Jill, Derick & the Kids: Moving On!!

[iwantcookies]

Does Jill believe 

that Jesus was born when dinasaurs roamed the earth?

[DangerousMinds]

3 hours ago, emmawoodhouse said:

I wonder what the situations beyond their control caused them to quit ministry? TLC was in their control; they quit. What else could it have been? I hate Vaguebooking.

I agree. Put up or shut up! 🤣

[Bayarea4]

3 hours ago, emmawoodhouse said:

I wonder what the situations beyond their control caused them to quit ministry? TLC was in their control; they quit. What else could it have been? I hate Vaguebooking.

My guess is that they weren't qualified due to Jill's lack of education.

[Absolom]

Jill would have had remedial classes and two years of college to accomplish for them to have even applied to the SBC program.  It looks like someone in Derick's year of paying the church to work for them made plain that they weren't missionary material.  Perhaps it was also Derick's not so winning personality and the apparent lack of language ability for both of them. If their home church wasn't going to back their application, then why continue to push for it?

Edited December 25, 2020 by Absolom

[Minivanessa]

1 hour ago, Absolom said:

Jill would have had remedial classes and two years of college to accomplish for them to have even applied to the SBC program.  It looks like someone in Derick's year of paying the church to work for them made plain that they weren't missionary material.  Perhaps it was also Derick's not so winning personality and the apparent lack of language ability for both of them. If their home church wasn't going to back their application, then why continue to push for it?

I think that's possibly how it went. And AFAIK reputable church missionary organizations screen applicants for personality and psychological makeup. I don't know if any SBC church would be comfortable with all the Gothard baggage that Jill brings. [ETA: I'm specifically talking about missionary candidates sent out on behalf of the organization, vs. whatever strain of the Baptist theology a church member might personally lean to.] And then there was Derick's getting into a public controversy with TLC. Doesn't make him look like the most stable personality. Jill was quite fragile emotionally during their stints in Danger America. I just don't see the Dillards as a couple making the cut. And, isn't it interesting that now that they have let loose of the missionary idea and settled into more of a "regular" life, they both seem more relaxed and happy? 

Edited December 25, 2020 by Jeeves

[irisheyes]

Honestly, I think that being prevented from missionary work is the best thing that happened to them. They seemed miserable when they were in Central America. It looks like Derick has found something that he really enjoys, and the whole family seems more relaxed than they have in a long time. For all their sakes, I hope he passes the bar and finds a job he really likes. I think for the first time in a long time, Jill is really and truly happy and content. 

[BitterApple]

12 hours ago, Zella said:

The summary of their life before the year seems a little weird and out of place in a Christmas update post. I mean, compared to one of my cousin's batshit Christmas letters, it's pretty normal, but it seems more geared toward pushing back at people then being an actual yearly update. 

I agree. I've never received a Christmas letter that documented events from three years ago. It reads more like a biographical sketch rather than a "here's what we've been up to lately."

[iwantcookies]

Dereck is just practicing for the tell all book... that he will never finish.

[Suzn]

17 hours ago, ginger90 said:

New blog post:
 

Merry Christmas from the Dillards! 

Even though this year has been a tough one, we pray you will feel God’s peace surround you and his hope fill you as we focus on the blessings he has given us, including the birth of Jesus Christ our Savior many years ago! 

Here’s a little recap and update on our family!

After returning home to Arkansas from the mission field in Central America for the birth of Samuel (about 3 years ago), Derick worked with our home church for a year in the Cross Church School of Ministry program while we continued to pursue our longterm goal of full-time international mission work. While in the program, we were excited to primarily work with international students and their families in outreach opportunitiesat the University of Arkansas Fayetteville (UofA). Our immediate plans for longterm missions outside the US were halted when we were made aware of some things outside of our control that ultimately prevented us from serving with the organization we had prepared to work with. Although we were disappointed, we accepted God’s new direction for our family and made plans accordingly. 

