100 Days…

For 2012, I have a huge desire to follow-through on my promises, goals, and plans. This is something Jordan and I have struggled with since we started dating and I’m at the point of either giving up entirely and not ever making another goal OR actually doing it. So, my word for 2012 is follow-through (or persevere) and I have joined a 100 day challenge with a group of 40 other women. I’m going to be documenting my progress, which will surely include some ups and downs, right here on this blog. So, for starters, here are my two goals I want to follow-through on:

1) Spend quality time with God each day. Reading the Bible, praying, and journaling are so important and things that I have neglected in the recent past. I’ve been having a one-sided friendship with God (He’s doing most of the work) and it’s not fair to Him. I’m excited to see my relationship with Him transform and grow. I have a few books picked out that I want to work through, and I’m hunting for a Bible reading plan that looks best for me.

2) Adopt a healthy lifestyle – eating well (very few, if any, sweets) and exercising more often (we will meet again, Jillian). I’m planning to re-read Made to Crave by Lysa TerKerst (and actually get through the whole book this time!) and possibly focus on one or two God-centered fasts (namely, the Daniel Fast).

Accomplishing these goals should have a very positive impact on my life. Spending time with God is a pretty obvious positive change in life. I have battled anxiety and worry for many years – something I’m ready to hand over to God. He has seen me through lots of peaks and valleys with these struggles, but He’s been so faithful throughout even when I forget to ask or thank Him for all He’s helped me with. I’m hoping to give over control to Him.

With the possibility of having kids in the near future (no, I’m not pregnant, geesh), I want these to be a natural, high priority part of my life. Also, I want to be in better shape before having kids… hello, motivation! I went through my closet and put everything that doesn’t fit the way I’d like it to in a bin. Seeing 2 pairs of jeans staring back at me (and 5 in the bin) was a bit of a reality check. Things need to change and I’m excited for them to start!

Now, I must be honest. This challenge was designed to begin on 1/01/12, but we have some awesome friends visiting and I’m not getting off to a great start. I’ve been more conscious about what I eat and when I pray, but I need to do better. They will be in town until Thursday, and that is when the hard work will begin. Even as I write this, I know it’s a lame excuse, but I want to be fully present for their visit and not constantly counting calories or worrying about my success or failure. Have some grace with me, okay?

Today, I’m off on a good start – after feeling pretty lousy after eating too many sweets the past few days, I have new motivation to avoid the bad-for-you foods.

Okay. End brain dump. Hopefully I will be posting daily… that could be a challenge all in itself!

Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. (James 1:2-4)

A Christmas Letter

A little less than one year ago (January 1, 2011 to be exact), I chose my “word of the year”: rely. While I thought maybe I’d rely on God to help me get to the gym, or be intentional with my time, or spend less money on nail polish, I had no idea just how much Jordan and I would need to rely on God in 2011.

As many of you know, in September 2010, we were approached by friends who had a dream of starting a church in Las Vegas. We thought about it, but initially decided it wasn’t for us – we didn’t want to leave friends and family and the familiarity of the Midwest, we didn’t know if we were “qualified” enough for something that sounded so crazy, we weren’t sure if we could make all the pieces of the puzzle come together to get us to Sin City. Little did we know, all that needed to happen was to remove the “we” from our worries. As soon as we remembered that we had Someone greater than us to rely on, things started happening. Our house sold, money appeared when we weren’t sure if it would, we found a great home in Vegas, jobs that worked out for both of us (Jordan as a part-time worship pastor for Advance Church and me as a full-time office manager for a pain management clinic), and we have witnessed lots of people learn about God through Advance Church. Through relying on God, we watched Him provide for us again and again.

So, this Christmas, while we could be sitting here dwelling on the fact that there is no snow on the ground (really, none in the forecast, well… ever) or that we had to celebrate the holidays with our Midwestern family a few weeks early, we will dwell on the faithfulness and provision of the One who was born to die for us. We are so thankful for the way God has worked in our lives, especially this past year, and we pray for many blessings for each of you as you rely on God in 2012.

Merry Christmas to you – wherever you may be, whatever you may be going through, may you always rely on the One who is able to do immeasurably more than we can ever imagine.

