Maxhell- Summer with the Maxwells Pt 3

[Maggie Mae]

I have no issues with the yearly trip to Colorado. They seem to really like the mountains, they enjoy hiking and climbing, and they like Colorado. It's affordable, and they enjoy it. Plus it's Colorado so they can do some of the same stuff they like but there will always be a new trail to hike or a new peak to bag.  Then again, it's the Maxwells, so they can't hike anything too technical because skirts and children. God, I hate Steve for that sexist crap. 

In a previous job, I had a supervisor who took the same trip to Hawaii every year, stayed at the same time share, etc, for 30 years.  One year her time share was booked during her normal two week vacation and from her reaction, I thought the apocalypse had come and I was wrong about everything. I love beach vacations, but when I go to Hawaii, I rent a condo and pack stuff for hiking as well. I can't imagine going to the same place at the same time every year for 30 years to do literally nothing. Oh, and this same person hates swimming, sand, and being wet. I'm not entirely sure why she was so attached to that particular timeshare. 

[fundiefan]

I know plenty of people who go to the same place for vacation every year. Whatever floats your boat.

It's the Maxwells idea that it's godly; that every year for at least the last 4, it's been this dramatic "we weren't going, but look, god (dad) changed that and now we are! Praise god for giving us a not a vacation".

They are still trying to live their lives for an audience, even though the dog & pony show dried up a couple of years ago.

Standing on stage, getting all excited telling a story about "how god made the not a vacation happen when we didn't think it could", probably attracted a bunch of ooohs and ahhhs from their minion crowds. Now, though, their audience is the blog and nothing more and everyone has heard this story several times before and it never changes.

They're scary, isolated people and the world is gonna' eat them up and spit them out when Steve kicks the bucket.

[FloraKitty35]

55 minutes ago, fundiefan said:

I know plenty of people who go to the same place for vacation every year. Whatever floats your boat.

It's the Maxwells idea that it's godly; that every year for at least the last 4, it's been this dramatic "we weren't going, but look, god (dad) changed that and now we are! Praise god for giving us a not a vacation".

They are still trying to live their lives for an audience, even though the dog & pony show dried up a couple of years ago.

Standing on stage, getting all excited telling a story about "how god made the not a vacation happen when we didn't think it could", probably attracted a bunch of ooohs and ahhhs from their minion crowds. Now, though, their audience is the blog and nothing more and everyone has heard this story several times before and it never changes.

They're scary, isolated people and the world is gonna' eat them up and spit them out when Steve kicks the bucket.

Especially Sarah, Anna, & Mary.  Out of all of them Joseph, John, & Nathan might adapt the best.  

[fundiefan]

The first time any of those girls - and they are girls; they haven't been allowed to be women - need to make a decision, they will have no clue how to do it without daddy dearest talking to god and hearing straight from him what to do.

What will they do the first August after Stevie boy kicks it? How will they know if they can go to Colorado or not? Steve has them convinced it's god who says ya or nay - they're going to be looking for answers from their silent god.

They are so damn screwed. I wouldn't wish their lives, present, past or future, on anyone.

[SPHASH]

I admit I go on an annual trip to the Black Hills every year stay 3-4 nites. I go to Custer Park, Mt Rushmore, and Prairie Berry winery every time but I make it a point to stay at a different campground, eat at different restaurants and visit a different part of the Hills every time.

[princessmahina]

I could see going to the same region (say, out west) for every vacation, but man, I can't imagine going to the same exact place over and over again. I love going to Disney World, but I wouldn't want to go every year and never go anywhere else. 

[MamaJunebug]

Oh, I imagine they take plenty of trips and just never blog about them.  They finally married Joey off in another state and with absolutely blog clue that negotiations had been ongoing for however long it took -- and Jojo being the smuggest of the Reversal Babies, you *know they didn't force him to marry until he was sure the female floated his boat. Shucks, P'Sarah even flew to a southeastern state to visit. Was she chaperoned? I don't recall.  

