Jill Duggar, one of the stars of the hit TLC reality show 19 Kids And Counting, made headlines this week with her engagement to Derick Dillard, whom she only just met face-to-face recently; the couple became acquainted through Jill’s dad, Jim Bob, after he and Dillard met on a missionary trip in Nepal.
“I was impressed with him as I got to know him over the years,” Jim Bob said. “He sounded like an amazing young man. I felt like from the beginning they had similar personalities and goals. I thought they would hit it off.”
The couple have been in a “courtship” for several months, speaking via Skype and texting one another, and when Jill made the trip to Nepal to meet Derick this week, the two confirmed what they’d already known; they want to be together forever. Now, after their engagement has been made official, Duggar matriarch Michelle says she would gladly welcome baby number 20.
“I realize that I don’t have those tiny little babies in my home anymore. We would welcome another baby if God saw fit to give us another one,” she said.
The youngest Duggar child, Josie, was born in 2009 and had serious health issues as an infant. She has since become a strong and healthy little girl, but the stress took a toll on the family at the time. Now, Michelle says she’s enjoying time with her grandchildren but has made it clear that she would love to have one more little one of her own.
As for Jill, she says she fell in love with Derick very quickly after getting to know him.
“We got to know each other in the first few months pretty quickly. I was in love with someone I had never met in person, but we really knew each other well,” she said.
The couple’s first meeting was captured on camera for the reality show, and Jill’s excited first moments left fans gushing on Twitter about the episode.
They fell in love BEFORE they met in person: Jill Duggar Meets Derick Dillard in Nepal: VIDEO http://t.co/VEXiOUo4Xm via @PeopleMag
— Alicia Dennis (@AliciaCDennis) May 6, 2014
Aww Jill & Derick are so sweet! http://t.co/hT6MmgZ1Qw #19Kids
— TLC Network (@TLC) May 7, 2014
How am I supposed to study for tomorrow's final when jill duggar is traveling across the world to meet her soul mate ugh
— Lauren Fonte (@luvfo_) May 7, 2014
Duggar Daughter Courting: Jill’s First Meeting With Future Husband Supervised By Dad: http://t.co/o0o72qN0Jn via @radar_online #19Kids @TLC
— TLC PR (@TLC_PR) May 6, 2014
If these engagement pictures are any indication, Jill Duggar is going to be one BEAUTIFUL bride! See for yourself–>http://t.co/3YdwYt2Ptx
— In Touch Weekly (@intouchweekly) April 15, 2014
“I’m like, ‘Oh my goodness, this could very well be my future husband. This could be the one!” Jill said. She later recounted the meeting, saying Derick brought her a gift.
“He was so sweet! He greeted me with flowers and yeah, it was crazy because I had been preparing for this moment. Everything just went really smoothly. [A] perfect moment.”
Image via Wikimedia Commons
