So, my little sister Emily has been living with Jacob and I since July 22 (ish). (Speaking of ish- there is a really good children's book called "ish.") She will be here until Thanksgiving. We have her enrolled in school here. She is struggling because she doesn't know anyone. I hope it gets better for her. Every morning she wakes up for school, she tells me she doesn't want to go. She likes it here with Jacob and I though. I feel like she is getting the "easy way out" because there really isn't a lot of chores around here to do. But hopefully we are showing her other things that can help her on her journey.
We have had quite a few visitors up here. It has been so fun! Jacob's dad, sisters Nora and Marie, and his little brothers have come up to visit. We have gone to the Civil Defense Cave, the sand dunes, Rigby Lake, and jet skiing (with Jacob's boss's jet skiis and his property called "the pit.") One of Jacob's best friends, Jonny, also was able to come and visit. He brought his own jet ski. That was a blast! I don't think I have pictures from these experiences... Marie took most of the pictures. Actually... She copied them to my computer, I think.
(And, yes mom, Emily did get to drive the jet ski. haha) She also has ridden in a horse-drawn wagon, helped weed-wack (sp?), and driven a truck. Haha. pretty cool. She hasn't ridden a horse yet, but that is on the to-do list. So, I have to add one more picture and tell you the real reason Jacob's boss let us use the jet skiis.
Yeah, one of them really struggles working. It works, but only about a third of the time. Add to that Jonny's battery... we had about 1 and a half working (out of 3) at a time. haha. We traded the batteries between them all about 20 times while we were there. (That may be a slight exaggeration... but not much.) But his boss is super awesome for letting us ride them as Jacob learned what the problem was!
Oh yes! Pictures of the Dunes!
And finally, The Civil Defense Caves. These caves were created by lava flow. I guess it was decided that if there were neuclear bombing, then this is where all of Madison County (and I think one or two other counties) were to come for safety.
Okay, okay, so you cannot tell just how cool this cave is from the pictures since it is so dark in there! But it was awesome! There are piles of rocks everywhere, and it is nice and cool down there!
Jacob and I have completely loved the company that we have had! Oh, we also have a pet kitten named Elki. I think we just found out that actually it is a boy... so maybe his name will be Elky instead. Is that any less feminine? haha. Anyway! Love you all!
So, It has now been almost two nad a half months that Jacob and I have livedd here in Rexburg. I am fairly certain that half of our weekends we have been gone. Generally gone for missionary homecomings/ farewells. Anyway we love it here. I think. Haha.
Jacob's job was supposed to transfer up here, but that fell through. So, he was having a really hard time With just sitting around all of the time, trying to find things to do. He got a job just yesterday. He is a ranch hand. He helps with cows and sprinklers and stuff. It has been raining here yesterday and today. I hope he stays warm.
School has been so busy. I am taking 18 credits (6 classes.) As of right now, I have straight A's. However, midterms are just arriving and I have a lot of tests. So we will see if that continues. I am at school from (depending on the day) 8 or 10 in the morning until 4:30 in the evening. Then, I am doing homework almost consistently until 9 at night.
I have loved learning more about Jacob (I didn't know it was possible to know more than I already did) haha. I love spending time with him. I love that we are married and that we are married even after this life! I love how much he does for me all of the time. He is amazing.
Jacob has made a huge sacrifice in coming up here to Rexburg for the sole purpose of me being able to finish school. I love how much faith he has, in that he knew we would be taken care of coming up here. In the beginning there was a lot of "you let me accomplish my dream, so of course I will not stop you from accomplishing yours." (His dream being his mission-not that there was any thought of not going.) He really did not like it here at first. He tells me he liked it just fine, but I am sure that is just so that he doesn't make me feel bad. But, hopefully things will continue to get better as I finish my last couple of semesters here.
Also, Jacob is going to be starting online classes for college in July.
So, here are some pictures of our sweet little trailer.
I know this is messy, it is always my school stuff scattered everywhere...
This is our bathroom. Our frog ribbits when you push on it. Jacob hates it. haha.
This is our spare bedroom that is now a storage/ Jacob's computer room.
This is just our TV stand. :)
Our kitchen.
