Josiah and Lauren Part 9: Where Are They Honeymooning?

[nastyhobbitses]

14 hours ago, nausicaa said:

@nastyhobbitses I'm a woman who traveled through Syria, Egypt, Uzbekistan, Lebanon, and Turkey alone with no problems other than your average awkward situations that everyone experiences. You definitely don't need to speak Arabic for Egypt, though a few words may come in handy. My understanding is that Morocco and Tunisia are even more tourism-focused and most people will speak English, or at least French. 

My only "bad" stories are from Uzbekistan but that is more because of some cultural and political issues that arose from a lack of tourists and because I look Russian.

Just use common sense, realize everyone isn't your friend (especially the guy inviting you back to his house for "tea"), expect a few awkward questions, learn some about the culture and dress accordingly, and you should be fine. 

This is great to know. You hear so many horror stories and sometimes it's hard to remember that the bad stuff will be in the news because it's NEWS, and that at least some of the time, things are actually a lot more OK than you think. I feel a lot better now about going to Egypt; at first I was thinking of doing Sharm El Sheikh or Hurghada, but I do want to see some ancient ruins as well. Maybe I'll do a day or two in Cairo, and then go get my sun on in Sharm El Sheikh. 

[wandering woman]

I don't care for the bridesmaid dresses, although Lauren's wedding gown is gorgeous. I don't care one way or the other where they go on a honeymoon.

[Audrey2]

Wow, compared to most of you, I'm really boring. 

I've been in 48 of the 50 U.S. States, and need to change jobs so I can get to Alaska and Hawaii. I've also been in Canada, Mexico, Germany, and Poland.

My perfect trip involves my Sweetie, our two best friends (brothers and his childhood friends), 4 tents, two campsites in a national forest or state park (with flush toilets and showers), and a week of day hiking. We had a wonderful time at Diamond Lake, Oregon last year, but missed many of the Umpqua waterfalls because of forest fires. We did get to see some beautiful places along the Rogue River as well as some other nice things in the area. We decided to skip Crater Lake because we have been there before and it was pretty expensive to get in. My national forest pass for $30 a year covered everything else except the camping, gas, and food.

Very sadly, no camping is going to happen this summer as I'm going with my sweetie and a friend to a convention we enjoy.

Right now, if I could go someplace in the US I haven't been, it would be to Charleston, South Carolina and the nearby coast land. I would love to have low country shrimp boil! Dorothea Benton Frank and Mary Kay Monroe make the area sound fantastic!

I love the idea of international travel but my pocketbook is much less enthused!

[mollysmom]

I've never really traveled (yet) but I am obsessed with Alaska. Always have been!! I would love love love to go there sometime!

[onekidanddone]

18 minutes ago, mollysmom said:

I've never really traveled (yet) but I am obsessed with Alaska. Always have been!! I would love love love to go there sometime!

I’m Alaska obsessed as well and have been there twice. The first time was with my parents on a cruise and the second was a solo trip to Barrow. Crossing the Arctic Ocean had been on my bucket list since I was a little kid so the year before I adopted my daughter I got on a plane and headed north. 

I have a fantasy about retiring to Sitka

[Carm_88]

I just realized that my friend, who I was the maid of honour to, will share her anniversary with Josiah and Lauren. I had an amazing time at her wedding, big buffet style BBQ, tons of food, nerf gun wars; and a lot of catching up! That being said, it wouldn't be everyone's cup of tea but it worked for the couple. I hope that Lauren and Josiah can look back and say the same thing, but they're so young. Instead of the 32 and 29 of the wedding I attended, it's 19 and 21-22, that's crazy. 

[melon]

I have been to Germany,Switzerland,and Holland.

I'd love to go to all of the UK!

Plus,I have never been west of Alabama..lol.I would love to see and visit some of the other states.

Mr Melon loves to travel,we both do,but we are always glad to go back home.

I have not traveled alone,even with GPS....I get lost,I do find my way,but even 20 miles or 40 miles from my home...I manage to get lost.

[Gillyweed]

My mom and I are planning a trip next March for my 21st birthday. We are having trouble coming up with ideas. Currently unsure of length, but the longest it could be is 5-6 days, since it'll be during my spring break. All of your travel plans are making me want to go abroad, but that might be a hard sell. (Especially Iceland. It looks so beautiful!!)

Any ideas? (We're from the New York area)

[eveandadam]

1 hour ago, Carm_88 said:

I just realized that my friend, who I was the maid of honour to, will share her anniversary with Josiah and Lauren. I had an amazing time at her wedding, big buffet style BBQ, tons of food, nerf gun wars; and a lot of catching up! That being said, it wouldn't be everyone's cup of tea but it worked for the couple. I hope that Lauren and Josiah can look back and say the same thing, but they're so young. Instead of the 32 and 29 of the wedding I attended, it's 19 and 21-22, that's crazy. 

Me too! I was maid of honor at a friends wedding as well when Josiah and Lauren got married last week. Also bbq party!

[Daisy0322]

1 hour ago, Carm_88 said:

, but they're so young. Instead of the 32 and 29 of the wedding I attended, it's 19 and 21-22, that's crazy. 

