Maxwell 42: The Young and the Vestless

[Hane]

4 hours ago, browngrl said:

Every time Anna posts on the blog I think "she is a much better writer than Sarah". Reading a Sarah post after reading an Anna post is jarring. It is too bad Sarah can't take classes or join a writer's group because I think that the reading and feedback would improve her writing 100%. 

Sarah has gone to at least one writers’ workshop, but it doesn’t seem to have helped her much. I think her ability to write fluently and naturally has suffered by her having been kept away from reading good fiction—and, I fear, by simple lack of natural talent (and even interest).

Edited September 28, 2020 by Hane

[Eternalbluepearl]

I kind of liked Anna's off-beat look on her wedding day and think a professional photographer not named Maxwell would have captured the wedding wonderfully. It would be so neat if Jesse and Anna were the nerdy and liberal Maxwells with their matching glasses. A pearl can dream... 

[Black Aliss]

58 minutes ago, Katzchen24 said:

It could be retro? I don't know, it was just my gut reaction to the photo. I think it was more in the wide wide wide stances, the lead vocalist in the front, and the angle of the shot than in the suits.

I bet they'd sing rubbish songs if they really were a boy band! 

OH, they'd be retro, all right. Maybe they could rework the teenage death song subgenre of that era to include some lyrics about needing salvation. paging @thoughtful

 

[freejugar]

1 hour ago, SassyPants said:

She is light years in education away from being an actual writer. If how she writes on the blog is a true indication of her writing skills, I’d say she writes at a 4th grade level. Her writing generally displays awkward structure, poor syntax, subject /verb disagreement and a plethora of punctuation errors. IMO, writing is not one of her strengths. AnnaMarie’s writing shows none of those errors. AnnaMarie’s writing is far more complex and does not leave a reader trying to decipher what she has written or what she was trying to convey. Another Teri&Steve education failure.

Anna's writing is so much more warm and humane. You really feel for her after the death of her friend.

Sarah's is so sterile. For example, look at this post when Ellie got spayed: https://blog.titus2.com/2019/07/10/when-dreams-fall-apart/comment-page-1/

I'm sure she was devastated but there wasn't an once of human emotion in those words.

[Bluebirdbluebell]

I don't know. I felt for Sarah and her dog and I could tell she was hurting. 

Anna Marie may use richer language, but I'm not sure it conveyed greater saddness. If nothing else, I think this wording is strange.

Quote

I was grieved when I received a text recently from her husband letting me know she passed away; while I know it is glory for her, our hearts ache for her husband and three young children left behind. 

That's not the way I describe the death of a friend, especially one who died young and died leaving 3 young children.  I'm not seeing warmth from that, but opinions vary. 

(I also admit that there's no one way to mourn and people see death differently.)

Edited September 29, 2020 by Bluebirdbluebell

[Nothing if not critical]

9 hours ago, Eternalbluepearl said:

It would be so neat if Jesse and Anna were the nerdy and liberal Maxwells with their matching glasses. A pearl can dream... 

Yup. Realistically, though, they're probably just as bad as the rest. (Just thought I'd clarify that while I liked the slightly nerdy look, that doesn't mean I'm suddenly blind to all their problematic beliefs.)

[CyborgKin]

On 9/28/2020 at 10:45 AM, Black Aliss said:

But not Magic, The Gathering. I have no hope whatsoever of that.

Probably for the best that they don't go down the path of mortgaging their house to support a cardboard crack habit.

Though there is the 'dollar store constructed' format.  It's not exactly Powerful Magic but it's cheap.

[nelliebelle1197]

14 hours ago, NancyDrewFan1989 said:

Before Elissa married Joseph there were some photos of her wearing pants and enjoying activities like sports and movies on Facebook and other social media platforms. So, some people, like myself, believes that she misses some of the freedoms, so to say, she had before marrying into the Maxwell family. Yes, Elissa was raised fundie, but she wasn't raised Maxwell fundie.

Really? Where was this? Because I remember we had to dig and dig to find her 4H pictures.  And she was never seen in pants to my recollection. Her parents met the Maxwells at at a conference and homeschooled their kids. Are you sure you are not thinking of Chelsy?

 

I just flipped back through the old marriage threads and there is nothing there about Elissa watching movies and wearing pants. Where is this stuff posted? Her parents are Catholics who converted to extreme fundie-ism, homeschooled and who were friends with Steve and Teri before the marriage. We do have photos of her family at Maxwell conferences posted. The Frost family had very little internet presence in 2014 and a poster local to them actually found what very little there was. I was there in the thick of it and there is just nothing that supports what you are claiming.

Edited September 29, 2020 by nelliebelle1197

[HereticHick]

18 hours ago, Katzchen24 said:

I bet they'd sing rubbish songs if they really were a boy band! 

Like this? 

 

[Rosie]

21 hours ago, Black Aliss said:

It would have to be a boy band from the '50's-early 60's, though, when male musicians always wore suits. Or have we come full circle on that? I don't pay much attention to how boy bands dress.

