So many things

I am really bad at keeping goals, y'all.

Did I post twice as much in July? No. Have Tim and I successfully started making solid financial changes? Not really (but not a total "no" in that category -- so, weeee!)

Here's a recap of what's been going on around here since/during my last posts (this blog is starting to sound more like a family newsletter sometimes):

1. July happened. I had a birthday, Tim had a birthday, we took our annual float trip, got a puppy, the puppy DOUBLED in size, I went to Boston for work, Tim made a movie, my friend got married, my nephew turned ONE, my car's power steering went out, I found out I got admitted to UI's MBA-PM program, and it never rained.

2. August started/is almost over. Work got busier, Polly went to her first farmer's market, we took a family vacation to Lake of the Ozarks, celebrated another friend's wedding, Tim had guard duty (all the time), I didn't work out or care what I ate (I ate everything so far this month, bet you didn't know that.)

So, this is a banner week at the Nash house.

Polly started puppy school last night (how can I be SO frustrated with her and so proud/in love with her in the same day? When did we officially welcome a full-on fur child into our house?)

I start school tomorrow. You guys, I am SO nervous. I have no idea what to expect! I know I'll get a lot out of my first course (marketing management), but don't know how I'll do or what it will be like to be gone out of the house  from 7:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. every Wednesday until mid-November. (Then copy/stamp and repeat for the next 4 years, only maybe on a different day of the week. I just need to tell myself -- it's ONE day a week. Don't be a sally.)

On top of things, I waited in true Kate fashion to get my books until Sunday, and they are sold out of the books I need. (Whaaaaa). I need to have a chapter read in 24 hours, so here's hoping I miraculously get them and read the chapter in time! Not the best start to my grad school career.

I'm sad that summer is coming to an end, but I really shouldn't be. We were really busy, and we did a lot. I really love fall, and the autumn-spiced foods and candles are calling my name. (I'm certain it's going to be 80 degrees until November, though. But hey! With the drought we've had, it can look like fall from now until things just fully die. Always an upside, kiddos.)

Things I'm looking forward to:

1. Apple-picking at Wilson's orchard. Then making buttery apple crisp. Then eating the whole pan, one trip to the kitchen at a time.
2. Permanently turning the air conditioning off.
3. Layers of clothing
4. Leaves changing
5. Nights eating soup and watching scary movies (which you can do all year, I get it, but I like living seasonally)
6. Bonfires in the backyard
7. Good times with good people
8. Being just busy enough that I have to work out in the morning and plan meals
9. Tailgating.... wherever there's a tail or perfectly adequate driveway/yard
10. Spending consecutive weekends with my husband and friends (we've all been so busy!)

OK, that's it. Who's with me??

Getting our bidness in order

Tim and I decided after we got married/bought a house that we wanted to meet with a financial planner and start really planning for our retirements, etc. How grown up of us, right?

Part of the planning process involves itemizing your household costs and bills, and detailing your saving measures.... you know the drill. Tim and I did something like this ourselves before we bought our house to ensure that we were choosing a property that fit our income and lifestyle. By "lifestyle" I mean..... we like to go out to eat. Go out with friends for drinks. Plan for expensive trips. Randomly stay the night away from home. Go to events that charge admission. Buy new clothes. Buy a dog?

Well, you can imagine that "financial planning" also includes a closer look at the murky bucket of "lifestyle" expenses, too.

jhgjghsfutrsytrhgsmmmmurkymoneybucketsssssshgfshgfs

I think Tim and I rationally know that by cutting back on our "lifestyle," we will reach our financial goals quicker. We get it. Occasionally, we will discuss "spending moratoriums" where we decide to cut back on going out, extra purchases, and non-essential expenditures.

And that lasts..... a day. It lasts until someone invites us out to do something. We can NEVER say no! Or, we don't have any plans for the weekend and we invite other people out for dinner. I think this is the late-20s peer pressure. Someone should make an after-school special that they show at happy hour.

