Marvelous Mammoth Memories

Alrighty!!!!!! Gonna tell you about my marvelous weekend! :)

First off ... I know the picture of the cave is lame. I'm sad to say this was the best cave picture I took all weekend. Sheesh. The cave was too dark (imagine that!), and I couldn't get good pictures. But that's alright. I'd never been in a cave before, so I thought it was pretty cool. And the company was among the best a woman could have! :)

So ... as you've all guessed by now .... I went to Mammoth Cave for the weekend with some of my best friends. Ben called me up last week, asking me if I'd want to join him and some of the gang on a weekend trip to Kentucky. And I'm so glad I got to go! It was one of the best times I've had in a long time! And I wanted to share some of the highlights with you all! :)

Like I said ... I'd never been in a cave before, so the trip down to the cave on Sunday morning was pretty great. It was amazing to see yet another MARVELOUS, God-created masterpiece! God is really good at creating things, isn't He? And at one point during our cave tour, the guide shut off all the lights in the cave ... and we stood in complete darkness. I had never been in darkness that ... well ... dark! I kept blinking .... my eyes were looking for even the tiniest glimpse of light ... somewhere! Anywhere! But there was no light to be found. It was amazing!!! And then the guide lit a match, and it was amazing how much light it provided. One tiny match. Wow. ....... There are tons of analogies there ... but I'll leave Alex to the cool picture stories and analogies. ;) ... An understatement --- The cave was a pretty cool experience.

And I also mentioned that the company was great. :) ........ The group included the entire Nilsen family, the Beards (from GFC), a few people who work with Ben, Brittney, Elise and her friend, Drew, Kim Svoma and her nephew, BJsquared (as I like to call him), and me. Some pretty amazing people in that group. I had the most adorable kids in the world crawling all over me, giving me hugs, holding my hands all weekend. Isn't that picture of Barrett and the Beard kids to die for? ;) ....... That's what I love about kids. They don't have bubbles. Ha! I can't believe I'm saying that. Just months ago, I would've been afraid of those kids. I have a BUBBLE. I've never been a real touchy person ... but I'm growin' out of it a bit. I must be! Because I LOVED every minute with the kids! (Makes me want to work in kids ministry even more than I already do!) Time with Barrett, Mason, Corrin, and Silas was one of the best parts of the weekend. I'm so glad the kids came along! :)

Another highlight .... James. Yep! He sang and DANCED most of the weekend. At least during the car rides. Actually ....... it was amazing! I have never heard the Nilsen guys sing as much as they did this weekend. Saturday night, around the campfire, BEN LED THE SONGS! I'm not kidding! He just busted out singing. And Alec and James busted out the tunes throughout the night too. It was great! I love it when people sing! They can be the most tone-deaf person ever or right up there with David Phelps - I just LOVE IT when people sing! ....... And James and Kim danced to Grits and R.E.S.P.E.C.T. half of our trip home. It was one of the highlights of my night!

Yet another joy .... I walked with Ben for close to half of the cave tour, and that was definitely one of the best parts of the trip for me. Ben is one of my closest friends, and chatting with him is one of my all-time favorite things to do. He and I have been growing in our friendship a lot over the past 3 or 4 months, and he's one of the few friends I can sit and talk to for hours on end. .... We obviously didn't talk for hours in the cave, but it was great to chat with my buddy, Ben! We talked about serious things, happy things, random things .... and we had a good time goofing off together ... as we often do. Good times!

I also got to spend extra time with Judy and Alec this weekend. :) Two people I don't get to see all that often or talk to much. It was great to chat with Alec around the campfire ... listen to him try to lead "Open the Eyes of My Heart" about 8 times on Saturday night .... no one followed him. Ha ha! And for some reason, he was trying to light a candle while we were sitting around the fire on Saturday night. He kept calling it his "night light." He was gonna sleep right next to the fire pit, so I don't know why he thought he needed a night light. Ha ha! And he couldn't get it lit! He went through an entire box of matches and lots of being made fun of in the process. It was hilarious and way too much fun! ........ I also got a hug from Judy. Judy hugs are some of my favorite hugs. :) And during the cave tour, we talked with Ben about how we are emotional roller coaster women. It was fun to laugh with her about that ... and hear all of Ben's deep explanations of why we are that way. Ha ha! It was a fun time!

