Maxwell 13: And Another One Bites the Dust - John is Engaged

[sableduck]

I'm so dying.  The cousin in the wedding is Facebook friends with my sisters and husband. I finally explained about the Maxwells to my husband who laughed.  He said they have no idea what they've gotten themselves into with Chelsy, who he's met through her cousins.  To have chosen that particular cousin as a bridesmaid means they must be close, and that branch is so not Maxwell fundie.  They do all sorts of unSteve like things, and I hope Chelsy stays close to them.

That blog entry was....telling.  Steve is not in control and he has no idea what to do.

[SuchABlessing]

Wow the newest blog was BITTER. "We didn't want to post anything, but her family already went public so we had no choice" 

jeez. 

[anniebgood]

I guess Steve is just going to have to understand that John is doing what John wants to do re Chelsy. She's going to be a breath of fresh air around Maxhell. Wearing tee shirts and standing so close together, Steve must be having conniptions. I truly wonder if he will do anything to undermine the wedding? Would he be that spiteful? He may have been able to stage manage Joe's wedding but I think the Bontrager machine is much more organized and forceful than any he's met before. 

[Coconut Flan]

Go John!!  I'm delighted by any sign he wants to be his own person.

[sableduck]

10 hours ago, singsingsing said:

Oh ffs, why say it like that?! It just sounds like a snide dig at Chelsy's family. Why not just say, "We had planned not to post about them until they were married out of respect for their privacy; however, John and Chelsy let us know that they were more than happy for us to share their exciting news, and we are thrilled to congratulate them now!"

I hope Chelsy really, really, really loves John, because I can't imagine anything being worth marrying into this obnoxious, controlling, passive aggressive, tragic cult of a family!

Because it absolutely IS a snide dig at Chelsy's family.  

I think Steve may have finally met his match.

[LilMissMetaphor]

I don't think Chelsy's skirt is abnormally long, it looks like it just got wet in the rain and was dragging down a bit so she hiked it up.  I have a cotton maxi skirt and if I wear it through dewy grass it hangs down quite a few more inches and is ridiculous and really annoying and I trip on it.    

[JermajestyDuggar]

8 minutes ago, LilMissMetaphor said:

I don't think Chelsy's skirt is abnormally long, it looks like it just got wet in the rain and was dragging down a bit so she hiked it up.  I have a cotton maxi skirt and if I wear it through dewy grass it hangs down quite a few more inches and is ridiculous and really annoying and I trip on it.    

I'll come right out and say I detest maxi skirts. They really are just a pain in the ass. Sure they are comfortable but they just aren't terribly practical. Skirts that go to your knees made of the same material are comfortable and don't get in the way as much. 

[anjulibai]

2 hours ago, nausicaa said:

Here ya go. And yeah, screw Christopher for messing up the balance of the photo because he's so freaking insecure and needs everyone to know that is *his* woman.

I just noticed that Anna is the only one with the cardigan button up. I...guess that dress was considering defrauding? Yikes. 

Looking at the Bontrager blog, they regularly have posts all about their children. The posts are fairly long and descriptive, and you do get a good sense of their personalities and interests. 

This is such a contrast to the Maxwells, and it's just another thing that makes me worried for Chelsy. I really do hope she's aware of the reality of the family she's marrying into. 

[SPHASH]

6 minutes ago, anjulibai said:

I just noticed that Anna is the only one with the cardigan button up. I...guess that dress was considering defrauding? Yikes. 

Looking at the Bontrager blog, they regularly have posts all about their children. The posts are fairly long and descriptive, and you do get a good sense of their personalities and interests. 

This is such a contrast to the Maxwells, and it's just another thing that makes me worried for Chelsy. I really do hope she's aware of the reality of the family she's marrying into. 

But do the Bontragers blog posts reveal how each kid likes their coffee?

[mango_fandango]

Yup, hate maxi skirts too. I get all self conscious and worry about face planting. If I get married it'll be in a knee-length dress probably. Then I can also avoid heels which I also dislike. 

