hey.

I spent like the whole day in the car today. It's a good thing I love my family because otherwise things would have been a lot worse. We drove down to Bakersfield, California and we're staying with my mom's family for a couple days. I love family. I sure wish they lived closer. We don't usually do Christmas together, but we almost always do post-Christmas with them.

We're also in California to attend the Holiday Bowl in San Diego. I'm getting pretty excited about it. It's University of Oregon against Oklahoma State. I have never been to a bowl game, or any big football game really, so this will be a new experience for me. Hopefully, I'll get some pictures posted here soon.

Well, I woke up at 4:50 this morning and didn't sleep much in the car, so I'm feeling it now. Sweet dreams.

I realized today for the millionth time how much I miss playing piano. I took lessons as a kid for several years, but I quit when it became too time-consuming and when I began to feel a little burnt out.

Part of me really wishes that I still took lessons, or at least that I could still play well. I play every now and then, usually my favorite hymns or other contemporary songs that have nice piano parts. But when I finally sit down and play, I suck at it.

It's only to be expected, but it bothers me all the same. I also realized that I generally feel happier when I play music. Even though I didn't take piano lessons in high school, I have always been in symphonic band, until this year.

I think I need to get back into playing piano. I need to just soldier on through the rustiness. It will make me happier and I know I don't really want to lose the skills that I have. Is it too early for a new year's resolution?

Right now, I really want to learn to play "Bella's Lullaby" by Carter Burwell from the Twilight movie. I tried it out today, but it's not supposed to sound good on the first take, right? It's a beautiful song and it's short so I think I can do it if I practice and take it one step at a time.

Anyways, wish me luck. It isn't easy for me to try to re-learn things kinetically. Anybody want to give me free piano lessons?

(Photo credit: Blank Panda, "Bella's Lullaby Sheet Music"

my life's work.

And now my family and I are eating my life's work. :) You noticed the angels were the prettiest cookies, right? Yeah, I decorated those.

Merry Christmas, everyone!

I think I have my work cut out for me...

ElfYourself videos are hilarious!

If you haven't seen one of these ElfYourself videos yet you definitely should. My friend Katelyn made a couple videos with pictures of me and our friends. Here's the links, you can watch them:

http://elfyourself.jibjab.com/view/XWeazmYKRwSSa6ThBh3J

http://elfyourself.jibjab.com/view/DBVKSr9J99NGzaMlzQ23

If you feel like making your own you can at: http://www.elfyourself.com/ . The funnier the pictures, the better the video will turn out. I hear the pictures take a long time to load though.

Hope you're enjoying the holidays!

penny drive.

Last Saturday, students from Mr. Crocker's senior social studies classes, and a few others, went out in the cold and rain to help out our community. Our goal was to collect as much money as we could for the Philomath High School Adopt-A-Family Fund. Every year, the Sr. Soc classes collect money, buy gifts, and give them to families in need in Philomath.

I worked on Neabeack Hill with a few others for about 3 hours. The rest of those who volunteered split up into other parts of Philomath. We knocked on doors, after handing out flyers the week before, and collected any donations that people wanted to contribute.

After collecting, we brought the change back to Mr. Crocker's and toweled off the wet coins so that they could go through the counting and sorting machine. We had some hot cocoa and thawed out a little too.

We'll see how much money we recieved, but it seemed like quite a bit. More than is shown in the pictures. Hopefully, we'll be able to bless some families this Christmas. Nice job everyone for volunteering your time and donating your money! For now, phase 1 of our adopt-a-family project is done.

snow!

I absolutely love it when it snows here. It's so beautiful and wintery. I was having a hard time getting into the Christmas spirit, but I'm definitely feeling it now, thanks to the snow. My brother and I decided to take a few photos of our house with the Christmas lights up and the snow falling. Very Christmas card-esque. Hope you're all enjoying the snow too!

calculus will most likely be the death of me.