[PennySycamore]

I'd love to spend my summers from May 1st until October 1st at Old Forge in the Adirondacks of New York State.  I'd have a cottage on the water at Eagle Bay or Inlet, have plenty of room so my daughters and grandkids could come up and would spend every day I could sailing on Fourth Lake.  I'd be able to take my dogs, too.  (Summers in upstate SC are too damn hot.)  Of course, if I could afford to do that, I'd have money to also travel to other places and I would!

[SPHASH]

Happy Birthday Teri.  You're another year closer to death.  Oh and one of her favorite thing to do is hiking.  Sarah clean up your grammar.

[mango_fandango]

TERI LIKES HIKING??? HOOOOLY SHIT I HAD NO IDEA!!!! 

Odd expression in that first photo (not the post header, but in the post). It's almost like she's finally come to her senses and is thinking "Jesus, did I really marry that douchebag and live that terrible a life??"

Don't forget it's also the wedding anniversary too. (Right?) 

[kpmom]

@mango_fandango, yes, it is their anniversary as well as Teri's birthday.

I will give Teri credit for her responses to the commenters wishing her a happy birthday.  Unlike Steve, there is some warmth in her responses.

[MissManners]

I have a hard time believing that ALL of them just want to go hike a 14er or whatever in Colorado every year, but I guess it's the better than the tedium of living in Maxhell. Steve must know how much they all crave any kind of change in their routine so the "not a vacation" is the closest thing to fun and change they get. He must make them beg for it. 

 

I don't get the whole "do the same thing every year" vacations either. We have friends with no kids who have gone to Disney every year for  over 10 years. They go to the same restaurants and do the same stuff, never even leaving Disney and seeing other parts fo Florida. They document their trip in a million FB photos and talk about how Disney is their second home. But, they take this very expensive trip every year even though they end up coming home broke and unable to pay other bills, but they are so habituated to taking the trip that they are willing to risk their financial stability for it. That's something I don't think I could understand. I like taking vacations but I want some variety and won't go if I can't afford it. 

[Alisamer]

On 8/16/2016 at 4:03 PM, fundiefan said:

I know plenty of people who go to the same place for vacation every year. Whatever floats your boat.

It's the Maxwells idea that it's godly; that every year for at least the last 4, it's been this dramatic "we weren't going, but look, god (dad) changed that and now we are! Praise god for giving us a not a vacation".

They are still trying to live their lives for an audience, even though the dog & pony show dried up a couple of years ago.

Standing on stage, getting all excited telling a story about "how god made the not a vacation happen when we didn't think it could", probably attracted a bunch of ooohs and ahhhs from their minion crowds. Now, though, their audience is the blog and nothing more and everyone has heard this story several times before and it never changes.

They're scary, isolated people and the world is gonna' eat them up and spit them out when Steve kicks the bucket.

I think you're on to something there. If they're used to speaking to different groups all the time, then they're used to recycling the same stories. It works with a different audience every time. On a blog? Not so much.

On 8/16/2016 at 7:50 PM, princessmahina said:

I could see going to the same region (say, out west) for every vacation, but man, I can't imagine going to the same exact place over and over again. I love going to Disney World, but I wouldn't want to go every year and never go anywhere else. 

I'd go to Walt Disney World every month if I could. (I went this Memorial Day weekend, 4th of July weekend on the spur of the moment, going next week, sometime in September probably, and the big week-long trip with family in December - this is an unusual year, though, I hadn't been since early 2014.) That said, I go other places too, whenever I can - even if it's just a day trip here or there. The thing about Disney is that there's pretty much always something new to do. It's impossible to do everything in a week-long vacation, and if you go every year something will have changed or been added somewhere along the line. Even every time I've been or am going this year, there's something new I want to do or see. (And it's not breaking the bank for me - I share a room, stay at the value resorts, got an annual pass since I knew I was going twice in the year and use the discounts that come with that, etc. - it's expensive but not terribly so depending on how you do it!)

