S09.E06: Meeting Mariah's Girlfriend

[Kohola3]

Quote

 

I'm going to throw a few things out there for the next episode - because even without seeing it, I'm pretty sure these things will need to be said:

1. FU Kody.

2. Shut up, Robyn.

3. Take it down a notch, Christine.

4. Wake up, Janelle!

5. Stop crying and whining, Meri.

 

I think they should embroider this on a pillow and put one on every couch.  Would cover all episodes  until the end of time.

[xwordfanatik]

11 hours ago, DakotaJustice said:

Personally I don't think that was a standard practice for her - eating healthy I mean. I really think she lost weight for the show and also to compete with Robyn who Kody was courting at the time. Yeah yeah I know the official story is that Meri encouraged it, I have a VERY hard time believing that. Unless of course it was to hurt Janelle and Christine. 

If eating healthy WAS her standard practice she wouldn't be like she is now.

Hear, hear!  She has really chunked it on the last few years, even before she lost her #1 wife status to her former BFF.  I'd feel a bit sorry for her, if she wasn't a total bitch.

[Roslyn]

1 hour ago, Sasha888 said:

Speaking of houses - I read that they sold the Lehi house as a "short sale" (which was a term I had to look up, and from what I could make of it, it means you are accepting an offer from the buyer that is less than what you owe against the house...not surprised this bunch had themselves in that situation).

If so, I think the "short sale" was pretty "short sighted"! I think they should've held onto the Lehi house at any cost, because it seems pretty clear to me that once the show ends, they are going to lose those McMansions, and Meri is going to drop them all and move into her B&B. Once the TLC money is gone, Kody, Janelle, Christine, and Robyn will lose their houses, and if they'd kept the Lehi house, could've moved back in there. It's already set up for 3 wives, and I really think when the show is over, that's how many wives Kody will be left with - Meri's going to take off so fast she's going to leave scorch marks on the carpets.

Back when the Lehi house sold, Kody tweeted about selling it.  Someone who knows where to find the selling info looked it up and saw that it was a short sale.  Basically you do a short sale because you are on the verge of a foreclosure.  You can only qualify to accept a short sale if your mortgage holder agrees to it.  The owner makes zero money from the sale and the mortgage holder gets less money than is owed.  The only plus is that the owner can dump the property fast, the buyer usually gets a deal with a fast closing date and the owner doesn't have a foreclosure on their credit...the mortgage holder/bank loses money and all, but they get to write off the property without all the money invested in foreclosing on it plus getting it prepped for sale etc.

While it may seem like they should have kept it to move back into and all...it sounds like they had to sell it quick or face that hit on their credit and a public foreclosure.

[Roslyn]

3 hours ago, Sasha888 said:

Totally agree with you.

I've heard the whole thing was fake and Kody didn't really adopt them, blah blah blah...I've heard a bunch of shit and don't know what to believe. 

But, if he did adopt them, I totally agree with you...they have a father they have a relationship with. They were packed up to go for a visit with him as soon as the "adoption" was over. If he was that horrible, you wouldn't send them off to visit him.

Regardless of whether the adoption is real or fake, the real reason Robyn pulled this crap was to get that legal wife status, power, attention, etc. For people who claim that it's their spiritual marriages that matter, not the legal ones, they sure seem to care a lot about legal marriage.

I believe someone with sharp eyes previously noted on this board that Meri used to have her marriage certificate framed and displayed on the wall in her bedroom. Yeah, that legal marriage doesn't matter at all....<insert eye roll>.

Yes, I agree...deep down I believe the adoption was just one more storyline they fed the viewers.  Along with all the bullshit parties afterwards etc.  However there has been so much stuff to sift through, yet none of it really and truly credible that it is hard to know what to believe.  What stands out to me about the adoption is the fact that a parent can not just sign away their rights that easily...and it seemed so easy.  The real father just showed up to the lawyers office one day out of the blue and bam...signed a paper and there it was.  Everything I have read about giving up parental rights is that it isn't that easy at all.  Another thing that stands out is the whole courtroom thing with the cameras behind the judges head...no one goes behind the judge in his courtroom.  No one walks up to a judge without his verbal permission in a courtroom and under the watchful eye of his armed bailiff.  Yet cameras were positioned (and camera and sound people etc etc) behind the judges bench. 

As for the divorce etc...I honestly think they tried to pull one over on everyone.  It was done in September, yet didn't come out publicly until January or February and it leaking to the public was sketchy at best.  I really really think that they tried to shuffle the marriages without anyone noticing, even doing it behind TLC's and the film companies back.  THAT's the biggest reason I think everything surrounding the divorce etc is totally bogus. 

My personal opinion with no real fact to back it up...just a gut instinct. I think they shuffled the legal marriage for tax reasons.  Putting Kody as head of household in a family with more underage children that would be underage for awhile.  Putting Kody on another house deed AND aligning him with Robyns business.  I just have this feeling in my gut that it was done in plenty of time to be ready for a big ol bankruptcy when the time comes. 

And yes...that legal marriage was very very important to Meri.  She was a mess during that reenactment of the signing of the divorce papers and very ill the morning of.  Yes.  She did have her marriage certificate on her bedroom wall.  In the scene where she was in bed with the injury from skiing and Christine comes to ask her advice on dealing with Kody...the one where Meri tells Christine to suck it up and keep sweet (paraphrasing...).  The camera just captures it on the wall next to her bed, framed.  Yea...you don't do that when your legal marriage is meaningless.  I was barely able to catch a frame on the video and crop it enough to just make out the "marriage certificate" at the top.

