Maxwell 48: The Maxwellhood of the Traveling Vest

[jakesykora]

Man, I forgot how unfortunate Maxwell wedding photography can be since it's been awhile since we last the others in this series of wedding photos. 

Among all the other things noted, you'd have thought Mr. Wedding Photog Christopher might have realized he was going to cast a massive shadow across Anna's dress in that last large group photo, but...apparently not.

[ClareDeLune]

1 hour ago, LilMissMetaphor said:

Those pics are awful; they look hot, sweaty and squinty.

Yeah and I think they are a good looking couple who seem very relaxed with each other overall. Those photos don't do them justice sadly.

[Lgirlrocks]

Two thoughts on the anniversary post. 
1. Jesse and Anna don’t look comfortable in the photos. Maybe they aren’t comfortable being in the spotlight. It could also be that they don’t know each other that well. Or Intimacy may be weird because they haven’t done it before.

2. I’m surprised chelsy wasn’t in the wedding. 

[freejugar]

I hope one day Sarah wakes up and realizes she never posted the lettuce pizza cutter tip

[petrushka]

44 minutes ago, Lgirlrocks said:

Two thoughts on the anniversary post. 
1. Jesse and Anna don’t look comfortable in the photos. Maybe they aren’t comfortable being in the spotlight. It could also be that they don’t know each other that well. Or Intimacy may be weird because they haven’t done it before.

2. I’m surprised chelsy wasn’t in the wedding. 

Chelsy was in her third trimester with Elliot.  I know, no excuse but I wouldn't want to be in a wedding party within weeks of delivering a baby.

Jesse and Anna did seem a bit awkward but I think they are well suited to each other.  Jesse seems more relaxed and happier now that he gets sweet fellowship regularly.

[Black Aliss]

27 minutes ago, petrushka said:

Jesse and Anna did seem a bit awkward but I think they are well suited to each other.  Jesse seems more relaxed and happier now that he gets sweet fellowship regularly.

I don't think they are any more awkward in those photos than they are normally around everyone else. I see a pair of nerds who are perfectly suited to each other and possibly feeling a bit awkward at being the center of attention. I really hope they are living in an apartment in KC because one or both of them is pursuing a college degree. We will never know, of course.

[Maggie Mae]

1 hour ago, jakesykora said:

Man, I forgot how unfortunate Maxwell wedding photography can be since it's been awhile since we last the others in this series of wedding photos. 

Among all the other things noted, you'd have thought Mr. Wedding Photog Christopher might have realized he was going to cast a massive shadow across Anna's dress in that last large group photo, but...apparently not.

And he didn't put the camera aside, no, he held it like it was more important than his children who are leaning on him. 

Who is the hussy with the knee length skirt? I'm surprised the Maxwells let her in their precious family photo.  We can see her ankles, toes, and a glimmer of knee! Her entire shin is *GASP* VISIBLE. 

The "one year later" photo is super awkward with Anna doing that thing that some women do to hide their height and midsection. 

[Bluebirdbluebell]

1 minute ago, Maggie Mae said:

And he didn't put the camera aside, no, he held it like it was more important than his children who are leaning on him. 

Who is the hussy with the knee length skirt? I'm surprised the Maxwells let her in their precious family photo. 

The "one year later" photo is super awkward with Anna doing that thing that some women do to hide their height and midsection. 

I didn't notice that; what is she doing to hide her body?

Also the knee length skirt is on Chelsy.

[Maggie Mae]

Just now, Bluebirdbluebell said:

I didn't notice that; what is she doing to hide her body?

Her head is jutting out (I do this, but people always point it out when I take it too far)  with the shoulders sort of dropped. It does make for better photos on some people.  Her knees are bent so she have her head under Jesse's, plus her spine is clearly not straight. She looks uncomfortable. I would have had them both sit (because patriarchy doesn't like tall women, I guess) , and try to make them laugh, and look at each other.

I'm not a person who stares at peoples midsections, looking for a two pound weight gain. I do notice when people stand awkwardly and appear to be uncomfortable with certain parts of their body or just photos in general. Maybe she didn't like the dress. Or maybe she just wanted to be resting her head on his shoulder but she's too tall for that to be comfortable. 

[Bethy]

2 hours ago, jakesykora said:

Among all the other things noted, you'd have thought Mr. Wedding Photog Christopher might have realized he was going to cast a massive shadow across Anna's dress in that last large group photo, but...apparently not.

