Maxwell 51: Empty Nesters, Empty Vesters? End of an Era

[ContrastingButtons]

Fascinating!  Thanks FJ Sleuths!

[JermajestyDuggar]

1 hour ago, Howl said:

This is so HMO persnickety. 

I bet they don’t enforce the more persnickety rules. 

[Paperplate]

12 hours ago, JermajestyDuggar said:

The married couples housing looks like they are mostly duplexes. Which are technically apartments. That kitchen could be a duplex kitchen. 

The ABC website explicit states that they have twenty-four 3-bedroom, 2-bath, 1,300 square foot townhouses and four 5-bedroom, 3-bath units. I'd call them duplexes too but what do I know?

14 hours ago, HereticHick said:

It is possible that ABC wasn't able to fill all their married student housing units this year and are letting unmarried students live there as well. If so, Anna and Mary probably have at least 1 other roommate. [...]

Interesting theory. Where is that roommate though? Was she away when they were having breakfast or is getting grouped under "the Maxwell's"?

[anachronistic]

Is it just my New England liberal bubble here or is it odd that they need to specify in the handbook DO NIT DISCHARGE A FIREARM ON CAMPUS! 
To me a basic rule of gun ownership (not that I know anything about gun ownership of course) would be to only discharge it in safe areas and not, you know, on a college campus or at an apartment complex.

[fundiefan]

I am very curious to hear how Anna is doing with Cancer recovery/remission. As she went through treatment, I knew nothing, and just followed along blindly. In October, I was diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer and have learned a hell of a lot more about treatments, etc. I'd be interested in revisiting hers just out of curiosity, as well as how she is doing. We aren't fighting the same battle, but we have the same enemy. 

[ContrastingButtons]

18 minutes ago, fundiefan said:

I am very curious to hear how Anna is doing with Cancer recovery/remission. As she went through treatment, I knew nothing, and just followed along blindly. In October, I was diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer and have learned a hell of a lot more about treatments, etc. I'd be interested in revisiting hers just out of curiosity, as well as how she is doing. We aren't fighting the same battle, but we have the same enemy. 

I am so sorry to hear about your diagnosis, Fundie Fan.  

Edited December 29, 2021 by ContrastingButtons

[ElizaB]

I imagine it would be hard for ABC to actually enforce all of their rules. However, having all of the rules gives them the flexibility to expel students who aren't keeping up appearances. A person who is quietly breaking rules is probably not going to be caught. 

[kpmom]

On 12/28/2021 at 1:55 PM, fundiewatch said:

 

(Plot twist, they got married in a double wedding over thanksgiving but no one told us. Ridiculous fan fiction— it’s much better this way!)

 

Isn't that funny, when I saw that picture and what appeared to be an apartment instead of a dorm, and read that ABC's apartments were only available to married students, I had the same thought for a second. 😄

I don't know about ABC, but don't some colleges now have good size suite type dorms with kitchens?

 

[MamaJunebug]

A long time ago I opined that Anna would look prettier if she smiled a little smaller so that less of her gums showed. I got fussed at for that, rightly.

I had not meant to criticize people with gummy smiles but anyhoo was I so delighted to see her smiling in what I consider a more natural way - her eyes aren’t crinkled up like they are in most of the Kansas photos - and she’s wearing a little eyeliner  and has tidied up her brows!

She was gorgeous in KS with her (what I consider “forced”) extra-big smile and her fresh-faced (unmade-up, untweezed) look and she is gorgeous now! 
 

What a great 5th Day Of Christmas gift for me!!! 
 

#AnnaFan! 

Edited December 30, 2021 by MamaJunebug

[rosamundi]

20 hours ago, anachronistic said:

Is it just my New England liberal bubble here or is it odd that they need to specify in the handbook DO NIT DISCHARGE A FIREARM ON CAMPUS! 

I'm in the UK but I work for a company which is headquartered in, and has offices all over, the US. The section of the ethics policy which causes headscratching hilarity every year is the bit where we have to promise faithfully not to bring a gun to work unless we are a licensed security professional and employed as such.

