants us. We will find out exactly where we are going next week!!

That's what is going on our little piece of the world. I hope you all have a great weekend!!

Update!

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Happy Good Friday!

I have had a pretty calm week. Nothing too eventful has gone on. :) I'm going to be here with my sister for about two more weeks then I am off to my parents for the remainder of the time. Only 49 more days until Zach's graduation! (I have a countdown app on my phone.) I hope it flies by!

Zach is still doing well in school. He had another tough week this week. He had about 7-8 tests this week and made 100's on all of them except his final. He didn't make too good of a grade on it, but the good news is that neither did most of his classmates. :) He is volunteering for stuff, though, because for everything he volunteers for he gets a point added onto his class average. He is hoping to get back into at least the top 10 before he has to sign up for where we move next. They are studying trailers next week and he always worked with them at our previous station so that will be a good week for him.

We get a list of our options a week from today and we find out exactly where we are going two weeks from today. Also, he found a list of MK openings a few weeks ago but come to find out they don't even look at that list when they make their list for "A" school. There could be some of the same openings, but then again it could be totally different. So, needless to say I am getting very anxious!

Keep us in your prayers these next few weeks as we find out where we are going to move. Also, don't forget to send Zach encouragement through facebook!

Have a great weekend and a Happy Easter with family and friends!!!

Monday Memo :)

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Hello again!

Our weekend wasn't as crazy as the past few have been. Although, Friday was my birthday!! I turned 22 and I feel old!
Last week, I had my birthday dinner so on my actual birthday I just spent the day with my sister and she took me to lunch. We also went window shopping.
Saturday, We didn't do much of anything. My sister and I went grocery shopping and that night they had some friends over for dinner. But, other than that, it was a pretty relaxing day.
We went to church Sunday morning. After that, we ate at a local mexican restaurant. Then, the rest of the afternoon was spent at my brother-in-law's parent's house. Last night, I went to see a few old friends at Calvary Baptist Church. It was so good seeing them and we had a great time catching up.

6 week/10 lb Challenge Update: In previous weeks, I haven't lost that much but I am happy to say that I lost 2 pounds this week! That brings my total amount lost to 4 pounds! I'm sticking to the workout routine that I shared on Wednesday. It's tough but it seems to be paying off.

Update on Zach: He is still doing well. He had a tough week last week because they were studying hydraulics and he had a hard time understanding. He still made an 84 on his final Friday! Although it bumped him down a few spots in his class rank. He is still doing an awesome job! He is in a really good class. He is number 16 or 17 now (he was at 6 or 7 before friday's final) but there are only 5 points in between him and the number one spot. Shows you how tough the competition is there. Other than class, he is enjoying hanging out with his roomates and a friend he knows from high school. We are both just ready to be together again!

I hope you had an enjoyable weekend and a great week!



My Way of Working Out

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I am in the process of losing weight and thought I would share my favorite workout with you. If you are like me, you don't like to do your "normal" workout. By normal, I mean going to the gym and lifting weights, getting on the treadmill, etc. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy going to the gym from time to time. But, there are a lot of days where doing that really doesn't motivate me. So, I have to look elsewhere, and by elsewhere I mean a DVD in my living room.

The first workout is one that I absolutely LOVE. It's called, and you may have heard about it, Zumba!! The set comes with various workouts like Cardio Party, Sculpt and Tone, and Flat Abs. It also comes with toning sticks. This workout challenges you with dancing and choreography that is so fun you won't feel like you are working out. It's not easy by any means, but it has exciting moves and energizing music that will make you feel like you are dancing to have fun, not to lose weight. The great part about it is that you get to do BOTH!! And, if it's coming from me you know it's true. I am not the type of person to tell you something works if it doesn't. Zumba isn't just some trend that is all talk and no results. It's fun and effective. Simple as that! To learn more about zumba, click HERE. They are selling a newer set of the DVD's now called Exhilarate that I am eager to try. I will let you know how they are when I do.



The next two workout I like are, as you can see, from Jillian Michaels. One is her 30 Day Shred and the other is her 6 Week Six-Pack.

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Jillian's DVD's are, of course, tough! But, would you expect anything less? Yes, they are the rep-type workouts. The plus to these workouts are that they are effective and only last 20 minutes or so. If you don't have a lot of time to workout, but want to make the most of the time you do have, these are the workouts for you! She is typical Jillian in these because she talks at you, but she isn't as tough as you see her on the Biggest Loser. One plus my sister brought up is that it is fun to back talk her while you are working out. Needless to say, you can get some anger out! 

I complete one Zumba DVD and one Jillian DVD per day. This adds up to a little over an hour of working out.

If you are interested in losing weight or getting fit, try these out! They will shed those extra pounds and tone your muscles. If you do try them, let me know what your thoughts are!

