Josiah and Lauren Part 9: Where Are They Honeymooning?

[allthegoodnamesrgone]

20 minutes ago, VelociRapture said:

I just want to say it’s fine to prioritize travel, but it’s also ok if you can’t/don’t want to as well. I love to travel and my husband enjoys it as well, but it’s taken a backseat the last few years because we adopted a dog, had a baby, and are looking to hopefully buy a bigger place next year. Saving for travel AND a bigger place AND to have another child soon just isn’t feasible for us, so we likely won’t be traveling for a while as we get that other stuff done. So, other FJers, don’t feel bad or left out if you can’t/don’t want to travel either. 

Kelton Balka proposed to Josie Bates at one of the Utah parks last month. I think it may have been Zion, but I’m not sure. 

THIS! We wanted to travel when we were younger, but due to kids car sickness, lack of vacation time for Hubby and general lack of funds while I was a SAHM we just couldn't. Even driving 2.5 hours to the Omaha zoo took epic planning for nice weather, plus about $100 extra dollars for gas, souvenirs for the little ones, lunch & dinner, we bought a year long pass but it was around $90 for a family pass but it lasted the whole year) it was an extra tank of gas for the month plus dinner for sure out for 4 if we were particularly broke we'd pack a lunch and eat before we went into the zoo and them pack dinner for dh & I and get the kids McD's for a treat for them.

We've had a few vacations since DD turned 6, we've been to Chicago, Rapid City South Dakota, Washington DC, Portland OR (only trip we took where we flew).  We went to Minniapolis for a long weekend over Spring Break 1 year and stayed in this hotel that had a huge indoor water park that the kids loved and we went to the Mall of America, and we went to Turks & Caicos when my brother got married but my parents had to help us pay for the trip as we couldn't come up with the $6k to pay for it, we could manage about $3k they paid for the rest to get us there. But we still rarely have the time & money at the same time to take a nice long vacation, DH has only had 5 days a year of vacation for all but about 5 years of our 21 years of marriage. So long vacations just weren't an option and living in Iowa means you either fly (which is asininely expensive for a family of 4). We seemed to take a nice expensive vacation every other year for 12 years so not too bad for a broke ass family.

[nastyhobbitses]

29 minutes ago, Carm_88 said:

I find it fascinating that we get so used to our own surroundings. People are always talking about beach vacations, I get it in the winter but in the summer, I do a weird head tilt and kinda think "Hmmm I can go to the beach anytime. Why would I pay for that?" Also, tourists are fascinated by the ocean, I don't even notice it. Rugged cliffs and much water. I don't notice. I care, but I don't notice. 

Yeah, having grown up in a coastal area, the ocean/beach are pretty ho-hum for me. I love the beach, don't get me wrong (and I really, really hope I can get in some beach time this summer or over Christmas), but I remember being sort of bewildered the first time I saw tourists get all goo-goo-eyed over the ocean. It's the same thing with big cities. It's just such an everyday, familiar thing to me that I sometimes forget that it's an awe-inspiring experience for people who've never been to a big city. 

Though protip for people visiting huge world cities: PLEASE STAND TO THE SIDE WHEN TAKING PICTURES OF OR LOOKING AT BUILDINGS. AND DO NOT WALK LIKE FIVE PEOPLE ABREAST. SIDEWALKS ARE HIGHWAYS. Capslock off: I'm glad you're here. I'm glad you find this place so cool and awe-inspiring. Please get out of my way. And please do not be like the idiot on Fifth Avenue in Midtown around Christmastime last year whom I had to reprimand for stopping in the middle of a crosswalk to take a selfie. Please do not do that. 

[ihaveanexamintwodays]

6 hours ago, Alisamer said:

I feel the need to warn you that there seem to be exactly three options for how people react to Walt Disney World. 1) Ugh, hate that place. 2) Meh (these first two often include either bad experiences or more often - bad or no planning) and 3) OMG can we upgrade this ticket to an annual pass when can we come back do we know anyone who lives here we can stay with maybe we can move to Orlando!!!

see, I have done Disney a couple times - World once as a tiny, Land after 9th grade, and Land again at the end of my senior year of HS. All were quite meh as far as I can recall, though I know Disney has gotten lots of new attractions since then.

[Karma]

6 hours ago, karen77 said:

Too bad you aren't in our family. We are going to WDW next week, and we were in Disneyland in APril (my husband really loves Disney)

I love that it's the USSR on there!

We love Disney as well! Mr Karma took me to Disneyland for my 21st birthday 30 years ago.  We took our kids to HK Disney when they were 9 and 6, and to Anaheim when they were 12 and 9.  I took each of them to eurodisney when they were 10, my daughter and I went to Shanghai Disney last year, and we went to Disney world last December!  Only Tokyo to go and we’ve been to them all.  