We like it! It is perfect size for us, and pretty inexpensive! It is fun to have a place that is ours. 2 guys from Jacob's elders chorum (I don't know how to spell that) came over after church and we were making dinner. They said our home had a good smell and a good spirit. We are thankful for that!
So, Yesterday Jacob and I learned quite a bit about daddy long legs. I have a fear of squishing spiders. And Jacob says daddy long legs help kill other bugs, so we have a pet daddy long leg in our shower. I had told him our spider was getting bigger.... Then last night.... I was taking a shower and he (the spider) was just hanging there... So I show Jacob.
Jacob: I think he is dead. Kara: ...... I used to want you to kill him, now I am kind of sad that he is gone. Jacob: Wait something is growing from him. Kara: It looks like a sack of eggs (just a circle of white...)
Look a few seconds later... Kara: It looks like a baby spider! (wondering if it was a sack of eggs...)
Then it kept growing.
This is when we began to wonder if Spiders shed? Kara: Do spiders shed? Jacob: I don't know. Kara: They have an exoskeleton, I think. Kara again: That means he is going to get bigger!!!
Jacob laughs. First I wanted him dead, then I didn't, and now, he is going to get too big.
Anyway... I have to say that was one of the coolest things I have ever seen! I wish I had a better camera so I could have taken better pictures. But we saw the WHOLE process of a spider "shedding." I don't know how many people get to see that process in their life (besides those who study spiders. haha)
Also... according to the internet, Daddy long legs are not even spiders. They are in the same class as spiders, scorpions, mites, and ticks, but are not spiders. Their body is a globe (instead of having a "waist" like spideres do, they have only 2 eyes instead of 8, they don't produce silk, so they don't make their own webs, their second pair of legs is what guides their walking, they need to drink often (which is why it was in my shower), they also don't need their legs to get by (but their legs are what helps them make sense of the world), and they don't grow legs back either. This one some might not care to know, but I thought it was interesting: "Daddy longlegs have penises, and spiders do not. Spiders use an indirect method of transferring their sperm to females. The daddy longlegs, on the other hand, has a specialized organ capable of doing the job directly."
And I thought this description was cool:
"The daddy longlegs paints a rather humorous picture as it walks along: all eight legs moving at a different time, joints moving up and down like the needles in a knitting machine, the small body with two eyes on turrets gazing around and all the while two glands on their sides putting out small puffs of a sulfur-like gas to protect them from their enemies."
So here are some pictures that we were able to get:
See the white hanging off? That is what was just a little circle at first, then looked like a tiny baby spider, and now is the size of what the daddy longleg once was. It was so cool to see it grow! Sorry if you guys don't like spiders (even though he isn't one). I don't like them much either. But now, I will probably never kill a daddy long leg. (I actually don't really remember ever killing one.. but I am sure I have. Now I am sure I won't. :P)
I just want to say how much I love my dad. He is amazing and he will always be my hero. Before I was married, during my bridal shower, one of his friends said "wow, I can't believe one of Mike's children are getting married in the temple..." My dad's reply was, "yep I raised her so good!" and the friend laughed and said "yeah right." My dad's response: "Yeah, I taught her what not to do." haha this made me smile.
"Do as I say, not as I do."
These were/are my dad's favorite words to tell me. Well, next to "I love you."
Truth be told... There are a lot of things that he does, that I do too. I think our minds think a lot alike. And I wouldn't have it any other way. He always has been my best friend, and I know I am one of his best friends (next to his wife, my mom, Toni.) He could always tell me everything, and I could always tell him everything. I remember only 1 time that I disappointed him, and that is what made me want to turn my life around. I hate disappointing my dad. We both have a more quiet personality. Sometimes we would spend time together where not much was said -often, this is when we communicated the most. And when I felt the most special. I am who I am today in a very large part because of my dad. My dad is amazing.
So, here I was reading a talk from the Ensign. The conference addition, so I had heard it before. But one part especially stood out to me. In Pres. Uchtdorf's talk "Of Things That Matter Most" he asks us to get to know the basics. He lists 4 of them:
1) Our relationship with God: he is our Father, He loves us, and we are His children. 2) Our relationship with our Families: love is spelled t-i-m-e. lets talk with each other, not about each other. 3) Our relationship with our Fellow men: be responsive to others needs, serve them, and give of our time and talents. 4) Our relationship with ourselves: He suggests that people don't get along with themselves, they criticize and belittle themselves all day long until they hate themselves. He suggests, as a solution to this, to watch a sun rise, enjoy God's creations, ponder truth, and find out what all of this means to you.