I can think of a couple of reasons why that awkward shadow might have happened. For one thing, if they're using a strobe kit with two softboxes but only one triggered, that will create a HARSH shadow going in only one direction. Clearly the photo isn't being taken by Christopher's camera but Sarah's might have the hot shoe strobe trigger as well, and could be being used for this pic. Other reason is, if memory about that hall serves correctly, there are massive stained glass windows on each of the side walls. One is artificially backlit because that's the connecting wall where the new sanctuary was built many years later, but the other is still taking in natural light. If it was getting into the afternoon when that particular shot was taken, there may have been some harsher light angling in through the stained glass.

The camera clutching while ignoring his kids? That's all on Christopher.

[fundiewatch]

Was Sarah in Joe and Elissa’s wedding? She was enthusiastically IN the wedding for Chelsy and John, and by Jesse’s wedding she has a pulled back MOB dress and is taking pictures. I really feel like she’s accepted that she isn’t getting married, since John’s wedding. 

[Jana814]

2 minutes ago, fundiewatch said:

Was Sarah in Joe and Elissa’s wedding? She was enthusiastically IN the wedding for Chelsy and John, and by Jesse’s wedding she has a pulled back MOB dress and is taking pictures. I really feel like she’s accepted that she isn’t getting married, since John’s wedding. 

Yes I think Sarah was in Joe & Elissa’s wedding. She was the maid of honor for Christopher & Anna-Marie’s wedding. 

[CyborgKin]

Well after so many photos of Sarah squinting I guess it's Jesse's turn.

[Bluebirdbluebell]

44 minutes ago, fundiewatch said:

Was Sarah in Joe and Elissa’s wedding? She was enthusiastically IN the wedding for Chelsy and John, and by Jesse’s wedding she has a pulled back MOB dress and is taking pictures. I really feel like she’s accepted that she isn’t getting married, since John’s wedding. 

Yes she was.  Here some pictures (scroll down to find the bridesmaids). It took me a while to find a picture of all the bridemaids. There were five including Sarah, Mary, and Anna. 

It strikes me they were a lot happier when travelling around in the bus. I started following them around 2016?/2017 and I didn't remember them touring. 

[LilMissMetaphor]

You don't have to go too far back on the blog to find all sorts of random oddness, like Teri and all the "girls" constantly in matching floral frumpers (they even dressed for conferences this way), a picture of Gorilla Glue all on its own included in a construction post (why??) and Mary signing off posts as "Jesus' Girl".  

[Bethy]

1 hour ago, fundiewatch said:

Was Sarah in Joe and Elissa’s wedding? She was enthusiastically IN the wedding for Chelsy and John, and by Jesse’s wedding she has a pulled back MOB dress and is taking pictures. I really feel like she’s accepted that she isn’t getting married, since John’s wedding. 

Thinking like a photographer, I'm not going to snark on her dress. I actually don't get a MOB vibe from it - it's roomy and provides plenty of coverage so if she needs to bend or crouch to get a particular shot, she can do so without concentrating on what her dress is doing. (Getting dressed as a female photographer is tricky. You want freedom of movement and the "invisibility" of black, but you don't want to scandalize somebody's grandma by wearing pants or sleeveless or something and some people don't prefer black at weddings. As a female family member of the groom, solid black on Sarah would've probably been offensive, and pants are right out - so that solves a few of the dilemmas for her at least!)

I don't blame her one bit for pulling back on bridesmaiding if it were up to her. The aesthetic of this wedding (with the bride, some 18 years Sarah's junior, being one of the oldest sisters in her family) was trending way younger than Sarah. Unlike Anna or Mary, she has the photography skills to fall back on. And if she is looking MOB-ish, that's probably fitting since we conjectured that she raised most of the reversals.

13 minutes ago, LilMissMetaphor said:

You don't have to go too far back on the blog to find all sorts of random oddness, like Teri and all the "girls" constantly in matching floral frumpers (they even dressed for conferences this way), a picture of Gorilla Glue all on its own included in a construction post (why??) and Mary signing off posts as "Jesus' Girl".  

Isn't the matchy-matchy thing a Gothard distinctive? The families I've known in the last 20 years ago that leaned that direction seemed to be REALLY into families dressing alike. And as I stated before, the handmade matching frumpers saved them a bundle of money because of the way they made them.

[fundiefan]

All three of "the girls" were in all their brothers weddings until Jesse's. And I really bet that if things weren't reduced for COVID, she'd have been in Jesse's too. But, when you get married in public, mask-less, a mere 2.5 months into a global pandemic, I would imagine photographers aren't in great supply and you have to use your relatives = thus, Sarah being reassigned. Plus, Jesse was down a groomsman, without Joseph there. Did they have to line up? Who knows. All just speculation. 

