If you don’t know my name yet, you must not have paid attention to how you got to my blog. No worries though, I know people overlook details all the time, so here goes my introduction.

Hi, my name is Katelyn Schaub. As I write that out, all I can think about is Eminem! If you don’t know what I’m talking about, take a listen below.

OK, back to me. I also go by Kate and Katie by my friends and family, and will answer to all of them. I have other nicknames too, but those are reserved for certain people.

In a typical introduction, I’d tell you all about my life from day one to now. I’d tell you that I grew up in Lolo, Montana, just outside of Missoula, for those that aren’t familiar with the area. I would tell you that I have an older sister, and that I’m an aunt. I would tell you that I graduated from Big Sky High School and the University of Montana (Go Griz!) before moving to Helena to work for the State of Montana. But who’s interested in the nitty gritty details like that? Don’t get me wrong, there’s a time and a place for those details, and I will get to those eventually, but, right now, I want to avoid that normal introduction, and give you more of an abstract look at who I am.

People are complex, made up of layers. As Shrek would say, we’re like onions, and you have to peel back those layers to see more of what’s inside. I’m no different than this analogy, even if Shrek was referring to ogres and not people. On the outside, I am a woman. Peel back a layer, and I am a friend, a peer, a daughter, a sister, and an aunt to the two (soon to be three!) most precious kids imaginable. Dig even deeper and you’ll find that I am a tennis player and certified tennis instructor, a runner, a photographer, and a traveler. I like to read, to solve puzzles, to learn, and pretend that I’m creative by tackling Pinterest crafts and baking. Spoiler alert: some inevitably end in Pinterest fails! (Side note, have any of you watched the show Nailed It! on Netflix? If not, check it out! I promise, you won’t be disappointed!) I am a database administrator and a business intelligence technical lead. I’m a, dare I say, nerd at heart, and love technology. I am everyone’s favorite [and free] technical support when their electronics don’t work. Find yet another layer, and you’ll discover that I’m independent, and an introvert. I’m caring, competitive, adventurous, smart, and ambitious. I have unbelievably high expectations of myself in all I do. In this same layer, you’ll also find that I have quirks, I have weaknesses, I don’t want to disappoint those close to me, I don’t like to be late, I get annoyed at the sound of people chewing, and hate when my socks fall down in my shoes. Without any one of these things, I might be a very different person than I am today. So, why list these traits in such a way? To show that I don’t fit into a single category. I don’t have one trait that defines who I am, or what’s expected of me. All of these things make me who I am, and I’m proud of that.

Now, with all of that said, you can probably tell that’s the semi-introvert in me talking. It’s an overview, and relatively vague. I’m really good at vague. I’m also really good at not talking about myself (See what I did here? Turned a weakness into a strength!). I’ll try to change over time by digging a little deeper. Throughout my blog, my goal is to open the door into my life, piece by piece, and share my life and experiences with all of you. Each post will give you something more about me and my world, a perfectly imperfect adventure.