He ends by saying "Let us simplify our lives a little. Let us make the changes necessary to refocus our lives on the sublime beauty of the simple, humble path of Christian discipleship- the path that leads always toward a life of meaning, gladness and peace."
So, as I was thinking about this... I remember all of the little things in life that I love.. My favorite place in Rexburg Idaho. I call it my "thinking place."
The beautiful grounds of any temple.
Southern Utah! Where my family always takes their spring break.
The Grounds of my school. Whether Sunshiny...
Or snowy.
Taking my niece on a walk :)
Or being next to my sweetheart. This time we were riding a horse... But any time I am with him, I love it.
I also love that Jacob loves little things in life. The other day it had just finished raining and he came home from lunch, as he was leaving he told me to come look! So I did..
There was a Robin taking a bath in our driveway. This is not our Robin, but you get the idea. Except there was no green around him, only mud and water. But it was SO cute :)
AND he text me from work to tell me to hurry and look outside because there was a rainbow.
I love him.
And I love the little things in life. Especially the ones we can share.
So, Jacob, my mom and dad in law, and Marie went to Vegas for a diamond convention. (Really it was an everything convention.) It was really cool! And Jacob and I got me an official ring :) Yes, the 2 that I had before now we silver plated, and then silver with cZ. I do not have a camera good enough to take a picture of my ring, so I found one on google that looks pretty close, and then fixed it to show you better... well... you decide if it is better... haha.
This is pretty close to what it looks like, but the way that the prongs hold the center diamond is different they look more like this... (use your imagination... :D )
Haha. hopefully you can get some sort of idea from that :) I love it though!! It is beautiful and perfect for me!!
p.s. I absolutely LOVE Jacob. He is my everything. :)
Kara: I grew up being 2nd oldest of 4 kids (Tara, me, Cailey, Hollie), when I was 6 my parents divorced and I moved in with my aunt for 3 years. Then when I was 9 I moved back in with my mom and 3 sisters. This was the year I found out my mom was pregnant with My littlest sister Emily. My dad was going to prison for drug usage and my mom was still trying to clean herself of drugs too. So, now I was 2nd oldest of 5 siblings. We absolutely loved each other! We still do! When I was 12 my dad got out of prison and met my amazing step mom Toni. She brought in another girl to our family, my step sister Shanae, who fell in line just below me in age. There were a lot of struggles in our young lives. But, as we grew, so did our parents (as parents do.) I don't want to focus very much on the struggles of growing up, but more how it has taught me that with trial, there is growth. Going to school started out as an escape from home, but changed into a deep love for learning. By the time 9th grade hit, I was sold on school. I loved it! Then there were crushes, broken hearts, boyfriends, the usual high school drama. But there was a boy who called my attention all 3 years at Taylorsville High....
Jacob: I started out the oldest of 7 kids. As a kid I had a great childhood. I was a highly energetic fireball. I loved working- whether cleaning up the yard or helping dad on the truck, or just whatever I could get my hands on. We might-as-well have adopted my older brother and sister Isaac and Crystal. This made me 3rd oldest. I grew up with 3 younger sisters (Marie, Alena, and Rachel) then finally a brother, Caleb, then another 2 sisters (Elizabeth and Kiera.) Since I had a lot of sisters, I grew up thinking girls had cooties, but with a high respect for them. We moved when I was 9. This was hard for me because I had to make new friends, but as I made new friends, it really helped me come out of my shell. Any time I made a mistake my parents let me know it was wrong, but assured me it was okay. They really helped teach me to follow the spirit and make the right choices. I spent my summers working on a ranch, learning a lot of manual labor like construction, horse training, mechanics, and welding. I had a great passion of learning, which is why I chose to go to a public high school -they had great trade programs for these types of trades. I liked to observe people. I noticed some people were genuinely unhappy and I thought about how much they could use the gospel in their lives. I loved to be friends with everyone. Then, my family was asked to take part in the foster care program so that we could have 2 little children from the ward in our home. Their dad was sent to Columbia, and their mom was heavily addicted to drugs. So my amazing parents did this to help these two children and they are adopted into my family as of May 2008. So the order of the family now is Isaac (his wife Laura), Crystal, Me, Marie, Alena, Rachel, Caleb, Zachary, Holleigh, Elizabeth, and Kiera.)