I assume that we are actually like a lot of couples at this stage of our lives. We have made it far enough outside of college that our necessary financial bases are covered (read: bills), so we "feel" like we have extra money to throw at fun things.

We don't. With debt to pay down and savings goals to reach, we just don't. It's a really personal topic to write about in the blogosphere, but after talking it out with a few people, I think what I describe could hit close to home for a few readers.

So.... here is what I propose. Let's band together. I think the spiral starts when we assume that if we can't spend money, we can't spend time with our friends and we will feel left out. So, we go out.

I say we start making plans that don't involve shopping, eating together at a restaurant or bar tabs. Let's think of creative ways that we can enjoy each other's company and protect our financial futures (yes, I just said that).

In a nerdy way, I'm excited? I think this challenge opens the door to creativity, and as a bonus, we can work toward a real, long-term goal of financial security.

I hope I can keep posting on progress!

I caved.

We got a puppy this weekend.

Her name is Polly and she is a Bernese Mountain Dog. She will grow to be a 100 pounds (yes), but Berners are known for their laid-back, loyal, non-aggressive personalities. She is a sweetheart and we are really excited for the new addition to the family. (Although it's been a really funny transition, more on that later.....)

For a year or more, I've reeeaalllly resisted the idea of getting a dog. Tim and I have decided that, for a lot of reasons, we are waiting to have kids for....... an indefinite amount of time. We are in no rush because of our really busy lives, spontaneous trips, and goal to grow in our careers and build a really nice nest egg before we start paying for daycare.

To me, a dog is a step in that direction.

We discussed the matter for months but were really at an impasse. Tim agreed that the dog would be an additional expense and more responsibility, but didn't think it was the  life-changing [read: marriage-changing] event I was making it out to be. I was certain that we would just argue about the dog -- who would take it out, who would clean up the gross messes, what would we DO if the dog ruined parts of the beautiful house we have.

Sometime a few months ago, I don't know what happened -- but I changed my mind. Maybe it's a crazy side effect of a quarter-life crisis, but I want the new adventure. I still worry about the mishaps that will happen along the way, but I am ready to shake things up a bit. I could stand to be *cough* less uptight *cough* than I am now. So, I decided a dog would be the best thing I could ever give Tim for his birthday (July 22) and it would be a great surprise.

Now to the stories. (Some are funny because we are, what? On Day 3. Warning: if you get squeemish just reading words like "puke," you should return to your regularly-scheduled Facebooking at this time.)

A few friends of ours who inspired me with their Bernese Mountain dog helped me plan Tim's surprise trip out to the breeder in Radcliffe, Iowa. We concocted an outing to visit a few Iowa wineries in the central/north part of the state. We shared Google maps with Tim, we talked about how excited we were, how great it would be to taste tannens on a sunny Sunday afternoon.

While we planned, they helped me pick out almost everything we would need to get started at home -- food, treats, collar, leash, a few toys, crate and CLEANER.

To really seal in the lie Sunday, we actually stopped at a winery outside Tama, tasted and bought, then left for the "second" winery north and east of Ames. Soon, we found ourselves on a gravel road outside of Radcliffe. We told Tim the winery was nearby (he bought it). But really, we turned into the driveway of the breeder's house where she had a bunch of Berners hanging out on a blanket in front.

I told Tim we weren't going to any more wineries that day! He was so shocked that he didn't say ANYTHING. Just smiled. (And maybe there was a tear there, Tim?) We played and picked Polly and brought her home (she was a champ in the car).

Then, the fun REALLY started. She slept most of the evening but at night when we put her in the crate, she cried. Like, heart-breaking, human, cries. All night. We had the crate in our room and Tim went back and forth between our bed and her crate, trying to comfort her. The highlight of the night happened around 2 a.m., when he handed me a pillow to put over my ears, then went to check on Polly, only to discover that she was so upset, she puked on her blanket. He got me up and handed me the puppy so he could clean her crate (by flashlight?). Then a trip to the yard, back to bed and more crying.

