How Jessa Secretly Got Jinger & Jeremy Together at Spurgeon’s Shower

Summary

The Jinger & Jeremy Podcast

Episode: How Jessa Secretly Got Jinger & Jeremy Together at Spurgeon’s Shower

Date: August 27, 2025
Hosts: Jinger Vuolo & Jeremy Vuolo

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Episode Overview

In this episode, Jinger and Jeremy Vuolo reminisce about the very first time Jeremy ever appeared on the Duggar family’s reality TV show—an appearance orchestrated behind the scenes partly by Jessa (Jinger’s sister), who played matchmaker to get Jinger and Jeremy in the same place at Spurgeon’s baby shower. The couple shares behind-the-scenes stories, discusses early impressions, and breaks down the cultural quirks of "courtship" in the Duggar family. Expect candid reflections, plenty of laughter, and a glimpse into how God (and family) brought them together.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Jeremy's First Reality TV Moment (00:54–09:09)

• Jeremy recalls his first appearance on the Duggar show was actually during a seemingly random shopping trip for baby food ingredients for Spurgeon’s shower:
  • "Okay, so this is the first moment that I came on the show…” — Jeremy (00:54)
  • Jeremy was swept up with the Duggar brothers and Derek, buying “canned chicken and barbecue sauce” for a baby food contest.
• Jinger didn’t remember Jeremy being present at the time:
  • “I didn’t know that you were on the show that time.” — Jinger (01:14)
• The producers initially didn’t know Jeremy and Jinger were talking, so he was just “Ben’s friend” and almost wasn’t filmed.

2. Life, Parenting & Family Updates (02:23–07:18)

• Brief update on their kids—Felicity, Evangeline, and Finn, including a discussion about Finn’s dairy and soy allergy and their formula vs. breastfeeding journey.

3. Why There Are Ads & Podcast Production Realities (04:29–07:18)

• Jeremy and Jinger respond to listener complaints about ads:
  • “Nobody likes commercials... But that's what makes production go.” — Jeremy (04:29)
  • They clarify that producing a weekly show costs thousands of dollars due to editing, equipment, and logistics.

4. Duggar “React” Episodes & Listener Engagement (07:18–07:54)

• The couple discusses the popularity of “react” episodes, where they watch and comment on past reality TV moments:
  • “Doing some of these react episodes, not only is it fun for you and me... but you guys have commented that you really enjoy them.” — Jeremy (07:38)
• Hints at upcoming episodes with more family and friends as guests.

5. How Jessa and Ben Played Matchmaker (07:54–18:19)

• Jessa orchestrated Jeremy’s invitation to the shower to “hang out with Ginge”:
  • “Jessa ... was being strategic.” — Jeremy (09:35)
• Jeremy describes being “just Ben’s friend” at a co-ed baby shower, emphasizing that intentional courtship in the Duggar family is far from casual.
• Sneaking Jeremy on-set:
  • “...they were like, sir, we don’t want to introduce another character here.” — Jeremy (08:24)
  • Reality TV limits “new characters” to keep stories coherent.
• Behind-the-scenes awkwardness: Jeremy recalls being asked to step aside so as not to confuse television storylines.

Memorable Quotes

• “You don’t just go up to a girl and go, ‘Hey, let’s hang out.’” — Jeremy (01:27)
• “She was trying to set you up.” — Jeremy on Jessa (27:16)

6. Reflections on Duggar Family Courtship Culture (18:19–33:34)

• Jinger and Jeremy reflect on how courtship worked:
  • Jeremy notes how “you can’t just say hello,” and how expressing interest is shrouded in “guarding your heart.”
  • Jinger points out she was aware of other suitors and had conflicting feelings, leading to a pivotal airport conversation after the shower.
• Memorable Moment:
  • “If a girl likes a guy, she, like, ignores him. ... I was just kind of from the world of like—” — Jeremy (34:16)

Pivotal Airport Talk (28:48–29:47)

• The next morning after the shower, Ben drove both Jinger and Jeremy to the airport, and they had a pivotal early-morning conversation that clarified Jinger’s interest:
  • “After that, I was like, okay, I really, really had interest in you.” — Jinger (28:48)

7. Behind-the-Scenes Humor & Sweetness (22:21–26:07)

• Fun stories about Jeremy helping set up the party, continuously whistling and being told by producers to quiet down.
• Jinger recalls the chaos and excitement of Duggar family parties, and the “awkwardness” of both being filmed and strictly adhering to family rules.

8. The Baby Food Contest & TV Shenanigans (30:45–32:17)

• The show featured a baby food-making contest for the guys, with Jeremy in the background—"just chopping" ingredients and (secretly) “looking for Ginger” amidst the chaos.
  • “There’s a guy who’s probably looking around like, where’s Ginger?” — Jeremy (31:53)

9. Finding Each Other Amidst Family and Faith (33:34–40:13)

• Jeremy talks about realizing Jinger’s interest (or lack thereof was hard to tell due to the norm of girls hiding feelings).
• Jessa and Ben acted as intermediaries—sometimes frustratingly so, refusing to directly ask Jinger if she liked Jeremy.