First meeting: Gym class, 10th grade. We also had Drivers Ed together in 10th grade. We loved spending time together, just as friends. well.. that is what he thinks ;) We would compete in volleyball and sometimes run the track together in gym. Then in drivers Ed, it was just an occasional conversation, until one trip when we went to 54th and redwood to observe cars. This was a fantastic day. He was my wind-block because I was freezing. We laughed and laughed and laughed that day. I did this thing I call an "eagle scream" it kind of sounds like an eagle... :P and he thought that was cute haha. He still asks me to do it today, but I am out of practice :P I don't remember if we had lunch together our sophomore year or not... But I still remember the image of when Jacob first came and asked if he could play volleyball with us. He was in his awkward stage :P haha. He was still cute. I have always loved his eyebrows.. I know.. Weird...
Junior year: Lunch. Some of the best lunches of my life. We didn't have any classes together after sophomore year. But we spent lunch together frequently. We would laugh and laugh and laugh all lunch. And not want to leave when it was done. There was one semester we ate on the upper level, what we call the balcony at our school. It overlooks the main hall. He would tickle me. He was definitely out of his awkward stage by this time. And very good looking. He took one of my shoes one day, looked it over, and gave me that same look (the one from the 511 post if you read that) and said "I could make these." ( I told this story to his brother Caleb and he said "Like he guy on Holes? when he always says "I can fix that." I never thought of it that way, but very much like that guy.) Jacob always says that he wanted to ask me out- but I "always had a boyfriend..." I think he was just chicken ;) Also, this was when Jacob had a welding class. He welded a beautiful rose. He brought it to lunch and with every fiber in my being I wished he would give it to me. He now says that he actually did think about giving it to me... haha... liar. :P He still insists that he did though. But who knows :) (He ended up making me one after high school, before his mission.)
Senior Year: This was the year that my two sisters were in the school with us. Shanae and Cailey were in tenth grade. We all ate lunch together (along with my friend Ashley.) Jacob was there on and off... Sometimes he chose to go to the GTI center (which was at a different school.) But I didn't like that much, so whenever I saw him I would ask him to be at lunch. Sometimes he would still not come though. But when he was there, and all of us had lunch together it was so much fun! We were really good friends and had a friendship that was unique. (Now, I would call it a spiritual friendship- we really connected in a deep level.) Then it ended and I was sure that us signing each others yearbooks was the last we would see of each other. But we both left our number in the others books.
The Almost Collide: Ashley and I were around Jacob's neighborhood visiting her friend (When Jacob tells the story he says.. "They were 'just in the neighborhood...'" with quotations.) And then we decided to call Jacob and visit him. So we did, and I was SO nervous when I called. Ashley and I sat in his driveway for probably an hour waiting for his dad and him to finish doing mechanical work on a boat. It was fun. I was way giddy. Then Jacob was finished and was finally able to talk. So we did. And, even in the little bit of stars that you can see here, I saw 3 shooting stars as I was looking up at the sky, talking. I don't know what my wishes were, But I am certain they have come true. So, our night was over. We gave Jacob a hug and went our separate ways. Again, unsure of whether or not I would see him again.
