New Job Today!

Started my new job today as a Mechanical EIT with Huitt-Zollars in Fort Worth. It is only a 15-minute drive from our house to downtown (very nice) and the people I will be working with are very helpful. I got a chance to actually do some work today as I figured out AutoCAD (computer program we use) and learned the ropes. The office has a ton of work on backlog so that is really nice. It was a great first day overall.

Emily continues to do well. She seems to have a little more energy right now but it can fade quickly if she does too much. Things are rolling along for us now and it is only three months away from the big event!

P.S. We are going to tell the baby's name in the next couple weeks, so stay tuned!

24 Week Update

Quick note and a couple pics: Emily is feeling fine, but not sure how much more her stomach can stretch! Everything seems to be going well, we think he is still big and he is kicking a lot now. We are starting to think about registering and getting dates firmed up for baby showers so we will let you know. Thanks for your continued prayers as I start my new job on Monday!

Boston Trip

Hey all!

Back from Boston and ready to move on to a new phase of life. We had some adventures and some interesting experiences but it was a great weekend.

We left last Thursday and immediately got bumped to another flight (direct to Boston) due to our original flight (through NYC) being delayed. The only problem was, our bag was still on the original flight. So we were praying that that flight would make it in time for our bag to transfer, but unfortunately it didn’t. So we spent the night Thursday without our bag but it came early the next morning and they reimbursed us for our overnight purchases! Worked out fine. Plus we got comped breakfast on Friday morning at our hotel. Nice.

We spent all day Friday in Boston, working the subway and seeing the sights. Went to Fenway (Boston Red Sox), Boston Common (oldest public park in U.S.), Park Street Church, Old State House, the Cheers bar, Paul Revere House, Old North Church, USS Constitution, took a ferry across the bay (doesn't Emily look so pretty in the ferry picture?!), Faneuil Hall, ate clam “chowdah,” and generally walked the beautiful streets of Boston. The fun part was that we got to spend time together doing all these things!

Saturday we drove down to Plymouth (where the Pilgrims landed), a quaint little town with a ton of history. We saw Plymouth Rock and a replica of the Mayflower (their boat). Then we walked the shoreline and the shops, seeing the church where the oldest congregation in America meets. I also had a lobster roll there, which is sort of a chicken salad sandwich with lobster instead.

Saturday night was a trip. We were asleep by 11 but were awakened by the fire alarm going off, so we evacuated with everyone else (including the huge wedding reception party—maybe they had something to do with it?) at 1:30am. So it was tough to go back to sleep again but we eventually did…until the alarm went off again at 3am. So it was a tough night! Interestingly, the fire alarm was also going off while we were eating at the lobster roll place earlier that night. Hmm…

Sunday we got up (got comped breakfast again!) and drove through Cambridge (Harvard U) then went up along the coast north through New Hampshire and into Maine. It was so beautiful and the coast towns are really neat places! The tall grasses and beaches are really what I imagined New England to be. We hung out on the beach for a while and shopped a little while until our flight left late that night.

It was a great trip and the best part was just being together. We enjoyed it all and everything worked out great. Take a weekend sometime and head up there!

Love you.

Job Offer

Huitt-Zollars called me today and said they are formally offering me a position as a Mechanical Engineer! They are sending the contract/letter in the mail so I may be working as early as next week! Thank you all for your prayers, it is a special feeling knowing that so many are praying for us.

We are also getting ready to go to Boston this weekend! We leave Thursday afternoon and come back Sunday night. Any last minute tips would be appreciated!

Have a great day in the Lord!

John

22 Week Update

Beloved,

Much has happened since we last had an update. We are starting to feel ______ kick a lot now (don't fret, you will find out soon enough!) and we are also seeing some movement in other areas of life.

I had a job interview last week with Huitt-Zollars for a Mechanical Engineering position. I thought it went well, they seemed to like me and want me around even though I have a lot to learn. Well, they called on Saturday and unofficially, verbally offered me the position! The pay is great and it seems like a great place to work. They told me not to accept it yet (they still have a few things to look at HR-wise) but they wanted to make sure I was still interested. So this is a big week for us, as I could potentially be signing a contract and starting work very soon!

OSU held an engineering career fair Tuesday (9/8) and I attended just to hedge my bets a little bit in case something falls through. I made a few good contacts that I will follow-up on and I also got a call from another company here in Fort Worth that is looking at my application there. But on Tuesday I got to be in Stillwater and see my mom, sister, her husband, and my beautiful niece, Laney! I also got to check in with some old friends at church and the football program. But anyway, God is great and has a unique way of handling our "issues" as we work through this job thing.

Classes are cruising along, I am enjoying Hebrew and also getting to study the New Testament more thoroughly. Also, I get to disciple someone and get credit for it! How cool is that! And church is going really well also, we just can't seem to stay away from being completely involved wherever we are.

Emily is feeling okay, too much activity will drain her pretty fast but still no sicknesses or debilitating issues. Tuesday was her 22-week doctor visit (pretty uneventful) and she measured at 24 weeks. As you can see from the pics, she is growing straight out! And her belly button seems to be a little off-centered now, but whatever! Apparently, he is a pretty big boy in there so it could happen earlier than the January 13th date. We are getting really excited about this upcoming process, the challenges and the joys, of raising a boy to become a godly man. We will need your help as we attempt this monumental task!