[Sasha888]

29 minutes ago, Roslyn said:

Back when the Lehi house sold, Kody tweeted about selling it.  Someone who knows where to find the selling info looked it up and saw that it was a short sale.  Basically you do a short sale because you are on the verge of a foreclosure.  You can only qualify to accept a short sale if your mortgage holder agrees to it.  The owner makes zero money from the sale and the mortgage holder gets less money than is owed.  The only plus is that the owner can dump the property fast, the buyer usually gets a deal with a fast closing date and the owner doesn't have a foreclosure on their credit...the mortgage holder/bank loses money and all, but they get to write off the property without all the money invested in foreclosing on it plus getting it prepped for sale etc.

While it may seem like they should have kept it to move back into and all...it sounds like they had to sell it quick or face that hit on their credit and a public foreclosure.

Aha...thanks for the info. I had tried to google and understand short sales, but your explanation gives more info as to WHY someone would do it. Now, it totally makes sense...if I'm understanding your info correctly, they weren't just "upside down" on the house, they were in danger of a foreclosure...so they would have had to throw A LOT of money at it to make that problem go away. And I think we all know, they don't have a lot of money - for any emergency. Now matter what TLC pays them, they will live outside their means, because they are idiots. So I have no doubt that there is no savings, no nest egg that they could've used to save the Lehi house....as usual, the only option they left themselves was to "cut and run".

Do these people EVER pay the full price on anything they own? Seems like they make just enough payments to not have houses, cars, etc taken away from them, but have no intention of ever actually paying something off.

They screw stores, etc out of whatever clothing and goods they buy by declaring bankruptcy every so often...so they haven't even really fully paid for the clothes on their backs (or the Victoria's Secret goodies on their goodies - I know, shame on me, I'll pass the brain bleach and see myself out).

This kind of crap really pisses me off. I was raised with the mindset that this is STEALING. You are not entitled to charge up a big clothing bill, then default on the payment but keep the clothes. You've basically shop lifted those clothes. The company is stuck with the bill, and in turn they charge more for their goods and who pays for that? Other customers. While grifters get their items for discounted prices by simply not paying off the bill.

I could not sleep at night if I lived like this. My conscience would bother me, and I'd be worried that my house would be taken away and I'd be thrown out on the street.

I'm on the other end of the spectrum from these people...I paid cash for my HOUSE. When I wanted a different vehicle, I also paid cash. The dude about fell over. My realtor, however, did not - - he's known my parents and the rest of my family forever - when I had it narrowed down to 2 or 3 houses I wanted to make an offer on, he said "I assume you'll be paying cash?" and I said "Yes." (you might be from a small town if....)

I certainly don't expect everyone to live that way...with no mortgage or car loan...I didn't either, when I first started out in life, young and fresh out of college. But eventually I built up equity in my home, by not borrowing against it and by simply making my payments. When I got sick and could no longer work, I moved back to my hometown and accepted that I wouldn't be able to have a big beautiful house anymore - and while I was still working, I realized hey I'm getting sicker and can't keep this up forever, I started socking away money so that I could buy a modest house with cash, because I knew making it on a disability income would be hard. No house payment and no car payment make that a hell of a lot easier.

But THIS bunch...they have no concept of saving some money for a rainy day. Ysabel has a serious health issue, and may even need surgery - do they even think about that kind of thing? Any of the kids could develop a serious health issue, out of the blue. They also don't seem to realize that their only real "job" is being on tv, which obviously can't last forever! You'd think they'd be setting something aside for that day when TLC pulls the plug. But I doubt that they are.

These people are in their 40's and I believe Kody just turned 50 (?), and what do they have to show for it? Everything they have is likely still on payments, with very little equity. They don't actually "own" anything outright. To me, that's more normal for a 20-something person, not an upper 40's person.

What they make from the show would seem like a pretty nice living to a lot of us...yet they can't live within those means...even to the point that they basically lose the Lehi house. Bet Janelle is glad she invested her inheritance into that house!

Sorry for the long post but the financial irresponsibility of this bunch just pisses me right off. And they're so entitled about it! For example, Meri - "I like nice things!" while she cries and whines about why she should have them. Everyone like nice things, you dipwads! But most of us have to WORK for them. You aren't entitled to nice things just because you LIKE them! 

[Sasha888]

50 minutes ago, Roslyn said:

What stands out to me about the adoption is the fact that a parent can not just sign away their rights that easily...and it seemed so easy.  The real father just showed up to the lawyers office one day out of the blue and bam...signed a paper and there it was.  Everything I have read about giving up parental rights is that it isn't that easy at all.  Another thing that stands out is the whole courtroom thing with the cameras behind the judges head...no one goes behind the judge in his courtroom.  No one walks up to a judge without his verbal permission in a courtroom and under the watchful eye of his armed bailiff.  Yet cameras were positioned (and camera and sound people etc etc) behind the judges bench. 

Absolutely. The whole courtroom scene is one of the things that really stood out to me as well. The cameras behind the judge, etc screamed "FAKE" to me. 

You'd think TLC could've done a better job of faking this. Which, like you said, makes me think TLC didn't know about the divorce shenanigans, and had to quickly come up with a BS storyline to film in order to explain the whole thing away.

[Gothish520]

3 hours ago, Sasha888 said:

They screw stores, etc out of whatever clothing and goods they buy by declaring bankruptcy every so often...so they haven't even really fully paid for the clothes on their backs (or the Victoria's Secret goodies on their goodies - I know, shame on me, I'll pass the brain bleach and see myself out).