The Collide: So, my sister Hollie was friends with a girl named Bethany. Bethany knew a girl Marie. So Bethany and Hollie went and visited Marie, spending the night at her house, riding on a motorcycle with Marie's brother and just having fun, as girls do. Hollie introduced herself to Jake, Marie's older brother. Since her last name was Green, Jake thought to ask Hollie if she was related to Kara Green. and Hollie said "Yeah! She is my sister!" and he told her that he thought I was cute and had a crush on me in high school- but I always had a boyfriend. So, Hollie comes home and asks if I know someone named Jake. I said... "No... I don't think so..." She started panicking (as Hollie does....) and says "you have to know who he is!! He knows you...!!" and I was thinking... "Jake... jake.. jake...? hm... No...." and I don't remember if she said something else, or if I just got some inspiration. But then I was like "OH JACOB?!?!" (I never called him Jake- it was always just Jacob.) So.. Now that I knew what was going on, she told me that she had been talking to him and went to his house and all of this stuff.. and that he liked me! haha. That was heaven to my ears. SO... I text him.... I was upfront and bold. I told him hi, and let him know it was me. Then immediately I asked "So... my sister tells me you always had a crush on me... is that true?" I was nervous for his reply... but SO excited! and he said yeah, that he did. So, he called me and we were up that night talking for hours. And we planned a swimming "hang out" not quite a date, because there were a lot of extra people there. And we went swimming. It was a BLAST! and after that we went on our first date (a double with Marie and Anthony Beverly.) We went to the zoo, ate at noodles and company, and almost died because Anthony insisted on playing swervsies, which made us 180 and face oncoming traffic on a 3 lane road. Luckily- well.. a gift from Heavenly Father.. that the cars had just cleared, and that the light had just turned green for a new crowd of cars to come, so the road was clear. And after that... the rest is history.
As a side, but definitely an upfront part of our relationship: I did, indeed always have boyfriend in high school, and I was never really a religious person. I was baptized when I was 8, but my family was never active in the church. I even got to a point where I believed in anything but a God. And if there was a God, He was just an almighty, powerful man, who didn't care much about anyone. How could he? There was SO much struggle in the world, and in my young life. But, I also go to a point, during the summer after my senior year, where I knew there had to be more out there. I had always dreamed of a life without drugs, alcohol, abuse, and with hope, love, and passion. The way my life was, at that moment, was leading me to the opposite of where I wanted it to be. So, for the first time in about 10 years, I prayed. I truly, with all of my heart desired to know more, and to know what I should do. This was only a couple weeks before Jacob came into my life. He was always an amazing example in high school. I always "knew" that Mormons were hypocrites who didn't "practice what they preach" and they had hard feelings against me because I wasn't Mormon. But Jacob was different. He was a friend to everyone. And that intrigued me. So, I knew that no matter what questions I asked him, he would not have hard feelings against me, or 'judge' me, as some would say. This was what our new relationship was based on- a true interest and desire to do better, and to learn more. We talked so many times, I learned so many things. What struck me the most was the "Plan of Salvation." I always thought that after this life, we just died, and that was the end. The plan of salvation is about where we came from, why we are here, and where we will be going and what we will become in the life to come. It allows us to be sealed for eternity, and not just in this life. I loved that. I love nothing more than my family (And my Heavenly Father) and I felt that I truly can be with them forever, with this Plan. So Jacob and I talked and talked and learned and learned. I went to an institute class, and read a scripture that talks about a people that are struggling, and being killed by snakes but the Prophet of God holds up a brass snake that would heal the people by the power of God, if they look upon it. Then he says "Whosoever would look upon it might live." and many did look and live, but those that were hard hearted did not even look, didn't even glance, just because they didn't believe it would heal them. So, since they didn't have the faith enough to take even a small glance, they did perish. This left an impression for me to look upon the scriptures, and Christ. If it didn't work out, then that was okay, because it wouldn't hurt me to look. But if it did work out, it would give me the most love, hope and passion that I had dreamed of my whole life. And now I will say, that it has worked. It has been planted into my heart, and is working on growing into love and hope. I know my Heavenly Father loves me, and all of us, and that I am His daughter, and He wants what is best for me, and will give me everything I need. He will always comfort me. And in times of trial, like when I was younger and thought he was Almighty-not-caring-man, he was truly there, holding me and comforting me. He is what has made me who I am today. And though I am not perfect by any means, He lets me know how I can do my best to be perfect, and He is there by my side to catch me an comfort when I do make mistakes. I have learned this over the course of mine and Jacobs courtship. I love Jacob not only on a friendship level, a physical level, a mental level, maybe almost high school sweetheart level, but in a deep, spiritual level. That is the love that means the most to me. Not only do we love each other, but our souls are absolutely in love with each other too.
