John and Chelsy 9: Title Update: Baby Madeline Is Here 10 Weeks Early

[SassyPants]

Several years ago we took a cruise to see the glaciers in southern Chile. Since this was a small ship the captain asked each of us stand up and say where we were from. We said, “Monterey, CA.” We don’t live in Monterey but it’s the biggest, recognizable city closest to our tiny beach town. Later that night a woman came up to me and told me her daughter lived in a tiny beach town not far from Monterey. Yep, it was the town we live in. Our town has 6 thousand residents, half of them part time residents.

[molecule]

On 2/25/2023 at 7:16 PM, usmcmom said:

Me: I am from Illinois. 
Them: Oh. Chicago? 
Me: Nope. 
 

 

 

Same. I've lived in four different areas of the state (or three depending on how you define the regions), and none of them is Chicago.

[usmcmom]

53 minutes ago, molecule said:

Same. I've lived in four different areas of the state (or three depending on how you define the regions), and none of them is Chicago.

We don’t even live in Illinois anymore, but I still feel a sense of loyalty to our little former hometown. I usually say that we lived in the middle of the state surrounded by farmland. I name the nearest mid size city and say we lived in a neighboring village. 
 

 

[anachronistic]

I’m from outside Boston , Massachusetts, which is in the Northeast of the US, but it’s never occurred to me to say I’m from Boston because I’m not. Then again, I rarely travel, so mostly I just say my specific town and people are familiar enough with it. 

I remember being little, like 9/10, and my grandmother introducing me to some people as her granddaughter from Boston. They immediately started asking me to say ‘park the CAH in Hahvahd yahd’ which confuses the heck out of me because 1, I didn’t have a Boston accent, I did but years of speech therapy had the side effect of getting rid of it 2, I wasn’t from Boston and 3, you can’t park a car in Harvard yard. Everybody knows that. Except on move in and move out day, or when you have a maintenance truck or something. There are/were parking spaces between the Law school and main yards, and they do food trucks now which park on the overpass, but….

I was a very confused kid focused on alllll the details. Still am. When someone says they’re from Boston I want to know *where*, because the neighborhoods are so different that many were literally separate towns at various points, so Boston doesn’t mean anything.

[molecule]

12 hours ago, usmcmom said:

I name the nearest mid size city and say we lived in a neighboring village. 

We lived in a neighboring state for 20 years and moved back several years ago. I usually tell people to draw a triangle between three midsize cities and then say that we live smack dab in the middle of the triangle I. A small farming community.

[usmcmom]

7 hours ago, anachronistic said:

I was a very confused kid focused on alllll the details. Still am. When someone says they’re from Boston I want to know *where*, because the neighborhoods are so different that many were literally separate towns at various points, so Boston doesn’t mean anything.

I think I can relate. Now that we are here in Tennessee, I never know what people are talking about when it comes to cities. When asked where they are from, many people name the county and my brain says “That means nothing to me.” Or they’ll say “Western Tennessee,” or “Middle Tennessee.” And my brains says “Ma’am, I know left and right.  I have no idea where ‘western’ is.” 
 

It is so interesting to me to notice these regional differences. And, yes, I want ALL the details. 

[HeartsAFundie]

On 2/27/2023 at 10:29 AM, anachronistic said:

I’m from outside Boston , Massachusetts, which is in the Northeast of the US, but it’s never occurred to me to say I’m from Boston because I’m not. Then again, I rarely travel, so mostly I just say my specific town and people are familiar enough with it. 
 

I too live in MA but about 45 miles south of Boston.   Closer to Providence, Rhode Island.  So when people first meet me and hear me speak they automatically and understandably assume I am from Rhode Island.  But I have gotten Boston, Long Island NY and Baltimore MD as guesses too.    I always say I'm an hour south of Boston, 15 minutes east of Providence and about an hour west of Cape Cod when people ask where my exact location is.  That usually satisfies them.   

[Nothing if not critical]

Off topic, but a comment on the main Maxwell thread made me go back and look at pics of John & Chelsy's wedding, and apart from some interesting fundie sightings (JD Duggar, the Caldwells,...), I came across this gem: Chelsy waxing poetic about the "diversity" of her group of bridesmaids. 
 

Spoiler

And it just struck me as so funny, because if you look at the picture above, that's definitely not my idea of diversity.