With peace, love, and joy,

Jordan, Kristen, and Fran

P.S. from Fran: “I have adjusted well to skidding around on tile floors, drinking extra water to avoid dehydration in the dry climate, and going potty in the rocks. Thanks to everyone for always asking how I’m doing!”

On turning twenty-five

an excerpt from bittersweet by shauna niequist, from the chapter entitled “25”

You are young enough to believe that anything is possible, and you are old enough to make that belief a reality. Now is the time to figure out what kind of work you love to do. What are you good at? What makes you feel alive? What do you dream about? You can go back to school now, switch directions entirely. You can work for almost nothing, or live in another country, or volunteer long hours for something that moves you. There will be a time when finances and schedules make this a little trickier, so do it now. Try it, apply for it, get up and do it…

Don’t get stuck. Move, travel, take a class, take a risk. Walk away, try something new. There is a season for wildness and a season for settledness, and this is neither. This season is about becoming…

Ask yourself some good questions like, Am I proud of the life I’m living? What have I tried this month? What have I learned about God this year? What parts of my childhood faith am I leaving behind, and what parts am I choosing to keep with me for this leg of the journey? Do the people I’m spending my time with give me life, or make me feel small? Is there any brokenness in my life that’s keeping me from moving forward?…

Now is your time. Become, believe, try.

Welcome to fabulous…

We are here – with our belongings, Fran, the internet, and a readiness to get things going with Advance Church. It’s a little surreal, but at the same time refreshing, to be here in Vegas, doing this thing we’ve talked about for almost a year.

The trip was great. If you haven’t ever driven through Colorado and/or Utah, we highly recommend it! The scenery was amazing, and we took advantage of many “view areas” along the way. We have lots of pictures to upload and share… they’ll be coming soon! With the exception of late night rain on our drive from Denver to Glenwood Springs, we had an entirely uneventful trip. We stayed at my parents’ house in Omaha the first night, then met my best friend, Whitney, in Denver for dinner the second night, then got to Vegas around 5pm PT the third night. I’ll never forget Jordan exclaiming, “Look!” when he first got a glimpse of the strip. The final leg of the journey was a little long, so (though I never thought I’d say this), seeing the strip was very relieving. We knew we had made it!

We were greeted in our new home by our MN-turned-NV-friends who had furnished our place with a fabulous Aerobed, complete with sheets, pillows, and blankets, a card table and some chairs, a few towels, cleaning supplies, flowers, and candles… all which made us instantly feel so welcomed. Dinner followed at Ryan and Kristen’s house with all of our old friends, and even some new ones – the kitchen was adorned with a “Welcome to Fabulous” sign (who needs the “Las Vegas” part?!) that the kids had made, and casino themed dinnerware. We kept it MN-style with burgers, brats, and veggie trays (did you know people in the West haven’t heard of brats? Crazy!).

The following day, our things were supposed to arrive on the moving truck, but got delayed until… Monday. I stood my ground and told the company we needed my baby (grand piano) off the truck immediately, so they hurried it up and delivered everything on Saturday. Ryan helped us unload the truck and the unpacking process began. My parents packed all of our things, and (bless their hearts) used an entire forest’s-worth of packing paper. I can truly say I think I’ll cry if I have to flatten out one more piece of paper. However, we have only come across one broken thing, so we are quite impressed with the Hood Packing Services.

So, where does that leave us now? We are slowly but surely arranging everything in our new home, starting to decorate, trying to figure out the time difference between here and the Midwest, and enjoying the beauty of the mountains, palm trees, and sunny weather. On Sunday, we had the chance to hang out with a bunch of Advancers and get to know many new friends. Jordan and Ryan led worship together at The Crossing in Las Vegas, which was a very moving experience for everyone.

I have a job interview this afternoon at 4pm PT with a dentist’s clinic. Praying that it will be a great fit and that I’ll be employed!

We’re actually heading back to MN (are we nuts?) this weekend to celebrate the marriage of our great friends, Adam and Britt. It’ll be fun to see everyone one last time and to enjoy a little humidity and familiarity. Then, we’ll be back in Vegas, ready to begin what we believe will be a life-changing experience – for us and so many others.

