Happy 17th Birthday Jedidiah and Jeremiah!

[habert]

Jedidiah and Jeremiah turn 17 today, which means just another 365 days until the JB & M have more kids 18 and up than not

[Cleopatra7]

I wonder what they and the other howler "men" are doing with their time these days. Most of the Duggar boys seem to be working full-time by fifteen or sixteen, but there must be more "men" around the TTC than jobs to occupy them. It will be an "interesting" time for JB and Michelle, as more howlers become adults, but no TV shows to provide artificial jobs.

[Elvis Presby]

I swear I was just wondering how close these 2 boys were to turning 18 this morning.  

In the winter, I tend to go to bed early because it is dark and then I wake up at 2 am.  This morning instead of counting sheep I was counting Duggarlings.  These 2 stood out in my mind in particular because I knew they are next to become (legal) adults.  That sounds sad when I read it back.  I need a hobby.

[socalrules]

What is sad is that they, along with James and Johannah, appear to be the kids that are bright and curious. They would go far if they were growing up in a house with a different mindset. The twins should be preparing for college. Instead they are preparing to fight Ben for work from Jim Bob. They won't be working in a family business. They will be doing whatever pick-up work Jim Bob gives them. Today they may wash the car, tomorrow run an errand for Jim Bob's hair spray. Do the kids even get GED's anymore or just graduate from Michelle's dining room? 

[Valerie3kids]

The last mention I got of GED's was that Michelle only took them if she had the time. I never understood this statement as in my book all she has is time. What on earth does the woman do all day long every single day? Yes, we know she has to be JB's beck and call but even he can't be doing it 24/7. In my world, that would be something important to do but it doesn't seem to be in her world. The seriously poor education of this family really makes me grind my teeth.

[halcionne]

From Jill's IG two hours ago:

And this one, also from two hours ago:

 

The brick wall, awning, and chairs look the same, I think? Are Jed and Jer in "Central America" with the Dillards for their birthday? That sounds like fun.

Or are the Dillards back in the states? What I can see from the business logo looks like English. What does the sign on the storefront say? (Something)dough and (something)hns? It doesn't look like Papa John's or Jimmy John's. 

Happy birthday, Jed and Jer. I hope you got more gifts besides a binder paper banner.

Okay, I forgot there's a picture between these two on Jill's insta that shows they were in "Central America" yesterday.

[MatthewDuggar]

Wow is Derrick scary.

[notfundy]

Poor Derrick. I hope there's not something seriously wrong. Really not snarking .... But it's so obvious his eyes are different sizes.

[Bad Wolf]

When we first saw Derrick, I thought he was a nice looking guy. What has happened?

[nastyhobbitses]

43 minutes ago, Bad Wolf said:

When we first saw Derrick, I thought he was a nice looking guy. What has happened?

Jill fancies herself a cosmetologist on top of a midwife. His haircut makes such a difference in his appearance.

[Cleopatra7]

4 hours ago, Valerie3kids said:

The last mention I got of GED's was that Michelle only took them if she had the time. I never understood this statement as in my book all she has is time. What on earth does the woman do all day long every single day? Yes, we know she has to be JB's beck and call but even he can't be doing it 24/7. In my world, that would be something important to do but it doesn't seem to be in her world. The seriously poor education of this family really makes me grind my teeth.

In most states, there is a certain age in which a teen can legally drop out of school and not be considered truant, usually around 15 or 16. I've always assumed that the Duggar kids just stop all pretenses of schooling around that age and are put to work doing whatever their Gothard assigned gender role tells them to do. The Duggars probably assume that GEDs aren't necessary, since none of the kids will have jobs where such things are necessary. I think Josh and Jill might have GEDs but I'm not sure. Assuming this is true, I doubt they were encouraged to get more than the bare minimum score to pass.

[DuggarsTheEndIsNear]

 

1 hour ago, notfundy said:

Poor Derrick. I hope there's not something seriously wrong. Really not snarking .... But it's so obvious his eyes are different sizes.

I don't think they're "different sizes" so much as the mouth surgery has thrown off his entire facial structure.

1 hour ago, Bad Wolf said:

When we first saw Derrick, I thought he was a nice looking guy. What has happened?

The mouth surgery. The way they did it was to break his jaw in multiple places and then place spacers everywhere to make his mouth "the right size." Now they're going to use the braces to pull everything back to where it should be. I'm fairly certain he will always look weird as a result, but hopefully he will look less weird. 

[halcionne]

Hiya, @notfundy! Looks like we're talking about Derick in both threads, after all. 

