Joy and Austin 16: Touring the Texas Rodeo

[BlessaYourHeart]

I have a 2nd cousin who I look almost identical to. It’s strange since we aren’t even first cousins. People often assume we’re sisters if they don’t know us. I look more like her than her own sister does! 

Even our mums have trouble telling us apart in pictures! They’ll often comment on a picture of her thinking it’s me or the other way about! Some pictures where we’re together look like a mirror image even though I’m 6 years younger than her! 

Genetics are weird! 

[TeaGrannie]

We coached soccer for a number of years and have had sets of twins a couple times. At one point we had only one of the twins join the team, his brother was playing another sport, but the next season we had both. So at the first practice a mutual friend of both the twins approaches me along with twin 2 and then his jaw dropped in amazement when I correctly identified twin 2 by the correct name. "How did you know that? I can't even always tell them apart." I told him it was easy, clearly twin B wasn't twin A. They had different mannerisms and a different way of approaching me as he didn't know me. Never mixed them up.

The other set of twins was absolutely identical and it took us a while to know who was who. It even astounded them when we could get it right. You would call one name and both would turn to look at you in sync.

[SassyPants]

1 minute ago, BlessaYourHeart said:

I have a 2nd cousin who I look almost identical to. It’s strange since we aren’t even first cousins. People often assume we’re sisters if they don’t know us. I look more like her than her own sister does! 

Even our mums have trouble telling us apart in pictures! They’ll often comment on a picture of her thinking it’s me or the other way about! Some pictures where we’re together look like a mirror image even though I’m 6 years younger than her! 

Genetics are weird! 

Yep. My brother's youngest boy, looks exactly like our cousin's oldest boy- carbon copies.

My son looks exactly like my hub's cousin's son.

So cousins' kids favoring one another.

[BlessaYourHeart]

Just now, SassyPants said:

Yep. My brother's youngest boy, looks exactly like our cousin's oldest boy- carbon copies.

My son looks exactly like my hub's cousin's son.

So cousins' kids favoring one another.

I’m actually her mums cousin, so technically the familial generation before her even though I’m younger which is why it’s always fascinated me how much we look like. I don’t look very much like her mum which is strange too 

[Fun Undies]

So chiming in with the "you two look so much alike - but aren't related" . . . example one: my three brothers were adopted.  First two are white like us, youngest is mixed.  My oldest brother is a redhead, and Mom and I are blondies, and we're all pale, so easy enough to "blend" in with us.  Middle brother is more tan, with black hair - but so is my husband, and with him being sixteen years younger than me, was mistaken for our child (before we had any) all.the.time.  With my youngest brother, people have actually said, "He doesn't look like any of your family" (before we shared he was adopted, because I guess they thought we took him home by accident, or somehow kidnapped him??!).  Which inadvertently always reminds me of that scene from "Easy A", with the white family, and the Dad slamming the cabinet, "Who told you were adopted?!", and the black kid is like, "Kinda figured it out on my own" 

Example Two, which has the super duper creep factor: me and my sister in law, are both blonde and pale, and have um  - ample bosom, and are the same age.  But I'm like 4 inches taller than her, and weigh a good 50 pounds more (muscle, baby!  Okay, and some fat lol - she's practically a wraith).  Otherwise, I really don't see the similarties (neither does she) . . . so when hubby (boyfriend at the time) came up to MN from SC for an extended family function, we were young love (read: PDA).  At one point, I'm sitting in his lap, and he kisses my arm every now and then . . . y'all they still.thought.I.was.his.sister.  EWWWW!!

Extended family also mistook me for her, at her own damn bridal shower.  We laughed at the gift I got and the congratulations, before I pointed to the real bride lol.

[iheartjnames]

Regarding the twin naming for boy/girl twins, and I think this may have been a 50's/60's era thing because the two sets I know are from that era are Dennis/Denise and Stephen/Stephanie. I found very weird that they both basically had the same name.