I find the pants + vests look that these (and other) fundie men seem to prefer so odd.  I never see that look anywhere else, online or in real-life.

[Alisamer]

13 minutes ago, Rosie said:

I find the pants + vests look that these (and other) fundie men seem to prefer so odd.  I never see that look anywhere else, online or in real-life.

I saw a dude just this weekend in a vest and pants. Well, it was more of a waistcoat, and he had a pocket watch chain and was wearing a top hat, but still...

(It wasn't at anything specifically themed, either, just the every Saturday market in downtown Greenville SC. I think he was selling veggies or something maybe?)

I'd kind of love to have a sit-down with Sarah and really talk to her as a person. I just have so many questions! Like does she really enjoy writing, and what is her favorite fiction book. What's her favorite place she's traveled, and what things are on her bucket list? What does SHE really believe, and how much of what she does is just to please Steve? 

Honestly, if I was a member of that family I'd be planning where I would go when Steve died, more than worrying about where I'd go when I died. I know they're all pretty steeped in the kool-aid, but Steve seems so controlling I can't imagine some of them don't loosen up a bit when he's not around full time. Which probably partly contributes to some of the recent moves.

[sparkles]

21 hours ago, Black Aliss said:

It would have to be a boy band from the '50's-early 60's, though, when male musicians always wore suits. Or have we come full circle on that? I don't pay much attention to how boy bands dress.

Not in suits like that, that’s for sure. ? 

Spoiler

I don’t know if it’s because she’s a good writer and knows how to express herself well, but even though I know NR Anna is cut from the same cloth as the rest of the Maxwells, she never struck me as being particularly judgmental. She seems, I don’t know, kinder maybe?  She appears to really take comfort in her faith and it sustains her, unlike the Maxwells whose faith always seemed to originate from a point of fear and manifest itself in smugness and condescension. I never get the feeling that they’re trying to save other people for any reason other than trying to score brownie points for themselves. Anna isn’t my pet fundie by any means but I just don’t get the same vibes from her. I still find her beliefs toxic though.

 

 

Edited September 29, 2020 by sparkles

[IReallyAmHopewell]

23 hours ago, Bluebirdbluebell said:

I agree, although her oldest child is 8 years. I guess it can't be helped since their mother is sick, but these kids are so young to be taking on a lot. I hope the boys are doing stuff along with the girls. 

I recall reading that the Duggars home church of way-back when they were friends with the Holts & just doing the first tv special a girl 7 or older could be handed a baby and told to take care of it all day if necessary while the mother attended church. While this is hardly unusual in less-developed nations, here in the USA people usually have at least a 12 or 13 year old to babysit for a few hours. I guess Which ever is the 8 year old is right on target for substitute Mom duty except for nursing.

[IReallyAmHopewell]

On 9/28/2020 at 5:51 PM, Hane said:

Sarah has gone to at least one writers’ workshop, but it doesn’t seem to have helped her much. I think her ability to write fluently and naturally has suffered by her having been kept away from reading good fiction—and, I fear, by simple lack of natural talent (and even interest).

When I try to read Sarah's writing, I recall a very elderly nun I once knew who said she barely passed math in school.  She said she wondered if it had been done to her in spite but one of the "leadership" nuns, because she did not think God would do it but when she got her degree assignment it was to become a high school math teacher. God, she felt, was on her side though as she made it though DePaul University and taught high school math for nearly 50 years, including calculus.  Sarah though is not open to improving her writing. It is mostly due to lack of models. People who write well are usually avid and eclectic readers. Poor Sarah has likely not even read a different translation of the Bible. Those plus her Rod/Staff or ABeka textbooks and a very few "approved" books to pass as "literature" class makes for a stunted vocabulary to go with her stunted life.

[JemimaPuddle-Duck]

On 9/26/2020 at 9:46 AM, divadivine said:

I finally figured out who Jesse looks like... I’ll show myself out. 

 

 

 

I think he’s kind of adorable really. It probably helps that he looks just like my beloved grandpa as a young man. 

[Black Aliss]

5 hours ago, Rosie said:

I find the pants + vests look that these (and other) fundie men seem to prefer so odd.  I never see that look anywhere else, online or in real-life.

I thought the most interesting dress code for a fundie wedding was Dorothy Morton and Noah Sanders. The men, including the groom, all wore canvas Carharts with blue dress shirts. The groom wore what appeared to be the same hat he wears when working his farm.

That wedding also had one of the sweetest fundie moments: Dorothy's attendants carried parasols and when the time came for THE KISS they opened their parasols and held them up to provide some privacy to the bride and groom.

Also one of the creepiest wedding photos I've ever seen--all the men in attendance posing with their semi-automatic weapons like they were expecting Federal agents to raid the wedding or something.