Upon completion of the one-year ministry program with our church, Derick began law school at the UofA. He currently has one more semester left before graduation with his Juris Doctor degree in May 2021! He has thoroughly enjoyed his experiences so far with clerkship jobs, a fellowship, and externships in several federal, state and county offices. As an attorney, he plans to work in some form of public service law and is also interested in judicial clerkship opportunities. He was excited to attain Rule XV certification earlier this year which has allowed him to represent clients under supervision in the UofA’s criminal law clinic.

Jill stays busy these days with blogging, content creation and management of our social media accounts while pre-schooling Samuel at home and keeping things running on the home front. In May 2019, we moved into our first home and have enjoyed settling down a little + all the fun that comes with being homeowners for the first time, including decorating and hosting guests, although this year that’s slowed down a bit due to the coronavirus.

Israel (5) is enjoying kindergarten this year and has loved making new friends at school. We’ve been grateful that his school has taken measures to keep everyone healthy and he’s been able to continue in-person classes so far. His favorites are P.E. & math (like his daddy;-) ). He is becoming a great little reader and loves reading books to us in the evening! Israel’s favorite foods are pepperoni pizza and cinnamon toast.

Samuel (3) is enjoying preschool at home with mommy. He loves to tell everyone his sight words when he sees them in books big brother is reading. He also loves playing alphabet go fish and UNO. Sam’s favorite foods are tacos, cheese pizza and macaroni & cheese. 

Although this year has been somewhat unpredictable and brought with it some extra stress, we pray you find hope and peace this season through Jesus Christ, the Prince of Peace!

Love and Best Wishes, 

Derick,  Jill, Israel & Samuel Dillard

This so very badly written.  I notice in particular that Derick switches back and forth from writing in the third person to writing from the "we" perspective.  It's very awkward.

[iwantcookies]

I honestly don’t think Derek will become a successful lawyer. He might pass the bar. He is too flaky/angry to make it.

[Quof]

3 minutes ago, iwantcookies said:

He is too flaky/angry to make it.

Oh, I have a lot of flaky/angry colleagues.  It's one of the larger subsets of the profession. 

[Churchhoney]

27 minutes ago, iwantcookies said:

I honestly don’t think Derek will become a successful lawyer. He might pass the bar. He is too flaky/angry to make it.

He can probably be one of the lawyers in the firm who does research and all sorts of prep work, draft basic documents that are basically templatized, supervise the legal assistants and administrative staff, etc. As long as you can handle some deadlines and have a decent understanding of concepts and ability to read and such, your temperament doesn't really come into that. 

I know plenty of people who quit the law because they were bored stiff with all that stuff and never got the call to be the hotshot litigators they imagined they'd be. So Der can take one of those spots. 

Or he can work in some other organization that has lawyers on staff who don't do actual lawyering but help out because they know certain areas of the law. There are lots of those. 

Edited December 25, 2020 by Churchhoney

[Girl in a Cardigan]

18 hours ago, ginger90 said:

New blog post:
 

Merry Christmas from the Dillards! 

Even though this year has been a tough one, we pray you will feel God’s peace surround you and his hope fill you as we focus on the blessings he has given us, including the birth of Jesus Christ our Savior many years ago! 

Here’s a little recap and update on our family!

After returning home to Arkansas from the mission field in Central America for the birth of Samuel (about 3 years ago), Derick worked with our home church for a year in the Cross Church School of Ministry program while we continued to pursue our longterm goal of full-time international mission work. While in the program, we were excited to primarily work with international students and their families in outreach opportunitiesat the University of Arkansas Fayetteville (UofA). Our immediate plans for longterm missions outside the US were halted when we were made aware of some things outside of our control that ultimately prevented us from serving with the organization we had prepared to work with. Although we were disappointed, we accepted God’s new direction for our family and made plans accordingly. 

Upon completion of the one-year ministry program with our church, Derick began law school at the UofA. He currently has one more semester left before graduation with his Juris Doctor degree in May 2021! He has thoroughly enjoyed his experiences so far with clerkship jobs, a fellowship, and externships in several federal, state and county offices. As an attorney, he plans to work in some form of public service law and is also interested in judicial clerkship opportunities. He was excited to attain Rule XV certification earlier this year which has allowed him to represent clients under supervision in the UofA’s criminal law clinic.

