The lovely, thorough, and ASTOUNDING story PART 1

First I have to say that I NEVER in a MILLION YEARS thought I would be posting a "How I met the Duggars post!!" God is so gracious to me that I was able to meet them. To HIM be the Glory!
So...much has happened since I posted last and I definitely need to get caught up with all the whirlwind events that have happened in the past weeks. However, I shall start with this explanation of HOW we got to meet the Duggars yesterday to satisfy all of you who are wanting to know. I am still recovering and only got about 3 hours sleep last night because of the euphoric Duggar ecstasy I have been in since meeting them. Nathanael's having exploding poo up his back and in his pack and play around 3 am last night was also a contributing factor in my sleepless excitement of a night, though.

It is so hard to articulate how much this meant to me. Words just don't begin to describe how much this event blessed my life. Forgive my boring background knowledge as to how and why I went so far as to stalk the Duggars for a meeting, but here it goes:

I LOVE my Duggars. I've loved them from the moment I laid eyes on their first Discovery Health special 5 years ago. Many times I have told Lord in my private prayers that it would be my dream to be a fly on the wall in their home just long enough to catch a glimpse of their loving and Godly interaction with each other in person. I spent my childhood in an alcoholic home with typical dysfunction and as a young girl spent countless hours watching the Brady Bunch and dreaming of living in their home with such a loving family and tons of brothers and sisters to play with. When the Duggars came along they were like the Brady Bunch to me, only SOOO much more because they were REAL and AMAZING CHRISTIANS who boldy stood for their Lord and Savior and unabashedly lived out Biblical principles in a way that I have never had the opportunity to witness up close.

Two years ago we took a summer vacation with my mom and her husband and drove to Eureka Springs, AR from KC. I knew before hand that we were going to be near Duggar country, but didn't have the googling skills and gumption to get a plan together before we left on our drive to Arkansas. When we drove through NW Arkansas on that vacation, I knew we had to be mere miles from my beloved Duggars. As we drove through NW Arkasnas my heart hurt so much that I was so close, yet so far from a Duggar encounter. I promised myself to NEVER let that opportunity slip away again and the next time I was in the area I would do my best to catch a glimpse of a Duggar, or at least get a pic of an important Duggar landmark.

Fast forward to a few months ago when we made plans to go to Hot Springs, AR with my mom this year. I looked at the route on the map and saw we'd be driving RIGHT through Springdale again! I googled my tushie off for Duggar location info and got what seemed to be some solid results. I printed the info and put it somewhere I thought I'd remember for the car trip. Turns out, on the way down to Hot Springs last week I COULDN'T FIND my directions anywhere in the bags I put in the car!! I was bummed, but knew that I'd have another opportunity on the way back to KC from Hot Springs at the end of the week.

I had no significant internet access to speak of in Hot Springs, but was thrilled to find the original directions I printed from my mom's house in a bag of the boys books when we were packing for the trip home. My Josh agreed that as we drove through Springdale he would patiently endure my quest to seek out a Duggar. We got off at the exit (the exit was the same for eldest son Josh's car business AND the Duggar home) and headed first for Josh's car lot. We found it easily at a busy intersection and my Josh pulled up and waited in the car with Nathanael while I brought Hunter along with me to walk into the TINY office. I figured that despite my inability to behave like a sane adult when I walked in they would not be too alarmed if I had my three year old with me. Here's how it went down from there..paraphrased of course because I was so emotional and filled with Duggar bliss I could barely remember my name, much less every word:

I was shaking as I approached the office door. My heart was in my throat. Hunter and I walk in the door and the first thing I notice was it was a very small office with a pretty young girl sitting in a chair in front of a desk. Behind the desk were two people:
Joshua and Anna Duggar! In the flesh!!!! Anna was on the phone. I looked at Josh.

Teri (clutching my 20 and Counting Duggar book): Oh my. It's really you. Uhhhhhh....I'm a fan. A big fan. Wow. Wow. Wow. I can't believe it.
Josh (looking like he wanted to sink into the ground but still smiling at me): Hi. How are you?
Teri: I'm so sorry. I don't mean to intrude. I'm Teri Pence and I'm from Naples, FL and my family is driving through town on vacation from Hot Springs and I have been just so blessed by your family's testimony and wanted to thank you so much for being such a wonderful example for me and my family. I didn't want to miss the opportunity to let you know that. Do people do this all the time? Do you have lots of psychos like me a lot? I wasn't going to come in if you had a sign or something.
Josh: More on the weekends. But it's okay....we don't mind. It's fine.

I shall now go into a bullet point list of what transpired in the ten minutes we were there. If I don't do it this way we'll be here all night:

• Josh graciously signed my book and happily agreed to a picture. The other pretty girl in the office was Anna's sister and she took the pictures of us.
  
• I mentioned how we would be in the market for a mini van in the next few years now that my husband is eligible for promotion as a seargant, which, in turn led Josh D. to tell me he just bought his first handgun yesterday. I then shared that my Josh was a gun enthusiast and certified firearms instructor.
  
• I ran out like a crazed lunatic to the van and motioned for my Josh to grab Nathanael and the camera. My Josh told me to calm down and not embarass him. I told him I would try not to, but it would be hard.
• By this time Anna was off the phone and chatted happily with me when we walked back in as I asked her the usual: How's the pregancy going? (Great. Feeling great.) Name yet? (Mackenzie) Due in Sept? (October)
• My Josh and Josh D. talked Ruger hand guns (that's the kind he just bought) and my Josh told Josh D. how impressed he was with their ability to proclaim their faith with what would normally be such a mainstream (and hostile toward Christians) media outlet.
  
• We talked poparrazi and body guards. They have no poparrazi issues in their own town to speak of, but when they travel they've ecnountered it. They usually hire a body guard or rely on local police for protection.
• I continued to gush about what Godly examples they are and how gracious they are to allow fans to come in and meet them and how much they mean to me and how much the opportunity to meet them means to me. They responded very humbly and appreciatively.
  
• They then invited us to come to the Duggar's home church if we were still going to be in town on Sunday!!!! WOW! We had to turn it down of course as we were due in KC last night.
  
• Josh D. then astonishingly said that if we were planning on going by the house, please don't just drive by and take a picture like a mysterious fan. His parents (THE Duggars) would much rather that we stopped by and knocked on the front door and introduced ourselves!!! WHAT????? Are you serious?? We wouldn't want to intrude!!! Josh D. assured us to go ahead and stop by and his parents would much rather meet us than for us to be a stranger!!!!
  
• We said our goodbyes, shook hands, repeated our appreciation, and headed out.
• I ran to the van like a crazy, happy, delerious woman and we drove off to find the Duggar house!!!! I was about to blow a gasket!

To be continued........