3-2-1!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Happy day after Thanksgiving!! So, with Jeremy being off from work and me avoiding my paper writing, we managed to wonder downtown for the Christmas tree lighting at Macy's. Here's the video so you can share in the experience.



Today has been one of the colder days since we've been here. It was in the 30's all day and is 26 as I'm writing this. We gave our hats, scarves, boots, socks, and gloves a good test drive today while we stood outside of Macy's for well over an hour. Interesting, because Thanksgiving here was about 60. What a change! To close, I'll post another clip taken after the tree was lit. After this, we walked down to Quincy and had some clam chowda :) and then some hot chocolate (coffee for me) to close out our night.... yay!

An interesting article.....

In today's Boston Globe and there was an interview with Boston's Cardinal Sean O'Malley about the Catholic church's stance on abortion and embryonic stem cell research. Apparently, anyone who supports a pro-abortion candidate endangers their own salvation! Wow...... A bold statement in a state that is full of Democratic Catholics. Here's the link to the article here:

http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2007/11/15/omalley_draws_line_with_democrats/

How do you "rank" morality and moral issues as a Christian? I'm talking outside of things directly contrary to God's word that we just shouldn't support anyway. I'm not saying that I'm pro-abortion here, but I just cringed when I read this. Effects salvation? Really? I personally can't rank morality issues as most important and so on and so forth. What about poverty? God speaks directly on this one, and the political party that is most often against abortion often is also coupled with an often harsh stance on poverty and social welfare. I won't go any further with other issues. Just read the article and think about it. I just don't remember God "ascribing" Republican (or Democrat!) as a description of his character.

My New Job (Belcan)

So I had an interview with the Belcan Corporation the other day. It was amazing! I spoke with three different team leaders and the general manager over a 3 hour period. When I flopped my groups turbofan engine report from my propulsions course on their desk, I saw a twinkle in their eyes as they flipped through the pages. They were impressed with the gas turbine knowledge I had gained in my propulsions course as an undergrad. The Lord gave me the confidence Chels and I had prayed for as I spoke with them. My words came out clearly and I actually was far more articulate than ever before.

The very next day, I received a call from Belcan extending to me an offer to be a Design Engineer working with the airfoil/turbine group. It was great and I took it. Praise the Lord! He not only took care of us in our time of need, but rewarded our faithfulness with a job. Not just any job, a career that fits my passion for gas turbine engines (jet engines) right out of the gates. The job also offers me the opportunity to work closely with group members. My propulsions professor, Dr. Van Treuren, emailed me about the job and explained to me that it is very rare for an entry-level engineer to score a design position this soon. God is freaking awesome! I'm still not entirely sure exactly what I'll be doing. The company is a very entry-level friendly company so I'm not the least bit nervous of starting on Monday.

Man, the Lord has taken us on quite a ride over the past 6 months. It’s been a little scary at times but always exciting. God has completely lived up to his end of the deal, and then some, as Chels and I have trusted Him in times of need and with some big decisions we’ve faced.

In closing, I’m pretty dern excited about working with jets. “Word to the Fatha” –DC Talk

Old Blog, Never Posted (Cytonome Lay-off)

So I'm black and boggin. Wait, scratch that and reverse it. It's been a while but if I'm gonna blog about anything, this outta be it.

The events that transpired this Thursday (9-27-07) will definitely go down in my books as an experience. My boss and I and two other coworks took a stroll after lunch to check out the three gargantuan cruise ships that docked next to our building earlier that morning. Amazing feats of engineering by the way!

To set up the story, Cytonome, Inc. is a privately owned medical devices company resting on ...or shall I say clinging desperately to the shoulders of a few investors. In a company meeting we had a month ago, Lydia, our CEO, updated us on the status of the company by saying that we had a few key investors on the fence about this next period (I don't speak business very well so excuse me if my terminology is wrong) due to the shaky economy as a result of the deteriorating housing market. She was very optimistic which allowed us to leave with nothing really to worry about. Well, this Thursday, Lydia spontaneously called everyone (all 26 of us) into the conference room for another company meeting. She jumped straight to the point. The fence walking investors lost their balance and tumbled off the wrong side. (excuse the cheese) She was given a two week period to feverishly pick up some new investors but that didn't pan out. In order for Cytonome to survive, they had to make some cuts. Well, being the latest hire, I thought for sure I was a gonner...you know, being the one guy or maybe one of two to go. Nope. They cut 50% of the company. Not only did I go, but so did many others, which from my point of view, had much more at stake. Of the laid off included a few that had been around since the company started, a few Ph. Ds, and many with wives and children to support. Quite surprising to say the least.

Prior to this day, for some time mind you, I had been spiritually struggling to no avail. Despite even the tremendous blessings Chels and I have been given (my excellent job, our successful journey to Boston, our new relationships, etc.) My line of communication with God was, what seemed to me, severed, failing to encounter Him on a daily...um, make that a weekly basis. I found myself doing what I wanted to do, not thinking twice about what He or Chels wanted. To make the story short, life has been a bit dark for me lately.

Initially my heart dropped when I heard my name. "How am I gonna tell Chels?" was the question that weighed on my mind at first. As she continued to read the list, my mind was diverted from "What was I gonna do" thoughts. At that instant, I had a hard-wire connection with God and He was saying to me, "This is it, Jeremy! Here is an opportunity to represent me. This is why I brought you here.” Probably one of the most comforting and peaceful feelings I’ve ever felt in my life. It’s as if God had just raked any negative connotation from what had just occurred.

My attitude went from the verge of panicking to speaking with and consoling other coworkers who were also laid-off. I was reminded at that point that God said he would take care of us, which allowed me to maintain a positive outlook and encourage others for the next few hours I was there. I was able to reassure other “employed” coworks that Chels and I would be taken care of and proceeded to joke and make light of the situation, though not in front of other laid-off folk as it might have come across as a bit insensitive.

Needless to say, I left work happier than I had left any other day. It was an incredible experience and I am privileged and thankful to God that he used me in that.

World's Fastest Update

It is 31 degrees right now in Brighton. I see frost on a neighboring roof. Our bedroom heater still whistles louder than a train and maintenance told us that was "normal." Jeremy's engineering brain didn't settle for that, so he's figuring out how to work on the heater in that room.

I have a paper due tomorrow and have written one of 7-8 pages. I'm up early with Jackson (he's helping while Billy is snuggled in with Jeremy) trying to work on my paper, yet I'm blogging.

Well, Jeremy had a job interview yesterday. Went very well and he should hear within the week.

Back to work!