The Duggars: 19 Kids + Several Hundred Fans

I'm a big fan of 19 Kids and Counting. For the uninitiated, it's a show on TLC about a very conservative family raising 19 children, all of whom have a name starting with the letter J.

For the record, I do not want 19 children. I don't subscribe to the same religous beliefs as the Duggar family. I don't "buy used and save the difference." But I do share one really important value with the Duggars: the importance of family. I appreciate the focus their show has on family.

A recent episode featured the Duggars at a book signing event for their new book, A Love That Multiplies. It made me wonder if, by some odd chance, they would be in Atlanta. Sure enough ... Atlanta was a stop on their tour! I got really excited for about 30 seconds, as I quickly realized they would be in the Atlanta the day we were scheduled to return from vacation. What are the odds of that??

I'm not one to give up so easily. My husband agreed that we could leave at the crack of dawn early so we could get back in time for the event. Then I emailed my brother and asked if he would be willing to go to Barnes & Noble early to purchase a book and wrist band for me. (Actually, flat-out begged would be more accurate...) I told him wristbands were available starting at 9, but if he could get there by 10 I would really appreciate it.

Well, my brother gets a massive shout out for being completely AWESOME. He got up very early on Saturday morning so that he could be in line by 9 a.m. to get me a book and wrist band. He was one of the first 20 people in line. I was thrilled when he told me, but I wasn't surprised. He has such a giving heart and has always been one to lend a helping hand to others.

The line for the book signing was to begin at 2 p.m. I arrived at 1:40, only to find out that people had already started forming a line and B&N couldn't really do anything about it. So I joined in at about Spot 80. Little did I know that I just picked the Golden Ticket of line spots.

Fast forward to 3 p.m. The Duggars are about to arrive, and the line is so long the store starts moving the location of line so fire codes wouldn't be violated. Where did I end up in line? Less than 10 feet from where the Duggars came out for an introduction and a song. I quite literally had the best spot in the entire store to see them and take pictures. It was nothing short of awesome.

All of the Duggars were there, including baby Josie and Josh and Anna's 2 1/2 week old baby. This was a big surprise. The general consensus in the line (which by this point was about 400-500 people) was that Josie probably wouldn't be there and Anna and the brand-new grandduggar definitely would not be there. Let's just say when Michelle held up Josie the place went nuts ...

Josh, Anna, Mackynzie and newborn Michael

All the Duggars...including Josie!

After their introduction, the Duggars sang a song for the audience. They did a really good job! I captured the first minute of it on video, then put my camera down so I could enjoy the rest of it.

(I couldn't get the video to load. I'll try it again tonight.)

After the song, they began the (long) process of greeting everyone and signing books. The kids all signed the book fairly quickly and without saying too much. Jim Bob and Michelle took the time to say "Hello" and have a brief conversation with everyone. That really impressed me ... there were hundreds of people in line, but they treated each person like there were only 10 people in line.

The kids were very ... normal. As expected, they were all very polite and well-mannered. But they were also normal kids. The little boys were a bit silly and antsy (Jackson was hilarious, as always). The middle boys all looked a bit like they would rather be doing something else on a Saturday afternoon. The older girls were quiet and reserved, but sweet and friendly.

Josh is in the striped button down in the above photo, and right as I was about to hand him my book I felt a tap on my shoulder and heard a woman say, "Excuse me." I stepped aside and turned to see Anna and baby Michael standing right there. The baby was so cute and tiny! She needed to ask Josh a question, and I felt really bad for her. I was so close that I could feel her apprehension as well as see it on her face ... I don't think she was too thrilled to have that brand-new baby out in a massively crowded bookstore. She wasn't signing books, and she went back to the back of the store after asking Josh her question. I was glad that there was a spot for her where she could relax and keep the baby away from the crowds.

I worked my way through the line before getting to Jim Bob and Michelle. Anyone who knows me knows that I am not usually at a loss for words (Exhibit A: This blog post). I wanted tell them, "Thank you for the strong example you set of the importance of family." I had six hours to think of and  rehearse that one sentence on the way back from Florida.

Yeah, I felt like Ralphie in A Christmas Story.

Jim Bob: "Hi there! What's your name?"

Monica: Name ... What's a name? ... Oh ... Name ... I have one of those ...

I think I managed my name and "Thank you for the example you set" before I recovered my senses. I felt like a total idiot. But, I do think I recovered quickly enough and was then able to answer a couple questions Jim Bob had about Atlanta.

After speaking with them, I had my picture taken with them. Jim Bob and Michelle look great in the picture. Me ... well, I look giddy and travel weary ... at least it's an honest photo ...

Hey, who's the photo crasher in the back of this nice couple's picture?

All in all, it was a really neat experience. I was so excited to be able to meet the Duggar family. I have a lot of fun memories from the event! And, the Duggars definitely seemed as nice (and genuine) in person as they do on TV.

Thanks for coming to Atlanta, Duggar family!