This kind of crap really pisses me off. I was raised with the mindset that this is STEALING. You are not entitled to charge up a big clothing bill, then default on the payment but keep the clothes. You've basically shop lifted those clothes. The company is stuck with the bill, and in turn they charge more for their goods and who pays for that? Other customers. While grifters get their items for discounted prices by simply not paying off the bill.

Actually, the credit card company pays for any goods or services bought on their cards. When someone doesn't pay their credit card bill, it's the card company itself that takes the hit - that's why they are the ones that start calling looking for their money, not the stores, restaurants, etc.

Edited February 25, 2018 by Gothish520

[Sasha888]

6 minutes ago, Gothish520 said:

Actually, the credit card company pays for any goods or services bought on their cards. When someone doesn't pay their credit card bill, it's the card company itself that takes the hit - that's why they are the ones that start calling looking for their money, not the stores, restaurants, etc.

I later noticed I had missed this in my post...however, a lot of the bankruptcy docs I've seen for them include store credit cards...Robyn's VS card, Janelle's Lane Bryant (? or something similar) card...after I realized I'd missed the credit card thing, I began wondering if store cards actually eat the expense, or if store cards are kind of "insured" by a larger company, and thus are not directly affected by bankruptcy. Maybe someone knows the answer to this?

Still, either way, if you buy stuff and then declare bankruptcy (I exclude people who had an unforeseeable life event...crappy things happen, and sometimes good people have no choice but to file bankruptcy) you are still basically getting stuff and not paying for it. You've ripped off someone...store or credit card company. And sooner or later, they are going to make up that loss by charging other people more, in some way. The big credit card companies are still making plenty of money - they make up for the money they didn't get from the Browns by charging outrageous interest rates to everyone else who actually pays off their debt.

I'm bringing up good people who have something awful happen and thus can't pay, because they should not be lumped in with the Browns, in my opinion. The Brown family circus hasn't had a big traumatic event...they just live way beyond their means, and don't really care to change that.

[Sasha888]

1 minute ago, lma said:

Framing her marriage certificate seems mean to me because the other wives don’t have one to frame. That’s a passive aggressive move if there ever was one.

I agree...it was a calculated move by Meri to frame that thing. I'm surprised it was hanging in her bedroom, and not right in the living room for all to see. Maybe she did have it out in the open at one time, and someone complained enough that finally someone (Kody?) finally said if you must hang it up, at least put it in a more private room.

[Gothish520]

13 minutes ago, Sasha888 said:

I later noticed I had missed this in my post...however, a lot of the bankruptcy docs I've seen for them include store credit cards...Robyn's VS card, Janelle's Lane Bryant (? or something similar) card...after I realized I'd missed the credit card thing, I began wondering if store cards actually eat the expense, or if store cards are kind of "insured" by a larger company, and thus are not directly affected by bankruptcy. Maybe someone knows the answer to this?

Good point about the store cards. I think back in the day most stores owned their credit cards, but now at least some are owned by the major card companies. 

[Sasha888]

3 minutes ago, Gothish520 said:

Good point about the store cards. I think back in the day most stores owned their credit cards, but now at least some are owned by the major card companies. 

I've sometimes wondered if store cards are easier to qualify for...this bunch isn't known for their financial prowess, so perhaps after a few bankruptcies and hits to their credit rating, store cards were easier for them to get as opposed to major credit cards.

It's really neither here nor there...I'm just fascinated by human behavior. Especially the behavior of people I can't figure out. 

But hey, if these folks were leading normal, boring lives, we wouldn't be watching a show about them. We're probably all a little intrigued by the "strange" in them.

Lord knows nobody would watch a show about my regular old boring life...but it suits me perfectly. I love SERENITY. 

That's probably why I'm still watching this garbage...I'm fascinated that people would choose a life where serenity is pretty much impossible to achieve, because it's what I crave the most.

Well....that and I'm waiting for the inevitable train wreck that's going to happen at some point. 

[DakotaJustice]

3 hours ago, Gothish520 said:

Good point about the store cards. I think back in the day most stores owned their credit cards, but now at least some are owned by the major card companies. 

 the term credit card companies is a bit of a misnomer. 

There aren't any real credit card companies in the sense you mention with the exception of maybe AMEX and in the past, Diners Club, which is considered the first credit card.

Visa/MasterCard are payment networks that basically run the brand and allow funds to flow through from the different financial entities. Not just credit products, but debit and other products such as remittances and P2P transactions such as Venmo, for instance. The networks facilitate communication between the parties but they aren't banks.

Most cards including store cards are issued by banks to the cardholders. Carrying a balance is basically an unsecured bank loan and the bank charges interest according to the agreed upon terms on that balance. 

If the cardholder falls to pay on the balance it's basically a loan default and unless the cardholder dies or files bankruptcy the issuing bank will place the account into corrections in an attempt to get at least some of the borrowed funds back. 

So it's not a "credit card company" these days, it's the bank that issued the card.

[Xena]

9 hours ago, Roslyn said:

it sounds like they had to sell it quick or face that hit on their credit and a public foreclosure.

 

They messed up with the Lehi house - they had too many names on the mortgage (I think Kody, Meri, and Janelle?  Or at least Kody\Janelle?).  To appropriately bleed the beast, you dump everything on one person (one person on the mortgage, one person has all the credit cards, one person has all the auto loans), so that when you file for bankruptcy, the next person in line can start applying for loans, etc...

The messed up by having too many names on the Lehi house, that's the only reason they don't want to take a 'hit' on the property; this leaves them at a disadvantage if Robyn decides to fly the coop - who has clean credit to start the bleeding again?