I hate math. Just wanted to throw that one out there. Calculus, especially. I suppose it's not that bad, I just have a hard time understanding it.

Here's a funny story though:

A couple days ago, I was doing my calculus homework and my throat was hurting. As a result, my mom made me a cup of Good Earth tea (which feels really good on a sore throat) while I kept doing integrals. I was getting really frustrated because I had been on the same problem for a long time and then she brought me my tea (love you, mommy). On the tea bag there was this entirely fitting quote : "In mathematics you don't understand things. You just get used to them." -Johann von Neumann

So, uh, thanks Good Earth Teas. I needed that.

be nice to me, I gave blood today.

Alright, so I didn't give blood. However, today was the blood drive at Philomath High and it was very successful too. Nice job, PHS.

I volunteered to work as the cookies and juice girl, the one who makes the donors sit down and get their blood sugar levels back up so they don't pass out before they leave. I don't want to brag, but I've pretty much achieved pro-status with that job. This was my fourth year doing it.

Why didn't I give blood? That would be because I am a 100%, genuine baby when it comes to needles. and blood. and the two of those combined. I attribute it to a bad experience with immunizations as a child.

At any rate, whenever I'm in a situation with needles/blood, my body just feels totally weak, especially around the knees. I also get all dizzy-ish and my arm starts to hurt where I usually have shots done, even if I haven't had a shot for months.

I don't like this at all! I would really like to give blood sometime and overcome my fear of needles, but I'm not sure how. I'm probably just freaking myself out mentally. I don't know. If you have any suggestions on how to not be such a weakling, please tell me.

clap on, clap off!

Sometimes when I'm procrastinating, I do things I shouldn't do...
Such as watching really crappy 80's movies involving figure skating on TV. However, these lapses in character do yield a bit of humor.

In between scenes of this really predictable, sappy, and badly-acted movie, they showed some great commercials for things that I had completely forgotten about. The first one was a Chia Pet commercial, complete with the beloved jingle : "Ch-ch-ch-CHIA!". The funny part was that I totally remember watching it in between Saturday morning Smurfs and Scooby-Doo as a little kid.

The other commercial was for the Clapper. If you don't remember what that is, it's the light that turns on and off when you clap. Here's the jingle: "Clap on! Clap off! Clap on, clap off - The Clapper!".

I have a feeling these are going to be stuck in my head for a while...

my music. at the moment.

I'm feeling very accomplished right now because I finished and submitted my first official college and scholarship application last week. I couldn't have done it without a little help from my iPod's repeat function and my perfect, if I do say so myself, taste in music.

Here's the perfect college application mix, very thought stimulating:

1. Signs - Bloc Party
2. Human - The Killers
3. Strawberry Swing - Coldplay
4. You Don't Know Me At All - Ben Folds with Regina Spektor
5. So Here We Are - Bloc Party
6. Spinning - Jack's Mannequin
7. Hammers And Strings - Jack's Mannequin
8. Annie Use Your Telescope - Jack's Mannequin
9. Backfire At The Disco - The Wombats

Also, I listened to the Twilight movie soundtrack several times. If you haven't listened to it yet, you should probably get on that. Even if you didn't like the movie, the soundtrack is worth a listen. Or six, on my part.

Yesterday I had to clean up the worst mess of my entire life. Sometimes it makes me feel a little better to hear and laugh a little about someone else's mishaps. Here you go, this one's on me:

My mom asked me to empty the garbages into our big garbage can outside. I went to grab the kitchen garbage, and in our house we keep it in brown paper grocery bags so wet items are not good. Some jokester (It had to be one of my parents or me. It wasn't me.) decided to disregard this fabulous piece of knowledge and I reaped the consequences.

I took about ten steps across the floor and then the bag split out the bottom spilling trash everywhere. But this wasn't just any trash. This was Thanksgiving-leftover trash. Yuck.

