Josh and Jenny Howlett: To the finish!!!

Fall is nearly here in Texas! How do we know that? Well, the fact that the temperature has dropped below 100 degrees is some indication. We are so ready for it too! Jenny and I love being outside, and these Texas summers are somewhat restricting. All that said, we love the sunshine!

This past summer was excellent as it allowed us two long vacations to both North Carolina and Ohio. Our trip to NC was filled with climbing mountains, rafting rivers, and a great trip to the beach with Josh's family. His parents were so generous to keep Jayla as we escaped to the Mountains for a time of adventure. Jenny and I get most refreshed by being out in nature playing as hard as possible! In the middle of our trip, we found out that we were going to be parents again! It was awesome to celebrate this expected joy while with family! Praise God!
Our time in Ohio was filled with equal enjoyment thanks to Jenny's family's hospitality and generosity. Jenny spent her days with her mom and sisters while Josh reconnected with friends over outdoor activities. After two great trips we are torn between locations. Should we move to Ohio? Should we move to NC? Or should we split the difference (VA?)? God knows! We are beginning to pray about such things.
In between these two trips was a summer filled with classes for Josh. One of the academic highlights of the summer was a class called personal vision and ministry assessment. This was a 1 week class that focused on discerning one's strengths (Strengths finder: Woo, Input, Empathy, Communication, Developer), weaknesses (Not telling), talents (the list is too long JK), personality type (Meyer's Briggs:ENFP, DISC: Inflencer), etc. It was heavy on knowledge concerning God's will (How do you know what He wants from you? Can you really know that?! Interesting stuff!). The only way that Josh was able to take this 1 week intensive course was because Uncle Terry and Aunt Nina came and spent the week in Dallas in order to watch Jayla. Wow! Talk about some people showing you love. They have overwhelmed us with their generosity while we have been here in TX.
With summer gone and the fall semester here, we are back at it. Well, Josh is at least. Jenny has been on moderate bedrest with her pregnancy for two weeks now. Errr! She has been diagnosed as having placenta previa. For those of you who don't know already, this is where the placenta is too low and hovering over the cervix area. The doctors do not seem very worried about the condition as they encounter it often. However, Jenny is required to take it easy until the placenta rises into proper position (This occurs when the uterus grows and expands with time). She is currently on leave of absence from work. Despite having to move slowly, we are really enjoying the extra time together as a family. We are the type of folks who often benefit from such things slowing us down. That said, we are still ready for this to pass over. Your prayers are appreciated!

Well, its labor day and a beautiful one at that. We are prepping for a cookout with friends. We wish that you all were here with us to celebrate this great American Holiday! We hope that wherever you are you are filled with good things, especially God's presence!

Josh, Jenny, Jayla

"I came so that you might have full life!" -Jesus Christ-

On the top of a mountain Josh and I hiked in NC