Tim finally just decided to get up for the day between 5 and 6 a.m., only to discover that while our cat, Frank, really could care less about Polly, he LOVES her dog food. Three more piles of animal puke to clean up.

Yesterday, I came home at lunch to let Polly out, and when we were playing, she started eating charred wood out of the yard (leftover from our fire pit). I'd never done this before, but I decided it was time to man up and get in there -- I fished around in her mouth to get it out, then hauled her inside to try and get her to take a drink of water. (Omen: puppies/dogs will eat..... everything.)

This morning was another three-ring circus. We moved Polly's crate downstairs and before bed, we put a warm cloth and our worn T-shirts in there with her and she settled right down. Tim let her out in the  middle of the night with no problems,  but this morning, another surprise. She's, uh, having some issues adjusting to her new food. We'll leave it at that. Tim got to give Polly her first bath at home!

Tim hopped in the shower to get ready for the day (her first appointment at the vet was at 8 a.m.), while I watched her, then we traded. But right before Tim was ready to leave, Frank puked on the carpet..... again. (By the way, we haven't had any issues with Frank since we FIRST brought him home to our apartment years ago).

Ah, gees.

I have to say, though, I am so proud of my husband. He's handled all of the gross stuff in stride, and just seems genuinely ecstatic to have the opportunity to take care of a dog (and weirdly-adjusting cat).

Here's to all the new adventures to come!

Inconsistent at best

I've updated this blog so infrequently that my browser has forgotten this URL.

I typed in "kategotstarted.bl..." and while normally I can sit back, relax, and hit "enter" before jumping right to this spot, today Chrome was like "whaaaaat?" Kate Upton Google search (whoever that is)? Kcrg.com weather page?

Nope.

Just the blog that I mostly forget about.

Inconsistency is the story of my life. I was the wild card in volleyball and softball pitcher in high school (a serve over the net? Maybe. Strike or will she hit the batter? You never know), I was a decent soloist until college and my nerves got the best of me, I could turn out a pretty decent article as a journalist and then have to write three corrections the next day.

I keep things interesting, folks.

I AM predictable/consistent in these ways:

1. If I decide to go out on the town but start with a big pasta dinner at a restaurant, you can bet that after dinner I'm going to want to crawl back into stretchy pants and park in front of the TV instead of staying out. Actually, it doesn't have to be pasta -- anything super-filling. If you are out with me and want to last past dinner, slap my hand away from the fork after 10 minutes. Better make that 5 minutes, actually.

2. I realized this after Tim being away for two weeks of guard training -- the more time I spend by myself, the weirder I get. If you spent time with me in the last few weeks, you know what I'm talking about.

3. I start a lot of blog posts by talking about how fast time is passing. BECAUSE IT IS. (Next week is July? What?)

There you go. Three things you can count on from me.

Goal for July: double the amount of times I post in here. Last night, Tim and I were re-watching "Midnight in Paris" and aside from wishing I could just live in Paris, I wished that I had something else to offer the world besides corporate navigation skills. Really, aside from cooking and pretending I know how to keep plants alive, this is my creative outlet (thanks again to my trusty handful of readers!) It might be a [really] small [and sad] contribution, but I like living dynamically. Correction: I NEED to live dynamically.

Happy Monday!

DUBAI Recap

Finally! Get ready to scroll. We've been home now for more than a month, and we still talk about the trip almost every day. I'll post more pictures on FB (sometime in the next year, hopefully), but in the meantime, enjoy these little tidbits.

We flew from Cedar Rapids and after two short flights and one 14-hour flight, we were in Dubai at 10 p.m. local time. Laura and Eric (Tim's sister and future brother-in-law and our hosts) picked us up and whisked us to their high rise! This was one of the views at night from their balcony. Can you spot the lit-up golf course?