Key Insights for Singles

• “Break the rhythm of fellowship you have” and make intentional effort to meet new people if you want to find your spouse. — Jeremy (39:07)
• “God literally worked that out... You have to put yourself in places where, like, you have to make effort. It's not like, just sit in your room and...” — Jinger (38:40)

Wise Advice from Older Mentors

• Jeremy recalls his mentor's wisdom: “The investment in your ministry of a godly wife is going to be far more valuable ... than the hours that you would have spent preparing a sermon this week.” (36:35)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Jeremy (on early days):
  “I am aging like milk ... you are aging like fine wine.” (23:00)

• On the difficulties of courtship:
  “If a girl likes a guy, she like ignores him. If a girl likes a guy, she can't express it.” — Jeremy (34:16)

• On being a go-between:
  “Jessa was navigating it all for me... I would be like, ‘Jess, why don’t you just ask her, is she interested?’ ... But Jessa and the Lord, it all worked out.” — Jeremy (34:27–35:35)

• Jeremy’s Dad, on God’s sovereignty:
  “If the Lord can bring my wife, your mom, to me, in inner city Philadelphia ... He can bring your wife to Laredo.” (39:13)

• On effort and faith:
  “Go get your girl.” — older mentors to Jeremy (37:21)

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• Jeremy’s First Appearance on the Show & Shopping Trip: 00:54–09:09
• Digression on Parenting & Finances of Podcasting: 02:23–07:18
• React Episodes/Listener Engagement: 07:18–07:54
• How Jessa and Ben Set Them Up at the Baby Shower: 09:09–18:19
• Baby Food Contest Flashback: 30:45–32:17
• Airport Conversation & Realizing Connection: 28:48–29:47
• Cultural Reflections on Courtship: 33:34–35:35
• Mentor Wisdom & God's Hand in Their Story: 36:35–39:13
• Advice for Singles / Closing Thoughts: 38:40–40:13

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Final Thoughts

This episode is a heartfelt, nostalgic “peek behind the curtain” at how Jinger and Jeremy's romance officially took off, thanks in no small part to Jessa’s matchmaking and the quirky constraints of Duggar “courtship” culture. With humor and candor, the Vuolos illustrate how faith, persistence, and a little well-placed family meddling can spark lifelong love.

A must-listen for fans of the Duggars, reality TV nostalgia, and anyone curious about “how it really happened.”

Transcript

[Ginger]

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[Jeremy]

Okay, so this is the first moment that I came on the show on.

[Derek]

Our shopping trip to the store. It's me, Derek, my friend Jeremy and two brothers. We got like canned chicken and barbecue sauce.

[Jeremy]

What do you get the steak sauce for? First line on tv, there's a well.

[Derek]

Known fact about baby food, it's just ridiculously bland.

[Ginger]

I didn't know that you were on the show that time.

[Jeremy]

Oh, you didn't?

[Ginger]

I don't remember. Wow, that's crazy because you're like literally with all the brothers.

[Jeremy]

Yeah.

[Ginger]

How'd you feel?

[Jeremy]

Well, I don't know.

[Ginger]

Were you nervous with cameras there?

[Jeremy]

For those of you guys who don't know about the courtship and all that, it was like, you don't just go up to a girl and go, hey, let's hang out. So Jess is like, come on out for my baby shower. You know, you can hang out with Ginge. What's going on, guys? We're back for another episode of the Ginger and Jeremy podcast. And we're so glad you're here. We're so glad you're hanging with us, if you haven't already. Yeah. Welcome. Subscribe on YouTube. We are putting out a lot of little mini content like shorts on YouTube that you'll want to be alerted to. And also, when we have a new video, sometimes we just drop in vlogs here or there and so you want to be alerted to that. Also, Ginge, I don't know, you're not really on TikTok. You're kind of on the gram. But our TikTok is growing.

[Ginger]

I should jump on TikTok at some point.

[Jeremy]

So we've got a TikTok Inger And Jeremy and Instagram as well. Follow along if you haven't already. It's good to be back for another week. Ginge, how you doing?

[Ginger]

I'm doing good. I was just at the pediatrician with Finn getting his little checkup. Yeah, it's. It's funny how as parents, you always think your kids, you know, so much bigger than. Than the average child or they're.

[Jeremy]

I'm pretty sure on this podcast, we could probably do a flashback of me when he was born. Like, he's the biggest guy.

[Ginger]

He is a chunk. But I think it's because our girls were very skinny. And it's different. Like, I nursed him the same as I did the girls, which is another thing. He is having an allergy, apparently, to dairy and soy. So I was just talking to the pediatrician, and she was like, you can either cut out dairy and soy or you can just put them on formula. So that's the newest, the latest with Finn. I've been going back and forth with that because with the girls, I wanted to get them to at least a year of nursing or a little bit over that. But with Finn, I'm not feeling like I'm going to be able to do the whole cutting out all the things to see if it works. So I might just do the formula, which is hard for me.

[Jeremy]

Yeah. You know, for me, I'm a typical guy. Like, yeah, whatever works. I don't really get into the whole.

[Ginger]

Like, the nitty gritty of it.

[Jeremy]

Well, you know how people. There's a culture around natural birth. There's a culture around formula, breastfeeding. I think whatever's healthiest. I know breastfeeding is super healthy, but healthiest for you, too. You have to take that into consideration.

[Ginger]

And I'm at the point where I just don't know if I can. I don't know if I mentally can go back to that place of, like, cutting out everything in my diet. And he's five months already. Almost five months.

[Jeremy]

He's a strong boy.

[Ginger]

He is a big boy. And so that's the side of it where I'm like, okay, we're. We're doing great. She's like, this is a great time. Like, if you decide to go that route, go for it. So we'll see.

[Jeremy]

That's cool.

[Ginger]

Yeah.

[Jeremy]

Yeah. So we fresh off pediatrician visit. We're just doing all the things with the kids, you know, Felicity starting school, Evie soon, and Finn growing big and strong.

[Ginger]

Wild.

[Jeremy]

I do want to say this. Okay. This just came to mind. We've gotten a lot of comments recently about ads on our show. Let me say a couple things. Nobody likes commercials. That's why we all went to streaming services, right? And then the streaming services started putting commercials in because that's what makes production go. You have to have advertisers to help you produce.

[Ginger]

It's surprising because when you sit down and do a podcast, everybody's probably thinking, that's free, right? Yeah, it's not free.

[Jeremy]

No.

[Ginger]

It takes money to produce a podcast. And so we are so thankful for our sponsors because otherwise we logistically probably could not do this.

