For those who haven't heard, Josie Bates is now engaged. Kelton Balka popped the question during a vacation to Arches National Park in Utah. The couple was accompanied by Gil and Kelly, as well as Kelton's father, Michael.
The engagement getaway doubled as an early birthday trip for Josie, who turns 19 on August 4th (making Josie the youngest Bates daughter to get engaged). The group visited a total of five national parks.
Photos courtesy of thebatesfamily.com
The engagement getaway doubled as an early birthday trip for Josie, who turns 19 on August 4th (making Josie the youngest Bates daughter to get engaged). The group visited a total of five national parks.
Michael Balka, Kelton Balka, Josie Bates
Kelton Balka, Josie Bates, Gil Bates
Josie Bates and Kelton Balka
Gil and Kelly Bates
Photos courtesy of thebatesfamily.com
With maturity 19 is a fine age to get married. Congratulations:)
ReplyDeleteMy mom was 19 and they have been married 65 years. I was 19 and we have been married 42 years!
DeleteI think 18 or older is fine to marry, if both people are mature and have career established.
ReplyDeleteyou don't have to have your career established
DeleteObviously they are not "career established" as in CEO of a major company, but I think Kelton does own his own plumbing business, that's quite "established" for a 23 year old man. Even if he doesn't own it, he does have a solid employment position that will allow him to provide for his family. Most 23 year olds these days don't. And certainly most 18 year olds don't, but Josie does. I find that even more of an accomplishment.
DeleteBTW one of my mother's friends is a beautician who owns her own salon. Her husband was recently very ill for months, at one point he almost died, so she was supporting the whole family by herself during that time.
I do think it's important for a woman to have the ability to do that if needed, even if she chooses to be a stay at home mother. (And my own mother stopped full time work when she had children but never left the workplace completely. She has worked part time as a waitress, for a catering business, as a baby-sitter, and held many other odd jobs.)
I Agree!!
ReplyDeleteSo happy for you both ! You have passed the test of time & are beginning a new chapter. All blessings of gentle roads ahead & enjoy each moment. You seem like the perfect couple. What a great trip to celebrate a wonderful event in your life. Thanks for sharing your story with us,so enjoy hearing about you & your family.
ReplyDeleteCongrats Josie and Kelton! May God give you many blessings throughout your journey and be with you always. Looks like a great trip and experience! 💍👰🏼🤵🏼💏⛰🏔🗻🎉🎊🎈
ReplyDeleteWonder why Kelly is not wearing the beautiful rings that Gil gave her for her birthday? I notice she does not have them on in this picture or in the video posted yesterday.
ReplyDeleteThis looks like such a special and fun trip. I am so happy for them. I look forward to the wedding. Josie Bates is a lucky girl and she is going to be such a beautiful bride.
ReplyDeleteYes and Kelton is a lucky guy
DeleteWe were married at 23 and I got pregnant within 6 weeks of our marriage. We bought an old farm house in a few months and now we are going to be married 48 years (God willing) on Oct. 3rd. We may have been young by today's standards, but we both were raised to make money and grow up. God bless Josie and Kelton!!
DeleteSuch a cute couple
ReplyDeleteWasn’t Alyssa younger? She was 19 when she was pregnant and said she would turn 20 before the baby came.
ReplyDeleteAlyssa turned 19 in November and got married in May. Allie was born the next April when Alyssa was 20 1/2.
DeleteShe got engaged, married, and pregnant at 19. Josie was 18 when she got engaged.
DeleteAlyssa got engaged at 19, while Josie got engaged at 18
DeleteAlyssa was not younger. She turned 19 in November, engaged by January, married by May, pregnant by July, then turned 20 in November, and then Allie Jane was born the following April. Josie is engaged at 18.
DeleteThey make such a beautiful couple. May God bless you and your family always.
ReplyDeleteShe is definitely mature enough to be married. She seems older than 18.
ReplyDeleteCongratulations but if his dad is with him who is with his siblings?
ReplyDeleteDo you really think that only parents can ever watch their own children. They have grandparents, and likely aunts and uncles who could be watching them. Or even friends could be caring for the others. Also, it's possible that the other kids are there and just not in the pictures.
DeleteI got married at barely 19 and have been married for 30 years. It is possible. Congratulations!
ReplyDeleteI got married at barely 19 and have been married for 30 years. Some of us are mature enough at 19. Congratulations!
ReplyDeleteCongratulations Josie!
ReplyDeleteI married at 19 too....a very long time ago. Congrats
ReplyDeletecant believe how much josie looks like alyssa in these pictures!
ReplyDeleteshe would make a beautiful autumn bride too
Kelton is setting the bar rather high for the honeymoon by doing such an elaborate proposal. But it certainly looks like a spectacular setting. And could I ask -sincerely, not nastily- does Gil no longer do the tree service? He seems to be able to take off on many trips with just a moments notice. Like DC for Michaela's engagement, Florida for the Webster births, now Utah, etc.
ReplyDeleteMichaela’s engagement was three years ago. When they go to Florida for the births, those are quick trips. I am sure even with the tree service that he has vacation time and can work around his family outings since he owns the business.
DeleteThere are 365 days every year. After you take off weekends, holidays and 2-4 weeks vacation, the average person works about 230 - 240 days a year. So, no, seeing him away from home a few days here, and a few days there, does not mean he doesn't work.
DeleteSince he owns his own business, he can set his own hours, right? And his type of business is project-based, which also makes it easy to take off when he needs to.
DeleteI know a man who owns his own car repair business and he is there almost every day, but he also has managers to supervise the front-line workers, so the shop does not actually close down every time he takes vacation, or has to leave work unexpectedly to deal with some family issue.