Although Chris did Joseph's wedding, he was not chosen to do John's. So, it's not a given that he will photograph a MAXWELL wedding. I just think they had to use who they could wherever they could in a COVID world. 

 

[Maggie Mae]

3 hours ago, Bluebirdbluebell said:

I didn't notice that; what is she doing to hide her body?

Also the knee length skirt is on Chelsy.

Thanks! I realize that now, I guess I thought people were saying she didnt attend at all, instead of just not being in the wedding. 

Thanks for making me explain what I meant by "that thing some people do" because its something my irl friends and I talk about but never really thought about or had to describe it before. 

I also realized that the older married maxwells have taken that same photo before so it was probably just lack of imagination by Chris, and forcing them all into the same boxes. A good photographer would learn more about the couple's unique-to-them interests and personality, and use that. 

 

[ElizaB]

10 hours ago, JermajestyDuggar said:

Whether they are preventing pregnancy or they just haven’t gotten pregnant yet, I’m glad. They are so young and they have plenty of time to have kids in the next 20 years. Mel and Nate didn’t have a kid for the first four years of marriage and now they have 6. These newlyweds will likely have kids eventually. I hope they are enjoying being child free right now. 

I always wonder if some of these couples prevent pregnancy without ever actually admitting to themselves that they are. With a little knowledge of your cycle and biology you can figure out what time of the month to abstain and fairly effectively (not 100%) avoid pregnancy.

This could also be something a fundi women could definitely do without her husband knowing. While I know these girls have been taught to be "joyfully available" I imagine it wouldn't be hard to avoid sweet fellowship during certain days for a few months at least to put off the inevitable. A few strategic visits to out of town relative and well timed illnesses could easily buy a year. 

[NancyDrewFan1989]

On 5/22/2021 at 11:40 AM, Bethy said:

I've wondered the same. We can consider the expenses they DON'T have, and haven't for decades (or at least have very minimally):

• Cable
• Netflix/Hulu/Disney+
• Movie theater trips or expensive concert tickets
• Any kind of television or gaming equipment
• Newspaper or magazine subscriptions
• Housekeeping/yard work
• Old touring-days blog posts showed Steve cutting the boys' hair; the girls don't appear to have high-maintenance hairstyles and might well do the same
• Makeup/jewelry (this is one of the "minimals" since we know Sarah has pierced ears)
• They live in an area where they can meet their shopping needs without driving far
• Basement workouts - no gym memberships/fees
• No family to visit. Gigi is on their block. Steve's parents have passed on. Neither appears particularly close with siblings/nieces/nephews. I'm guessing the two reversals who have "flown the coop' (a whole hour away) are the ones that travel to visit the fathership, not the other way around.
• Vacation expenses are very minimal. Drive to the cabin in Colorado. Go to Costco and buy groceries. Other than buying new socks each year, hiking doesn't cost. They aren't going on cruises, visiting Disney, etc. or eating out a lot - when they did go to Olive Garden that one time it was obvious it was a special occasion and funded by somebody at a conference who wanted to give Anna a special birthday celebration.
• Any expenses related to nursing-home church (when that was a thing) could be written off as a tax deduction. (I'm thinking of hymnals/songbooks, communion supplies, etc.) But now they go to church so they don't have that either.
• And all this on top of their debt-free home. I can only assume their cars are debt-free too, and they appear to take good care of them so they last.

Right there are a lot of expenses most regular worldly people have, but that they don't, mostly because of their hardworking, no-entertainment work ethic.

What I did wonder ten years ago - and still wonder - is how the ladies pulled off their complete wardrobe switcheroo over that one Christmas. They went from exclusively wearing homemade frumpers (which IS cheaper than retail, the way they did it - a single cut of material with a 50% off coupon, or buying a whole bolt marked down at a outlet, and then everyone sharing that one pattern and just fudging sizes as needed to fit everyone) to matching skirt/blouse outfits (which means they didn't pick them up at a thrift store) for four adult-size women is no small undertaking. Even if they cleaned out the clearance racks at Christopher and Banks by being petite and skinny, that's still a lot of retail. The dog and pony show must've been doing REALLY well then.

They probably started looking at thrift stores and good will shops for their clothes. Admittedly, they may still sew their own clothes, in the past ten years they really seemed to have relaxed on it. Maybe all the traveling and seeing other fundie women not dressed in frumpers inspired them to stop and wear other types of clothes. Also, the family seems to have gotten more physically active in the past ten years, they may have changed their wardrobe to accommodate more activities like hiking and doing home workouts. 

8 hours ago, petrushka said:

Chelsy was in her third trimester with Elliot.  I know, no excuse but I wouldn't want to be in a wedding party within weeks of delivering a baby.