Yes, the world has changed a lot since my atlas was printed.  We go to Croatia and adjacent countries in two months, but they’re not marked in my atlas!

[onekidanddone]

Tips for visitors riding the Washington metro:

On the escalator it is stand to the right and walk to the left. People on there to and from work often want to climb the steps and get impatient if somebody is blocking their way. 

When the you hear the door chime that means the doors are about to close. Like right now. They are not elevator doors. The will not open if you stick a foot or arm in the way.  No sir. All you will do is hurt your arm possibly cause the train to go out of service. Believe me you don’t want to have a train full of commuters pissed at you. 

[Karma]

3 hours ago, Gobbles said:

et I have never been to Neuschwanstein which is just around the corner by US standards and it feels like everyone in the US was there already.  

I’ve been there! (Back in 1996). I haven’t been to Uluru though, whereas I bet many of you FJers who’ve visited Australia have been.

[MargaretElliott]

This might not be entirely on topic, but I was on vacation an unplugged for a week, so I'm just remarking on it now. There are many people who have successful marriages who got married at their age, but the fundie system does not set these kids up for success. I was on vacation with my boyfriend, and while we were, erm, more than slightly tipsy, he turned to me and said, "Can I propose something crazy?" I was terrified, I thought he was going to propose marriage because of his phrasing. It was actually something else, but I'm 24, he's 27. It may not seem like much older than J&L, but we have so much more life experience than either Josiah or Lauren, and we've been together for longer (still only a year and a half), and I was still unready for the prospect of marriage. Everyone is different, I know, but I can only imagine feeling the way I did in that moment and feeling forced to say yes. Not having agency or choice, being railroaded into a decision whether you wanted it or not... having no opportunity to experience the world... I have learned so much about myself since I was 19. I'm an entirely different person, I've done so many amazing things, met so many incredible people, and completely changed many of the views I held as a teenager... If I married the guy I was with at 19, I'd be miserable. Maybe that's me projecting, but I don't think it's necessarily a bad idea to grow up a little and learn about yourself before committing your life to someone else.

[mollysmom]

I live about 30 (maybe 40) minutes from Niagara Falls and I've only been there twice (I've lived here for 40 years) It's beautiful and I love it but I heard the Canadian side is SO MUCH more beautiful!!! 

[PennySycamore]

@Karma, my daughter and her husband went to Disneyland a few years ago so that my son-in-law might get over his fear of flying.  He needed to get over that before they embarked on a long flight to Beijing.  They were going to pick up their daughter!  Their flight back to the US was out of Hong Kong.  They arrived in Hong Kong about an hour before HK Disney closed. 

 

[manda b]

For the person who is coming to Louisville for the Jane Austen festival..be prepared it is hot. It is 90 today with the heat index in the upper 90's

[JordynDarby5]

7 minutes ago, manda b said:

For the person who is coming to Louisville for the Jane Austen festival..be prepared it is hot. It is 90 today with the heat index in the upper 90's

There's a Jane Austen festival? How did I not know that. That is awesome!

[manda b]

Louisville has a Jane Austen society. For those who haven't traveled to Kentucky. You should think about it. We have a lot of historical sites. You can visit  Churchill Down, Abraham Lincoln's birthplace and Shaker town to name a few.

[Cheetah]

49 minutes ago, Karma said:

 

Yes, the world has changed a lot since my atlas was printed.  We go to Croatia and adjacent countries in two months, but they’re not marked in my atlas!

We did a big Europe trip 3 years ago and my kids got tired of hearing me say yet again that 'this country didn't exist or had different borders when I was your age.'  (Croatia, Montenegro, Bosnia, Slovenia, Czech Republic, and Germany). 

Croatia is gorgeous... have a great time!  I want to go back... are you going to Dubrovnik?  Plitvice Lakes?

[Sky with diamonds]

1 hour ago, Carm_88 said:

@PumaLover If you have that list and want to come to Canada, I would say Banff, AB. Jasper National Park! They're all super beautiful. 

I find it fascinating that we get so used to our own surroundings. People are always talking about beach vacations, I get it in the winter but in the summer, I do a weird head tilt and kinda think "Hmmm I can go to the beach anytime. Why would I pay for that?" Also, tourists are fascinated by the ocean, I don't even notice it. Rugged cliffs and much water. I don't notice. I care, but I don't notice. 

 

I never knew how fortunate I was to live in a place where the ocean and a beach were literally steps away from my house. Then again, I never thought I would be away for so long. Last time my mother was home for my Uncle's funeral, I begged her to bring back sand from the local beaches. I really hope to move back home this year with my parents. It will be strange. I hope it will be cooler than Alberta currently is. 