DeleteI'm not sure if that applies to Gil as I don't recall seeing any non-family employees ever working with him, but owning one's business gives people a LOT more flexibility than working for someone else. And since the trips the OP mentioned were all filmed for the show, they're actually partly business trips. (Though I know the Bates have also gone on trips that were NOT filmed.)
I wouldn't be surprised if Gil has cut back his work hours since the show started, but I doubt he plan to close the business entirely. The Bates all seem to value hard work and financial independence, which they wouldn't have if they were just "employed" by UPTV. They've already had one show cancelled before, and I'm sure they've seen from the Duggars experiences as well, that the show biz life can be very fickle.
Nathan and some of the other boys have done tree jobs without Gil. They could be doing work for the tree business while their dad is gone.
DeleteWhy have the Bates changed their modesty standards? Have they ever talked about it on the show? I haven’t watched in a while.
ReplyDeleteKelly hasn’t started dressing differently, so I don’t think she has changed the standards. Some of their older children have changed. When children become adults, they make their own choices.
DeleteI'd like to know this as well. I keep asking, but no one answers.
DeleteThey haven't mentioned a change in their standards on the show. Alyssa did reply to a critical comment about her wearing shorts that she couldn't control the thoughts of others and that it was their personal responsibility to control themselves.
DeleteKelly and Gil have stated on the show that their rules only extend so far as their house and their children set their own rules once they are independent.
It would be interesting to hear from the now adults about how they view modesty and whether it differs from their parents.
Because they realized they were extreme
DeleteI believe the IBLP standards themselves have loosened up and not just for girls, boys are now allowed to wear shorts.
DeleteHowever, if you're asking "why do the girls no longer all wear the same prairie dress like they used to"...well, the girls wore such dresses when they were GIRLS not women, and I don't recall Kelly Jo herself ever wearing them, she dressed the way she still does in blouse, vest and skirt. So I don't think that kind of attire was ever mandated to be worn by all women.
Of course that doesn't explain why not even the young girls wear them anymore. But the Bates were not exactly wealthy way back then, so they were probably also a cost-cutting measure, it is cheaper to buy a large amount of fabric and one pattern and make a bunch of the same design dress at home, compared to buying ready-made clothes off the rack. Especially when you're dressing children who are growing and quickly outgrowing their clothes. I'm sure many of the dresses were handed down from older to younger girls until they wore out.
I'd also like to know why they've changed their modesty standards for the older kids still at home. I'm not asking why they no longer wear prairie dresses. Why are the skirt lengths shorter and tighter? Why is Josie wearing a sleeveless dress? (I realize those who are married make their own standards.)
DeleteThe girls grew up and found their own fashion sense! They probably pick out or help pick out the clothes for the little kids. Carlin has said before that she finds cute dresses at Old Navy. I've also seen her wearing a shirt that my daughter has from Walmart. They have a line of novelty tees that run $5 or less. They're finding ways to still be covered, wear skirts/dresses but be more fashionable.
Delete(I am the OP) I am not talking about their fashion style. I am referring to their previously openly expressed modesty standards. Like Anon 3:59, I wonder why the older unmarried daughters are wearing shorter skirts, sleeveless tops and lower necklines. To be clear, I am not coming from a place of judgment one way or another. Just curiosity about a unique family.
DeleteWhen is seson 7 coming on up faith and family?
ReplyDeleteUP usually waits until the end of a season to upload it to Faith and Family, but the individual episodes are on Amazon and iTunes.
DeleteHave a great day,
Lily and Ellie
Seems like it was meant to be! He waited. Good luck! God bless!
ReplyDeleteCongratulations! I wish nothing but happiness for the two of you!
ReplyDeleteI love the last photo of Gil and Kelly. What a lovely trip and congratulations Kelton and Josie.
ReplyDeleteNice pics
ReplyDeleteIf Josie and her parents feel like she's old enough to be getting married, then she's old enough. People who don't even personally know her should not actually share their opinion on her age or readiness to get married.
ReplyDeletewhy does everyone have to go on the trip with them? seems there are a lot of trust issues? I know many people who the same thing the bates do and let the couple go on their own places. All about trust?
ReplyDeleteAside from the chaperone rule, I must give credit to this family because it seems the kids genuinely love having their family around. We love our kids and our kids love us, but I think we drive them crazy! We are not hip as them, and we're a little slower at remembering things and they get frustrated with us and impatient. A vacation together would be a challenge. God Bless the Bates and their ability to be patient and loving with each other, and respectful. Respect for their elders is HUGE in that family.
DeleteActually even for Christians who date instead of courting, and don't use chaperones, many couples who are committed to chastity, would NOT trust themselves to go away on an overnight trip alone together. Not even if they stayed in separate rooms or separate hotels.
DeleteAnd that's referring to couple who are just dating, not engaged and might be tempted to go further than before the proposal because "we know we're getting married soon anyway".
But they'd find it much less tempting to go on a group vacation with family or perhaps like-minded friends.
I don't have any problem with the Bates making this a family vacation. And now it doesn't seem as extravagant an outing, than when it appeared Josie and Kelton had gone to Utah JUST for the proposal and flown back home a few hours after.
Josie has really blossomed. She will be Beautiful Bride when she gets married to Kelton whenever that will be. Congrats to the young couple
ReplyDeleteHmmm, so Josie got engaged before Carlin.
ReplyDeletePeople are so critical when they see others happiness. With all the violence in the world and families that are not happy together, I appreciate it to see happiness. If you don't like them, stop watching the show.
ReplyDelete