Just put them of curiosity, does anyone know the average age in the US to get married or have thier first child?

[Caskett4ever]

I absolutely love traveling. I studied abroad this past fall in the UK and was able to visit a fair number of European countries while I was there (Ireland, the Netherlands, Germany, France, the Czech Republic). I did do a little traveling alone while i was there (I visited Germany and the Czech Republic by myself, as well as some day trips in the UK). I did like the experience. I decided that there were certain places I wanted to go and if i could not get someone to come with me, i would go by myself. And that's what I did. I then visited Iceland in May so I could reunite with a couple people I had met while I was studying abroad. Iceland is an amazing and beautiful country, but it is also very expensive there. 

In the short term, I'm traveling back to Cardiff to visit my boyfriend in August and then I'm thinking about doing a trip to Boston in October. In the long term, I have an extremely lofty travel list with goals to hit all 50 US States (I'm at 26 right now), all 7 continents (I'm at 2 right now), and 40 countries by my 40th birthday (I'm at 14 right now and I'm 21). But the next new country I'm hoping to visit is Greece next summer.

[nausicaa]

48 minutes ago, Daisy0322 said:

Just put them of curiosity, does anyone know the average age in the US to get married or have thier first child?

Nationally it's 27.4 for women and 29.5 for men. 

It varies by state, with Utah at the youngest with 23.8 for women and 25.9 for men. New England in general skews older, and New York is at the oldest with 29.1 for women and 30.6 for men. 

 

[onekidanddone]

1 hour ago, Gillyweed said:

My mom and I are planning a trip next March for my 21st birthday. We are having trouble coming up with ideas. Currently unsure of length, but the longest it could be is 5-6 days, since it'll be during my spring break. All of your travel plans are making me want to go abroad, but that might be a hard sell. (Especially Iceland. It looks so beautiful!!)

Any ideas? (We're from the New York area)

Seattle or  Portland Oregon. Both are very accessible cities in beautiful locations. Chicago because there are many great things to do. 

[bekkah]

1 minute ago, nausicaa said:

Nationally it's 27.4 for women and 29.5 for men. 

It varies by state, with Utah at the youngest with 23.8 for women and 25.9 for men. New England in general skews older, and New York is at the oldest with 29.1 for women and 30.6 for men. 

 

And I’m stuck in the Midwest where being 28 and single is a spinster. 

The young brides creep me out. And knowing she will be pregnant shortly is even creepier. I have a friend who is getting married who is 32, her plan is two years before babies. Time to grow into her relationship. 

[Alice in Fundieland]

1 hour ago, Daisy0322 said:

Just put them of curiosity, does anyone know the average age in the US to get married or have thier first child?

I read an article from The Atlantic written in 2013 that said 27 is the average age for marriage in the US (https://www.theatlantic.com/sexes/archive/2013/03/getting-married-later-is-great-for-college-educated-women/274040/), but this 2017 article breaks it down by states in the southern US which I thought might be more applicable: https://www.southernliving.com/weddings/average-marriage-age. According to that, in Arkansas it’s 25.5 for women and 27.5 for men.

As far as the average age for having a first child, in 2016 Time magazine reported that the average age for U.S. women was 26 (http://time.com/4181151/first-time-moms-average-age/) and this piece (https://www.cnn.com/2017/08/30/health/older-dads-us-study/index.html) says 30.9 is the average age for first-time fathers in the United States.

ETA: I see @nausicaa already answered. Sorry, I get excited when an opportunity for research presents itself!

[Rachel333]

I met a woman this week who said she and her husband were celebrating their 45th anniversary this week. A little later she said she just turned 60. I didn't think much of it at the time but a little later I realize that meant she got married at 15.

[Palimpsest]

14 minutes ago, Rachel333 said:

I met a woman this week who said she and her husband were celebrating their 45th anniversary this week. A little later she said she just turned 60. I didn't think much of it at the time but a little later I realize that meant she got married at 15.

It still happens.  More frequently than you know.  We discussed the scandal of child marriages in the US on another thread recently.

https://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2017/08/30/547072368/a-look-at-the-loopholes-that-allow-child-marriage-in-the-u-s

https://www.girlsnotbrides.org/child-marriage/united-states/

http://www.unchainedatlast.org/child-marriage-legal-in-every-state/

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/200000-children-married-us-15-years-child-marriage-child-brides-new-jersey-chris-christie-a7830266.html

[Rachel333]

Just now, Palimpsest said:

It still happens.  More frequently than you know.  We discussed the scandal of child marriages in the US on another thread recently.

https://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2017/08/30/547072368/a-look-at-the-loopholes-that-allow-child-marriage-in-the-u-s

https://www.girlsnotbrides.org/child-marriage/united-states/

http://www.unchainedatlast.org/child-marriage-legal-in-every-state/

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/200000-children-married-us-15-years-child-marriage-child-brides-new-jersey-chris-christie-a7830266.html

Yeah, I was actually just talking about that today with the people I work with. They were completely shocked that it still happens.