We love you all so much and thank you for your prayers and support for us down here in Fort Worth! Keep us up on how you are doing, we love to hear from you!

The Woogies (soon to be three...)

Labor Day (not labor for Emily yet though...)

Hello,

So Emily has been feeling the kicks for a week or so now, but I just the other night got to feel him kick for the first time! It was crazy, so subtle yet you know a little person is in there! He is starting to get a little more active, Emily says.

And the Pokes won nicely, should be a decent year.

And I have a job interview at Huitt-Zollars in downtown Fort Worth on Tuesday afternoon at 1:30pm! Kind of nervous but mostly excited to see what opportunities could come and how God could work all of this out in His time! So be in prayer that I am ready and that God shows us either obviously yes or obviously no at this point.

Everything is going well otherwise, though. You all have a great day off tomorrow and we love you!

J, E, and

20 Week Update - Halfway Home!

Hey all,

Today marks the halfway point for Emily and our baby boy! And, over the course of the last week Emily had thought she felt something move in there, but wasn't sure. Well, this morning, she sure felt him kick a few times and move around, so she has felt him move for about a week now even though this morning was the first time it would be considered official. I am excited about getting to feel him kick as well! From the pictures, notice how big Emily's bump is getting! Also, if you look closely, you will see the belly button beginning to move from "innie" to "outie"! So much fun to see the changes!

We are finally getting settled a little bit in our new place (come visit!) and our dogs are getting adjusted, loving the big yard and the constant access to it by way of doggie doors I installed last week. There is still stuff nearly everywhere in the house but we're getting things put where they need to go. But it is still so great to be close to church and seminary and friends.

I started classes online last Thursday and Hebrew 1 on campus last night (Monday). It will be a very different semester than the three previous but these classes (7 hours total) will be very enjoyable.

Still nothing job-wise. I am still applying nearly everywhere there is an opening, but until I get a full-time gig somewhere (most likely engineering) then I am going to substitute teach at area schools. The pay is decent and I will get to impact kids who may never want to step foot in a church. So continue to pray for God's timing (which is always on time) and for these opportunities.

Emily and I are planning a so-called "babymoon" to Boston in late September (thank you American Airlines miles!) so any tips you can give would help greatly if you have been there before. I have spoken with Sarah W a bit about it and she has helped a lot.

You all are awesome and we look forward to hosting you at our new place! We love you so much!

The Woogie's

Craziness

Hey folks, so it's been a crazy last week!

We found out last Tuesday that we were having a boy (awesome), then I spent all day Tuesday and Wednesday looking for a job and finding us a house (which we didn't have until Wednesday night, and we closed the sale of our house on Friday!). We then moved all day on Thursday from our old house to the new house (you can see info and pics by clicking here) and finished a few things on Friday. We then spent the weekend unpacking and getting things set up as much as we can.

It was kind of hard to move out of the awesome house that we had, but we know that it is for the best in the end. It is so great to be near the seminary and our church and friends.

The next step is a job for me, which we are trusting God to break loose very soon. Keep praying for that!

We love you all!

John, Emily, and _______

18 Week Update

Well........................
IT'S A BOY!!!!!

We had our first sonogram yesterday and the tech was very clear that it was a boy! She was not even looking for it and was surprised by it! So, we are excited to bring a boy into this world. His name is ____________. (Don't worry, you'll find out soon enough...)

Raising a son is a daunting task because I know myself as a boy/man. Only God can change his heart, but I pray that I can shepherd it in the right direction. We are holding him with an open hand as God will do what He wants with him, and we are so excited to see what that will be!

Also, __________ is a big boy, apparently (10 oz.). We are pretty sure we are at 18 weeks, but the sonogram put us at 19 1/2 weeks. So either we are wrong (but we were charting so it would be hard to be wrong) or he is a big baby right now. Either way, it looks like right after the first of the year we will have a son if everything goes to full term! But they said everything looks great and no problems that we can see. Praise God!

Looks like we have a rent house to move into, we will get the contract today to make sure everything is good and that they will let us get in there the next couple days to move our stuff. We have plenty of help and that is a blessing because it may be an all-day Thursday move! But this place is perfect for us and we are excited about having everyone over!

My job search is frustrating. It seems like every road is blocked, but it has been a blessing from God because I have all day to pack and look for a house, etc. So God's timing is perfect, maybe after this week things will break loose. Please pray for that.

We love you all and look forward to sharing our son with you! _________ is truly a miracle and a blessing to us!

John and Emily

House Appraisal

We got a phone call concerning the appraisal of our house and it has cleared that final hurdle! Praise God that that is (as far as we can control) on the final leg! Now, next step is finding a house for rent down by the church/seminary. We are down to 2 or 3 options, with an application going in for one that only God brought our way. But we are in competition with another applicant and we think they have the edge. So pray that this works out for us in the best way! We love this house and think it is exactly what we need, but "it is the Lord's purpose that prevails" (Proverbs 19:21). NOTE: that verse is on a poster right above my computer! I am posting a couple pics of our current house for those of you who haven't been able to see it. We love it and hate to leave but it has to happen! God bless you all!

P.S. Job search seems very slow right now, please continue to lift that up to the Lord.