[Jeremy]

No, no, we couldn't. I think, Ginge, if you look at. So if you look at every podcast episode without crunching all the numbers, but it's thousands of dollars because we have two editors, you have all the equipment, you have all the services to produce all of that. And so it takes a ton of.

[Ginger]

Money, get it up and running to.

[Jeremy]

Get it up and running every episode. And so I know podcasting is such a new space and I think some of our listeners too, they look and they go, well, you just sit down and have a conversation. And yeah, it's kind of that way. But the actual logistics of it. And we didn't know this until getting into podcasting ourselves.

[Ginger]

Hey, I do my own hair and makeup. Can you tell? You can tell, but it's my frizzy hair.

[Jeremy]

It looks beautiful. But no podcast. So we've. Anyway, okay, what was I going to say? Oh, the sponsors we can't control. Like the YouTube sponsors, like, they put up whatever they want, but the sponsors we do, we love.

[Ginger]

Yeah, these products, like, that's what legit people. I actually have reached out to a couple companies that I love.

[Jeremy]

Yeah, we do that a lot.

[Ginger]

And said, hey, do you want to be a sponsor on our podcast? Because we love you so much.

[Jeremy]

So here's the thing. We try to make those ads fun and we try to make it easier. Oh, yeah, it's always going to be people we like. But even doing it, we want it to be like, yeah, you could skip past the, the, the sponsor if you wanted to. But we kind of want it to be part of the podcast because we genuinely, you know, we want to have fun, we want to entertain you guys and we want the podcast to keep going.

[Ginger]

I like that you talked about that because there are just so many comments that people are like, oh, my goodness.

[Jeremy]

And they're well meaning because they're like, some people are like, oh, it's a money grab. It's like, friend, trust me, this is not a money grab. It takes a ton of money to get something like this going. And here's what really drives it for us is, like, some of these episodes are just fun, you know, and that's a huge part of life. Like, we want to do, like, today we're gonna look at a counting on episode of the first time I ever showed up on the show. That's really fun. But then some of the episodes and a lot of the episodes, I mean, almost every episode, we want there to be, like, beautiful gospel truths in there. But like, for instance, the one we did with your sisters on Miscarriage, we know that's a ministry and we want to be able to put out that kind of content, but it takes a ton of logistical stuff to get that done.

[Ginger]

So it does.

[Jeremy]

Okay, so I just said what I want to talk about today.

[Ginger]

Yeah.

[Jeremy]

Because people speaking of comments have been talking a ton about these react episodes, and there's a million react episodes we could do. And we've got some incredible guests coming up. We've got more family coming up. We've got some more friends, which you guys are going to find really interesting. But doing some of these react episodes, not only is it fun for you and me because it kickstarts a lot of your memories, but you guys have commented that you really enjoy them. You guys, the listeners. And so what were you gonna say?

[Ginger]

I was gonna say I'm excited for today's. Because it is when you were first.

[Jeremy]

On the show, first time ever showing up on the show.

[Ginger]

Okay, we gotta get into this because you. We've talked about this maybe for some little bit, but there was a time when we were talking and you were. They're like, visiting the fam. And they didn't know that we were talking. Like, the crew did not know that. So when you showed up, you were a random person to them, and so they kind of asked you to step aside for a minute.

[Jeremy]

Yeah, totally. They were like, sir, we don't want to introduce another character here.

[Ginger]

Because part of the issue with reality TV is you can't bring in too many characters into the show because then they're like, oh, well, who's that person? Who's that person? Who's that person? They just get lost in the weeds.

[Jeremy]

Yeah. And people are characters, even though it's reality. It's like on a sitcom, you wouldn't just have a new character every single time. You need familiar faces. And it works the same way with reality. Okay, so this is the first moment that I came on the show. And we should give a little setup. Do you remember what was happening here? So that we go to Harps. This is the boys go to Harps because it's Jessa and Ben's baby shower for Spurgeon.

[Ginger]

Spurgeon. Oh, my goodness. That's crazy.

[Jeremy]

And we go to get, like, ingredients for baby food. Because you guys were doing a joint baby shower. Not you guys. Yeah, well, the family, they were doing a joint baby shower for guys and girls.

[Ginger]

And so you're getting baby food.

[Jeremy]

We're gonna do, like, a competition where.

[Ginger]

Oh, for him to eat it. Oh, that's crazy. I didn't even remember that. That's wild.

[Jeremy]

So Ben's like, hey, so I'm just in town and you're Ben's friend. Was this strategic? This was strategic. Okay. This we've got. Let's watch this. But there's some behind the scenes of why I was even there in the first place. Cause Ben and Jessa were being strategic.

[Derek]

We want this baby shower to be for the guys as well. So we've come up with a few ideas to incorporate the dudes and have, like, a baby food making contest.

[Ginger]

That's pretty original. I don't think I've ever heard of that before. It'll be very interesting to see who can make the best tasting baby food.

[Derek]

Do you want to divide and conquer? Like, get a couple groups and then.

[Jeremy]

Sure.

[Derek]

You got your phone? I'll text you the list. Yeah. So, yeah, if you want to buy any, like, secret ingredients, you know, that, you know, you think might go good in the baby food food. On our shopping trip to the store. It's me, Derek, my friend Jeremy, and.

[Jeremy]

Some of the brothers.

[Derek]

We got, like, canned chicken and barbecue sauce. You know, I'm not sure exactly what.

[Jeremy]

Baby'S been doing with his head.

[Derek]

I mean, I kind of have a general idea.

[Ginger]

I think he would wear that all the time. That's weird.

[Derek]

His own food for a while, you know, after he had oral surgery. So he might have some recipes that actually make money.

[Ginger]

Hot diggity dogs.

[Jeremy]

We're gonna take a quick break from this episode to talk to you about Cozy Earth. Ginger is asleep.

[Ginger]

Oh, my goodness, guys, this blanket is insane.

[Jeremy]

That's the bubble cuddle blanket.

