How did you really learn a foreign language?
dgulledge: Your motivation to learn the language will be a strong factor in your success.  Wanting specifically to communicate in the language is a big plus.Get as much contents as you can and use it.  Since you are studying Spanish, if you have access to a Spanish language cable network (or a broadcast TV or radio station in some cities) use that.  Start with something that is fairly predictable, like the weather forecast.  Get podcasts and listen to those.  Rent movies in Spanish (and turn off the English subtitles).On the other side, find people to talk to.  Ideally, you want native speakers.  You want to spend extended periods talking in Spanish.  Force yourself to say what you have to say in your new language, even badly, ungrammatically.  You will make mistakes.Two blogs I like that emphasize exactly these two facets of language learning are:The Linguist on Language: http://thelinguist.blogs.com/how_to_learn_english_and/Fluent In 3 Months: http://www.fluentin3months.com/