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 :)

Need some inspiration

It's happened.

Lately, I DON'T feel like cooking or baking. The past few weeks, I really haven't spent a lot of quality time in the kitchen, and I don't feel like it.

Work has been stressful lately, and I mostly just feel tired all the time. We are in and out of the house a lot, and eating out quite a bit. It's a lot of work to plan meals, shop for them, cook them, and then clean up after them.

What do I do? It's like, my ONLY hobby.

I need some inspiration. I've been reading a book by David Lebowitz and his recipes look awesome, but like work to me. I think I also need to change up what I've been eating lately (i.e. crap) to give me more energy. (Sorry, David.... but you cook a la francais, which, loosely translated, means cheese, cream, butter and chocolate. Oh, and pastry.)

Anyone have tips? I'm shooting for simplicity, flavor and nutrition. Just enough to get me back into the swing of things (which, at this point, will be AFTER vacation)........

DUBAI

In less than a week, we're going to DUBAI.

Yes, the caps are necessary. I feel like when I tell people in person, I really lean into the word. DUBAI.

This location wasn't exactly on my travel bucket list (which actually makes it even better, if you ask me). We are going to visit my sister-in law and future brother-in-law. Because, yes, they actually live and work in DUBAI. (Read about it here).

Here is what I can expect: a bit of culture shock, feeling a tad simple for such a glamorous place as DUBAI, but having a kick-A time with family and living it up. Oh, I can probably expect to spend some money. That, too.

What I can't expect: Everything else, haha. This is unlike any place I've ever been to before.

I am promising myself to be diligent with the sunscreen (to avoid a repeat of my Mexican honeymoon) and while I'm at it, I should up the Vitamin C intake. This is no time to be sick! I don't want to waste a minute of it....

Getting Started

So, I know it's been awhile since I've posted here. It's a good thing I have a small handful of faithful readers (hi, mom), because you can't get angry at me for not posting.

Spring is here, and the days are seriously flying by (again, is this what it's like to get older?). Work has a lot to do with it, but weekends have been full, too..... there was an officer ball, Easter, film festival, blah blah blah.

I also made a choice.

I finally decided to go back to school (nights/weekends). I have begun studying for my GMAT and submitted my application materials to the University of Iowa to get my MBA. (Please let me get in UI, or I'll feel really dumb for telling everyone!)

I have been stewing over this choice for 6 years now. I knew I wanted to keep going with school, but wanted to make a choice that felt right with my skills and career path (see previous post where I whine about the fact that it's too late to just start over. Not for everyone, but for me it is.)

One day last month, it just hit me. Although work is challenging, I'm loving it. I'm learning a lot, and marketing is my calling. It's creative-meets-analytics (and I thought I wanted to be a lawyer?) I want to really invest in this career path. Show it I'm serious.

So, I'm DOING IT, people. And it feels great. I'm scared to death of the math I'll encounter again, but I'm nerdy-excited to start school. I'm going to be really busy, and at times stressed, and I'll have to say no to shopping trips and dinners now and then so I can pay for tuition. (Again, if by some chance a UI admission official is reading this blog, please please admit me.... as you can see, mentally, I'm already PAYING TUITION).

I submitted my materials in true Kate fashion, though. Whipped through the application and essays in a few hours, and didn't hardly read them more than twice. Then regretted not being more careful. Ah, gees. I better just trust that since I write for a living, I'm sure it will be at least 80% OK.

I take the GMAT in early June. I should know a few weeks after that if I've made it! Shooting for Fall 2012 admission.

This does not mean I'm a Hawkeye, though.