[Cheetah]

46 minutes ago, Karma said:

I’ve been there! (Back in 1996). I haven’t been to Uluru though, whereas I bet many of you FJers who’ve visited Australia have been.

We did!  

But I (US citizen/lived in the US my whole life) didn't see the Grand Canyon until this year ... I'm 49.  And I just went to Boston for the first time.

[JordynDarby5]

My family and I hate Utah because except for one time, every time we had car trouble it was in Utah. It didn't matter if we had the car checked before we went, if it was our car or a rental car. It always broke down or something blew in Utah. Never any other place. We could never figure out why it was always Utah. We tried speeding through the south trying to get to Arizona as fast as possible in hopes that maybe this time the car wouldn't break down or have a problem.  It didn't work.  Then mechanics would always try to sell us the wrong part it didn't matter what city they did it every time my dad insisted they sell us the right part which worked and fixed the car. On the drive back he'd always stop at that shop to show them they were wrong.  

[AtlanticTug]

I think travel fits into your life like anything else - at times it can be a bigger priority than at other times. The last 5 years of my life we spent over $100K out of pocket on fertility treatments; we still traveled but all within North America and Caribbean rather than abroad because while we were lucky to be able to pay for this and not get into debt, there wasn't a whole lot left over. Now we have 2 amazing little kids and that restricts us as well. We will take them everywhere when they are bigger - already planning Africa (Namibia specifically) and Australia, but I don't want to deal with toddlers on long flights though we will attempt Europe next summer (renting a house in Croatia for 3-4 weeks most likely). I traveled a LOT before I got married and when we were dating and so I got it out of my system a bit so to speak. Now it's on the back burner and that's ok too. I do get a bit sad when I see awesome photos of my friends traveling to cool places but they are at a different stage in life (very few have kids) so that's ok. 

We have a bucket list going and that'll be fun to check off someday!

[VBOY9977]

Thank you video —>

http://www.duggarfamily.com/2018/7/thank-you

[Snarkasarus Rex]

Damn, those two are almost as awkward as Jill and OfJill.

[Rachel333]

Oh god that was awkward. The canned phrases from Josiah, the staring and sighs from Lauren, the kiss at the end...

[obiwanfreak]

That video...awkward...

[AtlanticTug]

9 minutes ago, Rachel333 said:

Oh god that was awkward. The canned phrases from Josiah, the staring and sighs from Lauren, the kiss at the end...

I had secondary embarrassment watching that.

They are worse than Jill/OfJill because at least Jill/OfJill weren't that awkward in the beginning. Hell the people on these boards were mostly finding the #babydilly stuff cute....

[Pecansforeveryone]

2 hours ago, JordynDarby5 said:

My family and I hate Utah because except for one time, every time we had car trouble it was in Utah. It didn't matter if we had the car checked before we went, if it was our car or a rental car. It always broke down or something blew in Utah. Never any other place. We could never figure out why it was always Utah. We tried speeding through the south trying to get to Arizona as fast as possible in hopes that maybe this time the car wouldn't break down or have a problem.  It didn't work.  Then mechanics would always try to sell us the wrong part it didn't matter what city they did it every time my dad insisted they sell us the right part which worked and fixed the car. On the drive back he'd always stop at that shop to show them they were wrong.  

I am sorry to hear about your car troubles in Utah. Sheesh, those questionable mechanics. I'm reminded of the car trouble scene in Family Vacation. Yes, it happened outside Monument Valley, Utah. Yes, they ended up emptying their wallets for four bald tires. 

[SapphireSlytherin]

Oh. That video. 

Oh my.

[louisa05]

10 hours ago, Quiver Full of Kittens said:

Mr. Kittens and I had very different childhoods in regard to this. His family is very much wealthy. My family was middle class, lower middle class during hard times. I went on one true vacation when I was ten. Otherwise it was trips to my grandmas. It was fine by me because I adored her and I didn’t know any different. As an adult, I stated out of college making next to nothing, and moved on to a job that makes more, but not enough for a lot of “extras”

The vast majority of our family vacations when I was growing up were to visit my dad's parents, our aunts and uncles there and their kids. They all lived four states away. We sometimes took side trips or different routes in order to see other things once we were a little older. We had long weekends to places that were closer and saw much of our own state that way. I hated it as a kid. But as an adult I am extremely grateful that in spite of the distance I have longstanding relationships and many memories with my cousins there. A few of them were present as was possible and supportive when my dad was ill and when he died. Had we not spent that time there, that would not have been the case.