Jill stays busy these days with blogging, content creation and management of our social media accounts while pre-schooling Samuel at home and keeping things running on the home front. In May 2019, we moved into our first home and have enjoyed settling down a little + all the fun that comes with being homeowners for the first time, including decorating and hosting guests, although this year that’s slowed down a bit due to the coronavirus.

Israel (5) is enjoying kindergarten this year and has loved making new friends at school. We’ve been grateful that his school has taken measures to keep everyone healthy and he’s been able to continue in-person classes so far. His favorites are P.E. & math (like his daddy;-) ). He is becoming a great little reader and loves reading books to us in the evening! Israel’s favorite foods are pepperoni pizza and cinnamon toast.

Samuel (3) is enjoying preschool at home with mommy. He loves to tell everyone his sight words when he sees them in books big brother is reading. He also loves playing alphabet go fish and UNO. Sam’s favorite foods are tacos, cheese pizza and macaroni & cheese. 

Although this year has been somewhat unpredictable and brought with it some extra stress, we pray you find hope and peace this season through Jesus Christ, the Prince of Peace!

Love and Best Wishes, 

Derick,  Jill, Israel & Samuel Dillard

The most interesting part of this to me (besides that it reads more like an "about us" webpage than a Christmas card) is that Jill is identified as a blogger and content creator (which are influencer terms) not a "wife and mother." I mean, she absolutely is an "influencer" who does content creation (for good or for ill) just like all of her sisters and family members, but I wouldn't have thought that they'd readily identify like that. Makes me wonder who this is going out to, if in fact is it a letter that was included in a paper Christmas card.

[Chicklet]

I for one, was happy to read about Sam being so fond of mac and cheese. I mean, made my whole day.

🙃

Is this what they send family or just on the blog? I don't read Facebook so I am curious.

[emmawoodhouse]

I don't think they use Facebook, but they didn't post this message on Instagram. I do wonder if the post was included on their Christmas card?

[ginger90]

They did link to the blog post on Facebook.

[emmawoodhouse]

Ha! I've never seen them post on FB. Then again, I typically avoid that cesspool like the plague. 😁

[Panopticon]

5 hours ago, Suzn said:

This so very badly written.  I notice in particular that Derick switches back and forth from writing in the third person to writing from the "we" perspective.  It's very awkward.

He’s always had that issue. My favorite remains the time he wrote “he married the love of my life, Jill.” Lawyers need to proofread, Derick! The wrong word can matter a lot.

[awaken]

On 12/24/2020 at 10:39 PM, ginger90 said:

Jill stays busy these days with blogging, content creation and management of our social media accounts

Hahaha. Between those huge jobs and all the complicated sex games and apps, she must be SO BUSY!  

[iwantcookies]

12 minutes ago, awaken said:

Hahaha. Between those huge jobs and all the complicated sex games and apps, she must be SO BUSY!  

SEVERELY lotioned up and BUSY

[GeeGolly]

9 hours ago, Girl in a Cardigan said:

The most interesting part of this to me (besides that it reads more like an "about us" webpage than a Christmas card) is that Jill is identified as a blogger and content creator (which are influencer terms) not a "wife and mother." I mean, she absolutely is an "influencer" who does content creation (for good or for ill) just like all of her sisters and family members, but I wouldn't have thought that they'd readily identify like that. Makes me wonder who this is going out to, if in fact is it a letter that was included in a paper Christmas card.

That jumped out at me too, but for a different reason. I'm not sure I'd want that listed as something I do with actual intent if I were Jill. She may be an influencer, but its because of her name and fame. I doubt anyone would follow her for content, because there really is none.

I'm guessing they put that in there because Derick is very defensive of Jill's lack of education (and maybe lack of having any skills for a job). He went on a rant a while back saying Jill was a midwife and had taken college courses. I believe he even said something like, she probably has more education than most of you. "You" being the posters he was addressing.

As to who this was intended for, I'm not sure, but it reads like a mix of introduction, explanations and a 'we're back' letter. Yet they didn't disappear.

[MsJamieDornan]

Jill needs another haircut.

[Madtown]

5 hours ago, MsJamieDornan said:

Jill needs another haircut.

I've been thinking the same thing. It's getting to be as long as it was before the cut. I wish she would go even shorter, but baby steps.