I get the impression that they don't really want anything new to do or see, really. And what's with not calling it a "vacation"? I suppose since they don't really work they don't have anything to vacation from, I guess?

[princessmahina]

16 minutes ago, Alisamer said:

I'd go to Walt Disney World every month if I could. (I went this Memorial Day weekend, 4th of July weekend on the spur of the moment, going next week, sometime in September probably, and the big week-long trip with family in December - this is an unusual year, though, I hadn't been since early 2014.) That said, I go other places too, whenever I can - even if it's just a day trip here or there. The thing about Disney is that there's pretty much always something new to do. It's impossible to do everything in a week-long vacation, and if you go every year something will have changed or been added somewhere along the line. Even every time I've been or am going this year, there's something new I want to do or see. (And it's not breaking the bank for me - I share a room, stay at the value resorts, got an annual pass since I knew I was going twice in the year and use the discounts that come with that, etc. - it's expensive but not terribly so depending on how you do it!)

I get the impression that they don't really want anything new to do or see, really. And what's with not calling it a "vacation"? I suppose since they don't really work they don't have anything to vacation from, I guess?

Oh me too. If I lived nearby, I'd have a season pass. But I wouldn't want it to be the only vacation I ever took. Which is making me laugh a bit because I'm going this December (Florida), I went in May 2015 (California), and in July of 2014 (Florida, ew, so hot). So, my last two vacations have all been to Disney. But I'm pretty well traveled, and I know I'll go somewhere else next year.

The Maxwell vacations seem too terribly dull.

[Coconutwater]

2 hours ago, kpmom said:

@mango_fandango, yes, it is their anniversary as well as Teri's birthday.

I will give Teri credit for her responses to the commenters wishing her a happy birthday.  Unlike Steve, there is some warmth in her responses.

She is nice in her comments, but how do these people not see how she ruined her children's lives and potential? Yes, some are married and own a debt free home and have kids, but she and Stehovah have denied them of all experiences they had that were fun and educational. It's like a trainwreck I can't stop following...

[Maggie Mae]

A lot of it is personal preference. Personally, I'd rather go to Colorado and stay in the same place every year than ever go back to Disney World. Not that I actively dislike the resorts or anything, but theme parks are just not fun for me. I'd much rather spend my day hiking up a mountain than standing in line for a 2 minute ride and a gift shop begging me to spend money. If you take the parks away from Disney, it's still a nice resort but they are really expensive and activities (like boat rentals, water skiing, paddle boards, etc) costs a lot more than it does in other places. Also, alligators make the water activities less desirable to me. And it's really crowded, at least it was when I went as a kid. 

However, I have my own, much smaller, mountain ranges to explore. I know that I've barely touched the surface of all the trails and mountains to climb. I can't imagine that I would ever run out of trails and mountains in Colorado. Especially if I went for only two weeks a year. 

If only I were filthy filthy rich. I'd love to go back to all the things I've missed in the places I've already traveled to, plus see things I haven't before. Stupid job requiring me to work so I can afford things like food, rent, and travel. 

[VodouDoll]

Quote

What seemed like a good idea at the moment:

Smoking that first cigarette. Now he has emphysema and is on oxygen.

Driving too fast. Now he’s in a body cast.

Disregarding courtship restrictions, which were “too restraining.” Now they are guilty and ashamed.

Taking that first drink of alcohol years ago. Today he is an alcoholic.

Few people plan on severe consequences. If they had known, they would never have taken that “first step” toward evil. Surely, it couldn’t happen to them. Well, “bad” things do happen, and good things take extra care.  

The latest Seriously email. 

*One of these things is not like the other, one of these things just doesn't belong.*

Being an alcoholic in a body cast with emphysema is exactly as bad as a consensual hookup with your boyfriend. Way to give your kids a complex, Steve.

[SPHASH]

So Teri and Steve have been married for at least 40 years, raised and homeschooled eight children and don't have a fucking thing to show for it.