I also knew a family that the Dad was Michael and the children boy and girl (not twins just siblings) and they were Michael Jr and Michaela. 

[Jana814]

The singer Celine Dion has twin siblings Paul and Paulette. 

[calimojo]

So just replying to update about my husband.  He is doing amazingly well.  He had to have a valve replaced in his heart, which is a pretty big surgery.  But after a few days in ICU and then on a few more in the hospital we were home in time for Thanksgiving. 

He is doing so well, in fact that I am returning to work about a week earlier than I expected.  He had truly amazing care at the hospital.  His nurses were incredible.   I now people like to bash nurses, doctors and hospitals on this site quite often, but I just have to say I was completely blown away by the care he got.  And, I am a seasoned nurse with 30+ years experience and I have high expectations,  and I become a total 'mama bear' when a loved one is at risk. 

 

Anyway,  So far, so good.  He feels great, and his recovery is quick.  He has had a malformed heart valve since birth, but had no symptoms and we only found out about it about 15 years ago.  3 months ago, he got very ill and we found out the valve was at a critical point and could, no actually would fail, resulting in death if not replaced before that happened.  We had to get him stronger and through a few other hurdles before he could face surgery, but even in just 2 weeks, he is bouncing back.  He can walk a few times around the block without fatiguing, and he just looks better.  

The cost for his care will be astronomical.  We have decent insurance so that is good.  But as I sat in his hospital room, especially those first few days when he was full of tubes, wires, breathing tubes, etc, I just couldn't help but wonder why we don't believe that everyone in this country should be given equal access to medical care?  Why are we moving closer and closer to the point where only a privileged few will be able to afford surgeries like this?  Why are we letting a bunch of mostly wealthy white men determine healthcare for our whole country? 

[VelociRapture]

5 hours ago, calimojo said:

So just replying to update about my husband.  He is doing amazingly well.  He had to have a valve replaced in his heart, which is a pretty big surgery.  But after a few days in ICU and then on a few more in the hospital we were home in time for Thanksgiving. 

He is doing so well, in fact that I am returning to work about a week earlier than I expected.  He had truly amazing care at the hospital.  His nurses were incredible.   I now people like to bash nurses, doctors and hospitals on this site quite often, but I just have to say I was completely blown away by the care he got.  And, I am a seasoned nurse with 30+ years experience and I have high expectations,  and I become a total 'mama bear' when a loved one is at risk. 

 

Anyway,  So far, so good.  He feels great, and his recovery is quick.  He has had a malformed heart valve since birth, but had no symptoms and we only found out about it about 15 years ago.  3 months ago, he got very ill and we found out the valve was at a critical point and could, no actually would fail, resulting in death if not replaced before that happened.  We had to get him stronger and through a few other hurdles before he could face surgery, but even in just 2 weeks, he is bouncing back.  He can walk a few times around the block without fatiguing, and he just looks better.  

The cost for his care will be astronomical.  We have decent insurance so that is good.  But as I sat in his hospital room, especially those first few days when he was full of tubes, wires, breathing tubes, etc, I just couldn't help but wonder why we don't believe that everyone in this country should be given equal access to medical care?  Why are we moving closer and closer to the point where only a privileged few will be able to afford surgeries like this?  Why are we letting a bunch of mostly wealthy white men determine healthcare for our whole country? 

That’s wonderful news about your husband!  

I agree with you though about insurance and healthcare in this country. I wondered the same things while walking past micopreemies when I visited my daughter in NICU last year. And I wondered about it again when we got the explanation of benefits showing how much her week long stay would have cost us if we didn’t have good insurance or any insurance at all. It’s disgusting. Good medical care shouldn’t be something that people are priced out of. 

[Apricot]

6 hours ago, calimojo said:

*snip* I just couldn't help but wonder why we don't believe that everyone in this country should be given equal access to medical care?  Why are we moving closer and closer to the point where only a privileged few will be able to afford surgeries like this?  Why are we letting a bunch of mostly wealthy white men determine healthcare for our whole country? 

