
Our First Date

Lifestyle Blog | Recipes | Home Decor | Money Saving | DIY Wedding Planning
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Many of you know that in addition to my Nashville Wife blog, I coauthor blogs about the Duggar and Bates families. Several readers have asked how I became involved in that, so I figured it was time to tell the story. Enjoy!
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Ellie with Jill and Jessa Duggar |
Eleven years ago, a friend of mine told me about a documentary she had seen advertised on Discovery Health called 14 Children and Pregnant Again. She invited me over to watch it, and we were both so encouraged by the Duggar family that we watched all six specials that aired over the course of the following three years and began tuning in for the Duggars’ weekly reality TV series that premiered in 2008.
During the summer of 2009, when blogging was starting to grow in popularity, my mom (Lily) and I coauthored a food blog called Cool Summer Treats. In December of that year, I decided to start a blog about the Duggars.
At that point, there was very little information about their family available on the internet, so my goal was to create a central location where those interested in them could find details about their show, speaking engagements, and media appearances. My mom came alongside me to provide counsel and encouragement as I embarked on this endeavor. The two of us grew closer together as we brainstormed ways to build and promote our corner of the web.
As a result of the blog, we developed a relationship with the Duggar family and were called on by a radio show host to interview members of the family on the air. Our first face-to-face encounter with the Duggars was at a political event. Since then, we have visited their family on multiple occasions and were blessed to be invited to both Jill and Jessa’s weddings.
It was through the Duggars that we met the Bates family and asked their blessing to start a blog about their show, which premiered in January of this year.
When I announced my engagement to our readers in March, many requested that I start a personal blog, and that’s how Nashville Wife came about.
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