Meredith and family visit "Disney"

[Grace]

plus, in all of the pictures, she has her head cocked off to the side. ALL of them!

She might have some back issues that could cause a head tilt. My spine is cock-eyed at the bottom so the middle curves too far the other way to compensate and then my head, in turn tries to lean the other direction to compensate for THAT curve. Your body wants your head to be centered with the rest of you. I can't bring myself to spend several hundred dollars a month to go to the chiropractor 3 or 4 times a week for a a few months in order to get it sorted out. I can get the same affect from Yoga and Pilates over time IF I would get off my butt and DO yoga and pilates. *sigh*

OR she just thought it was a way to look cute in pictures and got in the habit of leaning her head over every times someone busts out a camera...

[buddingmedievalist]

My thought re: her looking a little sad was that she misses Stephen. If you read the post from Monday 8 August, it sounds like they're moving back to the States, but she came before he did. And if they're moving back for good, perhaps she's anxious about all their stuff getting back to VA (or wherever).

[erunerune]

I agree with buddingmedievalist thaT she probably has a lot on her mind with the move, pregnancy, etc., regardless of how delighted she might have been to see family and hang out in CA. Plus, she had to travel really, really far in a relatively short time (I always feel bloated and greasy when I am on a long trip, pregnant or no). I think she looked great, all things considered.

****Subliminal message to Meredith pleasepleasepleasepleasestartblggingagainwemissyourblogsooooomuch End message****

[moreorlessnu]

She did looked thrilled in the picture where she was talking to Stephen on the phone. So, maybe she looked sad because she missed him. Plus, if her life is better now (freedom, less farm/housework, etc.), returning back to the fold might be depressing.

[hoipolloi]

Didn't someone on the old board who was a FB friend of Meredith say that the baby was due in October?

Re: expressions. I bet she does miss Stephen. Also, as the saying goes, you can't go home again, so I'd guess that it's just a tad weird spending all that time with her family again.

Re: her appearance. She looked OK to me, considering it was a hot & tiring vacation and she's in or nearly in the 3rd trimester of pregnancy. I remember practically panting at that point in my pregnancy because I was so hot all the time. I spent as much time as possible in air-conditioned places where I would immediately fall asleep because I was finally comfortable!

[Clementine]

Meredith just irks me these days.

It seems like she has the world's most charmed life. I know that slaughtering chickens was pretty awful, but just in general it seems that everything she wants just falls into her lap. Wanted a husband without dating - she got a Rhodes scholar. She got her dream wedding dress for $30. She wanted babies - she got pregnant on her honeymoon. She isn't fat and miserable pregnant, she's going on vacations, she gets to live in England... it just seems like she has a pretty charmed life with far less hardships than most people encounter, especially fundies.

Maybe everything isn't perfect beneath the surface, but from here things sure look pretty sweet. She's so perfect that I find her off-putting.

See, that's what happens if you work hard, save yourself and pray for your future husband from the age of five. ;)

[demgirl]

I wouldn't be too jealous, Vex. Picture her in five years, with four children and Steven overseas or on active duty for huge amounts of time. OTOH, this wouldn't be so different from normal fundie households, where fathers seem predominantly to be active participants in child rearing only when the chilren require punishment and maybe if he's deployed it will space out the baby making. We can only hope.

[Stacie]

As a California girl it really irritates me when people say "Disney" when they really mean "Disneyland" but whatever...

New pictures of Meredith with child ("Meredith and Maggie!") and the trip to "disney" with the rest of her clan. Is it just me or does Sheridan look like she has adjusted just fine to Meredith being gone? "Sweet Sheridan" looks like she is managing those boys just fine... :lol:

http://www.alexanderadventuresfamilyblo ... gspot.com/

Whoo hoo! As a self-professed Disneyaholic, I'm so glad to see one of the fundie families actually taking a vacation there even if they can't get the name right. They stayed at Paradise Pier, which is the FARTHEST hotel from the entrance to Disneyland. Hopefully someone filled them in on the shortcut through The Grand Californian.....otherwise poor Sheridan must've been wiped out.

As fundie families go...glad this one dresses normally, dances, and actually does seem to enjoy each other.

The sandcastle photo? They have MM cartoons playing there 24/7. My brother is always a nut job and put on an impromptu floor show behind the sandcastle one night....started out just for his kids and mine but he ended up with quite a few kids watching...apparently their parents thought he was offering free baby sitting or something.

