Changing...

Well, I know...it's been forever since I last posted. Things got kind of crazy with school, work, and settling into the new place. I feel like I've hit a lull period in school, but I'm sure it won't last long since finals are just around the corner.

Everything seems to be changing right before my eyes. For the first time in 9 months, I'm freezing when I walk outside, and it's hard to remember to take a jacket with me everywhere, lol. I guess that's what living in summer for the majority of the year will do to you.

The dynamic at school is changing. I only have two semesters left until I graduate, and I don't feel anywhere close to being ready. My Spanish is definitely not where it should be in order to actually use it in a job, and I have absolutely no clue what I'm going to do with me life once I graduate! I feel like I have to make all these big life decisions within the next year or so, and it's a little stressful, I'm not going to lie. My tentative plan is to move to Nashville after graduation and get a job using Spanish while trying to pursue music. In order to do this I have to accomplish two things, though: study abroad again so I can get my Spanish where it needs to be, and practice, practice, practice music. I'm kind of in limbo in both subjects, and sometimes I think it would just be easier to go work at a coffee shop for the rest of my life or something, lol...
I know it'll be okay. It's just a lot to stomach at once.

"A change we can believe in"...I got to vote for the first time in my life! It was very exciting, since I got to share the experience with my dad and my brother. I'm proud to say that I voted for a change I could believe in, and I can't wait to see what's in store for the U.S. over the next 4 years. Go blue! :-)

In other news, I've been doing quite a bit of research on my family tree recently, and I've discovered that I have a whole lot more German in me than I previously thought. German and Italian...possible English and Scottish thrown in there too for good measure. I just thought it would be neat to see where my ancestors come from. It also makes learning German neater. I have to take German next semester, so it's going to mean a little bit more to me.

Oh, and the next adventure I've been planning is a road trip out west on Route 66. I've always thought that would be really cool, and I plan on taking this as soon as I graduate...graduation present to myself that will probably take about 2 weeks or so. It's going to be awesome!

Hope all is well! Happy early Halloween to everyone as well! :-)

Peace,
Amelia

Back in the swing...

Hello to all! I'm officially moved into my new apartment in Cookeville, and I start school in a week! I can't believe that time has flown by so quickly this summer. I'm hoping for a good semester, but I've got a pretty full load of classes, so I know it's going to be difficult. It's just crazy to me that I'm a senior! Besides moving I've just been working a lot, hanging out with friends, and planning my next traveling adventure...a little closer to home this time, lol. My friend Brittney and I are headed to North Carolina in a couple of weeks to visit our buddy Elena that we met in Costa Rica. We decided to drive because it's amazingly still cheaper to drive than fly even with the high gas prices. It's about a 7-8 hour drive, and I'm excited because I love road trips! We're going to Raleigh, and I've never been there, so it should be pretty neat. I'll let you guys know how it goes.

Well, I know in my last post I was really excited about being able to play with the new band, Phlatt Earth...things have changed since then. Apparently they all got in a fight with each other after I left practice one night, and have decided to break up. I am truly tired of being in bands with people that can't get their act together. Are there any musicians out there that just want to play?! I'm tired of the drama. I honestly think that guy musicians are worse than girls sometimes. If you're a musician, you should be doing it because you love the music, not because you're on some ridiculous power trip. Grrr...anyway, I still have a gig on the 27th of September playing my original stuff, so that should be pretty cool. I guess I'll just keep on trucking and continue writing, but this not having a steady band thing is pretty disheartening.

I'm off to purchase a few more things for my new apartment. Hope all is well for everyone! Thanks for reading!

Pura vida,
Amelia

Hong Kong, Canada, and Phlatt Earth

Hello, folks! Things are going well here in TN. Sorry it's taken me so long to post about my adventures in Hong Kong, but I've been super busy! Hong Kong was very cool! It was nice to spend some time together as a family with my mom, dad, and brother. I loved seeing another country and getting another stamp in my passport, lol. Hong Kong was different than anywhere I've been and similar to a lot of place as well. Since it's a big city, I could relate it a little to San Jose in Costa Rica, but it was a lot cleaner, and I felt a lot safer in Hong Kong, lol. It was really neat to be on a plane that my dad was flying and very cool to hear him make announcements over the intercom. I can't believe he flies those 14-15 hour flights 2-3 times a month back and forth. Being on a plane that long is really hard! I think the biggest highlight of the trip, though, was that on the way back we weren't able to get on the flight my dad was flying, we were flying standby. None of us really wanted to stay in Hong Kong for another night, but all of the flights to the U.S. had already left for the day. So, we looked at the TV monitors and saw that there was a flight headed to Toronto shortly! We were all pretty cool with that since at least we would be back in North America, so we took it. I was able to get yet another stamp on my passport for Canada, which was awesome! I had never been there before either, so it was cool to see how things work in Canada, or at least Toronto. All in all, I think it was a great trip, and I can't wait for my next traveling adventure...wherever it might take me...

In other news, I recently auditioned for a band that contacted me through myspace, and will be singing for them! We are called Phlatt Earth and we play mainly blues, but I think there's a little rock thrown in there, too. It's a pretty sweet set-up, and we're hoping to be playing gigs really soon. All of the players are really solid, and we already have 2 sets worth of music worked up. I'm really excited to see where this venture takes me. I've never played with a steadily gigging band, and I can't wait to get to sing that much on stage! We're going to record some demos soon, so I'll try to remember to post a link to them on our myspace page or my myspace page.

I move into my new apartment this week, and I'm excited to start decorating my room and getting ready for school which starts in 2 weeks. Other than all of that, lol, I've just been hanging out at home, with friends, and working. I'm working as a server at a little restaurant that just opened in Cookeville, and so far, it's going pretty well.

So...yeah, my life is pretty much jam-packed right now, but I wouldn't have it any other way. I love being busy! I hope everything is going well for all of you out there! Thanks for reading! I'll update again soon...

Mucho amor,
Amelia