Yes, this is a photo of the Jollie family having a Jolly time! I love our last name and I like to think we’ve lived up to its meaning!
I’m the youngest of four children, and I came from some wonderful parents who have been married thirty years! Crazy they have made it this far, but I couldn’t be more proud. My dad grew up in Green Bay, and my mom grew up in Stillwater. They met each other at the University of Minnesota and ended up being apart of a group who started a church called Evergreen Community Church. My father is ambitious and amazing. He truly is a kid at heart, but he knows how to be successful. My dad is the Vice President at a Public Relations firm known as Padilla Spear Beardsley. However, is prestigious position did not come easy. He has told me time and time again that the odds are against you and people will put you down, but always work hard. His never seizing determination and spiritual leaderships is a blessing to our family.
My mother was a nurse before she decided to be a stay at home mom and home school us. I grew up with her as my teacher until I was in 9th grade. She was the backbone of the house hold and was always ready to cut the next coupon out of the paper. She gave me the love a mother should and was always there when I was having a hard time. Her self discipline inspired me and I admire her for it.
History of my siblings: I have two older brothers, David (29) and Matt (23) and a older sister named Maria(25). We were all homeschooled. Many categorize homeschoolers as socially awkward, but that wasn’t the case here. Our parents wanted to raise us with a Christian education in their home but we still had social outlets like sports, choir, church, and friends. We were taught by our mom and some days absolutely sucked, but at the end of the day it was cool to be with family, work at your own pace, and sleep in until 9 a.m! Being so confined to my house, it forced be to become a social butterfly. Anywhere I went I was determined to make a new friend. I started gymnastics at age 3, and by 13 years old I was training 30 hours a week. I’m so thankful for gymnastics because I got see what it was like outside my sheltered bubble. I traveled the country for competitions and had opportunities to be coached by some of the top instructors in the sport. Being a gymnast, I developed determination like my dad, and self discipline like my mom, mixed in with a little fearlessness which I’m not sure where it came from!
My parents instilled how important having a relationship with God was, and how living according to His word is the most important thing in life. My parents taught me to have self-discipline and to always love your neighbor as yourself. I attended church every Sunday, and I still do now! Being homeschooled allowed me to see how much my parents cared for the safety and well being of my siblings and I. I was very blessed to grow up so close to my family and be able to be a gymnast. Both have shaped who I am today.
Your family sounds really close. My family is also very close and that as definitly affected how I develop my relationships with other people. Like you, my parents also raised me to have a strong belief in God and that has made me live my life in such a different way then what if originally would have been!
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