BBQ's for guests? That's a new one. Then again, we don't bring much with us to Disneyland except for beer, wine, maybe a little vodka, and snack foods for when we go back for a short break at the hotel. Don't think I want to be cooking when I'm at the Happiest Place on Earth.

[Stacie]

Enh... maybe I was reading something into the pics. It's funny how we can all look at the same pics and think differently about them. She didn't look bad, I'm not trying to say that at all. She just looked tired and less "smiley" to me. I'd probably feel the same way if I was hauling a 7 to 8 month pregnant belly and swollen feet around Disneyland.

Oh, I went to DL when I was 7 months pregnant. We went with our friends and their 3 y/o daughter. It actually worked out well, because I took Megan on all the kiddy & slow rides, shopped, etc while the other 3 adults hit the big ones. We had a blast! (Okay, I've never not had a fabulous time down there)

The only thing was....stupid Walmart lost all of my film from that trip and my baby shower the following weekend. This was 1997, pre-digital. How the F do you lose 6 rolls of film????

[browngrl]

Meredith just irks me these days.

It seems like she has the world's most charmed life. I know that slaughtering chickens was pretty awful, but just in general it seems that everything she wants just falls into her lap. Wanted a husband without dating - she got a Rhodes scholar. She got her dream wedding dress for $30. She wanted babies - she got pregnant on her honeymoon. She isn't fat and miserable pregnant, she's going on vacations, she gets to live in England... it just seems like she has a pretty charmed life with far less hardships than most people encounter, especially fundies.

Maybe everything isn't perfect beneath the surface, but from here things sure look pretty sweet. She's so perfect that I find her off-putting.

I wouldn't be too upset about her. Maybe she does have a charmed life but maybe she is just "keeping sweet". In any case, even if she is currently happy and lucky she has to live a life of submission. She actually doesn't have that many choices other than to "be sweet" and accept whatever happens. I'd rather take my chances with my own choices.

[SunnyAndrsn]

Really? I don't get that vibe from her at all. The woman spent all last summer making cheesecakes and canning jam for her wedding. She's done a lot of physical labor, particularly for a fundie girl. Yeah, she married her 'Prince' and thus far we haven't heard that he's actually a frog. She got pregnant right away too...but think about this:

-Married, moved an ocean away from family and is living with someone she's never shared space with before

-In a foreign country, knows no one but her new husband

-Gets pregnant in an atmosphere of career minded women (can we say fish out of water?)

-Is likely quite poor d/t spouse's school and all the moving, and she's not working as far as we know

-has to move back across the ocean ahead of her husband, while pregnant.

No stress at all in that first year of marriage, is there?

That's a lot of life changes going on in the past year.

Meredith just irks me these days.

It seems like she has the world's most charmed life. I know that slaughtering chickens was pretty awful, but just in general it seems that everything she wants just falls into her lap. Wanted a husband without dating - she got a Rhodes scholar. She got her dream wedding dress for $30. She wanted babies - she got pregnant on her honeymoon. She isn't fat and miserable pregnant, she's going on vacations, she gets to live in England... it just seems like she has a pretty charmed life with far less hardships than most people encounter, especially fundies.

Maybe everything isn't perfect beneath the surface, but from here things sure look pretty sweet. She's so perfect that I find her off-putting.

[treemom]

Wow, I was shocked to see her wearing pants and jeans. And that low-cut dress- certainly not fundie approved? But I think she looks great! I'm just glad to see she's apparently happy... sigh, I miss her blog.

They have never had the modesty obsession. She has worn lots of lower cut stuff and spaghetti straps.

[Austin]

*waves to treemom*

I know you've been busy with the new job - how's it going? I've missed you. . . :D

[treemom]

*waves to treemom*

I know you've been busy with the new job - how's it going? I've missed you. . . :D

Pretty good. I like it but there was a lot of management changes right when I started so I have sort of a feast or famine thing going on. Lots of people in an offsite meeting today so I am trying to catch up on my iPad.

I miss it here and all the crazy snark and stories from the crazy people. But hopefully I will get in a groove soon!

[makepeace]

Fb profile update: her location is now Fort Benning, Georgia. Army wife!