[sableduck]

Digging around on Facebook, I found a link to a Bontrager cousin blog. Chelsy has spent a lot of time with this cousin and they call themselves sisters.  I don't want to publicly link it because the cousin didn't ask to be tangled up with the Maxwells and her blog is clearly for close friends only.  In any case,  there's a photo of her and Chelsy at a bookstore, leafing through books and magazines.  The caption was something to the point of they were buying anything they could find on Prince William and Kate Middleton.

and some Nicholas Sparks for good measure.

Oh Steve. She's no Anna Marie.  If you take away her name and give her a frumper, Chelsy's going to smack you with her latest copy of People magazine.

[Howl]

1 hour ago, anniebgood said:

I guess Steve is just going to have to understand that John is doing what John wants to do re Chelsy. She's going to be a breath of fresh air around Maxhell. Wearing tee shirts and standing so close together, Steve must be having conniptions. I truly wonder if he will do anything to undermine the wedding? Would he be that spiteful? He may have been able to stage manage Joe's wedding but I think the Bontrager machine is much more organized and forceful than any he's met before. 

I suspect Maxhell is going into emergency prayer warrior/fasting mode and will be skeletal by the time the wedding rolls around in Dec. 

[WonderingInWA]

3 hours ago, anniebgood said:

I guess Steve is just going to have to understand that John is doing what John wants to do re Chelsy. She's going to be a breath of fresh air around Maxhell. Wearing tee shirts and standing so close together, Steve must be having conniptions. I truly wonder if he will do anything to undermine the wedding? Would he be that spiteful? He may have been able to stage manage Joe's wedding but I think the Bontrager machine is much more organized and forceful than any he's met before. 

Steve has the potential of sabotaging the wedding by way of the rehearsal dinner since it is traditional for the groom's parents to host.  Food poisoning, anyone?

[Ozlsn]

5 hours ago, nausicaa said:

Here ya go. And yeah, screw Christopher for messing up the balance of the photo because he's so freaking insecure and needs everyone to know that is *his* woman.

Wow. That really does not give me good vibes. It looks like he's literally pulling her away from her family. Creepy as hell.

7 hours ago, Rosie said:

What is it with fundie women and bare feet?

Practice? Although they should be in the kitchen... 

[FloraDoraDolly]

What worries me about this situation is I can see Steve clamping down even more on the remaining unmarried chidults. It's clear that he is NOT happy. I don't know if it's because he disapproves of Chelsy, if he disapproves of the Bontragers, if he's angry at John, or if his head is spinning over the loss of control. Maybe it's all of these. But there is no joy or sense of celebration in that announcement. And no, I don't think this is solely because of the previous problems with the other sons' broken engagements. I'm sure it's on Steve's mind, but I don't think it's the ONLY thing on Steve's mind. And if he's upset, the whole family is upset.

[lilith]

7 hours ago, scoutsadie said:

Do you think Allison went out of her way to demonstrate in that post that she was not required to chaperone Chelsy on this trip? 

I've never read her blog before, and maybe it's just her style, but it seemed to me that the awkward "I wasn't planning to go but then I realized I could" sentences were intended to explain that it was her (and Chelsy's) choice, and not a parental requirement as you'd see with Duggars or Bateses.

I'm really holding out hope that Chelsy will consciously try to matchmake for Anna and Mary. She has a vast acquaintance of fundie friends and family. Sadly, I think it's too late for Poor Sarah.

[Myfanwy]

I don't think Steve knows what to think and it's doin' his head in. Haha.     He wants his sons to marry, after buying a debt free house, that's his plan and he likes it when a plan comes together. His first two sons followed his wise counsel. Bought houses nice and close and got down to baby making. They are 'extended family' now but they know where to turn when there is a decision to be made. Good little cult-lings. However, Joseph seems to have embraced this ' extended family' thing just a bit too much. Little ingrate thinks he is the leader of his own household. I assume it was his idea that they appear less and less on the family blog and they do seem to be traveling when it is some sort of holiday time. Sorta like there are two sides to every family! So now to John. Their 'difficult' child.  Steve wants him to marry for sure, and I am not sure he would want the scandal that comes with a broken engagement but he sees the writing on the wall. His own 'extended family' rule is gunna bite him on the arse again. Which to my mind is 15 shades of awesome. It does not, however, bode well for his daughters.