[doodlebug]

On 12/25/2020 at 2:03 AM, iwantcookies said:

Does Jill believe 

that Jesus was born when dinasaurs roamed the earth?

More importantly, does she think that Israel's Christmas shirt, with a dinosaur posing with a Christmas tree, is historically accurate?  Any other family, I would just think it's a cute Christmasy oufit for a kid who loves dinosaurs.  In Jill's case, you have to wonder if she thought tamed dinos were used to put the star on top of the tree

[doodlebug]

On 12/24/2020 at 10:48 PM, emmawoodhouse said:

I wonder what the situations beyond their control caused them to quit ministry? TLC was in their control; they quit. What else could it have been? I hate Vaguebooking.

I think the 'situation beyond their control' was Jill's complete lack of understanding of what a life in overseas ministry would be like.  And that she didn't realize that she is afraid of anything and everything and couldn't tolerate being apart from her husband for even brief periods during their time in El Salvador.  The entire 'situation' was Jill's inability to live the missionary life.  No amount of college or language courses or other assistance would've changed that.

[irisheyes]

11 minutes ago, doodlebug said:

More importantly, does she think that Israel's Christmas shirt, with a dinosaur posing with a Christmas tree, is historically accurate?  Any other family, I would just think it's a cute Christmasy oufit for a kid who loves dinosaurs.  In Jill's case, you have to wonder if she thought tamed dinos were used to put the star on top of the tree

Didn’t she say before that Israel loves dinosaurs?  If so, I’d guess it was just a cute shirt that she thought he would like. 
 

Which, again, puts her parenting miles ahead of her parents. 

[doodlebug]

2 minutes ago, irisheyes said:

Didn’t she say before that Israel loves dinosaurs?  If so, I’d guess it was just a cute shirt that she thought he would like. 
 

Which, again, puts her parenting miles ahead of her parents. 

She probably did.  I have four nephews and every single one of them was a dinosaur nut at age 5.

And, yes, it was also nice that they included some stuff about their kids in the Christmas message.  Anyone think Michelle has any idea what any of her kids' favorite foods were when they were 5?  Or that she knew what subjects they liked best in school, even back when she was their teacher?  Nope, no way.

[GeeGolly]

19 hours ago, doodlebug said:

She probably did.  I have four nephews and every single one of them was a dinosaur nut at age 5.

And, yes, it was also nice that they included some stuff about their kids in the Christmas message.  Anyone think Michelle has any idea what any of her kids' favorite foods were when they were 5?  Or that she knew what subjects they liked best in school, even back when she was their teacher?  Nope, no way.

I doubt Michelle really knew (knows) anything about her kids likes and dislikes, but it was a TLC thing, back in the day, to list them. From Bible verses to careers and a few things in between.

[Quilt Fairy]

5 hours ago, GeeGolly said:

I doubt Michelle really knew (knows) anything about her kids likes and dislikes, but it was a TLC thing, back in the day, to list them. From Bible verses to careers and a few things in between.

This reminds me of a scene in season 4 of The Crown where Queen Elizabeth asks her private secretary to schedule meetings with her children and, by the way, provide her with a list of their interests beforehand. 

Back to the Dillards.  In that last picture of the 4 of them, does anyone else think that while Jill, Derek and Izzy are looking at the camera, Sam is looking for the exit?  

[sheshark]

9 minutes ago, Quilt Fairy said:

Back to the Dillards.  In that last picture of the 4 of them, does anyone else think that while Jill, Derek and Izzy are looking at the camera, Sam is looking for the exit?  

Sam may be distracted but will eventually understand he has it much better than Spurge and the Smuggars. I can just imagine Izzy asking Spurgeon what he is doing in school, where his school is, what subjects he likes and his school friends names.  And Spurgeon just looking totally blank.  Sad.

[farmgal4]

On 12/26/2020 at 11:17 AM, doodlebug said:

More importantly, does she think that Israel's Christmas shirt, with a dinosaur posing with a Christmas tree, is historically accurate?  Any other family, I would just think it's a cute Christmasy oufit for a kid who loves dinosaurs.  In Jill's case, you have to wonder if she thought tamed dinos were used to put the star on top of the tree

The Noah’s Ark exhibit (the one built to scale) in KY has dinosaurs in it.  I vaguely remember the Duggar’s visiting that place and posting a picture of the dinosaurs, so Jill most likely believes it to be so.

