Friends, Family, Random Strangers who read my blog:
I am so sorry for claiming I would write this semester and then not doing it. As in many other areas of my life, things have just gotten away from me!
I actually am incredibly busy right now (there's a shocker) and don't really have time to update, but I am so SICK of studying about the Sistine Chapel I could hurl (how many other people on Earth have ever felt nausea when talking about one of the greatest artistic masterpieces of all time?), so I'm taking a teeny tiny little break to just give a few brief newsflashes. You may or may not know about these developments in my life, but I will put down the basic ones in case you haven't heard.
1. I have a new look. I cut my hair off, to about my chin, while I was home over spring break, and this ranks as number one on the list because I LOVE it. I feel like it has given me a super attitude. Maybe that's just because I've gotten many compliments on it, but regardless, it's been an excellent change.
2. I was nominated for Phi Beta Kappa. I don't mean to brag but I haven't told everyone in the family, so I thought I would let you all know here. I get inducted in April, and Mom and Dad are going to come out for the ceremony!
3. Newspaper is still insanely busy, but it's running a little more smoothly now. At least, we've reached a state of controlled chaos. I really enjoy being editor, and we've had some good articles lately. We actually had a woman who writes a column for the Washington Post contact us today about a Love Connection story we ran last week- that's a biweekly feature we do that's modeled off the Wash Post's Date Lab, where we send two people on a date and then write about it- she loved it. So that was fun to hear.
4. Classes are madness this week, as I have had 2 midterms and a mid-paper. After the Art History exam tomorrow afternoon, (Quick! In what year was the Madonna of the Steps carved?) things will be much calmer. Also, the new course offering directory came out today for next semester's classes, and I am dying to look at it. I am saving it as a reward for after I get done studying. (Don't judge me.)
5. Mom is coming to visit me this weekend. It's just a brief trip, but it will be really nice to see her. Things have been a tad overwhelming lately (which maybe you can't tell from this peppy update!) and I could really use someone to just help organize my life. (Translate: do my laundry).
6. I submitted my proposal today for the Distinguished Majors Program, which is an honors thesis I would complete during my fourth year. It's the only way at UVA you can graduate with honors, and it's a 50-60 pg thesis you write on your own with the help of a faculty advisor. My proposed topic is church architecture and spatial form in Proust's "In Search of Lost Time." I am extremely excited about it. I will find out in 2 or 3 weeks if I got accepted into the program. Keep you fingers crossed!!!
Okay that's all I have time for. I hope people are still even checking my journal- probably not, given my recent track record. If you do happen to read this, send me a comment. I would love to hear from you.
Much love to everyone, and I will try to update again in a timely fashion. I won't know for a bit what I'm doing this summer, but I'll keep you informed. Oh, and happy St. Patrick's Day!
Keely

Good News: I am officially the Editor of the Cavalier Daily's Life section! Hooray!
Bad News: I am now so busy I can hardly see straight. I think once I get more settled into the job and get a schedule things will be easier, but at the moment, they are a little hectic.
Just wanted to let everyone know. Don't really have time for an update. Let me give you the Cliff Notes version of my life: Classes are good, McLean is so sweet, Claire and Katharine are not as homesick anymore, Mom and Dad are coming to DC for the National Prayer Breakfast this week, and I am going up to see them on Thursday! And, my article on the Lost club came out today: (notice the new byline?) http://www.cavalierdaily.com/news/2009/feb/03/lost-finds-a-following/