Oh, and Fran. Many of you seem to be sadder to see her go than us, and we completely understand. She seems to be adjusting well to her new surroundings. She loves her fenced in backyard, complete with grass (!), rocks, and a patio. She does not love the crazy amount of boxes and packing paper, although she does enjoy trying to chew on everything she can find. She’s finding lots of love and attention here, whether it’s from complete strangers or people more her size like Selah. She desperately needs a good grooming, but she’s been bathed so she’s doing alright. We’ll try to bring her back to MN at some point – we just have to work her up to flying (some pep talks and Benadryl may be in order).

All in all, we can’t thank you enough for your prayers and support. We are definitely feeling them and are so grateful for each of you. We’ll be blogging more regularly as we finally have internet and LOTS to share as we start our journey to mobilize lives altered by Jesus.

Two Years

A lot can happen in a short period of time. To give you an idea of the last two years of our lives, check this out:

• June 24th, 2009: Make an offer on our townhouse
• August 4th, 2009: Close on our townhouse… start moving in!
• October 2nd, 2009: Get MARRIED!
• November 2-9, 2009: Go to Mexico… honeymoon!
• January 5th, 2010: Kristen starts a new job
• March-May, 2010: Lead my first small group for Crossroads
• March-May, 2010: Kristen’s countless dentist visits (ugh!)
• June-August, 2010: Lead a women’s book club
• June 26th, 2010: Celebrate our great friends’ (Bernie & Jess) wedding
• July 25th, 2010: Celebrate our friends’ (James & Katie) wedding
• July 26th, 2010: Celebrate the life of my great-aunt Dort
• August 1-13, 2010: Young Life Camp – Castaway!
• September 2010: Begin teaching piano lessons
• September 21st, 2010: Learn about the Luncefords’ plan for Vegas (start praying about our involvement there)
• October 1-5, 2010: Celebrate our 1st Anniversary in NYC!
• October-December, 2010: Lead a women’s small group for Crossroads
• November 15-17, 2010: Visit Las Vegas
• January 2011: Say goodbye to the Luncefords; Continue to pray about Vegas
• February-April, 2011: Lead a co-ed small group at Crossroads
• March 2011: Feel that God is calling us to take steps toward Vegas
• March 12th, 2011: Get Fran!!!
• March 15th, 2011: Put our house on the market
• May 2nd, 2011: Kristen’s work opens a new office
• May 4th, 2011: Receive an offer on our house
• May 27-30, 2011: Memorial Day at the cabin with the Lindstedts/Hellers
• June 3-5, 2011: Travel to Neenah to see Grandma Hood and friends
• June 10-12, 2011: Travel to Omaha to hang out with the Hoods
• June 24th, 2011: Move out of our house (and in with Jordan’s family!)
• June 27th, 2011: Closing!
• July 2-3, 2011: Jordan’s last weekend at Crossroads
• July 3-5, 2011: Go to the cabin for the 4th
• July 6th, 2011: Sell Kristen’s car

• July 9-12, 2011: Travel to Vegas to look for jobs and a house
• July 18th, 2011: Celebrate Jordan’s 25th birthday
• July 29th, 2011: Kristen’s last day at work
• July 30th, 2011: Load the ABF truck with our belongings
• August 1st, 2011: Leave for Vegas
• August 3-4, 2011: Arrive in Vegas… our new home!

Abraham was confidently looking forward to a city with eternal foundations, a city designed and built by God. (Hebrews 11:10)

Whirlwind Summer

I can hardly believe today is June 15th. It seems like just yesterday we were shoveling 4 feet of snow out of our driveway and wondering what the next adventure in our life will be. Times have changed… and in good ways!

We are so excited that we have been whittling away at our to-do list, and that things are really starting to fall into place. To give you an idea of our upcoming schedule for our move to Vegas, check this out:

My favorite appetizers!

Since I love cooking so much, I’m linking up over at Kelly’s Korner to share my favorite appetizer recipes!

I can’t choose just one, so I’ll share a few that are really simple, but are really great crowd-pleasers!

Herbed Goat Cheese with Crackers
Ingredients:
1 log of goat cheese
a drizzle of olive oil
a sprinkling of Italian seasoning

Put goat cheese into an 8×8 pan, drizzle on a little olive oil and sprinkle with as much or as little Italian seasoning as you like. Bake at 350 until warm and creamy. Serve with crackers or pita bread or anything you like! (We’ve also done a mixture of fresh basil, rosemary, and garlic and put that over the top… very tasty!)