[crazy8s]

the boys have the Ark Encounter book on their book rack thing. but I think the shirt is just a generic shirt from target or walmart. my grandsons have valentine and halloween versions of it. same style - gray shirt with the long sleeves.

[MichaelaRae]

On 12/26/2020 at 3:24 AM, GeeGolly said:

As to who this was intended for, I'm not sure, but it reads like a mix of introduction, explanations and a 'we're back' letter. Yet they didn't disappear.

Don't call it a comeback. They've been here for years. 😉

[anna0852]

8 hours ago, sheshark said:

 I can just imagine Izzy asking Spurgeon what he is doing in school, where his school is, what subjects he likes and his school friends names.  And Spurgeon just looking totally blank.  Sad.

Can I get Jessa's explanation for that inequality on the record?

 

[iwantcookies]

10 hours ago, sheshark said:

Sam may be distracted but will eventually understand he has it much better than Spurge and the Smuggars. I can just imagine Izzy asking Spurgeon what he is doing in school, where his school is, what subjects he likes and his school friends names.  And Spurgeon just looking totally blank.  Sad.

Spurgeon will flip back his sweaty, dirty hair and smugly reply:

my school is in grandma’s kitchen, my pa is my teacher, my favorite subject is picking my nose, I will grow up to own my very own used car lot, my school friends are the M male offspring and my siblings. 
 

 

Edited December 28, 2020 by iwantcookies

[beckie]

6 hours ago, iwantcookies said:

Spurgeon will flip back his sweaty, dirty hair and smugly reply:

my school is in grandma’s kitchen, my pa is my teacher, my favorite subject is picking my nose, I will grow up to own my very own used car lot, my school friends are the M male offspring and my siblings. 
 

 

And Jessa will cheer and tell him he's better than Israel.

[BigBingerBro]

‘Counting On’ Star Jessa Seewald Says Jill & Derick Dillard Were Not Left Out of Duggar Family Christmas Due to Estrangement; Claims They Chose Not to Attend

[anna0852]

Sure Jessa

[BitterApple]

Jessa isn't as clever as she thinks she is. If they cordially declined, then why did the gifts need to be mailed? Why wouldn't Jill just swing by the day before Christmas to drop them off and meet up with the family? The fact that they needed the post office as an intermediary tells me things are still bad between Jill and Boob (or Derick and Boob).

[Temperance]

23 hours ago, BitterApple said:

Jessa isn't as clever as she thinks she is. If they cordially declined, then why did the gifts need to be mailed? Why wouldn't Jill just swing by the day before Christmas to drop them off and meet up with the family? The fact that they needed the post office as an intermediary tells me things are still bad between Jill and Boob (or Derick and Boob).

Maybe Jill was worried about COVID? Like y'all weren't social distancing so don't come over?  Otherwise it doesn't make sense. 

[Zella]

37 minutes ago, Temperance said:

Maybe Jill was worried about COVID? Like y'all weren't social distancing so don't come over?  Otherwise it doesn't make sense. 

But Jill and Derick haven't exactly been paragons of virtue about the virus either. They take some precautions, but the vibe I get is they will follow the rules when forced to but don't actively take precautions otherwise. 

[iwantcookies]

I don’t think they were invited to TTH for Xmas.

[emmawoodhouse]

5 hours ago, Temperance said:

Maybe Jill was worried about COVID? Like y'all weren't social distancing so don't come over?  Otherwise it doesn't make sense. 

They mailed their gifts to the TTH. I think that indicates that they had absolutely no intention of going there.

[Scarlett45]

On 12/30/2020 at 4:44 PM, BitterApple said:

Jessa isn't as clever as she thinks she is. If they cordially declined, then why did the gifts need to be mailed? Why wouldn't Jill just swing by the day before Christmas to drop them off and meet up with the family? The fact that they needed the post office as an intermediary tells me things are still bad between Jill and Boob (or Derick and Boob).