[Daisy0322]

1 hour ago, nausicaa said:

Nationally it's 27.4 for women and 29.5 for men. 

It varies by state, with Utah at the youngest with 23.8 for women and 25.9 for men. New England in general skews older, and New York is at the oldest with 29.1 for women and 30.6 for men. 

 

That is older than I expected on average...thanks!

48 minutes ago, Alice in Fundieland said:

I read an article from The Atlantic written in 2013 that said 27 is the average age for marriage in the US (https://www.theatlantic.com/sexes/archive/2013/03/getting-married-later-is-great-for-college-educated-women/274040/), but this 2017 article breaks it down by states in the southern US which I thought might be more applicable: https://www.southernliving.com/weddings/average-marriage-age. According to that, in Arkansas it’s 25.5 for women and 27.5 for men.

As far as the average age for having a first child, in 2016 Time magazine reported that the average age for U.S. women was 26 (http://time.com/4181151/first-time-moms-average-age/) and this piece (https://www.cnn.com/2017/08/30/health/older-dads-us-study/index.html) says 30.9 is the average age for first-time fathers in the United States.

ETA: I see @nausicaa already answered. Sorry, I get excited when an opportunity for research presents itself!

So the duggars (except joy) as a whole aren't that young in there state to get married, that's interesting! 

[Pecansforeveryone]

It's part of the reason why I have never had an issue with snarking on the Duggar brides ages. Loretta Lynn was a child bride. In her part of the Appalachians and during that time period, it was very, very, very common.  The Duggar brides enter into a life-long contract /committment without so much worldly experience as working a part-time fast food job. That is extremely troubling and always worthy of comment. 

[The Wanderer]

On 7/6/2018 at 12:26 AM, Audrey2 said:

As for a honeymoon, I visited Mt. Rainier when I was 19, and that has been my fantasy honeymoon destination ever since. I'd love to stay in the National Parks lodge there and spend the time with my Sweetie hiking (among other things).

Mount Rainier is such a magical place. I have been there twice, once in late Spring (so everything was covered in snow) and once during the summer (with all the wildflowers)! My dream would be to one day hike the entirety of the Wonderland Trail that loops around the mountain.

I recently came back from a road trip that involved traveling into Canada. I started in Minneapolis and drove through North Dakota into Manitoba and Saskatchewan and back down to the Black Hills and looping back to Minneapolis. It made for a lot of driving but it was absolutely beautiful. And the Saskatchewan capitol building in Regina is gorgeous.

[JillyO]

44 minutes ago, Daisy0322 said:

So the duggars (except joy) as a whole aren't that young in there state to get married, that's interesting! 

Actually, they are. Per the Southern Living article, median age at wedding in Arkansas is currently 25.5 for women and 27.5 for men. Duggar Data recently had a post about the Duggars' ages on their respective wedding days. The average Duggar bride is only 20.86 years old, and the average Duggar groom is only 23.2. So roughly 5 and 4 years younger than the median in Arkansas. That's A LOT, especially at that young age.

Interesting (to me) little side note: Brides marrying into the Duggar family tend to be even younger than Duggar-born brides, whereas grooms marrying into the Duggar family tend to be older than Duggar-born grooms.

[Daisy0322]

28 minutes ago, JillyO said:

Actually, they are. Per the Southern Living article, median age at wedding in Arkansas is currently 25.5 for women and 27.5 for men. Duggar Data recently had a post about the Duggars' ages on their respective wedding days. The average Duggar bride is only 20.86 years old, and the average Duggar groom is only 23.2. So roughly 5 and 4 years younger than the median in Arkansas. That's A LOT, especially at that young age.

Interesting (to me) little side note: Brides marrying into the Duggar family tend to be even younger than Duggar-born brides, whereas grooms marrying into the Duggar family tend to be older than Duggar-born grooms.

Yes but joy brought that number down quite a bit i thought. Jinger jessa and Jill were all at least 22 IIRC

[VBOY9977]

4 minutes ago, Daisy0322 said:

Yes but joy brought that number down quite a bit i thought. Jinger jessa and Jill were all at least 22 IIRC

Jill was 23, Jinger 22 and Jessa 21 (3 days before turning 22)

[PennySycamore]

@Gillyweed,  you've already had a few great suggestions for a 21st birthday trip with your mom, but that trip I took with my youngest daughter to Disney World was for our birthdays.  She was turning 27 and I had turned 63 a few days earlier.  When you go to Disney for your birthday, they give you a Happy Birthday button that you can sign and the cast members will all say Hi! to you. We also went to a Meet-and Greet with Mickey Mouse in the Magic Kingdom where Mickey sang Happy Birthday to us.  That was pretty cool to have the Mouse himself sing Happy Birthday to us, but I think they may have closed that character meet-and-greet.  (It's one you really needed a Magic Pass for.)  There were also special birthday treats for us at some of our dining and having Cinderella or Belle say Happy Birthday to you is pretty special, too.

If you've actually turned 21 by the time you go to Epcot, you can do Drinking around the World which is bacially a pub crawl of Epcot and is fun. but pace yourself.