[JermajestyDuggar]

4 minutes ago, Nothing if not critical said:

Off topic, but a comment on the main Maxwell thread made me go back and look at pics of John & Chelsy's wedding, and apart from some interesting fundie sightings (JD Duggar, the Caldwells,...), I came across this gem: Chelsy waxing poetic about the "diversity" of her group of bridesmaids. 
 

  Hide contents

And it just struck me as so funny, because if you look at the picture above, that's definitely not my idea of diversity.

You’re right. It’s not the least bit diverse. First of all, they are all white, they are all Christian, and many are related in some way to someone else in the picture! That’s hilarious. But also sad that she has no idea what diversity looks like. 

[Hane]

@Nothing if not critical, but some are blondes and some are brunettes!

[SPHASH]

3 hours ago, Hane said:

@Nothing if not critical, but some are blondes and some are brunettes!

Some are married some are not!  Some have kids Some don't!

[anachronistic]

Some like coffee, some like tea.

some do home church, others do church at church.

some use the KJV of the Bible, others….wait…..

(they’re even all the same type of Christian for crying out loud, no Catholics or Lutherans or Pentecostals or Episcopalians.)

[JermajestyDuggar]

I’m white and I came from a very white Christian hometown. Yes, I had some friends of color. But most people in my hometown are white. And most are Christian. So there was very little diversity at all. I never felt like I fit in even though I’m white and I went to church every Sunday. Since I grew up around so little diversity, I still felt like I didn’t fit in. Even though on the outside I did. Nowadays I’m no longer Christian. I live in an area with a good amount of religious diversity. And that is important to me. Because if you live in a place with religious diversity, you are way more likely to be accepted if you have no religion at all. I like living in a place where not everyone is white and not everyone is Christian. Every time I go back to my hometown I notice how white it is! 😂 And I’m so glad the extreme whiteness is weird to me. That means more diversity is my norm. And I hope it’s the norm of my kids too. 

[indianabones]

On 2/26/2023 at 2:37 PM, SassyPants said:

Several years ago we took a cruise to see the glaciers in southern Chile. Since this was a small ship the captain asked each of us stand up and say where we were from. We said, “Monterey, CA.” We don’t live in Monterey but it’s the biggest, recognizable city closest to our tiny beach town. Later that night a woman came up to me and told me her daughter lived in a tiny beach town not far from Monterey. Yep, it was the town we live in. Our town has 6 thousand residents, half of them part time residents.

I took a trip to Europe a few years ago. On a tour bus in Norway, I ended up chatting with a family who lived three blocks away from me in Washington state! Then I ran into a girl I knew from France at a museum in Amsterdam. Finally, when I was boarding my plane to fly back to the US I ended up sitting in the same row as a former coworker.

[MamaJunebug]

On 3/7/2023 at 6:29 AM, Nothing if not critical said:

Off topic, but a comment on the main Maxwell thread made me go back and look at pics of John & Chelsy's wedding, and apart from some interesting fundie sightings (JD Duggar, the Caldwells,...), I came across this gem: Chelsy waxing poetic about the "diversity" of her group of bridesmaids. 
 

  Hide contents

And it just struck me as so funny, because if you look at the picture above, that's definitely not my idea of diversity.

And why does Mary Maxwell seem to be cut & pasted in? Like with an exacto knife and glue?  

[JermajestyDuggar]

8 hours ago, MamaJunebug said:

And why does Mary Maxwell seem to be cut & pasted in? Like with an exacto knife and glue?  

I think there’s a strange back light that’s causing it. I could see it happening since it’s in a church. The lighting is probably similar to spot lighting. 

[Howl]

On 2/1/2023 at 11:48 AM, crawfishgirl said:

Sometimes, people who live in a suburb of a larger city will list the larger city as their residence on LinkedIn or other social media, since they are in that metro area.

I worked at a Big State University in Texas before retirement.   Some students in  TV-Film would get a mobile phone number with a New York City area code for professional reasons. 

Our sprawling metroplex  hosts SXSW, is a tech magnet,  has a monster Tesla factory, insane property values to match but back then it wasn't quite so hip.  

Edited March 15, 2023 by Howl

[Red Hair, Black Dress]

Chelsy had 13 bridesmaids. 13!!!!!

I don't know 13 women who I'd ask to buy an unflattering dress and parade down the aisle.

[Loveday]

41 minutes ago, Red Hair, Black Dress said:

Chelsy had 13 bridesmaids. 13!!!!!