[Ginger]

It is. And Felicity actually has the white one. And she just was walking. She walked downstairs after bedtime all wrapped up in this thing. Came down. She was like, can I have a snack? Carrying her bubble blanket. Crazy. This thing is, like.

[Jeremy]

It's the most comfortable thing in the world. Here, let me.

[Ginger]

Insane. It feels like, it's just like.

[Jeremy]

Let me get it.

[Ginger]

The softest thing in the whole world. There.

[Derek]

This is.

[Ginger]

Take it.

[Jeremy]

Oh, my word. This really is comfortable. I don't even know. I'm not even reading the copy points. Ginge. I'm just gonna talk about this blanket. You have to have this blanket in your house. Oh, my goodness. I'm done. I'm done. The ad is done. Go to cozyearth.com y'. All.

[Ginger]

So what I love about Cozy Earth is that all of their products are legit. So soft. They are amazing. They make the perfect gifts. They are.

[Jeremy]

It's so heavy.

[Ginger]

Their sheets are amazing. So we have guests in town and I literally just went and put the Cozy Earth sheets on their bed so that way they can have the best night's sleep ever. And if you go get your sheets now, then you will have a 100 day free trial. That's one thing that they do.

[Jeremy]

You won't return this blanket.

[Ginger]

You can return your sheets 100 days after, but you will not return them because they're so capable, comfortable.

[Jeremy]

Hey, this is a gift for someone who has everything.

[Ginger]

That is.

[Jeremy]

Because what's better than a new blanket? Oh, my God. Good.

[Ginger]

It even fits you. You're like six, two.

[Jeremy]

All right, go to cozyearth.com use code ginger 40% off.

[Ginger]

We want to take a break from this episode to tell you about function health. We love function health because it gives you the kind of data that you typically wouldn't see when you go in to get your checkups.

[Jeremy]

Yeah. Most people think maybe if you have low iron, you can just take some iron supplements. And it's no big deal. The body's far more complex than that, and sometimes supplements won't even help. One of the things we've learned since working with function health and doing function health is how complex your internal health is. And function health breaks it all down for you. So you have a complete picture of how healthy you are and what your deficiencies are. And if you have deficiencies, how to resolve them.

[Ginger]

Yeah, you can test over 160 biomarkers. And so that is from heart and hormones to toxins, inflammation, and stress.

[Jeremy]

So learn more and join using our link, visit functionhealth.com ginger. Okay, hot diggity dogs.

[Ginger]

There you are. Wow, that's fascinating. So you were just there at the store with the dudes and they. You were there at that time? We were in a relationship.

[Jeremy]

No, we were not.

[Ginger]

Or we were not?

[Jeremy]

No. This is the first time. This is so.

[Ginger]

I don't remember when that was.

[Jeremy]

This is a month or two before the. This is in October. I went on the missions trip in December.

[Ginger]

Oh, my goodness.

[Jeremy]

Yeah. So this is. Okay, you know what this is?

[Ginger]

How are you on the show?

[Jeremy]

Okay, what this is, is Ben and Jessa came out and visited me, like, in the summer sometime or in the spring in Laredo. And that's when Jessa looked at me and was like, jeremy, what about Ginger? Like, haven't you thought about Ginger? And I remember where we were driving, and she's in the backseat and Ben's here, and she comes up between the seats.

[Ginger]

It's like, oh, yeah, she.

[Jeremy]

What about Ginger?

[Ginger]

But I didn't know that. That you came to Arkansas. This is October trip that we flew out together in the airport, right?

[Jeremy]

Yeah.

[Ginger]

But I didn't know that you were on the show at that time.

[Jeremy]

Oh, you didn't?

[Ginger]

I don't remember.

[Jeremy]

Wow.

[Ginger]

Because, I mean, we were always there like crazy. They were always filming. But I didn't realize that you made it.

[Jeremy]

Well, the only reason, I think, is because I was with Ben all day.

[Ginger]

She made it.

[Jeremy]

But I was with Ben all day. And we go to the grocery store.

[Ginger]

That's hilarious.

[Jeremy]

So I don't know if Ben. I don't know why they would have put me on the show, or Ben was being like. If he insisted or asked them, because, again, you don't want to be introducing. And he's like, I'm here with my brothers and friend Jeremy. So I'm just this random dude who just shows up on the show. But I was there because Jessa was talking you up. So it was Ben, of course. And so I was, like, praying about it. And I watched a video of you and Ben where you're giving your testimony. In fact, we should play that video here, because. So that was you giving your testimony with Ben. And I'm like, you know what? This girl like. Cause we had talked, but we hadn't talked real deep. And I'm like, there's something to this girl. And so Jess is like, come on out for my baby shower. And, you know, you can hang out with Ginge. So I come out, but remember to hang out with Ginge. It was like, for those of you guys who don't know about the courtship and all that, it was like, you don't just go up to a girl and go, hey, let's hang out. So it's not like I went to coffee with you on this trip or, like, took you to dinner. They're like, hey, here's a Guy. Plus you had all of these guys who were interested in you constantly sending you letters and stuff. And then guys in your own circles. So you weren't really available. Like, you were not accessible. And so Jess is like, come on out to the baby shower. So I'm just hanging with Ben. I went with them. They had their. What do you call that? Pregnancy shoot.

[Ginger]

Like maternity photo shoot.

[Jeremy]

Maternity photo shoot.

[Ginger]

Is that the one I did?

[Jeremy]

No, it was out in a field with a random person. And not random to me.

[Ginger]

Cause I did the announcement. But that must have been for the actual person.

[Jeremy]

Right. So I'm just sitting there in the car. They're out there. She's going like, it'll take 20 minutes. Then Ben and I go to the juvenile detention center and we meet this young guy who still is in connection with Ben, which is awesome. And so I'm just like, literally tagged along with Ben for the day.

[Ginger]

Wow.

[Jeremy]

And we go to the grocery store and were getting groceries for baby food.