Much love to everyone. Sorry for this pathetically short update.
-Keely

Friends, Family, and Devoted Readers,
If anyone is still checking my long-abandoned livejournal for updates on my life (which I suspect no one is), I am going to try to start posting again. I apologize for the long absence, and hopefully I can keep up a more regular posting schedule this semester.
Things have started off well- I am back at school and classes are great! We just had our first week of classes this week, and I love all of mine. I got into a 400-level Shakespeare seminar that I didn't think I was going to make it into, with an amazing professor. I am also taking 2 other English courses, an art history on Michelangelo, and a Latin American history class.
The paper is going well too-- we have 2 weeks until elections, when I will be running for editor of the Life section. That means that these are my last 2 weeks of copy editing, and probably of writing articles for a while, so I picked up my last story- an article on a student organization that gets together to watch the TV show Lost. (I'm really excited about it actually). I am a little nervous about elections, and about taking on the job of Editor if I get it, but I feel like I have the time this semester to take on a little more at the Cav Daily.
As far as living situations, as many of you know, Claire and Katharine are in Spain for the semester. It's pretty horrible not having them here, but the new girl who moved in, McLean, is really nice. She's just super busy, with her classes and MCAT prep course and right now Rush is going on (she's a Chi O), so we don't really see each other much. It's a little lonely here, but I've been trying to go over to Emily's house a lot and hang out there. I got an email from Claire yesterday- she is so sad and homesick! I think she just needs a few days to adjust, but she sounded miserable. I wrote back and tried to cheer her up... but part of me wishes she would just come home and move back into our room!
That's about all the news here. I know this is going to be a crazy semester, but hopefully not too stressful, and one that I can really enjoy. I feel well-rested after my amazing break- I got in 10 ski days, including 3 in Canada, and lots of good family time. For those of you who haven't seen, here is a picture of me, Jaime, Tally and Dad getting ready to heliski in Canada- possibly the coolest trip I've ever been on.
If you read this, comment to let me know that there are still people out there checking for updates. If so, I will try to keep posting! Love to all,
Keely

Dad insisted that I have to write again. I'm sorry for being a terrible journaler- things have just been moving fast!
I had a wonderful Thanksgiving at home- it was just really nice to be back in Colorado. I had a mountain of work the whole time, but I got a lot done and still managed to have a pretty relaxing week. Highlights include getting a latte every morning, skiing a few runs up in Vail, and Mom's sweet potatoes. Oh yeah, and seeing the fam.
Now I'm back at school for my last week of classes, and boy is it the week from Hell. I have 3 papers and a presentation due, and I'm just hoping I get through it. Then I have like 1 or 2 days off, and then FINALS start! I can't believe it's the end of the semester already. Last night Claire, Katharine and I turned on Christmas music and hung up tinsel and lights in our apartment- it looks so festive! We're hoping to still celebrate the season, even with the stress of exams breathing down our necks.
It rained here all day yesterday, but it looks a little clearer today. We're not supposed to get snow anytime soon, which is too bad, but at least it feels sort of winterish. I can't wait to get back home for Christmas!
I will try to update a few times between now and then. Finals are stressful, but hopefully my schedule will slow down a little bit- this is the last week we're putting out a paper, so I won't have to copy edit after Thursday, and my finals schedule is pretty spaced out- never more than one per day, and often a day in between. Anyway, love to everyone, and see you in about 2 and 1/2 weeks! (If you live in Denver, that is).
-Keely

I'm sorry for being so slow to update this semester. Once I get into the habit of not doing something, it's hard to pick it back up. Especially with things being so crazy around here- they are finally slowing down this week, so I have a few minutes to post.
Visiting Tally seems like an age ago, but it was great. As Jaime mentioned, Claire and I managed to sleep through three alarms set for 4:30 a.m., and thus missed our flight out of Richmond. I don't know how this happened- I've never even slept through a class before - but I woke up and immediately burst into tears. Luckily, we were able to fly standby, and got there just a few hours later than scheduled. It was great to see Claire's house and meet all of her family, and seeing my sisters was the best. Also, I LOVED the Kimball Art Museum- we saw the impressionist exhibit there, and it was really amazing. My favorite was a painting by Claude Monet of a place called Bordighera, on the border between France and Italy. This doesn't really do it justice:


