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Birth
I was born on June 14 to Kim and Jay Earles, I am their second, and last, child. I was an unplanned pregnancy (my mother actually cried when she found out she was pregnant again), my brother was only two and a half when I was born and my parents had wanted to wait until he was out of diapers before having another one. I guess the contraceptives didn't do their jobs. I was born three weeks premature so I only weighed 6lb. 14oz. (which conincidentally matches my birthday!) -
Moved to Hawaii
I was born in Georgia but when I was two we moved to Hawaii becaues my dad is in the Military (he's an Army Psychologist). Being raised as a ethnic minority for the first five years that I can actively remember was really a great experience. My best friend was biracial, but I was raised to not judge anyone based on ethnicity or culture. I was one of a handful of Caucasian kids in my grade and at my church. And I actually had a slight Hawaiian pidgeon accent for a good number of years. -
Next move: Hawaii to South Carolina
The summer before I went into 2rd grade, when I was seven, we moved from Hawaii to South Carolina. I remember that I didn't know anyone and I had trouble being outgoing to make friends at first. My concept of self was challenged at first when I had to take in that I didn't look different from most of the other children, my blonde hair and blue eyes were pretty common. Because I didn't look differently it was easier to accept me and for me to join in with my peers to play and make friends. -
Grandmother passed away
My grandmother suffered from Pulmonary Fibrosis for 5 years before she passed away in Sept. of 2006. This was the first death I'd ever dealt with, so I didn't know how to cope very well. I don't remember talking to anyone about it after, our moms gave all of us cousins a talk about dying and Heaven right before she died but that was it. I was attached to my grandma in a secure and loving way so not having her there for me as I got older has been hard. -
Living in North Carolina
High school was hard for me, I didn't find a good friend group until junior year and never got plugged into a church youth group. I had to develop my moral values based off of mostly my families beliefs and what I felt was wrong that my peers did. I struggled with what Erikson labels his 5th stage (identiity versus role confusion), but grounded myself with volleyball and being an honors student. -
Jonathan graduated High School
My brother is two and a half years older than me, we were close enough in age that growing up I had a built in friend (albeit one I sometimes wanted to punch). Our relationship wasn't perfect and it grew a lot for us to become fairly close when he went off to college. It was hard not having him in the house but our family has a strong bond and functions in a positive way that encourages affection and communication so we kept in touch after he left. -
Starting College
I went to college because it really never came up that I could do anything else. I came because it was expected that I do something with my life, and I'd never change my decision to attend Trevecca. Even from the first day I met such a variety of people that I probably never would have known otherwise if not for Trevecca. I've gained new perspectives, strengthened my faith, shaped my moral compass, and made some solid relationships with new friends. -
Ending my volleyball career
After playing a season of volleyball here at TNU I decided that it wasn't what I was supposed to be doing with my college years. Just as deciding to play the sport gave me an identity, deciding to stop playing made me lose my the identity I had built over 8 years of playing. Now I've had to focus to grow into a new identity and learn to be ok with taking time to figure out who I am. -
Mission Trip: Croatia
I was part of a mission team from TNU that was sent to Croatia this past summer. It was a time of spiritual growth for me, I learned a lot about myself, also learned about what life and Christianity is like halfway around the world. I gained perspective on the differences of culture and of how diverse, while also broken and wanting, the world truly is. -
First relationship
I officially started dating David Cole on November 1 of this year. He's my first boyfriend, which seems like an uncommon thing since I'm 19. We met in class last year and our relationship has grown from friendship to a more romantic relationship (or intimate since it ties into Erikson's 6th stage). We both are new to this dating thing so we're taking this slow but I know we share similar beliefs on topics like premarital sex, religion, and general moral values which is a good start.
