Four days 'till Pura Vida!

That's right...four days until I get to see the gorgeous shores of Montezuma, four days until I see how much Spanish I actually remember, four days until I get to experience Pura Vida again....I pretty much can't wait. I can't believe it's taken me two years to make it back to mi segunda patria (my second home), but I'm finally going back. I'm a little apprehensive...kind of afraid it won't live up to the grandeur I've created for it in my mind, but I always knew that I would have to go back someday, just to see. Maybe I'm prepared for its shortcomings, though, since I've moved so much. Every time we move and then go back, the location itself never does a whole lot for me. The people and the memories...that's where it's at. There are definitely some awesome memories that I can't wait to share with my family. Like the place on the side of the road on the way to Montezuma where my friends Brittney and Renee' and I stood for three hours waiting for a bus...yeah, I can't wait to see that place again, lol. I think the number one reason I can't wait to go to Costa Rica again, though, is that I get to see the smiling face of my bro!!! I can't wait to see how living in CR has impacted him over the past six weeks, and I can't wait to spend some quality time with him and the family. The picture to the right was taken while I was living in Costa Rica and he came to visit me. The tables have turned now, and I'm so glad he loved Costa Rica enough to go back there to live and study. It really is an awesome place...one that I have a feeling will hold a special place in my heart forever.

So, my mind is currently consumed with Costa Rica, as you can tell, but other stuff has been going on. I went to the Summer NAMM 2010 show yesterday and had a blast! I was able to attend a workshop on using GarageBand, and I got to see Victor Wooten play live!! For those of you who have never heard of him, check him out. He's quite possibly one of the best bassists to ever live, but he's not like any other bassist you've ever heard before. He's probably most well known for playing with Bela Fleck and the Flecktones, but he's becoming quite popular for his solo work including writing a book on his philosophy of teaching music. I'm going to be checking that out myself soon. The NAMM show was definitely a success, and I'm really glad I was able to go again this year.

I've had a couple more articles published with Strum Magazine...I put the links on the righthand side underneath my picture again. I'm still really enjoying seeing my name on the byline. :-) Makes me feel like a real journalist...

Time seems to be flying by this summer, and I can't believe that we're already over halfway through June. Honestly, I'm kind of thankful that it's flying, though. Maybe that means I'm that much closer to figuring out where to go next, lol! I wish there was an easy answer to the question: what should I do with my life? I suppose that if it were easy, though, I wouldn't appreciate the journey near as much.

Hope everyone is doing well! I'll try to post again while I'm in Costa Rica so my blog will actually be accurate again...ameliaincostarica.blogspot.com...ha ha. I really need to do something about that...

Love and peace,

Amelia

I feel like something good is about to happen. :-)

It's been a majorly productive week so far in Ameliaworld, so I've been feeling pretty good! I started out the week in Nashville, catching up with my best buddy, Ellen, and I was able to go to church with her on Monday night at this place called Emanate...great service and for the first time in a long time, I'm starting to feel God's love again. The light is starting to shine in on me again! :-D I feel like I've been wallowing around in the depths of darkness for months, and I'm finally starting to pull myself out of it. It's about time, lol...6 months is way too long to be depressed.

So, yeah, good things are happening...I've been writing even more articles for Strum, I'm starting to consider Nashville as a possible jumping off point for the next chapter of my life and my family and friends are being extremely supportive. I'm a blessed gal. :-)

This weekend is going to be jam packed with several funtivities. (Fun activities...an Office reference for all my fellow Office fans out there. I'm amazingly not working tomorrow, I never get Saturdays off unless I ask for it, so I'm going to be attending my dear friends', Brad and Macey, wedding! I'm excited to be there for their special day! (Is it just me or are there a lot of weddings going on right now, lol?) After a fun-filled evening under the stars for Brad and Macey, I'll be headed to Nashville on Sunday to help my boss at Strum at CMA Fest. Yes, I know I'm not exactly gung-ho about country music, but I'm excited to shadow her and learn some on hands stuff about magazine journalism. (I might get to meet some big name artists, too, so that would be pretty sweet!) It's going to be a busy, but fun, weekend!

I'll also be headed to Nashville again next weekend to attend Summer NAMM 2010 with my uncle! I'm always so appreciative that he gives me a pass every year. I get to see all of the newest most innovative products in the music biz, and this year...I get to write an article about it! How cool is that?!

So...yeah...exciting things are happening, and I feel like I'm on the precipice of something really great. God is good, life is good and it's summer, so the weather is good. Also, I get to see my bro in 13 days!! :-)

Hope everyone is doing well! Check out my articles and let me know what you think! (Every time I get another one published, I add it to the righthand column underneath my picture.)

Love and peace,

Amelia

P.S. The new Rooney album, Eureka, is now available on iTunes. If you're looking for some good summer tunes, check it out! :-)

Anticipating vacation...

So, I've changed my blog's background to express my extreme excitement that I will be on the shores of Costa Rica in three weeks enjoying the gorgeous waves, sun and sand! Okay, maybe not so much the sand part, lol. I think it's ironic that I absolutely LOVE the beach, but I'm not a big fan of sand...it just gets everywhere! I will definitely pay that price, though, because beaches are so beautiful!

Things have been going well since the last time I posted. I've been writing several articles for Strum this week, and I'm working on a few more. I added the links over on the righthand side along with links to articles I've written in the past for The Oracle, the Tennessee Tech newspaper. Everything seems to be going swimmingly in the writing department for me. My boss at Strum has been really pleased, and I might try to do some of my own interviewing pretty soon. The articles I've written thus far have just been me listening to the interview and then writing the story. Interviewing is a little intimidating, so I haven't asked to do any yet, but some of my favorite bands are playing this summer, and I would LOVE to interview them. Just to name a few...

The Dirty Guv'nahs are playing this Friday night! I can't wait to hear some good ole Southern Rock...I think they're a mix between The Allman Brothers and The Rolling Stones. I posted a link to their website on the right, so everyone should check them out! I've already gotten the go ahead to write an article about the concert, so I'm pretty pumped about that!

Also playing this summer: Rooney, and I might try to venture to Alabama or Kentucky to see She & Him. Two great musical acts! Rooney is the quintessential summer band, and She & Him plays a distinct brand of folk/country music that is truly their own. I would love to interview these two bands as well, but we'll see.

So, everything is going well then! My friend and roommate Bailey is back after being stuck in Guatemala for the past couple days due to the craziness that has been attacking Central America, so I'm glad she's back safe and alive! Frank is doing well in Costa Rica, soaking up the Pura Vida life, and learning Spanish like crazy, and I can't wait to see him in three weeks!

Other than that, not much excitement...just working and writing. Oh, and I'm still trying to figure out what to do with my life. :-)

Hope all is well for everyone!

Love and peace,

Amelia

P.S. If you're looking for a summer read and haven't read it yet...try Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert. Incredible writer and amazing book!