[Ginger]

Wow, that's crazy. So I wonder when the whole treehouse thing happened, when they asked you to step aside, Was that before? No, that was when we were talking. Legit talking. So that was later when they asked you to step aside because they didn't want too many faces on the camera.

[Jeremy]

You know what it was? Yes. That would have been in January after the missions trip. Yeah, I remember that. Wow. So they had me on for this, but then had me step aside for the other.

[Ginger]

Yeah. Because sometimes it's just too many people there.

[Jeremy]

That's funny. All right.

[Ginger]

I like it. Oh, yes.

[Derek]

Queso is good. Queso. Queso. Hey, guys, let's get some. Let's get some spinach.

[Ginger]

Spinach.

[Jeremy]

We were picking up the nastiest stuff.

[Derek]

Tomatoes.

[Ginger]

Oh, is there anything hot?

[Derek]

Like beans?

[Jeremy]

Is there anything hot?

[Derek]

Hey, we need to get some sweet potatoes.

[Jeremy]

Derek's actually thinking about the guys who are going to be eating this baby.

[Derek]

Would trust with Israel eating other stuff. Not so much one, because I might change the diaper. And some of this hot sauce these guys are putting in the basket would almost kill a baby.

[Jeremy]

I mean, you kill a baby.

[Derek]

Flaming hot sauce. How about some steak sauce, guys?

[Jeremy]

What are you getting the steak sauce for? First line on tv.

[Derek]

There's a well known fact about baby food. It's just ridiculously bland, you know? Have you all ever eaten any, like, real baby food?

[Jeremy]

Yeah, I've had someone else look at you.

[Derek]

We can market hear my little dad joke. Like, baby, have you ever eaten baby food?

[Jeremy]

I said I had someone else. Baby Sriracha. Sauce. That's the one.

[Derek]

Hey, we should make, like, a dessert one and then like, a main dish.

[Ginger]

That's funny.

[Jeremy]

Like a pumpkin sriracha sauce. I was still obsessed with sriracha back then.

[Ginger]

That's crazy. You still are.

[Jeremy]

I didn't realize that.

[Ginger]

So that's an interesting. That's an interesting day because you're like, literally with all the brothers.

[Jeremy]

Yeah.

[Ginger]

That's intense. Was it like, how did you feel?

[Jeremy]

Well, I don't think so.

[Ginger]

Were you nervous with cameras there? I have to ask you.

[Jeremy]

I don't think so. I. I didn't feel. I. They don't think they. I don't think they knew that I was, you know, thinking about their sister at this point. So they were just treating me normal. Just like they didn't have their guard up. I mean, maybe they did, but little James is just having fun. Look how tiny James was, by the way.

[Ginger]

Crazy, isn't that?

[Jeremy]

That's like, to see Jed and these little guys. They're like string beans now.

[Ginger]

They have, like, four kids. Three kids.

[Jeremy]

Seriously, they've outpaced us. It is really fascinating to see. Like, it doesn't feel like that was 10 years ago. No, for sure, that was a decade ago. Ginge. That was 2015.

[Ginger]

Insane.

[Jeremy]

But I don't remember if we thought we were actually making baby food or if we were just making food for this party for people to eat, like, for the guys to try the game or not. I don't think I fully understood that. I don't know.

[Ginger]

You still don't know.

[Jeremy]

And so we're like. We're getting, like, steak sauce and sriracha.

[Ginger]

That's so cool.

[Jeremy]

Which is ridiculous. Okay, so now we transition from the grocery store to the next shot. From there is to you in the kitchen getting ready. And look at cute little Ginger.

[Ginger]

Oh, my goodness. We want to take a break from this episode to tell you about Ava.

[Jeremy]

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[Ginger]

So for just $6 a month, you can access all of Ava's credit building tools. Ava keeps it low stress and low cost and super transparent.

[Jeremy]

Yeah. So take control of your credit now download the AVA app that's spelled Ava today. And when you join using our code Ginger, your first month is totally free. Get the Ava app. Use our promo code Ginger so they know you heard it from us, and get your first month with Ava free. That's promo code Ginger. Thanks to Ava, you can now go and get yourself some good credit.

[Ginger]

Now back to the episode.

[Jeremy]

Okay, guys, real quick. On Mint Mobile, we all need a cell phone. It's how the world goes round. Landlines are out. I don't know if that's news to you, but if you want to save money, Mint Mobile's the way.

[Ginger]

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[Jeremy]

And for a limited time, Mint mobile is offering three months of unlimited premium wireless service for 15 bucks a month. So while your friends are sweating over data overages and surprise charges, you'll be chilling, literally and financially with Mint Mobile.

[Ginger]

Get this new customer offer and your three month unlimited wireless plan for just $15 a [e-mail] ginger that's mint mobile.com ginger.

[Jeremy]

Yeah, there's an upfront payment of $45 required, equivalent to $15 a month limited time. New customer offer for first three months only. Speeds may slow above 35 gigabytes on unlimited plan. Taxes and fees extra. See Mint Mobile for details. Now back to the episode.

[Ginger]

Go ahead. We only need two. I am so glad you're here. I'm glad to eat it. How's it going so far? Good. I got a lot done. We just started. Oh, wow. Over the past couple months.

[Jeremy]

So do you remember that Sierra's house? You don't remember that?

[Ginger]

My memory is really bad times.

[Jeremy]

First of all, you have gotten more and more beautiful.

[Ginger]

Oh, that's sweet.

[Jeremy]

Every single day, you are aging like fine wine. I am aging like milk. Like, if you look at me then and go like, full head of hair.

[Ginger]

Oh, my goodness.

[Jeremy]

Everything's dark. Beard is dark. Ginger. I've got bags under my eyes. I've got a white bag.

[Ginger]

I have bags under my eyes. Jeremy.

[Jeremy]

No, but you hold it beautifully. You have just gotten more and more gorgeous every day that passes by.

