When Two Worlds Collide

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.

And this is just the beginning....