I agree with this. Why spend money on postage, if you were on good terms and lived in the same area? I sent my extended family members Harry & David boxes because they live on the OPPOSITE side of Chicago and I still work full time. 
 

Now it could be Jill bought the gifts online and just sent them straight to the TTH to be wrapped for the intended. I did that for my friends’ kids. 

[auntieminem]

I don't know if they were invited or not. You would think Jessa would know if she fibbed about them being invited Derick would say they weren't on social media. I do think they are far more cautious than the rest of the family because of Cathy and also I am sure Derick does not want to take chances of messing up his last year of law school by taking chances getting sick. So even if they are not as careful as I am I do think they would not want to be thrown into the Duggar petrie dish.  Just too many people who have been too many places.  

[cmr2014]

I don't think family members get "invited" to the TTH, they're just expected to show up. 1) Regardless of whether they were "invited" it seems pretty clear that JB and Derick are on the outs and it would have been uncomfortable 2) The Dillards are (IMO) being MUCH more careful about COVID than the others. They're almost always wearing masks in their photos, and J'chelle came over to wish someone a happy birthday earlier in the year, and they stood outside. The TTH is a petri dish under the best of circumstances and anyone who is making even the slightest effort to refrain from getting sick is better off anywhere else. 3) Jill may have mailed the presents to avoid getting sucked into the TTH vortex. What might be billed as "going by the house to drop off presents" could easily devolve into hours spent in that cesspit. I'd say it's worth the postage to not have to deal with it.

[DangerousMinds]

3 hours ago, auntieminem said:

I don't know if they were invited or not. You would think Jessa would know if she fibbed about them being invited Derick would say they weren't on social media. I do think they are far more cautious than the rest of the family because of Cathy and also I am sure Derick does not want to take chances of messing up his last year of law school by taking chances getting sick. So even if they are not as careful as I am I do think they would not want to be thrown into the Duggar petrie dish.  Just too many people who have been too many places.  

Jessa is also a known liar 🤷‍♀️.

[GeeGolly]

Invited, or their names were put in the hat so they were included. Maybe even Michelle or Jessa called Jill to tell her whose name they all got and said, "are you guys coming to the house this year?", and there's their "invite". If the Dillards wanted to be at the THH, I'm sure Cathy could have accommodated their schedule so the Dillards could have dropped in for the gift exchange and then left early to go to Cathy's. 

In my opinion, calculating your risk of catching covid for yourself is one thing, but if you are concerned about protecting an at-risk loved one from covid, you're either all in, or you're not doing your job. Being a little bit cautious is like playing Russian Roulette. I totally agree that attending an event like the TTH Christmas increases the odds of catching/spreading covid, but not by that much, if you're only loosely playing by the rules to begin with. We know Jill was in public with Amy, went to a church event and went out to eat with another couple, all less than 14 days before Christmas. And Izzy goes to school. Although in-restaurant dining is within the rules, that's a deal breaker for most at-risk folks.

Anyway, it seems Cathy was much more careful in the beginning of covid. They had outdoor distanced visits in the spring. But since then we've seen Cathy at a couple of outdoor events without wearing her mask the entire time and they've also spent maskless time indoors with the Dillards. So it seems Cathy isn't going above and beyond in being careful herself.

As @emmawoodhouse noted, Jessa frequently and intentionally misleads followers all the time.

[doodlebug]

On 12/31/2020 at 10:10 PM, emmawoodhouse said:

They mailed their gifts to the TTH. I think that indicates that they had absolutely no intention of going there.

Absolutely.  I have a couple of relatives in the area who are being fairly strict about the quarantine, and, since I am working and being exposed to others out in the world, I drove out to their home and dropped their gifts off on the porch and we spent a few minutes in socially distant conversation with our masks on.  And these people live farther from me than Jill lives from her parents and I work full time. They mailed the gifts because they didn't even want to approach the TTH.

[absnow54]

I'm sure the Dillard's were "invited" to attend with a huge asterisk of terms and conditions to meet that they would never possibly agree to. What I find odd is that they didn't have one of the Howlers or Lost Girls transport the gifts like they've done previously.