I'm really curious about others' thoughts on whether Jed and Jer are in "Central America" (it's begging for capslock, imo) with the Dillards. The binder paper banner is a tad less weird if they're away from the TTH. A tiny tad.

[CrazyCatLady]

I knew a girl in HS who had the same surgery. She has looked weird ever since. She also has the rounded mouth look that Derick does.

[Screamapillar]

I believe Jed and Jer may be in Guatemala, just based on my Google search of "Papa John's Guatemala" (There are 3 Papa John's in Guatemala) and resulting images that resemble the brick wall and picture window they're standing in front of. Of course, Papa John's could look similar in Arkansas, but being a Google detective is fun. 

[DuggarsTheEndIsNear]

24 minutes ago, CrazyCatLady said:

I knew a girl in HS who had the same surgery. She has looked weird ever since. She also has the rounded mouth look that Derick does.

Yea, the pictures I've seen of people who have had it have the same look. I honestly can't understand why he did it unless it was absolutely necessary. That's a lot of pain for a pretty bad look. Especially since his face was kind of lop sided to begin with. 

[halcionne]

17 minutes ago, Screamapillar said:

being a Google detective is fun

YASSSS

[ElegantMajesticPearls]

According to Pickles, the Duggars are on their usual mission trip to El Salvador including Jill and Derick. So the twins are in Central America. 

[Hermen-uetics]

 So if Jill and derick joined the duggars in El Salvador, they're taking a vacation ... from their vacation?

Every trip away from the TTH is a chance for the kids to be exposed to another way of life.   Some of the kids will break free eventually!!  Initially I thought the twins went to Guatemala to meet up with the Dillards, but it makes more sense that the Dillards went to meet up with everyone else  in El Salvador 

[Elvis Presby]

Derick was kind of shaggy and anemic looking to begin with, but now…Oy!  His face is shaped like a crescent moon. 

[AmazonGrace]

10 hours ago, notfundy said:

Poor Derrick. I hope there's not something seriously wrong. Really not snarking .... But it's so obvious his eyes are different sizes.

I've wondered if he's had a facial nerve paralysis, one of his eyes always seems to open less than the other

[EmCatlyn]

10 hours ago, notfundy said:

Poor Derrick. I hope there's not something seriously wrong. Really not snarking .... But it's so obvious his eyes are different sizes.

All of us have one eye larger than the other.  It is just more noticeable in some faces than others, either because the difference is greater than average or the shape of the face makes it more noticeable.  We prefer symmetry in faces, but no one has perfect symmetry.

[HereticHick]

The restaurant picture certainly looks like a Papa Johns logo, but with different words around the "Papa Johns" name than in the US.

There are multiple Papa Johns in Guatemala (all in suburbs of Ciudad de Guatemala) and in El Salvador (all in the burbs of San Salvador)

They might be at this one in an upscale suburb of  Ciudad de Guatemala: http://directorio.guatemala.com/listado/papa-johns-vista-hermosa.html

Its in a fancy part of town with lots of US chains--McDonalds, Quiznos, etc.--and a shopping mall

So glad Jed & Jer are getting out and experiencing the local cuisine. 

 

Here's the logo in question (from a picture of a Papa Johns in Ciudad de Guatemala): 

[SledCat]

Good lord, Jill and Derick. Your brothers have their 18th birthday with you in Guatemala... and you take them to Papa John's for dinner? What was for dessert? A thrilling trip to McDonalds for a McFlurry?

On a superficial note, Jill could improve her photos by relaxing that top lip just a bit so it doesn't disappear fully. Tyra Banks used to talk about that all the time on America's Next Top Model.

[nastyhobbitses]

2 minutes ago, SledCat said:

Good lord, Jill and Derick. Your brothers have their 18th birthday with you in Guatemala... and you take them to Papa John's for dinner? What was for dessert? A thrilling trip to McDonalds for a McFlurry?

On a superficial note, Jill could improve her photos by relaxing that top lip just a bit so it doesn't disappear fully. Tyra Banks used to talk about that all the time on America's Next Top Model.

I don't understand people who eat tons of American fast food when they travel to a foreign country, especially a foreign country with really good cuisine that's better-tasting and/or cheaper. If you're there long-term, it's a fun treat every once in a while, but it seems like Jill and Derick go to Little Caesar's/Papa John's/Subway a lot. And if I had people visiting me in a foreign country, you bet your ass they'd be getting hauled to the best roadside stalls, the best local restaurants that only locals know about, and trying out some home-cooked versions of the local cuisine. They can have Papa John's when they go back home.