White Chocolate Bread Pudding

This recipe is absolutely DELICIOUS!!! Even is you do not normally like bread pudding, I would highly suggest you at least try this. It's very simple!

Ingredients:
- 6 cups of french bread
- 1 package (6 oz.) white chocolate chips
- 3 eggs
- 3/4 cup warm water
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1 cup (14 oz.) sweetened condensed milk (non-evaporated)

1. Spray 3-4 qt. slow cooker with cooking spray. Place bread cubes in cooker. Sprinkle with white chocolate chips.
2. In small bowl, mix remaining ingredients and pour crock pot
3. Cover, cook on low setting 3 1/2 to 4 hours
4. Can be served with ice cream

See! So easy!

Slam-Packed Days of Fun

We were busy bees for yet another weekend!
Friday, we had my birthday dinner at Miyako and it was REALLY good!! I had the amazing lobster roll and a philly roll. Alana also got me a cake!

Made by Maria Bray

My sister and her family, my parents, and a couple of my friends came and we had a great time!

Saturday, We went to a couple of stores and had an excellent lunch. My brother-in-law and sister made boston butt, pasta salad, and baked beans with white chocolate bread pudding for dessert. (Don't worry ladies, the recipe will be posted soon!) My parents and I went to a high school play that my cousin was in. It was about Charlie Brown and such a cute play. Chasity did a good job playing Lucy! It was nice seeing family members that I haven't seen in a while, as well.

Sunday- If you don't know, my nephew is a HUGE Thomas the Train fan and they had "A Day Out With Thomas" so that is what we did. We got to ride on Thomas and they had fun activities for the kids. 

Update on the 6 week challenge: My sister and I lost a pound each. While we aren't getting the results we would like. We are learning what we are doing wrong and trying to improve on it. For a more detailed report, you can check out Alana's article on her blog HERE.

Zach- He is doing very well as usual. He had three tests on Friday, one of which was another final, and he made 100's on all of them. He now has an average of about 106. I sent him a package with brownies, cookies, a camo egg with jelly beans, and peeps. He just got it today and is already enjoying the treats. Keep him in your prayers this week because they are studying hydraulics and he said he doesn't know much about them.

I hope you all had a wonderful weekend and a great rest of the day!

Home Organizing Binder

I, like probably everyone else, like to be organized. But, I don't always know the best way to do things. My biggest dilemma is what to do with some of the paperwork I have. Most paperwork I put into a filing cabinet. There is some paperwork, however, that I need to have on hand and that need to be found quickly. So, my genius sister told me about this idea. Okay, so she got it from someone else, but she's still smart. Anyway, you can look at her post about it HERE. She calls it her Home Management Binder. If you know me pretty well, I like to be creative and unique with pretty much everything. (Including how I dress, which slightly aggrivates the hubby because he likes more....well I will just say it...plain things. But he loves me anyway :) ) So, since it drives me insane when I lose misplace something, I decided to call my binder the Spencer Sanity Binder:



"Alyssa! I thought you liked taking pictures! This picture isn't that good."

I know, I know. I hate that I couldn't give you a better picture (even if it doesn't bother you, it very much bothers me. I'm picky) but, me and my forgetful self, I forgot the cord to hook my camera to the computer to upload pictures. So, this picture was taken with my phone. 

Anyhow, this binder is already VERY helpful. I will tell you what is in mine, but it is really up to you what you put in yours. I can guarantee when Zach and I move and we get into a house again, these things will probably be tweaked. 

When you open the binder, I have two pocket dividers. I have my small notebook that I am using to chart my diet with, stamps, and a few other pieces of paper in them. I also have a pen attached to it because...you guessed it... I lose things and forget where I put things so I wouldn't be able to find a pen otherwise. After that I divided my notebook into tabs. Here is what I have:

- My first tab is labeled "Monthly Payments/Budget": This is where I do my budget for each paycheck. I also put the bills that come in for the month so that I remember to pay them. I can't tell you how many times I couldn't find a bill, resulting in the payment being late. 

- My second is labeled "Pay Off": This tab is where I put bills that aren't a continuous monthly payment, but the are bills that need to be paid off. I use these to keep on top of these bills so we can pay them off sooner.

- The third is called "Important Paperwork": For now, this is where I put misc. paperwork that I need to keep track of. For Example I have:

          - A list of stations we like that Zach and I came up with

          - A print out of the hairstyle that I want 

          - Receipts from things that I have ordered off the internet

  Basically, it's for papers that I don't know where to put them otherwise.

- The fourth tab is where I put my recipes. I have found recipes online, in magazines, and have gotten some from family members. This is where I store all of them. 

- The fifth tab is where I print out my calendar and use it to schedule and keep track of events. This helps so that I don't forget somethings and schedule two things at once. 