[ElizaB]

On 12/25/2021 at 2:04 PM, BigSandy said:

I had really thought the Maxwells might post something for Christmas, even just a generic photo with weirdly-italicized Bible verses! It is so strange but after all the absolute garbage of the recent Duggar happenings, I almost miss the Maxwells. I hope they are having a fun Christmas with lot of hilarious memories of cheese paper and salt-fly-shooters!!

I also checked the blog (and I did on Thanksgiving too) thinking there would be a post. I actually always thought their Christmas Eve celebration seemed nice. They had everyone over for a big breakfast, opened gifts, ate a snack lunch, played games, then had a big dinner and did their Christmas program. I actually looked at the program once and while it was obviously very Jesus-y, it also was a lot of Christmas Carols and seemed actually appropriate for kids. 

It is funny they were never super interesting and all their posts were so bland. Now they actually have something to write about- major family changes- and we get nothing. 

[socalrules]

We have to remember, when they did post, it could be months after the event occurred. They might get around to making a Christmas post in February. 

[Bethy]

A conversation came up recently about college breaks, and I thought back to my college years and how it seemed like invariably there would be at least some friction between me and my parents/siblings (and sometimes a lot!)...time away changes your perspective and helps you fine-tune your own beliefs, and I'm sure this is true for Anna and Mary. So I hope for their sake that this Christmas break is a peaceful time. I hope that if they've gained a couple pounds at college, they aren't being shamed for it. I hope that, if Steve is laying it on thick (and that wouldn't surprise me, given the tone of his recent Seriously articles) they have somewhere to turn for support and respite - not Chris and probably not Nate either, but maybe one of their reversal brothers or Sarah (the couch/floor of her apartment and quiet acceptance would be better than their familiar bunk beds and constant badgering about their choices) or even Gigi, who we know sent her daughter away to college. Mostly I hope that they're supported and cared for and not counting the hours until they can get away from it all and go back to school...or being paralyzed by self-doubt and wondering if they should really just hang it up and move back into the bunk beds at home.

[Hane]

@Bethy, you reminded me of the skits performed at my daughter’s college during parent orientation. They covered scenarios like these:

You drop off your kid at college and they can’t wait for you to GTFO.

A few days later, they call you crying and miserable because they forgot to pack socks/their roommate is messy/life is HARD/whatever.

They come home for their first break and you want them to vacuum the living room/visit all the relatives/whatever but they want to hang with their hometown friends/go out for coffee at 11 PM/whatever.

I mentally rolled my eyes at how *corny* these scenarios were—until Every. Single. One. happened to my daughter and me.

[Black Aliss]

On 12/28/2021 at 8:40 AM, Bethy said:

Students like the Maxgirls - who are resourceful, hardworking, and good in the kitchen - can save a boatload of money by living off-campus. They know how to grocery shop, cook, use leftovers, etc., and won't be subsisting on pizza delivery and expensive convenience foods.

All true but it wouldn't surprise me if they've eaten more delivered pizzas this semester than at any other time in their lives. Just because they could. No need to pray that God will lay it on someone's heart to pick one up.

Edited December 31, 2021 by Black Aliss

[Black Aliss]

On 12/28/2021 at 10:12 AM, HereticHick said:

It is possible that ABC wasn't able to fill all their married student housing units this year and are letting unmarried students live there as well. If so, Anna and Mary probably have at least 1 other roommate.

 

My favorite line from the Tenant Handbook for the ABC married student housing  complex (which is called Appalachian Village):

"To maintain a pure testimony, do not invite a single person of the opposite sex to your residence when your spouse is not home. Do not leave a single couple by themselves in your place of residence."

When I think of all the study dates I had, as a married woman, with  persons of the opposite sex, some also  married, some single, I wonder how many opportunities for sexy times I let slip by unnoticed. As if an engineering student with an infant isn't asexual by necessity.