First off, it smelled absolutely terrible. I definitely gagged a couple of times. On closer inspection, I realized that the smell was coming from a brownish liquid, most likely the source of the bag rippage, that was probably poultry juice from the turkey.

I don't think I'll be eating turkey again any time soon. In fact, let's not even mention turkey for a few months. Please.

I give thanks for...

Yes, I give thanks for more than food. Family, friends, and the beauty that surrounds me every day, for example. The food was really good though. :)

priceless.

I was watching a movie tonight and the commercials beforehand were especially stupid.

One was for one of those middle school girl clique movies and had the best line in it I think I've ever heard.

It went a little something like this:

Snotty clique girl: "Did I invite you to my bbq?"
Regular girl: "Umm...no?
Snotty clique girl: "Then why are you all up in my grill?"

These are 12-year-old white girls speaking, just to clear up any confusion. Best line ever.

a long time coming...

Last Saturday was a big day for me and my soccer team. We played in the state final match for our division against Valley Catholic at Wilsonville High School. And we won!

It was a really fun game to play in and from what I've heard from others is that it was a fun game to watch. The final score was 2-0, giving us a season record of 18-0-1.

People keep asking me, "How does it feel to be a state champion?". My answer is usually this: "It feels great!" And I mean that very much. I feel so privileged to be a member of this team and to have been able to play with this group of girls. It is a little bittersweet though.

I have been playing with most my teammates since I was in first grade, especially the other seniors. It's sad for me to think about never being able to wear that gold jersey again or be a part of our crazy dress-up days. But when I think about it more rationally, I realize that this was the best possible way to end my high school career.

Happy Birthday to me...

Today is my eighteenth birthday! The big 1-8. I don't really get to celebrate it until this weekend due to massive amounts of homework, but I did get a couple birthday gifts and surprises.

I woke up early this morning and was sung the Danish version of "Happy Birthday" by my exchange student from Denmark. It's way cuter than our version, if you were wondering. My present from my parents was a new camera, the new Canon PowerShot. I got to break it in this afternoon at school when I went to my car and found it completely decorated by my best friends.

I hadn't really thought about it until today, but there are many, many things I can legally do now that I couldn't before. So in the spirit of my special day, I thought I would make a list of a few of my new-found legal freedoms. (this is not my personal to-do list)

1. Vote (I missed the 2008 presidential elections by just a little bit! Darn! Next time for sure though...)



2. Buy cigarettes and other tobacco products.



3. Sign myself out of class without a parent.



4. Serve alcohol in some restaurants.



5. Work as a cashier at a grocery store.



6. Be tried as an adult for committing a crime.



7. Get in to 18 and over clubs.



8. Buy lottery tickets.



9. Go sky-diving.



10. Sign my own permission slips for school.

Of course there are tons of others, but the main idea is that I am now considered an adult by law. Let me know if I'm missing some good ones though. :)

my war wounds...

These are my bruises after my Tuesday game. I'm pretty proud of them. :]

Breaking the Curse

Soccer is the only sport that I am legitimately good at. I've been playing since I was 5 years old and have loved every minute of it. This fall is my last season of high school soccer, and more importantly, this week is my last week of it.

At Philomath High, our girls soccer team has been very skilled for several years. This year, our team is exceptional. That may be a biased opinion since I am a member of the team but I'll let our stats speak for themselves. Our record for this year is 17-0-1, meaning we're undefeated in league and playoff games.

In the past, we've gone to the playoffs regularly and been successful until the quarterfinal or semifinal matches. Then we would get knocked out of the tournament by teams like Oregon Episcopal, Catlin Gabel, or Hidden Valley. Not this year.

Yesterday afternoon, we faced Oregon Episcopal School in the semifinal match at Philomath High School. We battled it out in the rain and mud for 90 minutes. In the first half, Philomath scored off a header goal by center forward Sierra Grunwald, leaving the score 1-0 at half-time. A few sconds into the second half, Philomath scored again, this time from Sadi Stouder with a shot from about 30 yards from the goal. Philomath's defense was very effective at shutting down OES's offensive pressure and starting the attack for Philomath from the back. Another goal in the second half for Philomath sealed the deal and the game ended with a score of 3-0.