Caprese Skewers
Ingredients:
cherry tomatoes
fresh mozzarella (either the small balls or a big hunk cut into pieces)
fresh basil leaves

Put one tomato, one hunk of cheese, and one basil leaf on a fancy toothpick. Repeat until all ingredients are used up. Drizzle with a little olive oil and add a little sea salt and cracked black pepper. Enjoy!

Brie Wrapped in Crescent Rolls
1 wheel of Brie cheese
1 tube of crescent rolls
1 container of raspberry chipotle sauce

Wrap the brie in crescent rolls. Bake at 350 until golden brown (make sure the cheese is melted). Serve with raspberry chipotle sauce.

Avocado-Feta Dip
Ingredients:
2 avocados (not too ripe), diced
2 large roma tomatoes, diced
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 container of feta cheese
juice of 1/2 a lime
salt and pepper to taste

Throw all ingredients together in a bowl and stir together. Allow to sit for a bit before serving to let flavors mix. Serve with tortilla chips!
You can add lots of other things to this. It’s like guacamole but just a little different. Yum!

In progress!

Welcome to the new and improved website for Jordan and Kristen! We are working on revamping everything to share our new journey with you. Check back often for the latest!

With much love,

J&K

Birthday Recap

The best day of the year has come and gone. And this year it was a GREAT one.

Everything started with my dream to send people clean water through my charity:water campaign. We’re almost halfway to my $240 goal – and we’ve already ensured that 4 people will get clean water. I’ve extended the end date for donations to December, so you still have time to send clean water!

The day before my birthday, I got two bouquets of flowers – one from my mother-in-law and one from my great friend, Kristen (the other Kristen L!). Fresh flowers are one of my favorite things, so they really started the week off right.

I worked during the day on my birthday, then came home to an incredible meal prepared by my husband. Filet mignon wrapped in bacon, twice baked potatoes (my fave!), Asian green beans (to die for!), and a cupcake from Kowalskis… oh and an amazing bottle of red wine (how could I forget that?!). He also surprised me with a dozen red roses and a beautiful necklace from Lisa Leonard Designs. Pictures will be coming soon!

On Friday, my sister-in-law, Kelly, planned a great Real Housewives-themed girls’ night party. We got to choose which housewife to be for the night, played a housewife-themed game, ate some great snacks, and watched episodes from the show. I didn’t realize how obsessed I’ve become with that show until people started asking questions… and I knew every answer. (What can I say? Bravo’s the only cable channel we get!) It was so fun to celebrate with some of my favorite ladies!

Finally, on Sunday night, we went over to my in-laws house for the traditional birthday dinner. Usually the birthday person gets to choose the menu, but I left it up to my parents-in-law… and they did great! We had beef tenderloin with an incredible red wine reduction sauce, asparagus and goat cheese risotto, a great salad, and…. cheesecake!!! (Oh, and another great bottle of red wine!)

So, to say my birthday was a success is definitely an understatement. Cards from family who don’t live in a 15-mile radius really sealed the deal (I LOVE getting snail mail. Jordan says I’m obsessed with checking the mailbox every day!).

To everyone who helped me celebrate, thanks. You are all so special to me and I couldn’t be more grateful for the friends and family I’ve been blessed with.

Here Goes Nothin…

It seems like I’ve been waiting for this September for a long time. Not because it’s my birthday (although you can read about that here), but because I’m starting to teach piano lessons! I’ve had two students signed up since May, and I’ve now gained four more, so I’m starting with six students next week!

I taught piano while I was in high school, didn’t have time or resources to continue in college, and now I’m finally ready to start again (thanks to a piano from my parents and a flexible work schedule that allows me some free afternoons). My goal is to eventually have a full-time piano studio, and this is a great start.

The only tricky thing that comes with this new development is going to be finding a free night of the week to spend with my man. Any tips for great time management? I know we’ll have Friday and Saturday nights free, but we’ll be busy with one thing or another Monday through Thursday. I think we’ll just have to get creative… I’d love any input!

Anthropologie is calling my name tonight. I’m so excited to go with a GIRL (sorry, Jordan) and have some quality time there.