[Hane]

Let us not forget that NR-Anna teaches her very young children, “We love little babies, but some women go to doctors to kill their little babies,” and takes her kids to anti-abortion demonstrations. I don’t care what your opinion of abortion is: that message is deplorable and not age-appropriate for a small child, and these rallies are no place for kids.

[Bethy]

14 hours ago, nelliebelle1197 said:

Really? Where was this? Because I remember we had to dig and dig to find her 4H pictures.  And she was never seen in pants to my recollection. Her parents met the Maxwells at at a conference and homeschooled their kids. Are you sure you are not thinking of Chelsy?

Or possibly Elizabeth Munck. I distinctly remember pictures on the now-defunct Munck's Quiver blog showing Elizabeth in jeans and a hoodie, smiling next to the car with her license. And then they got all frumperlicious and she almost married Joe. And then that didn't work out, and the family became less fundie (and then less open in their online sharing, although the fact that the mom had twins sometime after the wedding to Joe was to have taken place might have been a larger factor there. Busy, y'know.)

[Jana814]

1 hour ago, Hane said:

Let us not forget that NR-Anna teaches her very young children, “We love little babies, but some women go to doctors to kill their little babies,” and takes her kids to anti-abortion demonstrations. I don’t care what your opinion of abortion is: that message is deplorable and not age-appropriate for a small child, and these rallies are no place for kids.

I remember reading that & being very bothered that she said that. 

[PennySycamore]

@Alisamer,  you were at theTD marketplace last Saturday?  Cool! I’ve not been all year.

[Melissa1977]

On 9/28/2020 at 10:24 PM, NancyDrewFan1989 said:

Before Elissa married Joseph there were some photos of her wearing pants and enjoying activities like sports and movies on Facebook and other social media platforms. So, some people, like myself, believes that she misses some of the freedoms, so to say, she had before marrying into the Maxwell family. Yes, Elissa was raised fundie, but she wasn't raised Maxwell fundie.

Are you sure? I was following Maxwells then, and Elissa was the very-koolaid-bride Elizabeth Munck never was. 

Elissa has a tatooed cousin that looks like her twin, and probably more unfundie relatives, but she has always been on the strict side. And definitely, she hadn't any social network account.

[16strong]

2 hours ago, Bethy said:

Or possibly Elizabeth Munck. I distinctly remember pictures on the now-defunct Munck's Quiver blog showing Elizabeth in jeans and a hoodie, smiling next to the car with her license. And then they got all frumperlicious and she almost married Joe. And then that didn't work out, and the family became less fundie (and then less open in their online sharing, although the fact that the mom had twins sometime after the wedding to Joe was to have taken place might have been a larger factor there. Busy, y'know.)

They moved out to a country farmhouse and the only real internet they get, apparently, is at their dog grooming business. I think a combination of having the twins/planning multiple weddings/grandchildren/less internet access have all been factors. Would be interesting to know what they're all up to now, though.

[nelliebelle1197]

8 hours ago, Bethy said:

Or possibly Elizabeth Munck. I distinctly remember pictures on the now-defunct Munck's Quiver blog showing Elizabeth in jeans and a hoodie, smiling next to the car with her license. And then they got all frumperlicious and she almost married Joe. And then that didn't work out, and the family became less fundie (and then less open in their online sharing, although the fact that the mom had twins sometime after the wedding to Joe was to have taken place might have been a larger factor there. Busy, y'know.)

Yep, that sounds like the Muncks. Totally forgot about that!

[fundiefan]

It would seem Steve & Teri worked on a house maintenance project together, y'all. Don't you just wish you had a perfect godly marriage and could do work as a team / buddies like they do? 

[NancyDrewFan1989]

9 hours ago, Melissa1977 said:

Are you sure? I was following Maxwells then, and Elissa was the very-koolaid-bride Elizabeth Munck never was. 

Elissa has a tatooed cousin that looks like her twin, and probably more unfundie relatives, but she has always been on the strict side. And definitely, she hadn't any social network account.

I know Elissa didn't have a social media account. I am just saying that some people had spotted her in different photos on other social media accounts before marrying into the Maxwell family.

On 9/29/2020 at 6:46 AM, nelliebelle1197 said:

Really? Where was this? Because I remember we had to dig and dig to find her 4H pictures.  And she was never seen in pants to my recollection. Her parents met the Maxwells at at a conference and homeschooled their kids. Are you sure you are not thinking of Chelsy?

 

I just flipped back through the old marriage threads and there is nothing there about Elissa watching movies and wearing pants. Where is this stuff posted? Her parents are Catholics who converted to extreme fundie-ism, homeschooled and who were friends with Steve and Teri before the marriage. We do have photos of her family at Maxwell conferences posted. The Frost family had very little internet presence in 2014 and a poster local to them actually found what very little there was. I was there in the thick of it and there is just nothing that supports what you are claiming.

I really believe that there were photos of Elissa online engaging in non-Maxwellian activities before marrying Joseph, like playing sports, etc. I do vaguely remember there being one of her in pants.