My team and I were ecstatic. We kept saying things like, "We just made history! We NEVER get past semis!" or "We're either going to be first or second in state!". Although we were very excited, those statements are true. We broke the curse and made it past the semifinals. On Saturday, we'll be able to fight for our chance to win state.

(photo by Lisa Watkins, Philomath against Westside Christian)

I. Love. Fall.

As my close friends and family already know, fall is my absolute favorite. I love everything about the season and I decided that I would share some of my seasonal bliss with y'all to make sure you're living this fall to its fullest.

Now, I wrote you a to-do list, but I don't want to hear any complaints because these are all wonderfully fun, and you can pick and choose your favorites.

1. Go to a pumpkin patch. Look around and don't stop until you've found the right one. Believe me, you'll know it when you see it. Make sure you take your rubber boots and a towel to wipe off your pumpkin with. That should make your trip home a little less messy. Carving it is optional, but I definitely encourage it.


2. Spend at least a half hour in a coffee shop. In my opinion, coffee shops are at their finest during this time of the year. They are usually decorated for the season and feature seasonal drinks such as pumpkin spice lattes, chai spice lattes, caramel hot chocolates, and many delicious others.


3. Go to a football game. Nothing says fall like a good game of football. College games are my favorite to watch, but you can settle for high school if you like. I'm not even that big of a football fan, but there's something about it that feels right during October and November. So bundle up and bring something cushy to sit on top of the stadium seat.


4. Find a good book to read. When it's pouring outside and I'm feeling lazy, my natural inclination is to curl up on the couch with a mug of cocoa, a blanket, and a really good book. If you don't have a book picked out, just ask me. I can definitely recommend a few... "Twilight" anyone?
5. Get out and enjoy the colors. This year, the Willamette Valley has been blessed with the loveliest foliage I have ever seen. Some say it's because we had such a dry September and October. At any rate, it's almost criminal to stay indoors when there is so much beauty right outside. My suggestions are to go for a hike or a walk if you can catch a few minutes without being poured on. Mary's Peak is especially beautiful right now because you can see all the Philomath leaves changing.
6. Go for a drive. Gas prices are down for the moment, so you have no excuse to say no. Jump in the car with a few friends or family members and just drive out to the country. Go somewhere that you've never been before and enjoy the scenery along the way. Last weekend, my parents and I stumbled across a little town called Oakland, Oregon. It had a beautiful historic inn with a real soda fountain, an old icehouse, and of course, several antique stores. It was a very pleasant surprise and was surrounded by some beautiful country too.
7. Listen to some mood music. Now don't laugh, but for some reason The Mama's and The Papa's make up a large portion of my seasonal soundtrack. Throw in some songs from Band of Horses, Billie Holiday, Radiohead, Death Cab for Cutie and you've got yourself a perfect playlist. Of course, you're not limited to my picks.
8. Enjoy the food. Fall means harvest which consequently, means great fruits and vegetables are in season. Apples are at the top of my list because they're perfect right now. Try to cook or bake with the produce that's in season. Apple pie or apple crisp is a must.

As much as I wish it would, this fall won't last forever. So go enjoy it! And I promise, I'm not this obsessive about the other seasons of the year...

My First Blog

My name is Kelly Keese. I'm a senior at Philomath High School. This blog that I've started is to be my senior project.

I want this blog to be fun and interesting for everyone who reads it. I hope to chronicle my senior year, but I can't promise that I'll stick to only that. I have many different hobbies and interests and I would like to write more about them as well.

Also, I really want to get feedback from others. So if you have a comment, opinion, or question, please don't hesitate to say it.

I'm looking forward to developing my own blog and I hope you enjoy reading it!