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! :-)