This is a balcony view during the day. Dubai was such an interesting city in that, even the oldest parts weren't that old. Laura and Eric live in "new" Dubai, which is under a constant state of construction.

The  first full day we were there, we took part in a legit Dubai tradition: brunch. The work week in Dubai is Sunday-Thursday to follow Muslim tradition, and on Fridays, people pile into fancy hotels to eat and drink everything they could want for 4 hours or so. We went to the Atlantis on the man-made Palm island off the coast of Dubai.

During the day a few times, we did what any Midwesterner in early spring would do in a hot climate: we sun-worshiped. Tim's parents got a room at a Westin resort with a private beach and pools.

Laura also showed us another public beach area with some of the city skyline in the background. It was a 100+ degrees every day we were there, but it really wasn't too unbearable (as I'm sure it is now!)

During some other days, we also observed another Dubai tradition: malls. The malls in Dubai were unbelievable, and one included an indoor ski slope. Amazing!

One mall is also part of the tallest building in the world (currently), the Burj Khalifa. While we were waiting in line, we took some pictures of the model.

Here we are at the top! (Or as high as they let you go). Awesome city views.

After we went up, we ate dinner at a Thai restaurant near Dubai's version of Vegas' Bellagio fountains. Great show! I was geeking out. Speaking of food, we ate a crazy variety of cuisines while we were there... Thai, French, Italian, Lebenese, Indian, Middle Eastern (general?), and did some cooking at home. It was great.

One night, we had dinner in Laura/Eric's neighborhood, which includes a (what else?) man-made marina. To the right, you can see a woman who was completely covered. I saw a lot of traditional dress while we were there, but Dubai is really modern, too. Such contrast!

Midway through the week, we went on a desert excursion. A nice man in a LandRover picked us up at the apartment and drove us 40 minutes out of town. We let a little air out of the tires and went DUNE BASHING. Better than a roller coaster, people. Basically, you just drive up, over and into large sand dunes.

After bashing, we went to a "traditional" Bedoin camp for camel rides, sheesha, henna tattoos, belly dancers and dinner.

I had never seen a desert like this before (Arizona doesn't count). Our Land Rovers stopped so we could take pictures, and the kids were sliding down the sand. The trip was one of my favorite things (even though it was probably the most touristy, haha.)

Toward the end of the week, we visited the Grand Mosque in Abu Dhabi. Abu Dhabi is about 40 minutes from Dubai and is the more conservative capital of the Emirate that both cities are in. The mosque was gorgeous -- 9 ton chandelier, some of the largest (if not THE largest) woven rugs and mosaic tile floors in the world. It was a "world traveler" moment to learn a little more about a different religious culture.

Women had to be covered, though. Did I mention it was 106 degrees outside on this day?

On the last days of our trip, we went to Old Dubai and has dinner on a glass boat that tours up and down Dubai creek. Bateaux Dubai originally started with dinner cruises up and down the Seine in Paris (now I want to do that, too), but it was a lovely evening with some pretty spectacular food (since some of you know me, you know there will be food pictures on FB).

The very  last thing we did on the day we flew home was visit the souks in Old Dubai. There were gold, textile, spice and "old" open markets. Every ten paces or so, a man would approach us to offer "master copies" of designer bags, watches and sunglasses. I was really put off by it at first, but wound up buying some fake sunglasses.

I DID go nuts at a spice shop, though.

This is Dubai Creek during the day.

That's it for now! So many pictures to wade through and post. It was definitely a trip of a lifetime, and I'm so glad we had an excuse to go by visiting Laura and Eric. It was a lot of fun to see what their lives are like there, and we miss them! (Laura, are you reading this? WINK). :)

Pausing the Merry-Go-Round

But only for a moment....

I can't believe another MONTH has gone by and we are officially into summer. It's been hot, we have things that need to be watered and clipped in our backyard, and when we aren't actually participating in plans with friends and family, we are talking about the new ones we have for the next few months.

It's going to be a very busy summer.