 

[LurkerOverThePond]

7 hours ago, terranova said:

I find it odd that Chelsy would have her sisters-in-law in the wedding party. I understand the Maxwell women, they are John's sisters, but Melanie, AM and Elissa whom Chelsy has only know for a few months? Weird.

I find that odd, too. I'm sure Chelsy had no choice because John has Joseph, Pristopher, and Nathan as his groomsmen, and hell no are those adult, married fathers going to touch anyone else's hand as their wives

Someone said John looks a bit gaunt. I agree. He has lost some weight and looks so much like Stevehovah now.

I'm not a fan of heavy black eyeliner, but I SO hope Chelsy is going to stick to it. John, be a man and make your own decisions and let your wife wear the kind of clothes and make-up she likes, not what your small minded cult leader demands!

Oh, and Steve: what a way to create friendly relationship with your new in-laws: throw them under the bus. FUCK YOU.

[ophelia]

8 hours ago, nausicaa said:

Anna Marie looks beautiful in that picture! WOW! But the Pristopher Maxwell family really looks awkward in this picture.

Overall it is a very nice picture of a wedding party in my opinion. The wedding gown looks beautiful!

[nomoxian]

1 hour ago, Myfanwy said:

His own 'extended family' rule is gunna bite him on the arse again. Which to my mind is 15 shades of awesome. It does not, however, bode well for his daughters.

I could see him hunkering down the compound more for the kidults left behind, but I could also see John being a means of escape for the older "girls"

[Captain Obvious]

4 hours ago, FloraDoraDolly said:

What worries me about this situation is I can see Steve clamping down even more on the remaining unmarried chidults. It's clear that he is NOT happy. I don't know if it's because he disapproves of Chelsy, if he disapproves of the Bontragers, if he's angry at John, or if his head is spinning over the loss of control. Maybe it's all of these. But there is no joy or sense of celebration in that announcement. And no, I don't think this is solely because of the previous problems with the other sons' broken engagements. I'm sure it's on Steve's mind, but I don't think it's the ONLY thing on Steve's mind. And if he's upset, the whole family is upset.

It's hard to say. That stilted prose could just as easily have come from Sarah, passive-aggressively filtering into passive voiced boilerplate her own sadness at yet another younger sibling getting married before her.  

We know Steve doesn't object to the Bontragers because he deigned to present at their conference thing. And he allowed the kidults to socialise with them before John & Chelsy's relationship began. It's not like the engagement could have been a surprise either, since even the decision to court would have been practically an acceptance of a future marriage between the pair. For all the Bontragers references to John being a "boyfriend" I'm sure they were still courting, which meant Steve would had to have approved it.

He's had over a year to see what Chelsy was like. He could have stopped the relationship if he didn't approve. I know that theoretically John could have put his foot down but for all his apparent rebelling, I don't think even he would have those kind of balls.

I just think it comes down to Steve's wanting to control his family's image, that's all. And he knew that image needed a boost, and another marriage was it. Perhaps he would have preferred a family more like the Hamiltons than the Bontragers, but having already made the decision to isolate his family from most other potential suitors, and with networking opportunities drying up, they really have to take what they can get.

Deep down I think Steve probably knows that he's been somewhat forced into this situation, not just by the Bontragers but circumstances out of his control - circumstances that were a consequence of his own actions, though. 

[fundiefan]

That was the most pathetic engagement announcement ever. 

It was begrudgingly done and they made sure everyone knew it. 

I am very excited to see/read future passive aggressive posts about the wedding. It ain't Steve's show and the Bontragers have control of the narrative. 

It's a big assed wedding party. Pretentious. 

[Alicepooh]

Also, Chelsy's outfit from her blog post (and her ACTUAL engagement pics!) with a nice bold red dress has been replaced by a sad purple tee and grey skirt combo on the Maxwell's dreadful announcement.

It sure oozes happiness all over. 

My my, the Maxwells must have been horrified when the ebil Bontragers spilled the beans without consulting them, leading them to "re-evaluate". 

[Howl]

What's the age difference between Chelsy and John.  John is 30, is that correct?

[singsingsing]

6 minutes ago, Howl said:

What's the age difference between Chelsy and John.  John is 30, is that correct?

I believe they're both 26.