Bontragers and Bowers 2

[HereticHick]

I am kinda impressed that Bryn and Mitchell haven't announced an impending blessing yet. Looks like they will make it to their first anniversary without a baby.

[ophelia]

I'm surprised as well, but I really hope it is their choice and that they are not struggling with infertility or miscarriages. There is such a huge pressure on young fundie couples to reproduce as fast as possible. It will be interesting to see wether Chels and John or Bryn and Mitchell anounce first.

[JermajestyDuggar]

I would bet 1000 bucks they aren't preventing. And it's not technically infertility until a year. They may just be lucky and get to have a few months enjoying being newlyweds without morning sickness or other pregnancy related  annoyances. 

Josh posted a picture of their reunion from a couple weeks back. Too bad it's not aclose up pic. No bumps can be seen. Even from the Bowers sisters. 

[HereticHick]

I hope Chels is snuggling with the correct guy : )

[mango_fandango]

34 minutes ago, HereticHick said:

I hope Chels is snuggling with the correct guy : )

It’s weird lighting but I think that’s John! 

[JermajestyDuggar]

1 hour ago, HereticHick said:

I hope Chels is snuggling with the correct guy : )

It's ok if she snuggled her brother. This family seem to have few boundaries. 

[19dageld]

1 hour ago, HereticHick said:

I hope Chels is snuggling with the correct guy : )

It's john.

[usedbicycle]

The "family reunion" concert was filmed and it was cringey to say the least.

Carson and Lina fist pump for beating Cassidy and Josh's due date by a week. Josh tells them not to speak too soon, his baby might beat theirs at the finish line. Not to be outdone, Mitch and Bryn announce they're not expecting YET, but that they'll be having twins to beat everyone else. The sperm race is on and it's real.... Blech!

Chelsy is holding on to John for dear life - it's gotten to a point where it's extremely embarrassing and I had to look away for a minute. John has grown a little pot belly and admits that Chelsy feeds him very well, good for him! He sounds really smug though "I've travelled all over the world and have met soooo many girls...bla bla bla". Get over yourself, you've lived at your parents house your whole life.

3 of sons have pretty bad speech impediments, especially Taylor. Letting a 16 year-old with such bad elocution reach adulthood without any speech therapy is cruel and neglectful. 

There are many more problematic things in that video, but it made me dislike the Bontragers a lot more compared to their pretty harmless seeming internet persona.

 

[JermajestyDuggar]

Did Chelsy or John jump in about the whole Baby race? I would love to watch their expressions when the others talked about pregnancy. I'm guessing they know they are pregnant but not telling yet. That's unfortunate about the speech impediments. Maybe they can do a little speech therapy as adults. I know it's way more effective as a child but they could try now since their parents obviously failed them.

I kind of hope Mitch and Bryn get pregnant after the two give birth this July so she can have a pregnancy to herself and without constant comparison to the sisters.

[Pianokeeper]

This was my first time watching any of their videos.  I am one and a half songs in, and I'm not sure how much more I can take. Aren't they supposedly well known as musicians?!  Whaaaat?  A little formal singing training would do them wonders, especially the teen girl (Liz?).

[Palimpsest]

51 minutes ago, Pianokeeper said:

Aren't they supposedly well known as musicians?!  Whaaaat? 

Seriously.  I started to watch that video and had to turn it off.  I thought they were supposed to be better than that.  The singing is really off-key and the stage "banter" so forced and stiff.  I probably only lasted 10 minutes.  The Reith* family are infinitely better musicians if you need to get the Bontrager sound out of your eardrums.   

http://southernraisedbluegrass.com/videos/

Also wasn't that Allison chewing gum on stage at the beginning.  Ugh, young lady.  Not only is watching someone chew their cud unattractive, I was afraid she would choke on it when she started singing.   The bridesmaid dresses from Chelsey's wedding are coming in useful though.

*As in Sarah Reith who broke her engagement to Zach Bates.

[JermajestyDuggar]

I think the Bontragers know how to sell themselves better than some other fundie families. But I don't think they are super talented musically. I will give them a little slack since their family band made a rather large transition in not having Chelsy, Mitch, or Carson this year and adding Cassidy in the mix. I know some of the younger kids like Liz had to fill in for Chelsy and switch some things around. Then they add a bunch of family members back in. I doubt they rehearsed much all together. 

I would say some of the best music families we talk about on FJ are the Reiths, Willises, and Plaths.

[sleepy_doggos]

I admit they are far more objectionable on video than in photos. They may be photogenic, but do not sing on tune or with any special feeling. Plus their lyrics are crap.
They lost my favorite fundie status once I saw them perform.

[ophelia]

So Allison continues the brother worshipping; for her new blog post she interviewed her three married brothers and her brother-in-law John about the things they were looking for in a wife. It is really snark worthy and I especially found this little gem quite repulsive:

 

(Mitchell talking about his wife Bryn; bolding is mine)

Quote

“She wasn’t desperate, but it would have been a turn-off if she was. I didn’t want a girl who was desperate. She didn’t have a lot of options (guys), but she wasn’t concerned about it. She went to college, and all the guys were apparently blind. She came home from college without a guy, and there was no one on the horizon at home. She didn’t seem to care and just got busy serving.”

It sounds as if he did her a favor by marrying her. 

The rest of the post contains the usual nonsense that girls have to put up with in these circles: honor your father, serve others and -of course- love children.

fromallison.com

[JermajestyDuggar]

Will Allison do a part two to this titled: what Mrs. Right is looking for in a husband? Or is it all about the man again?

[Palimpsest]

3 hours ago, ophelia said:

So Allison continues the brother worshipping; for her new blog post she interviewed her three married brothers and her brother-in-law John about the things they were looking for in a wife.