Up first = I take my GMAT in less than a week. I've been studying a few hours every other day or so, and over the weekend, I totally bombed a math practice test. I've spent the last three weeks trying to re-learn everything I struggled with from 5th grade through high school, and the practice test was a huge reminder of why I was a liberal arts major to begin with.

I put some distance between me and the quant-monster this weekend, and I'll spend the rest of my study time this coming week just trying to get myself up to "average." In fact, I don't want to blow away this test, I just want to do well enough to get into my program and move on. What employer really wants to test your ability to reverse-FOIL a polynomial? That's what I thought.

The studying has been good, however. I feel smarter (?) and it's been good practice getting used to living with a little guilt gut all the time. Oh, you don't remember guilt gut? Let me refresh your memory.

Guilt gut: (n). The feeling you get when you've procrastinated all day, only to completely avoid doing something that you need to do. Guilt gut reaches its peak at 7 p.m. when you are watching TV and thinking about how you should have done X.

Some of you might experience this with exercise, house cleaning, and other loathsome tasks. I occasionally do in other areas, but studying and doing homework have been the worst causes of guilt gut for me. So much so, that I now enjoy cleaning because it provided slight relief from study guilt gut. (Cleaning is productive and therefore not a total waste of time when you are avoiding your textbooks, in my mind). By the way, our house has never been cleaner.

I will be relieved after this test is over and hopefully, I'm admitted. But I fully realize that when class starts, I'm in for a full 3-5 years of consistent guilt gut with assignments and tests. Better to get used to it now!

After the test and a busy weekend celebrating a friend's bachelorette, I'll have a few weeks of downtime to relax and enjoy the slower side of summer before things pick up again.

Cheers!

Is there a title for this post?

And we're back. I'll reserve a Dubai trip-recap post for another day because after almost 4 full days back at home, things are starting to feel normal again.

We got home mid-morning on Sunday, and Monday-Tuesday were the WORST days for jetlag. I would be feeling great and then BAM! I was sooo tired, I could hardly remember which key to put into my car's ignition to get home. You can imagine what that did for my work productivity.

I'm finally back to being consistently energized during the day, but Tim and I have fallen asleep on the couch insanely early the past two nights. Aaaallmost there.

The days are taking forever, too. Between the jetlag and just going back to work, I'm counting the minutes each day until freedom. I think whether you like your job or not, vacations just remind you that for 80% of the rest of your life, you are obligated to be somewhere, doing something productive that makes you money to pay your bills. Bah.

Don't get me wrong, I'll snap out of it (the counting minutes part). The days before we left on vacation were insanely busy for me and I couldn't believe where the time was going. Next week, that pattern starts again.

I'm also relieved to be home. The trip was crazy fun and the company was superb, but all this week, Tim and I have been cooking dinners, seeing friends and family, and getting back into our gym routines (even though I snapped at Tim this morning for making the ridiculous suggestion that I go to the gym with him.... sorry husband!)

I'm really looking forward to the weekend. Lunch with my dad tomorrow afternoon, date night with Tim tomorrow night, rounding up some cool people to do (what else?) drink on Saturday at the Benz Beerfest downtown. Then Sunday, it's time for me to rekindle my baking love.... planning to make two kinds of whoopee pies to take to work, and maybe, just MAYBE the irresistible-looking recipe I saw today on IGE -- Lighter Butterscotch Bars. Go big or go home.

I think I'm coming out of my kitchen slump, too. I got in some inspiring cooking discussions with my sister-in-law over vacation, and I brought home spices from the middle East: saffron (!), whole nutmeg, whole cinnamon, tandoori, pink peppercorns... all for $30. I wish now I would have snapped up some of the amazing curries they had, too!

Other to-do items for the weekend -- house cleaning (you can imagine what our bedroom looks like post-vacation), GMAT studying (I have one month left until it's go-time), herb-planting.... so much to do. But I love it.

Maybe I should have gotten my workout out of the way this morning after all :)