- The sixth tab is labeled "Logs/Charts"- My sister found various logs on the internet. If you would like any of these charts, just let me know and I can e-mail them to you. Here is a list of what I have:

          - BMI chart- As you know, I am trying to lose weight, so this helps keep my goal realistic.

          - Family Finance Checklist- this is another way to insure that I pay all my bills. Across the top it lists the month and on the side is has slots for you to write what bills you have. It allows you to check off each bill as you pay them each month.

          - Weekly Menu Plan- Since I am staying with my family right now, obviously I don't use this yet. But, I am sure it will be helpful to plan our meals when we get settled into our new place.

          - Master To-Do List- This is where I write things that I need to do or things that I need to ask Zach to do. This is a forgetful persons dream! 

          - Our kid's Daily Schedule- So, as you know, we don't have kids. (and for the record I am not pregnant) But, when the time comes, I will use this to plan their daily schedule. 

          - Our Family Auto Log- This helps keep track of maintanence on your car. It lists various things like replace tires, change oil, brake service, etc. and you can log when you get it done and when it needs to be done again. 

          - Blog Ideas- I write on here ideas I have for this blog. (I know, self explanatory)

          - The Spencer Family Gift Giving Plan- This is a table where you can write the recipient, gift idea, details/size, where to purchase, budget, actual cost, and whether it has been wrapped yet or not of gifts. 

          - Home Maintanence Checklist- We don't own a home yet, but when we do this will allow me to make sure things are checked and have mainanence on them when necessary. 

          - Our Family's Important Dates- This is used to keep track of everyone's birthday, anniversary, and other important events that happen every year. 

- The seventh and final tab is where I put magazine articles that I find interesting and want to keep for whatever reason. Instead of keeping the whole magazine for a couple of articles, I just clip them out and put them in my binder so that it will take up less space.

After my tabs I have paper and sheet protectors. I have receipts and pictures in the protectors right now.  Basically, they are used for things that cannot be hole-punched and put into the binder, or that will only be holding residence in my binder for a short while.

I know this is a long post, but I hope you have found it very useful. I find life hectic as it is now, and I know it's even more hectic for those of you who have children. This binder is an easy way to keep what you need on hand. You can easily take it with you in the car or wherever you go. Like I said before, it's important that you make it your own and put the categories that you need so that it is beneficial.

For those of you who do try your own, I would love to hear from you and how you have personalized it.

Our Busy Weekend!

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Wow! What a busy few days! I have had a blast hanging out with family this weekend. I am in store for a hectic few weeks. April looks like it is going to be packed. I am planning on going to see my hubby beginning of May, so hopefully all this craziness will make that time get here before I know it! My sister and I spent some time together Saturday running a few errands. We also went to a bridal shower for one of my brother-in-law's cousins. Sunday, we went to church and then went to the zoo. It was pretty packed because of Zoo Weekend, but it was still tons of fun! My wonderful husband sent my camera and I got it in the mail today! (Yes, I forgot to pack it.....along with my straightener, tennis shoes, and....ok so I am somewhat forgetful!) I LOVE taking pictures so I think I was having withdrawal symptoms, but I'm ok now. ;) So here are my updates:

6 week/10 pound Challenge: Last week I told you about this challenge that my sister and I are doing. We didn't lose any weight, but we didn't gain any either. I was sick this past weekend, so I really didn't feel like working out. I also didn't pay attention to what I ate very well. But, this week I have no excuses! We started off very well today. Here is what I did:

Breakfast- plain yogurt with fresh strawberries and granola mixed in.
Workout-  Zumba!
Lunch- Chicken salad wrap with and individual bag of chips
Dinner- Fish with mashed potatoes and a pea/green bean mix
Dessert- a pudding cup  :)
And... I had no snacks today, which is a pretty big accomplishment!

I believe we will do very well if we stick to eating healthy and working out like we did today. Even if you are joining us now, you are welcome to jump into the challenge anytime! Also, I would love to hear about your progress and any tips you may have.

Alyssa- As for an update on me, it's much of the same. Still missing my husband, but trying to keep busy. I am excited about my birthday dinner coming up this friday. I can't wait to see friends I haven't seen in a while. I am also working on a gift for Zach when he graduates. I can't spill the beans just yet because he checks this blog out from time to time. I can just tell you that I am really excited about how it will turn out. I will definitely share the details once he has gotten it. In the mean time, I am going to be sending him a care package with a lot of goodies in it (brownies, cookies, etc.) Hopefully he will be nice and share with his roommates! :)

Zach- Each week he takes a different course that comes with it's own final exam.  He is still doing VERY well in his classes. In fact, right this second he is studying really hard for his test tomorrow! He made a 100 in his final this past friday. This bumped his average for "A" school up to a 103%!!!!  I am super proud of him, and I am sure you are too! We are in week four of his classes. If I understood correctly, we will be finding out what our options are for our next unit sometime next week.

I hope you all have a wonderful week!!