Tally's dorm was great, and I loved her roommate Amy. We had some fun meals and just a generally good sister time.
After getting back, I was thrust right into midterms- I had 3 in the first two days after returning from Fort Worth. The stress and lack of sleep was enough to get me sick, so then I was dealing with midterms and a horrible cold- eck.
After that, Marc came to visit again briefly for his Fall Break. He came to some classes with me, which is always fun I think because it's so different than what he does at school. We also went for a really nice hike with Emily and some people from my church in the Shenandoah National Park. The leaves were turning and it was so pretty.
Then, 2 days after Marc left, my parents came! I hadn't seen them since August, so it was really really nice to have them here. Mom was in this huge boot/cast from her bunion surgery, but that didn't really slow us down. We went to Monticello, apple picking, out to some really good dinners, and enjoyed, as always, our time at the South Street Inn. Also, Mom and I found a really great latte place next door that also sells cool Italian tableware, and handmade tables.
I have class in just a few minutes, so I better go. Classes are wonderful, just time consuming. And, I just got my registration date to sign up for classes for next semester, so I already have to start thinking about what I'm taking then! Yikes. We read The Ladies' Delight by Zola last week in ENNC- if you have time, it's really fun. Also, if you're into poetry, I think that Seamus Heaney is worth checking out. He's a more recent Irish poet we read for ENGL.
Okay hope all is well, can't WAIT to come home for Thanksgiving, and I will try to update more frequently from here on out!
-Keely

Seems like everybody's too busy to update these days!
Life is good, but the workload is pretty heavy lately. Especially since I was playing catch-up for this weekend!

I had a great birthday- thanks to everyone for the wishes. And presents. :-) I had a really nice day- Sarah Kate brought be a latte for breakfast, and then all my friends came over that night for dinner, cake, wine, and the season premiere of The Office. With the exception that my friend Emily hates/doesn't watch The Office and kept asking all these questions, it was an excellent party. Kendall actually suspended a coffee mug in jello and brought it over-- just a little Office humor, for those of you in the know.
Then on Friday morning I left for Michigan- straight flight, which was great. I got in around 3 and Marc and I went apple picking immediately. (I think this is a very Michiganian thing to do.) Friday night we made dinner at home and then went to my first bar ever and I ordered drink! I got a pomegranate martini- actually very delicious. (And slightly more classy than the Alamaba Slama, eh Jaime?) Then we went to a comedy show- the lady forced us to sit directly in front of the stage, in the spotlight, but luckily nothing terrible came of it. (I told Marc we looked too boring to be made fun of.)
On Saturday was the Big Game- we went to a few different tailgates beforehand, where I got to experience what football pride should look like, as well as some pleasant games like drinking beer out of a plastic baseball bat, spinning around 10 times, and then trying to hit a wiffle ball. (At U.Va., we play bocci.) As for the actual game- so good! The first half was awful, and people were really getting down, but then in the third quarter Michigan came back, and ended up winning by 2 on a missed conversion. My loyalties were divided, of course, but it was fun to be in the student section of the winning team.
Saturday night we went out for sushi, and then went to a bar with some of Marc's friends and roommate. The weather was really great while I was there- like 75 and sunny the whole time.
On Sunday we didn't do too much- went to the library, hung out, and then went to the batting cages before I had to go to the airport. My flight home was easy, but I didn't get in until 10:45pm, and then I went to get my car out of economy parking only to discover that there are actually three economy lots, and I parked in C, which I only found out by going to lots A and B first. I was pretty much crying by the time I actually found my car. Mostly because I was so mad at myself, but still. So I ended up not getting home until about 1am. My roommates were still awake, of course, which was great, but it made for an exhausting start to the week.
Since then I have been doing homework like it's my job. I have a paper due tomorrow, one Monday, and about 7 books that I should have read already. Although I did read Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Woolf this week- I thought it was wonderful. Has anyone else read it?
Okay I have to go to class in a minute- just wanted to let you all know how things are with me. I'm not dead, I'm just swamped. But things are good, and Jaime and I go see Tally in ten days! Whooo! Hope everyone else is doing well, miss you all-
Keely
p.s. If you didn't see the entry below, I posted my latest article.

