Bontragers and Bowers Engaged

[Coconut Flan]

Can you imagine being in the Bontrager household right now?  I'd be wondering about going to the Maxwells or my daughter or sister going to a place where they won't/can't acknowledge her existence or upcoming wedding.

[JermajestyDuggar]

4 minutes ago, Coconut Flan said:

Can you imagine being in the Bontrager household right now?  I'd be wondering about going to the Maxwells or my daughter or sister going to a place where they won't/can't acknowledge her existence or upcoming wedding.

It's definitely not like the Bowers family. Who gushed over the Bontragers on their blog as much as the Bontragers gushed about then. 

[ophelia]

7 hours ago, JermajestyDuggar said:

It's definitely not like the Bowers family. Who gushed over the Bontragers on their blog as much as the Bontragers gushed about then. 

Which was kind of annoying but way less creepy than the nonexistent Maxwellian reaction. 

Damn, Steve - could you, for once in your life, not try to mess up the life of one of your children? 

[Flossie]

Is Steve trying to kill the wedding?  He was so embarrassed by the cancellation of that other son's wedding, you'd think that he'd do everything possible to make this one happen now that the public's been notified.

The Maxwell family can't have been taken by surprise by this announcement, they all live in each other's pockets.  So why are they ignoring the big news?  Is Steve trying to throw a wrench into the works to try to gain more control over the event?  This is all so weird, but the Maxwells as a whole are weird, so I guess I shouldn't be surprised.

[Bethella]

I've started wondering if John failed to ask for Steve's permission before proposing (or Steve said no) and this is Steve's reaction. 

[Captain Obvious]

6 minutes ago, Bethella said:

I've started wondering if John failed to ask for Steve's permission before proposing (or Steve said no) and this is Steve's reaction. 

Another possibility is that they didn't want to use the photos from the Bontrager blog, so had to wait until both John and Chelsy were around so Sarah or, worse, Pristopher could take some.

It's bad enough having to acknowledge non-Maxwells on the blog without having to display their photography skills as well!

[catlady]

2 hours ago, Captain Obvious said:

Another possibility is that they didn't want to use the photos from the Bontrager blog, so had to wait until both John and Chelsy were around so Sarah or, worse, Pristopher could take some.

It's bad enough having to acknowledge non-Maxwells on the blog without having to display their photography skills as well!

on the one hand this makes sense, especially if the Bontragers copyright their pictures.  but then *nobody* had a photo of them on a phone that could have been sent to Sarah?  that's a head-scratcher.  

Steve appears to have out-weirded himself on this one (day four!).  oh to be a fly on the wall in that house.  i can't help but think Stevie is currently one extreme or the other--either zen-like and waiting for something silly like a professional portrait of the entire extended family to be scheduled, or he's absolutely livid that the Bontragers are in charge of this one.

[MamaJunebug]

42 minutes ago, catlady said:

Steve appears to have out-weirded himself on this one (day four!).  oh to be a fly on the wall in that house.  i can't help but think Stevie is currently one extreme or the other--either zen-like and waiting for something silly like a professional portrait of the entire extended family to be scheduled, or he's absolutely livid that the Bontragers are in charge of this one.

Livid. I’m going with livid.

Yes, i would seriously give a lot of money to be able to observe the activity in the Maxwell Compound about now. 

Just based on my unhappy former life with a controlling engineer, I’m guessing that the grandchildren are staying close to their homes while Grandfather is allowed to collect himself. That Jesse and the ladies are tippy-toeing around while Steve broods and fumes and attempts to strong-arm John back into line.

Meanwhile - and this is wishful/hopeful  thinking mainly -  John devotes equal time to earning money, prepping the house for habitation, and planning his & Chelsy’s eventual move to BontragerLand or somewhere along the route between there &  L’worth.  Because of all of them, John has shown the most likelihood of standing up to his father and mother’s ridiculous & Unreasonable expectations of their children.

[JermajestyDuggar]

Could they be so rigid that they have to stick to the already scheduled blog posts and a new post about the engagement isn't actually in the schedule until next week? I can see Steve being that anal. 

[Anonymousguest]

I noticed that the bontrager blog referred to John as Chelsy's boyfriend, and the knot time line referred to their "relationship" rather than courtship. No mention at all of the word courtship. I don't know the Bontragers at all, but do they not specifically court? Or not make a big deal of it if they do? Most seem to make that an issue because it makes them super special. Even the people I know in real life like to make that distinction. Often even after they are married and have children. The word choice here seems significant. 

I wonder if the Maxwells are not mentioning it because John doesn't want it mentioned? Seems silly not to though since it is public. They've been engaged since August they've had plenty of time to come up with a post. Their silence is so curious. The mention of Chelsy's interest in renovation makes me think she's spent time there in the house. 

[Bazinga]

On 10/13/2017 at 7:51 AM, Captain Obvious said:

Another possibility is that they didn't want to use the photos from the Bontrager blog, so had to wait until both John and Chelsy were around so Sarah or, worse, Pristopher could take some.

It's bad enough having to acknowledge non-Maxwells on the blog without having to display their photography skills as well!

They probably need a picture of them not touching.

[Captain Obvious]

21 hours ago, Bazinga said:

They probably need a picture of them not touching.

Well in the unlikely event that the Maxwells announce the engagement before the wedding, I'm predicting not only a no-touch photo, but one where Chelsy is make-up free and wearing a maxi skirt.

I just can't figure out whether, for Chelsy's sake, I actually want this to happen or not.