Lastly, I walked down the hill next to our campsite and found huge boulders!!! I don't know what it is about huge rocks ... but I get excited about them! If you've ever been to a big place called "The Chimneys" in Tennessee .... now there's a GREAT place for huge boulders! And they are for climbing on!!!! That was my first experience with huge rocks ... and I have gotten excited about them ever since! Ben and James and I talked for half the cave tour about wanting to climb on all the huge rocks in the cave! ...... Okay .... back to the big boulder I was talking about .... I found these huge boulders down the side of the hill, and one of them turned into a great devotion spot. :) Sunday morning, after breakfast, I grabbed my Bible and my 382 prayer journals and headed for the "devo. boulder," as I like to call it. It was huge! And was shaped just so I could sit comfortably on it and read my Bible. I had a really great devotional time that morning ... read Psalms 18 and 19 ... wrote in my 382 prayer journals (I really only have 3 ... but that's a lot! Might as well round up!) ... and sat in silence for a few minutes, breathing in the crisp, November air and listening to squirrels run through the crunching leaves. Sitting in the middle of the woods is one of my favorite places to be ... so it was an extra special devo. time. :)

Okay ... I know I've made this super long. I don't know how to keep things short. Sheesh! ;) ..... It was a great trip! If you've never been in a cave, go! If you've never camped with some of your best friends, do it! Makin' memories is way too much fun! Do it sometime! And soon! :)

Happy Birthday, Hannah! :D

Hey, everybody!!!

Hannah Baker (one of our fellow bloggers) is celebrating her 21st birthday today!!! Head on over to "Handing Him the Pen" and leave her a birthday message!

Love you, Hannah! Happy Birthday!!!!!!!!!!!

:):):):):):)

More to the Bucket ....

Wow, guys! I totally forgot my NUMBER ONE Bucket List item!!!! (I was writing this Bucket List at school yesterday, and I forgot some of them ... give yourself a break, Mical.) ;)

#1 - Take a 3-day trip of silence and solitude! (Yep, Ben gave me the idea. What a surprise.) Thanks, Ben. :)

#2 - Visit my sponsored child. Ruth Flores. She lives in Bolivia. :) (Are we still takin' that trip, James?) :):):) James Nilsen and I have talked about taking a trip to see our sponsored kids. I've got one in Bolivia ... And he's got one in Africa and one in ...... what is it? .... Haiti! I think those are right. So we're gonna take a trip someday! ;)

#3 - Read all of Mere Christianity and understand at least 10% of it. Ha Ha! I'm not joking. It's way over my head. I'll try to read it again one of these days. Out of all the C.S. Lewis books I want to read, Mere Christianity is at the top!

I think that's all for now. I'm sure I'll be adding more to this list eventually. And hopefully, over the years, you will hear me checking things off my list! :D Have a great weekend everybody! .... I'm going to Mammoth Cave with some folks! :)


P.S. I guess I spell bar chords wrong in my previous post. It should be spelled barre chords. ... Don't look at me. Talk to Roger Shuman about it. Ha ha! Thanks, Roger. ;)

My Bucket List

So in light of my belief that homework is overrated ... I am putting it off for yet another blog post. (Can you tell the senioritis is kicking in? ... I'm always foregoing homework to blog. Ha ha!)

I've been spending lots of time away from home lately ....... School from 8am to 8pm four days a week, Higher Ground on Friday nights, my college-age small group at Calvary on Monday nights, church on Sunday mornings, youth group on Sunday nights, and extra hang out time with friends every spare moment I get .... I've got a full schedule going! .... And I don't get to see my parents very often. I LIVE WITH THEM! And I don't see them very often. How pathetic. So .... all of that said .... I set up a Mical-Mom and Dad night on Tuesday evening. :) We ate pancakes and watched "The Bucket List." I wasn't too impressed with the movie itself, but it got me thinking about some things I want to do before I "kick the bucket." ...... I know ... I'm young. I don't plan on dying for awhile .... although I wouldn't mind going to see Jesus! :D .... But yeah ... I most likely won't die for a while. I've been striving to honor my parents all these years .... so I think I'll be one of those "live long and prosper in the land God's given me" kind of people. I plan on living until I'm at least 100! .... I guess that means I'll have plenty of time to accomplish all the things on my Bucket List! :) So here's a (growing) list of what I'd like to do before I kick the bucket! :)

MICAL'S BUCKET LIST

#1 - Hike through New Zealand!!!