I am so glad I live in the UK!  The NHS has it's faults of course but I have no worries that any of my family would not be able to access decent healthcare whenever they need it.  The thought of the costs in the US terrifies me!

[allthegoodnamesrgone]

6 hours ago, calimojo said:

The cost for his care will be astronomical.  We have decent insurance so that is good.  But as I sat in his hospital room, especially those first few days when he was full of tubes, wires, breathing tubes, etc, I just couldn't help but wonder why we don't believe that everyone in this country should be given equal access to medical care?  Why are we moving closer and closer to the point where only a privileged few will be able to afford surgeries like this?  Why are we letting a bunch of mostly wealthy white men determine healthcare for our whole country? 

It is all kinds of disgusting if you really think about it.  a HUGE chunk of this country (America) thinks that gun ownership is a God given right, but health care is a privilege.  And these same people think we need to bring God back into our society because we are a Christian nation. That demonizes the sick and the poor and reveres and rewards the vile and greedy.

[OreoMidnight]

@calimojo glad your husband is doing well! Health care in US needs to change. So many people go bankrupt trying to pay medical bills. Several years ago my partner was in the hospital for 7 weeks. Even though we have “good” insurance, we owed almost $40,000. The experimental surgery that was life saving wasn’t covered by insurance. It took us years to pay it off. It is just ridiculous. 

[lilith]

On 26/11/2017 at 12:45 PM, Shadoewolf said:

From the Thanksgiving photos, looks like Joy and Austin spent their holiday with the Forsyths. They aren't in any of the pics.

They were obviously off secretly birthing the twins they conceived before their shotgun wedding.

edit to add - that’s probably why Michelle had that sign up forbidding anyone to venture upstairs. 2 mysteries solved with one tidy conspiracy theory! And maybe Jill got her nose pierced to deflect the worlds attention!

[nastyhobbitses]

21 hours ago, lilith said:

They were obviously off secretly birthing the twins they conceived before their shotgun wedding.

edit to add - that’s probably why Michelle had that sign up forbidding anyone to venture upstairs. 2 mysteries solved with one tidy conspiracy theory! And maybe Jill got her nose pierced to deflect the worlds attention!

I do think it's interesting that they're the only marrieds who didn't show up (in the big group pic I see Turd and Anna, Derick and Jill, Ben and Jessa, Jinger and Jeremy, and Joe and Kendra, so that's all the married couples except for Joy and Austin). Possibilities:

Austin's family was having a thing the same day and Joy figured she should do her first married Thanksgiving with her in-laws because she's done Thanksgiving with her family 20 times.

Joy and Austin are so traditional that they're basically ghosting Joy's family, like in the olden days for certain cultures where the bride would marry and then basically never see her family again.

Jill pierced her nose and started wearing pants and they couldn't bear to be around such debauchery.

Not to be outdone by Jill, Joy dyed her hair blue, started dressing like Miss Raquel, and became a Slayer fan, and that was a bridge too far for the Duggars.

Lolly the Fucking Clown appeared to Joy in a storm drain and dragged her into Maxhell, where we all dust ceiling fans.

[nvmbr02]

I think I read that it was Austin's mother's birthday on Thanksgiving Day. If that is the case then it makes sense they would celebrate with his family that day. 

I wouldn't rule out the Lolly theory though. 

[iheartjnames]

10 hours ago, nastyhobbitses said:

Lolly the Fucking Clown appeared to Joy in a storm drain and dragged her into Maxhell, where we all dust ceiling fans.

I have a friend named Lolly, is that really the name of the clown? 

[nvmbr02]

1 hour ago, iheartjnames said:

I have a friend named Lolly, is that really the name of the clown? 

Yes, Lolly is the name of the clown that Anna Maxwell uses to lure unsuspecting children into the Maxhell trap.