Edited February 25, 2018 by Xena
Appropriately has an l and a y at the end of it.

[VedaPierce]

22 hours ago, laurakaye said:

I miss TWOP so much!  I can get to old recaps using "Brilliant But Cancelled" (thanks to a fellow Survivor fan who pointed me in the right direction), but does anyone know if Sister Wives can still be accessed through TWOP?  I can't find it archived anywhere.  It breaks my heart.

You could try Wayback Machine. You have to hunt a little, but I've found some old TWOP pages when this (PTV) site was new and didn't have a lot of posters yet.

Edited February 25, 2018 by VedaPierce

[VedaPierce]

9 hours ago, Roslyn said:

 

And yes...that legal marriage was very very important to Meri.  She was a mess during that reenactment of the signing of the divorce papers and very ill the morning of.  Yes.  She did have her marriage certificate on her bedroom wall.  In the scene where she was in bed with the injury from skiing and Christine comes to ask her advice on dealing with Kody...the one where Meri tells Christine to suck it up and keep sweet (paraphrasing...).  The camera just captures it on the wall next to her bed, framed.  Yea...you don't do that when your legal marriage is meaningless.  I was barely able to catch a frame on the video and crop it enough to just make out the "marriage certificate" at the top.

Wow. Framed marriage certificate. On the wall. Is this a thing? I have never heard of anyone doing this. Maybe an insufferable honeymoon couple. Or the FIRST and ONLY LEGAL wife of a polygamist, using it to rub all the following wives' noses in that fact. Ugh. That first and legal status was EVERYTHING to Meri. And I'm so sure she lorded over everyone with her position. She's awful.

[VedaPierce]

Having not one, but TWO broken-down jalopies sitting on their properties says so much about these irresponsible hillbillies. They are tacky AF.

[VedaPierce]

8 hours ago, Sasha888 said:

Absolutely. The whole courtroom scene is one of the things that really stood out to me as well. The cameras behind the judge, etc screamed "FAKE" to me. 

You'd think TLC could've done a better job of faking this. Which, like you said, makes me think TLC didn't know about the divorce shenanigans, and had to quickly come up with a BS storyline to film in order to explain the whole thing away.

Maybe I'm the most naive person (or dumbest) but I just can't believe that they faked all that. It just seems like a lot to fake. Getting the kids involved, that scene with Truley and Christine reenacting the adoption process, everyone getting so dressed up, all that emotion with all of them, I don't know...is it possible that they got permission to film behind the judge? That seems like the simplest explanation...but I don't know, anything is possible with this Brown Clown Circus.... 

[AZChristian]

40 minutes ago, VedaPierce said:

Wow. Framed marriage certificate. On the wall. Is this a thing? I have never heard of anyone doing this. Maybe an insufferable honeymoon couple. Or the FIRST and ONLY LEGAL wife of a polygamist, using it to rub all the following wives' noses in that fact. Ugh. That first and legal status was EVERYTHING to Meri. And I'm so sure she lorded over everyone with her position. She's awful.

It almost looks like the certificate is down at the level of the mattress on the bed.  Something for Kody to look at so he was reminded of Meri's special status during intimate moments?  I wonder if it's still there, or is the divorce decree there now.

[Kohola3]

1 hour ago, VedaPierce said:

Getting the kids involved, that scene with Truley and Christine reenacting the adoption process, everyone getting so dressed up, all that emotion with all of them, I don't know...is it possible that they got permission to film behind the judge?

As I recall at the time, there were people involved in the legal system that said there was absolutely no way that any judge would allow a reality TV show to film like that.

[AZChristian]

14 minutes ago, Kohola3 said:

As I recall at the time, there were people involved in the legal system that said there was absolutely no way that any judge would allow a reality TV show to film like that.

And I don't there's any way that Kody would have his entire family walk into a courtroom and announce to the judge, "This is our family" if he felt persecuted.  Even though it was Las Vegas instead of Utah, real criminals who feel like the authorities are out to get them tend to try to stay out of courthouses.

[Sandy W]

32 minutes ago, Kohola3 said:

As I recall at the time, there were people involved in the legal system that said there was absolutely no way that any judge would allow a reality TV show to film like that.

Someone who had been through the process, mentioned that the judge would have would have taken the Jessop kids individually into his chambers to question them regarding if they fully understood the consequences of this procedure.  It may have happened off camera or the judge may have relied on a report from a social worker, but the full impact of this action should have been explained to Robyn's kids in an age appropriate manner.

[xwordfanatik]

@Sasha888, I think you and I were separated at birth.  I totally agree with the above post.

Financial irresponsibility pisses me off to no end.  Living beyond one's means, a la the Browns, and expecting responsible people to pay for their choices, is beyond selfish.

That marriage certificate thing is something I didn't know.  One more reason to call Meri a straight-up bitch.

[Kohola3]

8 hours ago, Sasha888 said:

Well....that and I'm waiting for the inevitable train wreck that's going to happen at some point. 

Can't come too soon for me.  I am a big believer in karmic justice. 

I worked full time for 45 years and have earned everything I have;  I have never declared bankruptcy or pulled any fancy financing.  Why should they be able to do that and get away with it?  And publicly, no less.  Bet it all comes from the Mormon Book of How to Steal Everything You Want and Make Others Pay for It.

[Gothish520]

2 hours ago, Sandy W said:

Someone who had been through the process, mentioned that the judge would have would have taken the Jessop kids individually into his chambers to question them regarding if they fully understood the consequences of this procedure.  It may have happened off camera or the judge may have relied on a report from a social worker, but the full impact of this action should have been explained to Robyn's kids in an age appropriate manner.