[kpmom]

15 hours ago, Coconutwater said:

She is nice in her comments, but how do these people not see how she ruined her children's lives and potential? Yes, some are married and own a debt free home and have kids, but she and Stehovah have denied them of all experiences they had that were fun and educational. It's like a trainwreck I can't stop following...

ITA with you but that's not how fundies see it.  I think their biggest fear is their children rebelling.

They see the Maxwells as producing good little followers.

[Coconutwater]

22 minutes ago, kpmom said:

ITA with you but that's not how fundies see it.  I think their biggest fear is their children rebelling.

They see the Maxwells as producing good little followers.

Because a 34 year old woman and grown men living at home with no social interactions or education is godly? These people are ridiculous. I wonder how John must feel sometimes knowing he is "the bad seed" as Teri has written. 

[MamaJunebug]

6 minutes ago, Coconutwater said:

Because a 34 year old woman and grown men living at home with no social interactions or education is godly? These people are ridiculous. I wonder how John must feel sometimes knowing he is "the bad seed" as Teri has written. 

Sheesh! She really used the term "bad seed"? I'd look but I can't take the gloom that pervades  Terifying's essays. 

I think kpmom has it right: Maxfollowers are basically scared of the world, and foremost of "losing" a child to the world. 

Even if that means simply getting higher education and embracing different POVs than the family's. 

The road is narrow with these. Bone-breaking narrow. 

[Coconutwater]

3 hours ago, MamaJunebug said:

Sheesh! She really used the term "bad seed"? I'd look but I can't take the gloom that pervades  Terifying's essays. 

I think kpmom has it right: Maxfollowers are basically scared of the world, and foremost of "losing" a child to the world. 

Even if that means simply getting higher education and embracing different POVs than the family's. 

The road is narrow with these. Bone-breaking narrow. 

It was more that he was the "problem child" when I have time I'll go back and look for the exact term, but when he was 19 he would introduce himself as "my name is John I'm 19 and I was a problem child" or something to that effect. So sad...I really hope with his irrigation conferences he is seeing more of the world and that it is not terrifying. 

[nausicaa]

21 hours ago, MissManners said:

I have a hard time believing that ALL of them just want to go hike a 14er or whatever in Colorado every year, but I guess it's the better than the tedium of living in Maxhell. Steve must know how much they all crave any kind of change in their routine so the "not a vacation" is the closest thing to fun and change they get. He must make them beg for it. 

That's my issue with it. Go on the same vacation every year of your life. Hike every 14er in the world. I don't care. 

But I really doubt every adult in that family 1) likes hiking that much, 2) wants to go to the same place every year, and 3) wants to hike the same 14er every year. How many non-Maxwell families do you know where all the adult kids like exactly the same thing? I'm sure one of them would enjoy the beach, another would like to explore a new country, maybe one would like to unwind on a booze cruise (I'm looking in your direction Hot John "Bad Seed" Maxwell  ).

[lauraloralara]

My parents own a condo in a fairly nice beach town, so we have gone on vacation there every year since probably about 1998. Part of it is just a nice tradition thing, and part of it is that it's cheaper to go there because of the condo than it is to go elsewhere. But with the Maxwells... of COURSE they only go one place every year and do the same damn thing every time. Their lives are required to be only the most predictable and most routine of all routines. Like... they could go to other mountains. They could go to the Grand Canyon. They could go to Yellowstone. But no.

[Coconutwater]

1 hour ago, nausicaa said:

That's my issue with it. Go on the same vacation every year of your life. Hike every 14er in the world. I don't care. 

But I really doubt every adult in that family 1) likes hiking that much, 2) wants to go to the same place every year, and 3) wants to hike the same 14er every year. How many non-Maxwell families do you know where all the adult kids like exactly the same thing? I'm sure one of them would enjoy the beach, another would like to explore a new country, maybe one would like to unwind on a booze cruise (I'm looking in your direction Hot John "Bad Seed" Maxwell  ).

On john's LinkedIn profile he mentions reasons to go to CA for the conference "who wouldn't want to go where the weather is warm" about his conferences.