Link to blog post:

Meet Lolly the Clown

[GuineaPigCourtship]

Reading casual references in the other threads, it seems like Austin is the second least favorite Duggar spouse (a low bar to begin with).  Did I miss something major?  The only thing I remember people objecting to particularly with him was when Joy said he liked dresses so she was wearing more dresses.

Obviously the whole fundie thing and quiverful thing is a drag, but they're all in that boat or at least not shunning it so I'd think they're fairly equal on that front.

[DillyDally]

@GuineaPigCourtship For me, the verdict's still out on Austin (or maybe I'm just naiv), but the fact that they posted the first baby bump selfie along with a picture of Austin protesting at an anti-abortion rally* was probably a deciding factor for many.

Spoiler

 

*It's the third picture

[Iamtheway]

Wow. I didn’t see that when they announced. Why would you use your wanted baby as abortion propaganda? It’s not like abortion was something they considered but then didn’t choose because Jesus. 

If they are so against abortion they shouldn’t have biological children at all. They should adopt children that otherwise would have been aborted.*

*I know that’s not how it works and I hope they never ever adopt, but that is such a seriously stupid post. The logic really is nonexistent in these people. 

[TheMustardCardigan]

Yeah, I think the abortion post is a big reason why people aren't too sweet on Austin (and Joy). Plus I think Joy seems so steeped in the Kool Aid that it's natural to think she would gravitate toward similarly Kool Aid drunk partner. I think Austin also got in a little Instagram comment tiff with random people about whether animals are equal to humans(? might be mistaken about the exact issue in the argument) and he had some pretty funny/peculiar fundie speak in his retorts like "God is no ape!"

 

I was watching their wedding episode recently and I found their exchange about the veil to be kind of weird. Joy kept asking Austin whether she should wear her veil on their wedding day, and he seemed pretty indifferent and just wanted her to do what she liked, but she only seemed to care about what he liked. I can't quite predict where this couple is going to go... On one hand, they could focus on home renovations and flips and have a nice, secular thing to focus on... Or they could try to go the political route. At least it doesn't seem like he wants to be yet another preacher wannabe Duggar husband.

[AtlanticTug]

When they were younger kids still growing up I had hope for Joy. But now she seems super dull and the least interesting of the "adult" Duggar kids. Literally no personality whatsoever, the over the top sweet affected voice mirroring Jill's but even Jill seemed to have her own opinions and thoughts. Heaven forbid we have to watch a lot of Joy/Austin going forward.

[SassyPants]

2 minutes ago, AtlanticTug said:

When they were younger kids still growing up I had hope for Joy. But now she seems super dull and the least interesting of the "adult" Duggar kids. Literally no personality whatsoever, the over the top sweet affected voice mirroring Jill's but even Jill seemed to have her own opinions and thoughts. Heaven forbid we have to watch a lot of Joy/Austin going forward.

Joy is just a kid, and even less mature (is that even possible?) than the older group of girls because she wasn't relied on by the rents to the extent that the older 4 girls were.

[finnlassie]

I'm likely going to sound dumb, but what does the whole Kool Aid stuff mean? If it's already up somewhere, sorry, I've not really navigated this site more than just checking this Duggars subforum (for like... 3 years, lol) and I'm still learning how to steer around this forum. Like, it took me a while to realise that the random loud DING noises I was getting were notification sounds... and it was a journey to figure out how to get rid of it.

[allthegoodnamesrgone]

@finnlassie The Kool Aid, initially  is an American brand drink of powdered flavorings like, cherry, grape, strawberry, lemonade etc., that you add to water and you add sugar to it, mostly kids drink it.

When you hear people referring to drinking the Kool Aid it is initially referencing the Jonestown massacre in which thousands willingly ingested poisonous Kool aid because their "profit" Jim Jones told them too. He was the leader of a cult in the 70's, he was from the United States but fled to Central America where they all died. Do a Google search for Jim Jones and you can read the specifics of him. 

We use the reference now for people who blindly follow someone or some movement, as drowning in kool aid, as in they will literally kill themselves if told by certain people.