I don't know 13 women who I'd ask to buy an unflattering dress and parade down the aisle.

Me, either! Even back when I got married, in the glorious, excess-filled 1980s, I didn't know that many women well enough to ask them to do such a thing! 😆

[JermajestyDuggar]

2 hours ago, Red Hair, Black Dress said:

Chelsy had 13 bridesmaids. 13!!!!!

I don't know 13 women who I'd ask to buy an unflattering dress and parade down the aisle.

I’ve always hated huge bridal parties. It’s an unnecessary hassle. I’ve never seen a huge wedding party that wasn’t filled with stress or drama. There is usually at least one pain in the ass whether it’s a bridesmaid or groomsman. Always late or forgot to get the right tie or something like that. And most people I know don’t even want to be in a wedding unless it’s someone they are very close with. Why bother being in a wedding of a cousin you barely ever see? Especially since it can get so expensive. I say keep it small and keep it close. It’s better for the bride and groom anyway. 

[SassyPants]

38 minutes ago, JermajestyDuggar said:

I’ve always hated huge bridal parties. It’s an unnecessary hassle. I’ve never seen a huge wedding party that wasn’t filled with stress or drama. There is usually at least one pain in the ass whether it’s a bridesmaid or groomsman. Always late or forgot to get the right tie or something like that. And most people I know don’t even want to be in a wedding unless it’s someone they are very close with. Why bother being in a wedding of a cousin you barely ever see? Especially since it can get so expensive. I say keep it small and keep it close. It’s better for the bride and groom anyway. 

TBT, I hate weddings, everything about them. I say immediate family, small service, and brunch, lunch, appetizers or dinner in a nice restaurant or location. Spending high 5 or 6 figures for a day is just ridiculous.

[JermajestyDuggar]

30 minutes ago, SassyPants said:

TBT, I hate weddings, everything about them. I say immediate family, small service, and brunch, lunch, appetizers or dinner in a nice restaurant or location. Spending high 5 or 6 figures for a day is just ridiculous.

I’m always glad when I see fundies who come from enormous families who decide to have a small wedding party. Imagine if every bates and every Duggar included all their siblings in their wedding parties. Sounds like hell to me. 

[keen23]

On 2/27/2023 at 8:29 AM, anachronistic said:

I’m from outside Boston , Massachusetts, which is in the Northeast of the US, but it’s never occurred to me to say I’m from Boston because I’m not. Then again, I rarely travel, so mostly I just say my specific town and people are familiar enough with it. 

I remember being little, like 9/10, and my grandmother introducing me to some people as her granddaughter from Boston. They immediately started asking me to say ‘park the CAH in Hahvahd yahd’ which confuses the heck out of me because 1, I didn’t have a Boston accent, I did but years of speech therapy had the side effect of getting rid of it 2, I wasn’t from Boston and 3, you can’t park a car in Harvard yard. Everybody knows that. Except on move in and move out day, or when you have a maintenance truck or something. There are/were parking spaces between the Law school and main yards, and they do food trucks now which park on the overpass, but….

I was a very confused kid focused on alllll the details. Still am. When someone says they’re from Boston I want to know *where*, because the neighborhoods are so different that many were literally separate towns at various points, so Boston doesn’t mean anything.

Pretty much the same for me (Weymouth MA). I had a VERY strong accent until I moved to Arizona and lived there for 10 years or so, then the accent faded - I can slip into it though, especially if I'm tired or drunk. The first question I ask someone who says they're from Boston is "no, what part of Massachusetts are you really from?"

[crawfishgirl]

On 3/15/2023 at 8:40 AM, Howl said:

I worked at a Big State University in Texas before retirement.   Some students in  TV-Film would get a mobile phone number with a New York City area code for professional reasons. 

Our sprawling metroplex  hosts SXSW, is a tech magnet,  has a monster Tesla factory, insane property values to match but back then it wasn't quite so hip.  

My oldest is a current longhorn, and my youngest will be starting there in the fall.  The older one is getting an apartment off-campus next semester, and I was surprised at the cost.  I enjoy visiting there, but the traffic and prices are just insane.

[BigSandy]

Just FYI, Chelsy posted a tribute to her grandma on her blog. I thought it was really sweet but one thing that was sad was that Chelsy said she was really an introvert, but basically as a Bontrager she has to be a people person.