[maple802]

On 10/10/2017 at 10:35 AM, HereticHick said:

I am sad that John bought a house--I'd love for him to bolt the Maxwell compound and take his irrigration business to join the growing Bontrager agrarian empire in Iowa.  Maybe he should just flip the house!

I was thinking (and am hoping) the same. It makes me queasy  to think about Chelsy being assimilated into the Maxwell Borg.

[LurkerOverThePond]

I just fell down the Bontrager rabbit hole and spent way too much time browsing through their blog. I get exhausted just by reading about their lives: constant visiting friends and family, hospitality taken to the next level, various farm chores that need to be done, canning and preserving and baking and cooking for large crowds (have to admit their food looks absolutely delicious - Chelsy could teach a thing or two to the master chef Reversal Anna), Bible Bee prepping, hotel managing (they MUST have some hired personnel, please tell me they don't do it all by themselves!), and of course their extensive touring that seems to take months. How an Earth do these people get so much done?!? (child labour, I know) I'm always quite tired after my 8 hour work day, and I don't even have kids! Do the Bontragers ever sleep? Who takes care of their farm while they are out on their tours? I know a son or two stay behind these days, but surely they can't do it all by themselves...?

[JermajestyDuggar]

5 minutes ago, LurkerOverThePond said:

I just fell down the Bontrager rabbit hole and spent way too much time browsing through their blog. I get exhausted just by reading about their lives: constant visiting friends and family, hospitality taken to the next level, various farm chores that need to be done, canning and preserving and baking and cooking for large crowds (have to admit their food looks absolutely delicious - Chelsy could teach a thing or two to the master chef Reversal Anna), Bible Bee prepping, and of course their extensive touring that seems to take months. How an Earth do these people get so much done?!? (child labour, I know) I'm always quite tired after my 8 hour work day, and I don't even have kids! Do the Bontragers ever sleep? Who takes care of their farm while they are out on their tours? I know a son or two stay behind these days, but surely they can't do it all by themselves...?

I've always assumed it was their Mennonite backgrounds. If you've ever known Amish or Mennonite people, you soon find they tend to be hard workers as part of their culture. They keep busy all day long. I think it's just normal for them. I guess they have that in common with the Maxwells. They always seemtohsve something to do and aren't often idle. However the Maxwells seem to fill up there time with mundane and boring tasks. While the Bontragers seem to enjoy their work and activities. 

[Palimpsest]

1 hour ago, LurkerOverThePond said:

they MUST have some hired personnel, please tell me they don't do it all by themselves!)

If you read closely they definitely have hired help, both for the farm and the motel.  They are a very active and hardworking family though.

[ophelia]

1 hour ago, JermajestyDuggar said:

I've always assumed it was their Mennonite backgrounds. If you've ever known Amish or Mennonite people, you soon find they tend to be hard workers as part of their culture. They keep busy all day long. I think it's just normal for them. I guess they have that in common with the Maxwells. They always seemtohsve something to do and aren't often idle. However the Maxwells seem to fill up there time with mundane and boring tasks. While the Bontragers seem to enjoy their work and activities. 

I would also assume that this has something to do with their background. And although I kind of like it when fundies have a good work ethic (looking at all the grifters!!) it also always give me a sense of "if you work 24/7, you won't have the time or energy to question the belief system".

[HereticHick]

Does anyone also read the Bowers blog? http://bowersbus.blogspot.com/  Did you see the Life in a Shoe-style triple bunks in a trailer that one of the teen sons just built?

I can't begin to understand why this did this, since they have a full size bus and just married off 2 of their daughters, so they have more travel space than ever. And I can't figure out how light, heat and ventilation works in the trailer.

[JermajestyDuggar]

5 hours ago, HereticHick said:

Does anyone also read the Bowers blog? http://bowersbus.blogspot.com/  Did you see the Life in a Shoe-style triple bunks in a trailer that one of the teen sons just built?

I can't begin to understand why this did this, since they have a full size bus and just married off 2 of their daughters, so they have more travel space than ever. And I can't figure out how light, heat and ventilation works in the trailer.

I'm guessing the boys might finally want some privacy from their parents. They have 6 boys in a row so I'm guessing they want the parents also want a little privacy. Their only girl left (the youngest) probably sleeps in the living room part of the RV. And they can now bring a married couple with them if they want. 

[mango_fandango]

Even if it is busy busy busy, the Bontrager life seems much more fun than the Maxwell one.

[Four is Enough]

The cargo thing with the bunks can be wired for a fan system. If these guys are that handy, they could toss in a couple of windows as well... depending on what it was for before, it might be insulated ... and six males in that thing sleeping will keep it warm! It's not very big!

[ophelia]

Imagine the smell in it when you open the door in the morning. I remember my little brother having his friends over for sleepovers back in then day. And when they, finally, woke up the next morning it would smell like a cage in the zoo.

[SPHASH]

Its on the blog now.

[Tangy Bee]

Just checked the Maxwell blog. One thing I noticed is they are not "touching". No big deal with the touching when they first got engaged. They actually looked like a normal couple. Now they look like Maxwells. Sigh....

[acheronbeach]

Good job whoever predicted the "waiting for long-skirt picture with no touching". 

Count me amongst those who are shocked that a Maxwell managed to attract one of the Bontrager women.  Those young women are well-put-together, they come across as talented, hard working, and practical. 

The Maxwells are really awkward and come across as inflexible and impractical.  It seems like an odd pairing, unless John really is the "rebel" of the family and is able to work hard and hold down a conversation.