 

4 hours ago, Bethy said:

..or being paralyzed by self-doubt and wondering if they should really just hang it up and move back into the bunk beds at home.

The photos we have seen of the do not look like young women paralyzed by self-doubt and thinking of returning to the shelter of the fathership.

Edited December 31, 2021 by Black Aliss

[Bethy]

19 minutes ago, Black Aliss said:

The photos we have seen of the do not look like young women paralyzed by self-doubt and thinking of returning to the shelter of the fathership.

No, they don't. But those are of two girls out of the fathership for the first time, supported by each other and quite possibly having acquaintances from their mysterious mission trips of old. It can be tricky when they come home, if there are passive-aggressive comments made about Teri's increased workload and back pain, or if Steve is fasting himself into oblivion out of "concern" for them, or if Sarah has had some bit of bad luck (a fender bender, maybe?) that might be construed as "God's really trying to get ahold of her." (I heard those exact words spoken about a young woman who'd moved out of her parents' home, who then had a fender bender, years ago.)

I just really hope they're being supported and not cut down during this break. I hope that Steve and Teri are really okay with them being at school. But with the whole thing being such a 180 from everything they held to/taught others to do, I can't imagine the support is wholehearted.

[Black Aliss]

On 12/28/2021 at 5:03 PM, JermajestyDuggar said:

I bet they don’t enforce the more persnickety rules. 

If it's anything like the family student housing (originally named married student housing) on my campus, they enforce the persnickety rules with a vengeance. More so, even, than the important rules.

[usmcmom]

The very conservative university I attended enforced all the rules for girls; not so much for boys. Like curfew - we definitely had to be in our dorms for curfew but the guys could be coming and going a couple hours past “lock down.”
 

My roommate and I decided to take advantage of that. Several times we called some male friends and had them pick up fast food from one of the nearby drive-thrus. Since we lived on the first floor, we could easily slide a screen out and receive our midnight hamburgers through our window, thankyouverymuch. 

[socalrules]

Anna and Mary appear to have had more fun, made more friends and no doubt learned more in one semester than Tim Rodrigues in his many tries at college. I don’t think they will have a problem over winter break. If Steve has “allowed” them to go away to college, I think he has made his mind up to make sure they finish college. The dynamics of the family have obviously changed, I don’t think anyone wants to, or intends to, go back to the old days of making an idol of cleaning ceiling fans. 

[JermajestyDuggar]

Anna and Marry are having fun wrapping a friend at the Christmas party. Mary’s male friend is behind her. Look at that genuine smile.

And here is Mary obviously watching a movie as a group. Those are couches not seats in an auditorium. So it must be a movie or a tv show. What would Steve think?

[Queen Of Hearts]

35 minutes ago, JermajestyDuggar said:

Anna and Marry are having fun wrapping a friend at the Christmas party. Mary’s male friend is behind her. Look at that genuine smile.

 

And it looks like Mary has her arm around her male friend's arm.  

[MamaJunebug]

On 1/1/2022 at 9:58 AM, Queen Of Hearts said:

And it looks like Mary has her arm around her male friend's arm.  

I could not be happier! 

[Tatar-tot]

On 1/1/2022 at 12:19 AM, socalrules said:

Anna and Mary appear to have had more fun, made more friends and no doubt learned more in one semester than Tim Rodrigues in his many tries at college. I don’t think they will have a problem over winter break. If Steve has “allowed” them to go away to college, I think he has made his mind up to make sure they finish college. The dynamics of the family have obviously changed, I don’t think anyone wants to, or intends to, go back to the old days of making an idol of cleaning ceiling fans. 

One thing about the Maxwell home school is the kids received a bunch better education than the most families. None of the kids are fools and the boys are gainfully employed.

1 hour ago, MamaJunebug said:

I could not be happier! 

I think she is holding her hair. 

[HereticHick]

22 minutes ago, Tatar-tot said:

I think she is holding her hair. 

I'm afraid I agree. The angle is off for her to be holding his arm--her arm would be wedged waay up in his armpit.