[ems]

WTF? Did they think the Californians would charge them, demanding they have abortions and kiss the same gendered people? This is why I think the Alexanders are dumbasses and I always have.

Meredith looks -- okay. Some women seem to internally glow when pregnant. She is not one of them but she looks happy enough. Question -- did she always wear jeans?

:roll: Kind of reminds me of the Duggars gearing up to visit "the most liberal city in the country" (San Francisco). I wonder how the family deals with having a daughter over in liberal ole' England (Oxford! of all places).

I always thought of Meredith's family as being more worldy than other fundie/QF families...posting pictures of going to amusement parks (King's Dominion is a big mid-Atlantic one) and ball games and such. I guess they get off the farm less than I thought though...

[anniebgood]

I wonder if she'll get into a support group for Army Wives at Fort Benning? He's an officer now isn't he so she will be introduced to a new type of women, who can pack up a house with a weeks notice and move 1/2 way around the world. I hope she won't be so isolated and Georgia is closer to Virginia than Oxford. She's going to have Tri-Care I guess for her insurance and if he's deployed soon, she's going to be alone when they baby gets here. I wonder if she'll move back to Amelia to live with her folks?

:geek:

[ems]

I don't think Meredith looks happy.

Maybe being pregnant is hard on her. It is for lots of women. But for whatever reason, her eyes look sad and her expression is forced.

To me Meredith always looks like that in pictures. She's very pretty, but I think she's just one of those people (like myself) who's uncomfortable behind the camera.

[ems]

Meredith just irks me these days.

It seems like she has the world's most charmed life. I know that slaughtering chickens was pretty awful, but just in general it seems that everything she wants just falls into her lap. Wanted a husband without dating - she got a Rhodes scholar. She got her dream wedding dress for $30. She wanted babies - she got pregnant on her honeymoon. She isn't fat and miserable pregnant, she's going on vacations, she gets to live in England... it just seems like she has a pretty charmed life with far less hardships than most people encounter, especially fundies.

Maybe everything isn't perfect beneath the surface, but from here things sure look pretty sweet. She's so perfect that I find her off-putting.

I always felt that way about her as well. She has grown on me, and it could be that I discovered her blog right in the midst of her gushing about how wonderful Stephen was, and her "courtship story" was the second thing I read on it...I described her before as "prosperity Gospel-esque" though, because on her blog she used to always tend to brag and then chalk it up to the greatness of God. Maybe I am/was jealous, but yes, her life certainly sounds charmed, and the way she gushed didn't help.

[Eclipse]

I hope she is enjoying living away from home. Maybe she doesn't like being treated like a young girl when she goes home and sharing a room with her sister.

Perhaps she feels like crap being pregnant. I wouldn't want to go to Disneyland or WDW while pregnant. You can't do anything. Can you even do Its a Small World? And being on your feet all day? She probably isn't having any fun.

[ems]

I always felt that way about her as well. She has grown on me, and it could be that I discovered her blog right in the midst of her gushing about how wonderful Stephen was, and her "courtship story" was the second thing I read on it...I described her before as "prosperity Gospel-esque" though, because on her blog she used to always tend to brag and then chalk it up to the greatness of God. Maybe I am/was jealous, but yes, her life certainly sounds charmed, and the way she gushed didn't help.

Yet another post on this thread. Just wanted to clarify that I'm not actually jealous of Meredith, given the amount of change she has gone through in SUCH a short amount of time - something I'd never want and that I know must be stressful and difficult for her. I did have to concur though that my first impression of Meredith was, like Vex, "wow, she just seems so...perfect." Again, the Stephen gushing didn't help matters, and I can RARELY stand any sort of "follow Jesus and you will get everything you want" message.

Her blog might have also been one where there was a very very fine line between "keeping sweet" and making your life seem perfect and never mentioning the negative.

[galaxygirl]

I hope she is enjoying living away from home. Maybe she doesn't like being treated like a young girl when she goes home and sharing a room with her sister.

Perhaps she feels like crap being pregnant. I wouldn't want to go to Disneyland or WDW while pregnant. You can't do anything. Can you even do Its a Small World? And being on your feet all day? She probably isn't having any fun.

I'm 6 months pregnant and would not be happy if I were at a Disney park and not being able to go on any of the rides. The being on my feet part would probably bother me less, because I already do that for 8 hours at work.