[Ginger]

That's very sweet. I wish I remembered more of this, but I'm about to remember it. Once I watch it, I'll remember it.

[Jeremy]

Talk about Sierra for a minute. Cause Sierra's your dear friend and she's like, Mr. Creative. Wouldn't you guys?

[Ginger]

Oh, yeah. She was the mastermind behind so many parties, events, and she had her hands full with all of her kids at that time, maybe not so much, but she just is, like, so good. She's a people person, great at planning parties, super organized with things. So, yeah, she would just knock out whatever we had to get done. She'd formulate a plan and make it happen and did an amazing job. Look at you. And my sister's there, always up for a party, too, and they're really good at that sort of thing, so together. It's gonna be awesome. Do they have any shots of us together? Hey, babe, it's going. Were you, like, eyeing me from across the room? Was I there? We gotta do the. To the side. Yeah, exactly. There we go. We're, like, three weeks apart. Yeah. With our due dates. Yeah. If you have your kid, like, tomorrow, then I'm gonna feel really bad that I, like, overworked you. I'll be so, so excited. Hopefully, that throws you into labor. I'll have you come hold my kid at the hospital, and then you'll be like, sympathy labor. Oh, Israel, isn't it? Hey, y'.

[Jeremy]

All. Happy birthday.

[Ginger]

Goodness, all these kids have grown up. Wow. That's insane.

[Jeremy]

So you see, like, that meetup where the camera's inside and then the two couples come and meet? That was always. That was always a little awkward, like, all right, go say hi to each other.

[Ginger]

You don't have to go repeat your hello.

[Jeremy]

You know what's funny about that day? So I was helping Sarah set up, and I was putting chairs up and tables and all this stuff with Ben, and I kept whistling the whole day.

[Ginger]

Yes.

[Jeremy]

And I was just, like, whistling or.

[Ginger]

Singing, and they would tell you to stop.

[Jeremy]

Scott, the producer, came over probably three times, and at first he's, like, going to Sierra, hey, can you tell that guy to stop? And then I would just keep. 20 minutes later, I start whistling again. Just not in production mode at all. No quiet on set.

[Ginger]

You aren't even thinking in that.

[Jeremy]

Not thinking. So they're filming something over here, and I'm just.

[Ginger]

You are a whistler. You are a whistler. It's so funny. Evie. I think it was Evie the other week, I told you this, right? Like, she heard somebody whistling, and she's like, daddy, seriously? And it wasn't you. It was somebody else. I think we were at, like, college campus or something, you know? And then she. She heard somebody whistling and thought it was you.

[Jeremy]

Oh, that's really funny.

[Ginger]

I was like, nope, that's not Daddy.

[Jeremy]

Whistling can be. Whistling's the worst because it's so annoying if you're not the whistler you know what I mean? Like, I hear people whistling. I'm like, all right, come on, cool it. And then I find myself whistling, and.

[Ginger]

You know, such a random thing.

[Jeremy]

It is a random thing. But, yeah, that day I just kept whistling, and they kept going. Okay, dude, can you.

[Ginger]

Do you remember when I showed up at the baby shower? So you were there working.

[Jeremy]

Do you remember when you showed up?

[Ginger]

I think I. We did a sister's picture in front of the barn where the baby shower is being held. It was like, an event, and we just, like, went out there, got all the sisters together, got a picture, but I don't remember.

[Jeremy]

Do you remember me being there? Like, did you?

[Ginger]

Yeah.

[Jeremy]

Had Jessa talked to you about me?

[Ginger]

Yeah, I think so.

[Jeremy]

What'd she say?

[Ginger]

She. Well, actually, I don't know if she talked to me before or after that, but I had heard a lot about you at that point. And so I remember them saying, there's this pastor, and he is. Well, you weren't ordained at that point, but you were in a leadership position. So you were shepherding a church, kind of overseeing it, basically with another guy on the border of Mexico. And she said, he wears those sweaters you like. I remember that. And it was like, they just talked about how Ben was your friend and.

[Jeremy]

She was trying to set you up. Like.

[Ginger]

Yeah. And you knew the word of God really well, and they said that you loved the Lord. But I think she had a conversation with me because at that point, there were other people around who were interested in me, and it was kind of an interesting season. Right. So I. I had this in my mind of, like, okay, he might be interested, but there was somebody else who was, like, showing interested interest in me at that time.

[Jeremy]

Yeah, I don't like that guy.

[Ginger]

Nope. Me either. So. But he. I was not, like, really interested in him at that point. I was more so, like, thinking about you. So it was interesting because I still was, like, in this turmoil with him, you know, and just like, what do I do? Do I. Do I just, like, how do I figure this out? So I remember we had a conversation. I don't remember if we talked at the baby shower. So I'm going to ask you that in a minute. I want to hear. But it was the day after the baby shower. I was flying to a prison ministry.

[Jeremy]

Where that guy was. Right.

[Ginger]

Where he was.

[Jeremy]

Yeah.

[Ginger]

And.

[Jeremy]

And you were trying to figure out, like, is this guy someone you'd be interested in? Right. Did he. How did that work? Did he go through your dad and your dad Tell you this young man is interested in you. That's how it worked, right?

[Ginger]

Yeah, pretty much.

[Jeremy]

So then you went out there going, okay, I'll give it a shot. Like, did you know?

[Ginger]

No, I went out there not saying that. I was kind of like, I don't know if I missed it.

[Jeremy]

She just went out there for the ministry.

[Ginger]

I was like, yeah, for the ministry, because I go out, like, every year. But I was saying at that point, I don't. I don't know if I'm actually interested in this other guy, because I was more interested in, like, just who you were. So when we had that conversation, it was fascinating. We had a conversation at the airport at, like, 5am the next morning. Because you were flying out, I was flying out, and Ben took us to the airport, both of us, and so we had a conversation. And after that, I was like, okay, I really, really had interest in you. And by the time I made it to Florida, I saw that other guy that was interested in me, and I was like, meh. You know, I was like, there's no interest there, like, whatsoever. Like, it was gone. So I was just like, that's very clear. The Lord made it clear. And so I remember at the baby shower that I think there was like, didn't they have, like, games they played and you participated in a couple?