Dear Rufus.  The ignorance burns.   So she interviewed the few (assholes) men she knows.

I really think Johnny Maxwell should pass some of his "wisdom" back to Steve.  Especially the bits about being attracted to women who can interact normally and live their lives fully before marriage.  His sisters are not an example of that.  At all.

[marmalade]

When was John Maxwell spending time with all these girls to evaluate? 

Also, check out the typo on #4. Yes, a guy may want a confidant, but that wasn't the topic. 

[AliceInFundyland]

For the second time today I am going to flat out admit that I want to get married (not a wedding, just married). I strive to be a happy, well-adjusted single, but I'd like to eventually find someone to spend my days with. And I agree with Alison that one cannot sit around waiting for it to happen.

BUT what irritated the fuck out of me was the conclusion that men want a woman with a good relationship with their father. Some fathers, hell, and mothers, are assholes and still produce excellent children. I hung up on my father nine years ago. (It was about money. He told me to ask an elderly relative for the money I needed. I did, out of utter desperation. Said relative blew up at my dad. My dad then blew up at me. His inability to admit he was wrong just broke the camel's back) We haven't spoken since. My paternal grandparents died and I pretty much missed it. My younger brother couldn't deal with the stress and wouldn't talk to me for three years. That, I regret. I had surgery, twice. I have indicated that I'd be open to talking if he would admit he handled that one incident badly. He can't or won't.

I don't want to be with anyone who would judge me for that. Sure, he made me who i am and is not fundamentally a bad person. But he's also an extremely judgemental tightass with an inability to see shades of gray. I do not miss our relationship.

That is all. Sometimes these idiots are just triggering.

[theologygeek]

Check out Allison's blog post on how to get a man. I called it! #2 on her list is just what I said right in this thread. Someone is reading here. Too much of a coincidence because I even mentioned her in that post. 

[ophelia]

7 hours ago, AliceInFundyland said:

For the second time today I am going to flat out admit that I want to get married (not a wedding, just married). I strive to be a happy, well-adjusted single, but I'd like to eventually find someone to spend my days with. And I agree with Alison that one cannot sit around waiting for it to happen.

I am at the exact same point in my life. Most days I do okay and then suddenly it hits me how much I'd love to be in a relationship again. I like being somebody's girl (though not in the fundie way) and I would LOVE to start a family. 

I'm sending you a big hug, @AliceInFundyland (great nickname BTW!)

[HereticHick]

DaFuk?  After living in Iowa less than two years, and renovating a farmhouse, the Bowers announce they are moving to Alabama:

http://bowersbus.blogspot.com/

Quote

 

Sunday, March 25, 2018

It Happens Every Spring. Or Maybe Just Every April.

In April of 2015, we moved from Idaho to Tennessee to finish a film. In April of 2016, we were at the start of a 10 month speaking and singing tour. In April of 2017, we finished our Iowa farmhouse and moved in just as both girls got engaged and dove in the deep end of double wedding preparations. Each of these chapters is one we look back on with sweet, sweet memories and grateful hearts as we recount God's innumerable blessings. 

The Lord recently opened the door for us to spend the next year in Alabama. Curtis has had a very difficult stretch of health and breathing issues in Iowa, and we are very grateful for God's provision of an excellent doctor and a nearby home to rent for this season.

Next week, April of 2018, we will be transitioning. My children say my Southern tendencies still have me sugar coating the facts, but transitioning sounds so much NICER than moving, especially when it really does seem to happen every Spring! We will be selling our little blue farmhouse when the grass gets greener here, and amidst the scurry, I am certainly consoled by many things. One is seeing the Southwest Airline App on my phone, so I know Crosby and I can fly home fast to hold those darling babies coming in July.

We have so loved our time here...and our church...and our new marvelous sons....and the wonderful fellowship that has encouraged us greatly! We know the Lord has precious, specific plans for each and every family, including ours. We rejoice in the many ways God has always directed our paths and look forward to finding out all the other reasons He is sending us to the South.

 

Clearly there is medical stuff going on that they aren't telling us. 

[JermajestyDuggar]

They seem to move a lot. Maybe they can find sister Wives for their two oldest sons to marry in Alabama. 

[ophelia]

12 minutes ago, JermajestyDuggar said:

They seem to move a lot. Maybe they can find sister Wives for their two oldest sons to marry in Alabama. 

They'll move cross country until all kids are married off. Way to go, Stevehovah! This is how you sell your brand. You don't even let your kids live further than a few mile radius from the mothership.

[HereticHick]

1 hour ago, JermajestyDuggar said:

They seem to move a lot. Maybe they can find sister Wives for their two oldest sons to marry in Alabama. 

I wanna know more about their finances.  How much does Daddy Bowers make with his Agenda films? They look more prosperous than many quiverfull families without traditional income streams.

 They acted like they moved to Iowa just to be near their BFFs the Bontragers.  I believe oldest boy was even working for the Bontragers part time on the farm.

  Are they going to make money flipping the farmhouse they renovated (with Bontrager help)?    There is something odd about these people that I can't put my finger on (other than all the fundy stuff)--why can't they settle down?  Why waste all this money moving, if Daddy doesn't have a traditional office job anyway? Did they have a falling out with the Bontragers?  Are they staying one step ahead of the law--or the tax collector?

Why are they only moving to Alabama for a year? Why are they moving to Alabama, of all places, for health care?

What fundy families can they fellowship with in Alabama? 

[Nikedagain?]

3 hours ago, HereticHick said:

Why are they moving to Alabama, of all places, for health care?

My exact thought! If I had breathing issues, I think I would MUCH prefer Iowa air to southern humidity. It's like breathing water from May until October...