I assume that anything that happens on the show is a reenactment, and I think (and hope) that things were handled in the proper manner off camera.

8 minutes ago, Kohola3 said:

Can't come too soon for me.  I am a big believer in karmic justice. 

I worked full time for 45 years and have earned everything I have;  I have never declared bankruptcy or pulled any fancy financing.  Why should they be able to do that and get away with it?  And publicly, no less.  Bet it all comes from the Mormon Book of How to Steal Everything You Want and Make Others Pay for It.

You definitely have lived in a way that most people don't in this country though. I don't know anyone who can pay cash for a house or even a car. I know very few women who can afford to live by themselves. That's not to say that I condone abusing the system, but many people need to avail themselves of things like credit and government assistance to live comfortably.

I think it sucks and I think housing, education, and automobiles should be much more affordable, but they aren't. So people have to utilize tools to get by.

That certainly doesn't mean that people are owed a closet full of designer clothes, expensive restaurant meals, or fancy vacations. 

Edited February 25, 2018 by Gothish520

[Kohola3]

5 minutes ago, Gothish520 said:

I know very few women who can afford to live by themselves. That's not to say that I condone using and abusing the system, but many people need to avail themselves of things like credit and government assistance to get by.

There are absolutely people who need assistance. Nobody decides, as a child,  that they want to grow up poor and be on government assistance for the rest of their lives.  Things happen and that's what safety nets are for.

As to knowing very few women who can afford to live by themselves.....educated and/or hard working women certainly can. I am a single woman as are a large number of my friends either by choice, divorces, or widowhood.  We are all self supporting as we all had full time jobs and lived within our means.  Some were professional jobs and some were not but none of us have ever required public assistance nor have any of us declared bankruptcy.  That's not how any of us were raised.  Maybe it's the generation - I was raised by parents who went through the depression.

[tabloidlover]

10 hours ago, lma said:

Framing her marriage certificate seems mean to me because the other wives don’t have one to frame. That’s a passive aggressive move if there ever was one.

 

 

5 hours ago, VedaPierce said:

Wow. Framed marriage certificate. On the wall. Is this a thing? I have never heard of anyone doing this. Maybe an insufferable honeymoon couple. Or the FIRST and ONLY LEGAL wife of a polygamist, using it to rub all the following wives' noses in that fact. Ugh. That first and legal status was EVERYTHING to Meri. And I'm so sure she lorded over everyone with her position. She's awful.

WHO THE FUCK FRAMES THEIR MARRIAGE CERTIFICATE ???    WHY would you ever do this??   I have ours somewhere..... it has never occurred to me to frame it.   I'm married... I don't need to look at a piece of paper from ages ago to remind me.   She's such an asshole!

**not that I'd ever be in this cluster of a polygamous situation, but I have just enough asshole in me to have framed her divorce decree and hung it right next to it.   The divorce decree would be in a larger and fancier frame too.   

Edited February 25, 2018 by tabloidlover
License does not equal certificate

[Absolom]

Meri framed her marriage certificate - proof of marriage.  A marriage license is the permission by the state to get married.  Easy to confuse but two different things.  I'm a bit pedantic about it as I used to work for the government and I saw quite a few people go off and get copies of the license only to have to go back and get a copy of the actual certificate.  :)

[tabloidlover]

Edited post above.  Thanks @Absolom

Edited February 25, 2018 by tabloidlover

[toodles]

5 hours ago, VedaPierce said:

Wow. Framed marriage certificate. On the wall. Is this a thing? I have never heard of anyone doing this. Maybe an insufferable honeymoon couple. Or the FIRST and ONLY LEGAL wife of a polygamist, using it to rub all the following wives' noses in that fact. Ugh. That first and legal status was EVERYTHING to Meri. And I'm so sure she lorded over everyone with her position. She's awful.

If anyone is interested, there are numerous WTF comments in the great wife swap thread in here.  Also the adoption episode thread is a great read too.  I don't remember when it aired, but it's in one of the past season threads.  All I'll say is hardly anyone bought the TLC version of the divorce.  I'll stop now because I'm WAY off topic.

[Sasha888]

6 hours ago, Xena said:

They messed up with the Lehi house - they had too many names on the mortgage (I think Kody, Meri, and Janelle?  Or at least Kody\Janelle?).  To appropriately bleed the beast, you dump everything on one person (one person on the mortgage, one person has all the credit cards, one person has all the auto loans), so that when you file for bankruptcy, the next person in line can start applying for loans, etc...

The messed up by having too many names on the Lehi house, that's the only reason they don't want to take a 'hit' on the property; this leaves them at a disadvantage if Robyn decides to fly the coop - who has clean credit to start the bleeding again?

Christine! If Robyn flies the coop. Because I believe (could be wrong, of course...I try not to waste brain cells remembering details of what these nuts have pulled) that the names on the Lehi house were Meri, Janelle, and Kody.

So if those three had some sort of black mark if they'd let the Lehi house go into foreclosure, Christine and Robyn would still not be involved.

But yes, they screwed up the bleeding of the beast by having too many names on it.

Janelle apparently used her inheritance to help buy that home...so I understand her name being on the mortgage, and Kody's. As for Meri....either they needed her part-time income to qualify for the loan, or it was just Meri being Meri - in other words, no WAY was Meri going to let Janelle have her name on something with just Kody without shoving her nose in as well.

