2018 Best Nine

Instagram blows up more than normal this time of year between holiday pictures and what has popped up in recent years as the “Best Nine”. In short it’s a processor that gathers your nine most engaged with posts and turns them into a collage. So I thought we could do a blog post on the Best Nine of 2018 through words instead of pictures.

9. Books on books – From Leaders Eat Last to Creativity, Inc. to Girl Wash Your Face there were some incredible and powerful books I got to dive into this year. Next Year the stakes get higher with even more books on the agenda, here are links to just a few:

Leaders Eat Last – Simon Sinek

Creativity Inc – Ed Catmull

Girl Wash Your Face – Rachel Hollis

Come Matter Here – Hannah Brencher

8. Kyle Pease Foundation

On Labor Day this year I had the opportunity to push-assist for the Kyle Pease Foundation at the Big Peach Sizzler 10K alongside an old friend of mine, Tori. This was truly one of the best memories and opportunities of the year that taught me so much about the power behind the sport of running and the community that surrounds it.

7. Peachtree Road Race PR

This was one of my biggest racing surprises of the year, just barely missing the 40 minute barrier at the AJC Peachtree Road Race on the Fourth of July. While other goals this year were missed this one was absolutely a defining racing moment for me!

6. Kali-girl

Just days after Passion Conference 2018 we headed to the shelter to gain a new family member. Originally named Patricia, Kali has taught me SO much especially in the moments I wanted to send her back (which would actually never have happened, but these were trying times), but shes one of the biggest blessings to us.

5. First Time Homeowners

With the addition of our newest four-legged girl we were a little cramped in our apartment so it was time to explore other options. After about six months of searching and looking at our priorities and must-haves we found this cute 3/1.5 1950’s home inside the Atlanta perimeter with a fenced in backyard for the dogs. While there are some updates we cannot wait to tackle, we are loving our little piece of the city and so are our girls.

4. November Project Atlanta

At the end of March Facebook notified me of an event a friend of mine was attending on Wednesday morning at 6:27a on the Beltline that was a free workout, so I thought why on Earth not? So now, 9 months later it has become a staple in my routine and in my community. It’s free fitness, with the most consistent and encouraging community you could ask for. In 49 cities across the WORLD you should really check it out here.

3. Thailand

In 2015 Jon was the student Worship Leader for a church outside the city so during their annual spring break mission trip we had the opportunity to serve both the people of the Dominican Republic and the students of this church in varying ways although we were not married at this time. In 2016, I had the opportunity to head to Uganda with my families church to serve, and while I wouldn’t trade that experience for anything it was hard without Jon. So at the beginning of this year when one of my friends mentioned serving in Thailand I knew it was a knees down in prayer type situation because it was both Jon and I or neither of us. The Lord opened every door to get to serve inside this amazing country. It was trans formative to say the least and we cannot wait for the next opportunity to serve together.

2. Finishing my first book

Yep, you are reading that right! Just a few weeks ago I put the final period on the first book that I have finished. Right now it’s being reviewed and edited by a team close to me and I am so excited to share the finished product with you all sometime in the next several months – stay tuned!

Number 1: God’s sovereignty over my health and regaining it back!

It is no secret at this point that my health has been on a roller coaster for the last two years, and this year was a fight to get back to a healthy state, and I’m so thankful to say that the Lord has been working even when it’s so much slower (and harder) than I would like. There is no doubt in the work he has done in my body, mind and soul during this year when it comes to my mental and physical health, and I believe this is just the first step in the next season of how He is going to move. Nothing is too big for Him, it just takes a complete surrender.

So yeah, what a year! Thank you Lord for everything you have done and what you are continuing to do through our lives and the city and community around us. Passion 2019 is this week and we are so excited. See you next year

Happy New Year Everyone!

Jordan

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The Weekly Blurb

Christmas is just TWO weeks away! After a week full of Christmas Parties and MLS Cup victories the beginning of this week was a game of catch up.

Quick shout out to my sister at Hevesi.co for snagging some pictures from one of the first major gatherings at our home, we love getting to share the season and celebrate our first home with some special people.

I hope you are getting to spend the holidays celebrating even through the hard things that I know so many of you are facing. Even if it’s just getting out for a bit, embrace the best parts of the season.

Workouts

So where are we now? On the workout front it’s been tough a few recents from life in a rainy season around Georgia:

Saturday – 20 minute blaster thanks to Nike Training App, plus 20-30 minute core-work.

Sunday – recovery/walk

Monday – 15 minute warm up, 30 minute easy on the treadmill

Tuesday – 60 minutes on the treadmill (this is the longest I have gone since the half on Thanksgiving so I took it easy just getting my legs back under me)

Wednesday – 40 minutes of bodyweight circuits with the November Project

Speaking of, I was excited and honored to be asked to write for the November Project blog last week, the post dropped Monday if you want to check it out here.

So while workouts have been consistent the racing plan is still up in the air. Over the next few weeks I am taking a breather to reprioritize some things in 2019 and what that looks like competitively I am just not sure yet. One thing that has been added to the calendar as of yesterday is pacing the Georgia Publix Half Marathon in March. Getting to pace is such a special opportunity so thank you Atlanta Track Club!

Recipe 

This week also sparked some creativity in the kitchen. Red-Roasted Pepper-Chicken Bake over zucchini noodles (check out the recipe here) and mixed in homemade skinny Alfredo sauce (check out the recipe here). While I didn’t get the texture of the noodles 100% for my picky texture husband we both thoroughly enjoyed the taste and would absolutely recommend.

The end of this week is going to be full of celebrations of all kinds from Christmas, to birthdays, to graduations and project finishings. Hope to dive more into this next week. Until then friends!

Jordan