[Jeremy]

So I didn't participate, but we'll watch. Actually, we'll watch a clip of that. Yeah, let me see what timestamp it is, because, yeah, we talked a little bit here or there, like, little comments, but nothing. We didn't sit and have a conversation. It was a bustling night, so we would have talked in passing. And I definitely had my eye on you because Jessa was like, come on out and, like, spend some time with Ginger before she goes off to this trip or whatever. So I was definitely like, hey, I want to talk to that girl. But I also didn't want to. I was kind of getting the culture, and I was starting to understand. So I didn't, like, make a beautiful.

[Ginger]

You want to be too forward, because that would have also.

[Jeremy]

And I still, at this point, didn't understand what forward meant in your culture. Like, you know, saying hello. Yeah. Was like, whoa. So, yeah. But we would have chatted a little bit, and I had my eye on you. So I was, like, kind of, you know, watching you. Not in, like, a creepy way. I'll be watching you. Not like. Not like Phil Collins, but. Okay, this is the clip, I think, of them eating the baby food that.

[Ginger]

We shopped for okay. It is kind of a surprise that out of all ladies in this baby diaper competition, the one who ended up winning did not have any children of her own. Yet.

[Derek]

Okay, here we go. The baby food making contest. We're gonna make baby food. Don't worry about the health. Just, does this taste good?

[Ginger]

We're gonna start the timer. Let's get a countdown. Three, two, one, go. All right, we're starting with 10 minutes. We've got Schofield here going for the ice cream. We've got Mark pushing the baby, grabbing everything he can. We've got Ben over here cutting up a pear. All right, we've got Schofield going for the Frappuccino. Gonna throw a little coffee.

[Jeremy]

Honestly, ice cream with coffee.

[Ginger]

Okay. And so is that healthy at all? For the baby, of course. Okay, we've got Mark Dominguez with the bananas, the ice cream.

[Jeremy]

There I am. Look. I'm just chopping away.

[Ginger]

What is that? Derek, talk to me. So your shot in this whole. In this baby shower was you sitting in the background eating food. They're like, here, let's get a.

[Jeremy]

There's a guy who's probably looking around like, where's Ginger? That's probably what I was looking for. Where's Ginger at?

[Ginger]

So do you remember, though, like, saying hello to me?

[Jeremy]

Yeah, Well, I don't know if I remember the exact moment. I remember the exact moments. The next morning in the airport, for sure, but no, there was a lot of hustle and bustle there. I don't remember the exact moment.

[Ginger]

A lot of people. You probably also didn't want to make it too obvious for, like, around all those friends.

[Jeremy]

You know what's funny is if you look at your interviews, your makeup got less and less and less over the years.

[Ginger]

Yeah.

[Jeremy]

It was like. Because last week's episode where we looked at Counting on, which would have been months before this, it was, like, really dark, right?

[Ginger]

Really intense.

[Jeremy]

Yeah. Oh, my goodness. Yeah. What a fun day. That was really cool. That was a special memory because I was new to this world. And at the same time, like, some of the theological stuff that we've worked through, I still wasn't aware of. I still had no idea about Bill Gothard. And so I was just, like, brand new. And I'm sitting here, like, it was a really sweet time. Like the. The. Yeah, the gathering of the families and a lot of fun people. Like, even watching that, I see all these faces of people that I had a lot of fun with, a lot of laughs with. And so I'm Just kind of like getting to know the family, getting to know the environment. And I'd never been to Arkansas, you know, I'm like, this is a cool.

[Ginger]

Where is Arkansas on the map?

[Jeremy]

Where's Arkansas on the map? And there's a pretty girl who's, you know, starting to take my heart. And so I knew. Well, I was just. I was in those. That stage of, like, really hopeful, you know, just getting to know this girl and you're going, could this be something?

[Ginger]

Did you think when, like, based on our interaction, could you tell I was interested in you, or was it like, did I just have it such a stoic face? Like, I would just sit there and like, hello. Like, I'm not.

[Jeremy]

No, you weren't, like, rude to me or anything.

[Ginger]

I think that's kind of what I remembered being sometimes.

[Jeremy]

Well, because you were probably guarding your heart, as they say, right?

[Ginger]

Yes.

[Jeremy]

You don't want anything to get in. So, yeah. You weren't, like, stoic to me. I wasn't like, off put. I never went to Jess and was like, why is she being rude to me? I think I was starting to pick up, though. And if I hadn't here, I was going to, like, just how intense the guardian of the heart was. Like, yeah, if a girl likes a guy, she, like, ignores him. If a girl likes a guy, she can't express it. So I didn't know. I was just kind of from the world of like.

[Ginger]

But you had Jess to like.

[Jeremy]

So Jess was navigating it all for me. And that's what, you know, I think it was fun for Ben and Jessa because they were inviting me out to this thing. They had this kind of mastermind scheme. But what was frustrating to me all the time was I would be like, jess, why don't you just ask her, is she interested? And she wouldn't like, she was. It was like there was that barrier. Even in your conversations you'd have with your siblings. Like, you guys wouldn't even talk about people you like. You know, most siblings are being like, going home and they're staying up till 2 o' clock in the morning, you know, talking about the boy or the girl they like.

[Ginger]

That's something that's very fascinating about the culture.

[Jeremy]

You guys were very.

[Ginger]

You didn't do that. And so maybe I think, like, some of my siblings might have, but I don't remember it. Yeah.