Back to this episode...Meri and Janelle sitting there in therapy. Accomplishing nothing. Fighting over ridiculous little non-issues. Imagine having a relationship like that with someone, for over 20 years, and also having your name on a house together. Yikes.

[Gothish520]

6 hours ago, VedaPierce said:

Wow. Framed marriage certificate. On the wall. Is this a thing? I have never heard of anyone doing this. Maybe an insufferable honeymoon couple. Or the FIRST and ONLY LEGAL wife of a polygamist, using it to rub all the following wives' noses in that fact. Ugh. That first and legal status was EVERYTHING to Meri. And I'm so sure she lorded over everyone with her position. She's awful.

Hahaha, I like the honeymoon couple comment. When my husband and I got married, we were definitely swept up in all the romance and hoopla, even after being together for nine years before getting married. We talked about creating a little "shrine" to our wedding somewhere in the house. We'd put the unity candle and some pictures out, and our champagne glasses, and maybe a couple of the wedding favors, or the bride and groom baseball hats given to us at the shower, etc etc, arranged nicely so that we could gaze anytime at the symbols of our love. 

We had a wonderful honeymoon, and after we got back and started organizing everything, we ended up putting all of our wedding stuff in a big box and eventually storing it in the attic and haven't looked at it since, lol! No shrine was ever erected - and the marriage certificate is in the safe, along with the license. 

And damn, all that just reminded me that you should never store candles in an attic - I will bet that unity candle is a melted ball of wax now!

Edited February 25, 2018 by Gothish520

[Sasha888]

2 hours ago, Gothish520 said:

I don't know anyone who can pay cash for a house or even a car.

You kinda know me a little though, right? ;-) Yes, I'm just a screen name, and I could be lying while my pants go up in flames. But I seriously did pay cash for my house, kept my car LONG after it was paid off, and when I wanted to upgrade, paid cash for the one I currently have. For the record, I was able to pay for my current home with the proceeds of the home I had before...which had a mortgage on it (it was my first home, and yes, I don't know anyone who could pay cash for their very first home).

In order to do that, I had to buy a home that was half the size of my first one, and not nearly as nice. I added a new roof and gutted and remodeled the entire kitchen. Also paid for those two things with cash, no loans.

I'm definitely not "living large". No one would be impressed by either my house or my vehicle.

What I find astounding is my parents - they started with NOTHING. When my Dad was drafted, he made so little in the Army that they used his check to buy cases of baby food for my brother and they sometimes ate pancakes made with just flour & water with no syrup. Couldn't afford it. But made sure their one child had everything he needed.

Fast forward, they get better jobs, have more kids, buy a home, etc. By the time all of us were adults, they had money to spare, and never had a car loan again. House had been paid off for years. One day Mom says "I want a NEW car. I've never in my life had a brand new car." Walks into a dealership and buys one with cash.

Now they have both recently passed on, and left my siblings and I so much money my jaw hit the floor. My Dad never had a high paying, fancy job, and my Mom only ever worked part-time.

While they saved up all this money, they were also helping their kids financially - helped us through divorces, my brother getting his doctorate, etc. They spent A LOT on those things, but still had a boatload of money to leave us when they passed away.

My point being, it can be done...but not if you blow through money like the Brown's. They lived the opposite of how the Browns chose to live. And taught us not to live that way, either.

[Xena]

29 minutes ago, Sasha888 said:

7 hours ago, Xena said:

They messed up with the Lehi house - they had too many names on the mortgage (I think Kody, Meri, and Janelle?  Or at least Kody\Janelle?).  To appropriately bleed the beast, you dump everything on one person (one person on the mortgage, one person has all the credit cards, one person has all the auto loans), so that when you file for bankruptcy, the next person in line can start applying for loans, etc...

The messed up by having too many names on the Lehi house, that's the only reason they don't want to take a 'hit' on the property; this leaves them at a disadvantage if Robyn decides to fly the coop - who has clean credit to start the bleeding again?

Christine! If Robyn flies the coop. Because I believe (could be wrong, of course...I try not to waste brain cells remembering details of what these nuts have pulled) that the names on the Lehi house were Meri, Janelle, and Kody.

 

 

LOL Sasha888, you are right!   To be completely honest - it didn't even cross my mind to take Christine into account (as a flight risk) because let's face it - she ain't going nowheres.  :)    But your point is valid - she could be the credit-holder.  I guess her prior employment would be TLC?  Ah the life of a grifter.

Edited February 25, 2018 by Xena
I didn't even finish my thought before hitting submit because I'm an idiot.

[ginger90]

My parent’s wedding picture was displayed in the living room. Then it was moved to their room, then a room we called the piano room. Then it was moved to the basement where they had a bar/ family room. Then...... it was moved to a guest bedroom. Final resting place is a box I have with so many photos I don’t know what to do with them.

[Sasha888]

2 hours ago, tabloidlover said:

I have just enough asshole in me to have framed her divorce decree and hung it right next to it.   The divorce decree would be in a larger and fancier frame too.   

Ha ha ha ha ha!!!! Love it! I totally want to frame my divorce papers now. Kicking that loser to the curb is probably my biggest life achievement. :-)

18 minutes ago, Xena said:

it didn't even cross my mind to take Christine into account (as a flight risk) because let's face it - she ain't going nowheres.  :)  

Absolutely. I think she is LEAST likely to leave Kodufus. But I actually think only Meri is a flight risk. I don't see Janelle or Robyn ever leaving him either. But as I said earlier about Meri - when the show is cancelled - scorch marks on the carpet, she is outta there.

