Well...not exactly. But that headline definitely got your attention, didn't it?

I think it's time to realize that this blog has gotten pretty stagnate over the past few months. I'm thinking about pulling it off the 'net and continuing my journaling in a private notebook. Yes, I know, that kinda sucks...but here's my reasoning:

I have very little time, and when I write on a public blog, I tend to spend too much time making each post interesting, entertaining, and "perfect". Because of this, I tend to procrastinate my writing and write less often because I know that each post is going to take a lot of valuable time. Not only that...over 150 people each day were reading this blog at one time, and knowing that sometimes made it a little difficult to write as I would in a true diary.

Not only that, I began to realize that certain people with close ties to my family or to Cedarville University were beginning to watch my blog like hawks and negatively "spin" the way I live my life. I have very little patience for this kind of ignorant, judgemental behavior and I normally avoid wasting my time thinking about it. However, the fact that I value peace (especially in the family) makes this particular situation worth considering.

Anyway, that's the story. The good news is that I'll soon be starting a new and improved blog on another website which I will reveal on here in the next couple of weeks. It will be focused on a more specific "theme" (like life lessons, success principles, or profound thoughts) rather than simply documenting my life. It'll be launching soon, and I promise it'll be worth checking out! Stay tuned.

OK...now that we've covered those things...here's a quick scoop on what's been happening in my life lately. 

I'm now back in the States from an incredible three months living in San Jose, Costa Rica. What an experience it was. Although I'm still not truly fluent in Spanish, I feel like my goal to reach a conversational level was successfully met. My Spanish went from a vocabulary of about 20 words on the day of my arrival to the ability to hold a decent conversation. The beaches, the rainforests, the food, the culture, the girls...I truly loved living in Costa Rica. The day I returned home felt a little weird...but it always does. For a day or two, I feel like a foreigner. It's as if everyone can look at me and know that I'm not "from here". Kind of a cool feeling, actually. It's been great to see everyone again...especially my family.

I spent the past weekend at Cedarville catching up with some old friends and hanging out with my sister Lacey. It was amazing to hang out with them, but being there also brought back the negative feelings I've had while studying at the school. I've lived in several different parts of the world now, I'm beginning to realize that I feel happy, balanced, and successful pretty much everywhere EXCEPT Cedarville. Is it me, or is it the place? Probably both. But it is what it is. I'm going to check to see if there's any possibility of finishing school online. If not, I'll deal with it. After all, I only have a year left. But there's no harm in checking!

In about 2 weeks, I'm packing up and moving to Florida. I was fortunate enough to land a very attractive summer internship with Citibank's Latin American Headquarters in Miami. Until August, I'll be living in a Miami highrise and working on Biscayne Boulevard in a Spanish-speaking office. Should be an incredible experience and I'm looking forward to it.

Meanwhile, I'm finishing up my latest travel eBook "77 Secrets of Costa Rica" and also writing a really cool little eBook for a real estate agent in San Diego. Both should be finished and launched within the next few weeks.

OK...time to get to work. Lots to be done. Stay tuned for the link to my new blog!