[Jeremy]

And so I would sit there on the phone and be like, well, what did she say? Oh, you haven't talked to her? What do you mean? You haven't talked to her. Like, just tell her. Or does she like me? And then at one point, I'm like, jess, I'm buying these flights to come out. Like, you gotta give me something. Yeah, but Jessa and the Lord, it all worked out. But she was like, no, you gotta work for it. Like, you gotta find out, you know, you gotta do your own work. Which was nice, you know, you gotta. You gotta put the work in and get the girl.

[Ginger]

That's so fascinating.

[Jeremy]

I did have an insider, though, and Ben was giving me insider. It was like, insider trading.

[Ginger]

Yeah.

[Jeremy]

He was giving me some tips on how to get the girl, what to.

[Ginger]

Say, what not to say.

[Jeremy]

It was really sweet of them. They're at their baby shower and they're thinking about me. They're thinking about you.

[Ginger]

You know, they wanted to get me married off. Yeah, they did a good job. Yeah. It's crazy. Cause, like, just thinking about how God worked, even in the timing of all that, you know, and you coming out and me more so, like, just noticing how you were willing to make that time to come out, because I think that was a huge thing, too, because I knew that you were pastoring a small or, like, in a small church plant. There was a lot that you had on your plate, and you came out to hang out with Ben and Jess and to see me. And then when you came on the missions trip, that was really.

[Jeremy]

When solidified. I was giving all of this time. And I remember Randy Pisino, who's since passed a real dear brother, older man pastor. He'd come out to visit me in Laredo and preach at the church. And I was kind of feeling guilty because I was making all these trips, spending money, and also, you know, that takes away from the ministry. Tiny church is just getting off the ground kind of thing. And he said, jeremy, the investment in your ministry of a godly wife is going to be far more valuable to your life and ministry than the hours that you would have spent preparing a sermon this week. And it was so. I mean, he was so wise, because I was obsessed. Like, oh, I'm not going to have sermon prep time this week. Should I really fly out to Arkansas? And he's like, seeing this picture going.

[Ginger]

Dude, it's like a drop in a mug.

[Jeremy]

Like, he who finds a good wife, finds a good thing. Like, a godly wife finds a good thing. And he realized, like, bro, go get your girl. You know, it's funny, I had a lot of older men tell me that, like, go get your girl.

[Ginger]

They were further down the road and realizing, like, to you, this seems like such a huge thing. Buying a plane ticket and figuring out who's going to take over certain things so you can come visit me.

[Jeremy]

Right?

[Ginger]

And that was like, don't you look back, though now at, like, single Jeremy. And you're like, dang, I had so much time. Oh, my God, what did I do?

[Jeremy]

Because you're so.

[Ginger]

You thought you were so swamped, so busy.

[Jeremy]

Oh, I'm so busy. It's funny, I tell college students, they're like, oh, I'm so busy. And you go, oh, man, what's going on? I got three classes and I got my part time job. And you're like, okay. And then they find time to spend like eight hours a day playing video games. And you're like, brother, you are not busy.

[Ginger]

Yeah.

[Jeremy]

Like, you start to value the hours and the minutes, you know, as life gets busier. But, yeah, it was. Oh, man, it was a thousand percent worth it. That takes me back to that fall, the autumn.

[Ginger]

Yeah.

[Jeremy]

The autumn leaves and the cool weather in Arkansas.

[Ginger]

It was so lovely jumping on a.

[Jeremy]

Little plane from Laredo, Texas, to northwest Arkansas to see if this ginger girl might work out.

[Ginger]

I'm so glad that you. You made the effort and everything worked out incredible. Like, I mean, you can't. This is part of it. So for anybody who's still single, you try to think of all the ways that you might meet your spouse and can't plan it. It's incredible how God literally worked that out. And you have to put yourself in places where, like, you have to make effort. It's not like, just sit in your room and.

[Jeremy]

Well, I've told. I've told people who are may getting older and really want to be married. I've said, break the rhythm of fellowship that you have. Like, if you're in a pattern of fellowship with people and it's the same people, and you go, no, there's no one here. Well, then break that up. Go visit somewhere else. Doesn't mean. I'm not saying forsake your friends. I'm just saying do something spontaneous. Go on a Friday night. Go on a Friday night to that church over there, or go on a trip or organize something with friends you haven't seen in a long time. So you can, you know, you play your part. But I remember my dad, I was real lonely in Laredo, and you really didn't see any prospects for marriage, you know, relationships. And my dad told me, he said, jeremy, if the Lord can bring my wife, your mom, to me, in inner city Philadelphia, where I was ministering, just pouring himself. He said, he can bring your wife to Laredo. And he didn't bring you directly to Laredo. He brought Ben and Jessica, who were like, Jessa was literally, like, knocking on my forehead, like, ginger. I said literally. She did not do that literally. So figuratively, she's like, ginger.

[Ginger]

Yeah.

[Jeremy]

And so they came to me in Laredo. They were like, hey, we're at an event in Houston. We want to drive down Laredo a few hours. So the Lord does that stuff, and you never know where those connections and relationships all come from.

[Ginger]

It's amazing.

[Jeremy]

Look at you, beautiful woman.

[Ginger]

Look at you, handsome.

[Jeremy]

All right, we're gonna get all sappy here. We gotta.

[Ginger]

Now we gotta get out of here.

[Jeremy]

All right, well, guys, that was a trip down memory lane for me. Going to harps with Ben sideways.

[Ginger]

That was the first time you were on this show. Because I didn't even know that until today.

[Jeremy]

That's crazy.

[Ginger]

That's wild.

[Jeremy]

I think my first line was, yeah, I had baby food when I was a baby.

[Ginger]

That's perfect, though. Cause that's. That's Jeremy to this day. All the dad jokes, and you know what's nuts.

[Jeremy]

Ginger. I think that was season one. We had seven seasons of counting on crazy. Seven seasons. That's wild. Okay, well, guys, thanks for hanging out. We're so grateful for you guys. We hope that was a fun little trip for you, too, and God willing, we will see you next week.