ETA: Perhaps I shouldn't be so sure about Robyn...getting that legal marriage was a power play, IMO, not an indication that she's so crazy about Kody. Also could just be a way of ensuring that he's on the hook for child support if she skips out on him. Or a way to make sure she's entitled to his Social Security checks at some point (She IS quite a big younger than he is)...at any rate, I should know by now not to put ANYTHING past Robyn. I don't think she will leave, but I also would not be totally surprised if she did (after the show's over, of course...as long as she's on TV she's not going anywhere).

Edited February 25, 2018 by Sasha888

[ginger90]

Btw, once upon a time I bought a house for cash. It was $36,000. Years ago the hospital bought it, kept it for 3 years, and then tore it down for a parking lot.

Paved paradise......... and all of that.

My parents, in 1960 bought a house for $17,500. They worried in the beginning about payments. It was the only house they ever owned. In 2012, it sold for almost $500,000. Sometimes shit just works out.

[Kohola3]

47 minutes ago, Sasha888 said:

Christine!

Nope,  Christine already declared bankruptcy in 2010.  And wasn't there something about outstanding bills when Truley was hospitalized?

[Sasha888]

5 minutes ago, Kohola3 said:

Nope,  Christine already declared bankruptcy in 2010.  And wasn't there something about outstanding bills when Truley was hospitalized?

I believe there was, I forgot about that. (the hospital bill thing).

Hmmm 2010...how long before she can declare bankruptcy again? I keep forgetting how many years you can go in between bankruptcies...but I'm sure the Browns know exactly how long they can go between bankruptcies.

[Sasha888]

22 minutes ago, ginger90 said:

Btw, once upon a time I bought a house for cash. It was $36,000. Years ago the hospital bought it, kept it for 3 years, and then tore it down for a parking lot.

Paved paradise......... and all of that.

My parents, in 1960 bought a house for $17,500. They worried in the beginning about payments. It was the only house they ever owned. In 2012, it sold for almost $500,000. Sometimes shit just works out.

Kind of similar with my parents...they kept EVERY SHRED OF PAPER they ever got, so we found every receipt for every payment they ever made when we cleaned out their house, including paying off my sister's funeral, headstone, etc. Very sad when we found those. They were so young (26) and my sister died the day after she was born. All those slips of paper of them paying $10 a month to pay the hospital, funeral home, etc when they were young and had little money...so sad.

Anyway...they bought their house in '67 for $7,500, and like yours, worried about making that giant $40 a month payment! Seems ridiculous to us now, but it was a lot of money to them. Our parents house is definitely not going to sell for 500K, though. But still, way more than the $7,500 they paid for it!

It constantly amazes me that the Browns can't seem to ever build up any equity in ANYTHING. It seems so simple - buy a house you can actually afford, make the monthly payments, and STAY THERE. Eventually, BOOM you have equity. But not if you keep moving (like fleeing Utah in the night to get away from the cops, who aren't even really AFTER YOU...) and buy houses you can't really afford - they did not "need" McMansions that cost over 400K per wife. When you have 17 kids to support, what in the WORLD would make you think you could afford four houses that are that expensive?

And now, it appears Kody is itching to move yet again...back to Utah. Great idea Kody, sell those 4 big houses you have little to no equity in, and start from scratch...AGAIN.

[xwordfanatik]

I seem to remember they were on the hook for years to pay for Madison's appendectomy.  Apparently they had no insurance, or since Kody was married legally only to Meri, if he had insurance from a job (imagine that!) he couldn't claim her as his child.  But then again, Janelle seemed to work in a government job for a number of years, so I don't know why Maddie wouldn't have been on Janelle's insurance?  

I'm sure I'm way off topic, so I'll just add that Mariah likes being a drama queen as much as Meri (and why not?  It's worked for Meri forever) in staging that intro outside for Audrey.  

[Sasha888]

21 minutes ago, xwordfanatik said:

I seem to remember they were on the hook for years to pay for Madison's appendectomy.  Apparently they had no insurance, or since Kody was married legally only to Meri, if he had insurance from a job (imagine that!) he couldn't claim her as his child.  But then again, Janelle seemed to work in a government job for a number of years, so I don't know why Maddie wouldn't have been on Janelle's insurance?  

I'm sure I'm way off topic, so I'll just add that Mariah likes being a drama queen as much as Meri (and why not?  It's worked for Meri forever) in staging that intro outside for Audrey.  

I think you're right, I remember them having a pity party for themselves (oh, Maddie needed an appendectomy, we had to pay for SOOOO long on it!) and I also thought, wait a minute...Janelle was a full time employee for some gov't agency, why was this child not covered by insurance??? I worked for a gov't agency and my health insurance was VERY good. Definitely would have covered something like that.

I can see Christine's kids not being covered because she's not legally married to Kody, and back in the day before TLC, she was a SAHM. She's the one who had no outside job and thus, no access to work-related insurance. (If she's now receiving a TLC paycheck, she should be responsible and get health insurance for herself and her kids).

Ah yes, the DRIVEWAY is the ideal place to introduce your family to your significant other. /sarcasm

I'm glad Mariah is doing well....she seems so much happier these days. It's great that she's found someone, and I thought Audrey seemed like a nice person. And I will give credit where credit is due...it appears that all 5 of her parents have accepted her for who she is, and seem genuinely happy for Mariah and they were welcoming to Audrey.

But all that giggling and the intro in the driveway was just weird.

BTW - the last time the Browns met a child's SO was Fat Tony....there was nowhere to go but up. Even if Audrey had been a nightmare, she would have looked great compared to FT the human dumpster fire.

