Confession: I heart the Duggars

I don't have an iphone. So all of my instagrammed pictures are usually crappy quality. But I still use it, because it's so much faster than carrying around my big fancy camera.

Anyway.

In case you didn't hear (because the majority of people didn't, it turns out), the Duggars visited our area over the weekend. I know, I know. There are a lot of people who aren't fans of this family. They think they're "weird", "irresponsible", blahblahblah. But I love them. The inner sociologist in me is fascinated by other people, lifestyles, and cultures in general. But add in the fact that this family is so incredibly sweet, and you've got me as a fan. Their kids are educated, creative, well-behaved, love Jesus, and productive members of society. Obviously, something they're doing is working, wouldn't you agree? Plus it's nice to have a show I can watch where I never have to worry if Noah may hear or see something he shouldn't. So yeah. I'm a fan.

So my mom, little sister, and I met up at the Billy Graham Library to meet the family at their book signing. The line wasn't too bad, but we got there an hour early, just in case. Other than the ridiculous heat, the wait was kind of fun. My mom brings a party with her wherever she goes, so we ended up meeting everyone in line around us. Thankfully, Brad always leaves sunscreen in the car (for when he plays golf), so we were prepared.

Almost all of the Duggars were there, however by the time we got to the family, the littlest ones had gone back to their bus for a nap. Jana and Jill also weren't there, so I'm assuming they were either with the little ones or they'd gone to help Anna with their new baby (in case you don't watch, Jana and Jill are studying midwifery, and Josh and Anna just had their baby last week). 

It really was cool to see them all right there in front of us. I asked Jackson (one of the littlest boys... and one of my personal favorites) if he was bored yet. He replied very matter-of-factly, "No..." then proceeded to fall over and pretend sleep. :)

 

The best part was meeting Michelle and Jim Bob. They were so so sweet. And if you watch the show, you'll know he's been trying to get healthy again. Without sounding creepy, he really did look great! You can tell he's lost a lot of weight, and he's taller in real life than I thought. Michelle in person is exactly how she is on tv. I think they purposely put her on the end of the table, because she wanted to talk to every person that came through (see above photo). While we were there, my mom ran into an older deaf couple (she's a sign language interpreter) she knew. They had gotten there too late to get their book signed, so they were just watching on the sidelines. My mom smuggled their book in with her to get it signed for them (they'd already purchased it), and she explained to Michelle who it was for. Michelle immediately asked where they were. She motioned for them to come over, and they got to meet her and Jim Bob. You should've seen how happy that made them. They were the cutest little couple ever, and I know it made their day.

Although by the time we left, I was seriously dehydrated, malnourished, and in serious need of a shower (really, we were in 90+ heat outside for almost 2 hours)... it was so worth it. If nothing else, it was a fun bonding time for us girls.