#2 - Run a mini marathon.

#3 - Read through the Bible at least 3 times .... once in my NIV, once in a ESV, and once in my (WIDE-MARGIN ... yes, I'm just a little excited about my new Bible!) NASB.

#4 - Learn to play bar chords on my guitar. (And rhythm might be nice too!) ;)

#5 - Take swing dancing lessons!

#6 - Marry an oober godly guy!

#7 - Homeschool my kids.

... And I'm sure the list will grow over the years. You all should make a Bucket List too! And share it with ME! :D Have a wonderful day, all!

GODSONG

YOUR LOVE IS AMAZING, STEADY AND UNCHANGING.
YOUR LOVE IS A MOUNTAIN FIRM BENEATH MY FEET.

YOUR LOVE IS A MYSTERY.
HOW YOU GENTLY LIFT ME.
WHEN I AM SURROUNDED, YOUR LOVE CARRIES ME.

HALLELUJAH! HALLELUJAH! HALLELUJAH!
YOUR LOVE MAKES ME SING!
HALLELUJAH! HALLELUJAH! HALLELUJAH!
YOUR LOVE MAKES ME SING!

YOUR LOVE IS SUPRISING.
I CAN FEEL IT RISING.
ALL THE JOY THAT'S GROWING, DEEP INSIDE OF ME.
AND EVERY TIME I SEE YOU, ALL YOUR GOODNESS SHINES THROUGH.
AND I CAN FEEL THIS GODSONG RISING UP IN ME!

HALLELUJAH! HALLELUJAH! HALLELUJAH!
YOUR LOVE MAKES ME SING!
HALLELUJAH! HALLELUJAH! HALLELUJAH!
YOUR LOVE MAKES ME SING!


Yep! Amazing lyrics to an amazing song!!! "Your Love is Amazing" has always been one of my favorite worship songs. Sure, I like the rhythm and all, but the words are super great!

God has been doing a lot in my heart and mind over the past year, and He has been bringing both the biggest challenges and the greatest joys that I've ever experienced! Isn't it amazing how God does that? He'll bring crazy hard things ... yep, He wants to grow us! He loves us too much to leave us the way we are! Isn't that .... oh my word! Isn't that just BEYOND amazing! And what's even more AMAZING is that He brings JOY along with the pain!!!! He lets us go through tough things ... sometimes things that we don't think we can bear! But He always brings joy! Amazing joy! And it all flows out of His amazing love for us! He instills His mighty love in our hearts! And ya know ... sometimes we just can't contain it anymore. ..... At least I hope that is something you've experienced in your Christian walk. :)

God's been filling me up this week, and it's been fun! :) .... It's been a regular week. Nothing too exciting has been happening. I get up early and get to school by 8:30 each morning .... sit through classes - some dull, some over my head, some interesting - I endure long days (classes all day and tutoring in the writing center all evening) ... get home around 8:00pm. Then do it all over again. Nothing too amazing. ...... But ya know? There's joy in living for Jesus. I've got some glitches I'm workin' out .... but I've got a GODSONG RISING UP IN ME! My Godsong has been sitting quietly beneath the surface at times and bursting forth at other times.

Like yesterday .... I was walking on campus .... I think I was heading to my sociology class .... and all of sudden I started laughing. Yep ... I know. Not a surprise. I laugh all the time anyway ... and at things that aren't funny most of the time. Ha! But seriously! I don't usually just burst out laughing out of nowhere. But that's exactly what I did. It was a beautiful day ... I was half way done with my classes for the day ... and I was walking .... and then smiling .... and then laughing! It was one of those Godsong moments! :D Too much fun!

I got to thinking about how great God's love is for us .... how it is the most GINORMOUS thing in our lives. Jesus loved me enough to DIE for me! God loves me enough to have a PLAN for my little life! God loves me enough to give me JOY! As I was thinking about this mighty love from our amazingly mighty God, "Your Love is Amazing" popped into my head .... specifically the part about this "Godsong rising up in me!" Amazing! .... It was just way too much fun! I got tickled in Jesus! I got tickled about His love for me! It was a great moment ..... and a really good afternoon. :D

We serve a mighty, mighty God! Aren't you glad He loves us? Aren't you glad He loves YOU!!??? Dwell on that thought today. No matter what this crazy thing we call life is throwing at you today ... hang onto Christ's love for you! He loves you! He really, really does! :D

Scrapbooking!