Edited February 25, 2018 by Sasha888

[Pachengala]

I am dying laughing scrolling through here—we have our marriage license framed and hung up in our office, and did that because so many friends and family members do too that I figured it’s just what you do with it. 

In Meri’s case, I suspect she framed it long before they went plural, and she just kept rehanging it with every move; it seems a stretch to me that she’s hung it in her private space out of some sinister intent. But I like having ours on display—it makes me smile to see it—so that definitely informs my thoughts on Meri’s.

[Pickleinthemiddle]

On 2/24/2018 at 6:16 PM, Meghzie said:

I still think adopting the kids was part of a ploy by Robyn to get legal wife status and attention. And I still think it was shitty considering they had an involved father they had a relationship with. 

True.  Not sure what message board i read it on, or if it's even true.  That Robyn left with her kids and went back to her mom's, in order to get Kody to marry her.

[Pickleinthemiddle]

On 2/25/2018 at 3:28 PM, Sasha888 said:

Kind of similar with my parents...they kept EVERY SHRED OF PAPER they ever got, so we found every receipt for every payment they ever made when we cleaned out their house, including paying off my sister's funeral, headstone, etc. Very sad when we found those. They were so young (26) and my sister died the day after she was born. All those slips of paper of them paying $10 a month to pay the hospital, funeral home, etc when they were young and had little money...so sad.

Anyway...they bought their house in '67 for $7,500, and like yours, worried about making that giant $40 a month payment! Seems ridiculous to us now, but it was a lot of money to them. Our parents house is definitely not going to sell for 500K, though. But still, way more than the $7,500 they paid for it!

It constantly amazes me that the Browns can't seem to ever build up any equity in ANYTHING. It seems so simple - buy a house you can actually afford, make the monthly payments, and STAY THERE. Eventually, BOOM you have equity. But not if you keep moving (like fleeing Utah in the night to get away from the cops, who aren't even really AFTER YOU...) and buy houses you can't really afford - they did not "need" McMansions that cost over 400K per wife. When you have 17 kids to support, what in the WORLD would make you think you could afford four houses that are that expensive?

And now, it appears Kody is itching to move yet again...back to Utah. Great idea Kody, sell those 4 big houses you have little to no equity in, and start from scratch...AGAIN.

Do you think that is more Robyn wanting to move closer to her family?  That is where her mom and stepdad live.

On 2/25/2018 at 3:14 PM, Sasha888 said:

I believe there was, I forgot about that. (the hospital bill thing).

Hmmm 2010...how long before she can declare bankruptcy again? I keep forgetting how many years you can go in between bankruptcies...but I'm sure the Browns know exactly how long they can go between bankruptcies.

I think it is 7 years.  

[Pickleinthemiddle]

On 2/25/2018 at 12:09 PM, Kohola3 said:

There are absolutely people who need assistance. Nobody decides, as a child,  that they want to grow up poor and be on government assistance for the rest of their lives.  Things happen and that's what safety nets are for.

As to knowing very few women who can afford to live by themselves.....educated and/or hard working women certainly can. I am a single woman as are a large number of my friends either by choice, divorces, or widowhood.  We are all self supporting as we all had full time jobs and lived within our means.  Some were professional jobs and some were not but none of us have ever required public assistance nor have any of us declared bankruptcy.  That's not how any of us were raised.  Maybe it's the generation - I was raised by parents who went through the depression.

I agree, my dad was one of 10 kids and he was about 4-5 years old during WW2.  They were poor and didn't have much.  Nothing was ever wasted.  As a single mother myself, I learned to do with what I had.  Even if it meant off brand quick oats for breakfast every day, cheap peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for lunch every day, and pinto beans and rice for supper.  I can feed myself healthy on about $20-30 a week.  So I know other people can do it to.  But I do understand there are people who need outside help.

[Meghzie]

1 hour ago, Pickleinthemiddle said:

I agree, my dad was one of 10 kids and he was about 4-5 years old during WW2.  They were poor and didn't have much.  Nothing was ever wasted.  As a single mother myself, I learned to do with what I had.  Even if it meant off brand quick oats for breakfast every day, cheap peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for lunch every day, and pinto beans and rice for supper.  I can feed myself healthy on about $20-30 a week.  So I know other people can do it to.  But I do understand there are people who need outside help.

What area do you live in?? That’s definitely not doable here. 

[Teri313]

Hi everyone - I'm new here, so I apologize if this has already been discussed, BUT ... is anyone else wondering if Kody is going to have "the talk" with Mariah and her girlfriend? I'm just curious how that would go.

[Natalie68]

On 2/25/2018 at 1:14 PM, Sasha888 said:

I believe there was, I forgot about that. (the hospital bill thing).

Hmmm 2010...how long before she can declare bankruptcy again? I keep forgetting how many years you can go in between bankruptcies...but I'm sure the Browns know exactly how long they can go between bankruptcies.

I think its off your record in 10 years.  

[ginger90]

43 minutes ago, Teri313 said:

Hi everyone - I'm new here, so I apologize if this has already been discussed, BUT ... is anyone else wondering if Kody is going to have "the talk" with Mariah and her girlfriend? I'm just curious how that would go.

Interesting question!

Welcome aboard!

[Sandy W]

46 minutes ago, Teri313 said:

Hi everyone - I'm new here, so I apologize if this has already been discussed, BUT ... is anyone else wondering if Kody is going to have "the talk" with Mariah and her girlfriend? I'm just curious how that would go.

If you mean the hormones in the mouth talk, I think that ship has already sailed, judging by the glow that Mariah radiates these days.