Jesse and Anna did seem a bit awkward but I think they are well suited to each other.  Jesse seems more relaxed and happier now that he gets sweet fellowship regularly.

Jesse packed up and moved into an apartment away from the compound. He is probably happier more than ever now that he is out from under Steve's nose and is able to have freedom that his other siblings who stayed on the compound do not. I don't know much about the Craig's, but part of me wouldn't be shocked in Anna introduced him to "the world" that Steve worked hard to keep him from like games (like Clue and Monopoly), TV programs and  movies (although probably Christian approved), sports, and having friends that Steve would never approve of. Steve shut off his family from most of the world that both Jesse and Joseph seem the happiest they have ever been since leaving because they don't have to worry about criticism from Steve telling them they are doing everything wrong and concerned about pleasing their parents all the time.

[NancyDrewFan1989]

42 minutes ago, ElizaB said:

I always wonder if some of these couples prevent pregnancy without ever actually admitting to themselves that they are. With a little knowledge of your cycle and biology you can figure out what time of the month to abstain and fairly effectively (not 100%) avoid pregnancy.

This could also be something a fundi women could definitely do without her husband knowing. While I know these girls have been taught to be "joyfully available" I imagine it wouldn't be hard to avoid sweet fellowship during certain days for a few months at least to put off the inevitable. A few strategic visits to out of town relative and well timed illnesses could easily buy a year. 

I've thought that too, and honestly, I don't really think so. This is a culture that shuns all forms of birth control with having little knowledge on sex ed. I wouldn't be surprised if some of the childless fundie couples discussed on FJ, like Jesse and Anna C., are still learning how "things work" in order to have a baby. The discussion of what sex actually is seems to be shunned right up until the wedding. So, in Jesse and Anna C.'s defense, they may be trying but they are just misinformed on how "things work" so to say. 

[ElizaB]

30 minutes ago, NancyDrewFan1989 said:

I've thought that too, and honestly, I don't really think so. This is a culture that shuns all forms of birth control with having little knowledge on sex ed. I wouldn't be surprised if some of the childless fundie couples discussed on FJ, like Jesse and Anna C., are still learning how "things work" in order to have a baby. The discussion of what sex actually is seems to be shunned right up until the wedding. So, in Jesse and Anna C.'s defense, they may be trying but they are just misinformed on how "things work" so to say. 

i guess my thought was that with all the emphasis on having children  they were probably taught how to figure out the best time to do it to have a baby. A little logic they could also realize how not to have one. 

[NancyDrewFan1989]

Just now, ElizaB said:

i guess my thought was that with all the emphasis on having children  they were probably taught how to figure out the best time to do it to have a baby. A little logic they could also realize how not to have one. 

Also true. If Jesse and Anna C. are purposely taking their time, then good for them. At least they are enjoying married life rather than jumping into parenthood head on. Jesse does seem determined to make a life for himself separate from the Maxwell compound as they are the first Maxwell kidults to live in an apartment in a city. They could be putting off parenthood until they find a house or bigger apartment for their brood.

[NancyDrewFan1989]

On 5/21/2021 at 5:54 PM, HereComesTreble said:

The Maxwells are so boring—I just can’t with them.  But dang, the Maxwell thread titles are fan-freaking-tastic!

The Maxwell dullness does entertain us. 

6 hours ago, fundiewatch said:

Was Sarah in Joe and Elissa’s wedding? She was enthusiastically IN the wedding for Chelsy and John, and by Jesse’s wedding she has a pulled back MOB dress and is taking pictures. I really feel like she’s accepted that she isn’t getting married, since John’s wedding. 

Yeah, and she is probably tapped out from being a bridesmaid. I did that job four years in a row with one of those years being Maid of Honor. Being a bridesmaid can be exhausting and time consuming depending on the bride. I wouldn't be surprised if after Chelsy's Sarah decided to "retire" from being a bridesmaid and move to a more behind the scenes roll. If I remember correctly, Anna and Mary weren't in Nathan and Melanie's wedding and this was their last chance to do so. 

[NancyDrewFan1989]

10 hours ago, jakesykora said:

Man, I forgot how unfortunate Maxwell wedding photography can be since it's been awhile since we last the others in this series of wedding photos. 

Among all the other things noted, you'd have thought Mr. Wedding Photog Christopher might have realized he was going to cast a massive shadow across Anna's dress in that last large group photo, but...apparently not.

James Staddon could give them a run for their money. I do wonder if James Staddon (who has improved significantly over the years) has been picked over Christopher for actually being somewhat good at his job and takes criticism in order to improve and attends seminars rather than someone (Chris) who just does the same old same old.