Lots to write about but not enough time. Until then, enjoy my latest:
http://www.cavalierdaily.com/news/2008/sep/29/sharing-the-road/
:-) Love to everyone.

I just wrote an update and it got DELETED. I'm ticked!
So, I'm going to give an abbreviated version. Sorry.
Marc came this past weekend, and we had a great time. We did this hike called Old Rag Mountain, near the Shenandoah National Park, and it was so fun. It had great views, and there was this cool 'rock scramble' for the last part up to the summit. I am posting pictures below- please don't judge me; it was so humid I was sweating from the minute I got out of the car, and in most of the pictures it looks like I just submerged my head in a bathtub. And yes, Marc is wearing glasses on a hike. Don't ask me.

We also watched football, did homework at the library, and went out for great Indian food. It ended up being a really fun weekend, but now I'm left with a pile of work- we are just getting to the point in the semester where papers start being due and tests are looming, so it's pretty much going to be nose to the grindstone from here on out. (I've started using my dad's euphemisms. Great.)

I am reading French decadent literature in my ENNC class- has anyone read this type of stuff before? I am loving it. I'm also enjoying the Kafka stories we're reading in Concepts of the Modern. We're reading Yeats' poetry in 383, which is not as interesting to me... it's just really dense and I don't have the time it takes to go through and decipher it all. That's what's hard about taking all these great classes together- you just don't have enough time to focus equally on everything.

That's about all here. My 21st (!!!) birthday is in 8 days, which is pretty exciting- we're going to have a little dessert party here that Thursday night, and then on Friday I'm going to fly to Michigan for the MI-WI game. I'm hoping my cousin Stella is going to meet me in Ann Arbor for the game/my birthday. So I have lots to look forward to, if I can get my 2 papers and one test out of the way first!
Hope all is well with everyone. Love,
Kee

Things are stable but busy. There is nothing super exciting going on here, just lots of work and settling into old/new routines. My class are really pretty great so far, excepting the fact that they all have tons of work. But, I am reading the best things- this week in various classes I read Joyce's Portrait of the Artist, several Kafka stories, and some works by Flaubert. I wish I had more time to spend on each one, because I have to race through them, but it's still pretty fun.

Emily and I have started up our weekly dinners again, and so far have met with several successes. This week, we had scallops, parmesan cous cous, roasted beets, and broccoli. Not your typical college meal! I am also meeting with the rest of my small group again this semseter- our schedules are all so busy we had a hard time finding a time to meet, so we are doing 8 am on Monday mornings. It's a little hard to get everyone there on time, but a nice way to start the week. We are going to study Acts this semester.

The paper is still fun, although taking up lots of time. Yesterday when I was copy editing a sports column, I found out that Lance Armstong is returning for the 2009 Tour- did anyone else hear this? I can't believe it. I'm not too thrilled. I say enough already with people coming out of retirement.

I wish I had more exciting things to say, there's just not much noteworthy happening at the moment. Life is uneventful, but really good. This is certainly the happiest I've ever been at UVA- finally I feel comfortable and established here. I have my friends, a great apartment, and classes that I really want to be in. I think also I can appreciate the way I feel right now so thoroughly because I know what it's like to be sad and homesick here. I'm so thankful to finally feel like this is where I'm supposed to be.
Anyway, hopefully I will have something exciting or amusing to share with you all the next time I update. Until then, lots of love.
-Keely

P.S. 15 days until I turn 21! WHOO-WHOO!!!!

I just happened to pick up a paper today, and there was my article! For those interested:
http://cavalierdaily.com/news/2008/sep/03/small-world-big-dream/

More to come...
-Keely