I think I'm gonna start scrapbooking again! I've taken some amazing pictures lately, and I've gotta get out there for people to see!!!!! Anyone want to join me? ;)

Pick a time and a place!!!!!!!!!

My Big Sister!

Well, I think the e-mail/blog fast I took a few weeks ago is helping ... I haven't been blogging 4 times a day like I used to. ;) I haven't been checking my e-mail quite as much either. Hopefully I'll continue to prioritize!

And speaking of prioritizing .... I have a special friend I've been meaning to write about and haven't ... so I'm making her a priority today! :D

I think everyone who has siblings will know where I'm coming from with this post. Siblings are an amazing blessing!!! Our biological siblings are great .... but what about those people God puts in our lives to be our "other" brothers and sisters. Ya know what I mean? God gives us amazing people outside of our family to ADD to our family. So yes ... I have my little brother, Wes. He's my only "real" sibling ... but I have "other" brothers and sisters too. I have a couple of big brothers ... even a second mom and dad .... but I only have ONE big sister!

Yep! My friend, Tiff, is the only friend I've thought of as a sister. She just has those big sister qualities .... wise, loving, a good listener, gives advice, looks out for her "little sisters," fun-loving .... and it's hard for me to explain, but she's got a way of supporting people that screams "big sister" to me! She is really good at supporting the people she loves, encouraging them to follow their dreams and give it all they've got, and letting them know that she's behind them no matter what. She's helps them feel encouraged and more confident. That's how I've always felt around Tiff. I know that no matter what I choose to do with my life, she'll be right there to support me through it, love me through it, and encourage me to keep going even when I feel like quitting. And it's funny .... she doesn't even have to say anything. She's steadfast. And it just flows from her. Every hug, every "hang out time," every conversation .... I just know she supports me. Just like a big sister. That's what big sisters do. They are there to pour out love and wisdom and support. And Tiff is so good at all of that!

I remember hanging out with Tiff several years ago .... it was early in our friendship, and we had never hung out just the two of us before .... we tried to get a bunch of the girls to hang out, but we were the only two who could get together. We ended up going to Culver's in Plainfield. We probably shopped around or drove around or talked .... but I remember we left our outing as "bonding buddies." And it was a name that stuck. I still have cards that Tiff has written me signed "your bonding buddy." It was one of those days I'll always remember --- a day out with my big sister bonding buddy!

And last month ... Tiff and I went on the Calvary Ladies' Retreat together. Friday night ... while all the ladies were upstairs laughing and playing games ... Tiff came downstairs to see what I was up to, and we ended up chatting for close to an hour. We talked about my discouragement with my major .... how I feel like I'm wandering aimlessly ... how I feel like God isn't directing me much at the moment .... and Tiff simply listened and offered support. She reminded me that I'm almost done with school .... and then we got to talking about a college graduation open house! I was bummin' out about not wanting to be in school .... about not knowing what I'm going to do with the rest of my life .... and she got all excited about an open house! She gave me a a huge boost that night! ...... I'm gonna graduate next December .... so we started planning a Christmas theme for it! She even thought up the idea to have people write an answer to "What should Mical do with her English degree?" as their "admission" to my open house. And then we talked about having them write their ideas on an ornament and sticking 'em on a Christmas tree!!! What a great idea!

It was a sweet time with my big sister, Tiff. She knew I was down about my future, and she found something to get excited about for me. She's always been really good at that. :)

I've had lots of friends over the years. Cookie Cutters .... the Cooks/Adamsons gang .... the "Fab Five" .... but I only have one big sister! :D

Friday's To Do List :)

So it's the last day of October 2008 .... I've posted more posts this month than any other month (yes, I've only been blogging since the middle of August ... but ya know!)!!! I have a long list of things to do today (IT'S THE DAY BEFORE JARED AND MAGGIE'S WEDDING!!!), and I thought I'd write myself a "to do" list. :D

Friday, October 31, 2008
TO DO LIST:

#1 - Pick up my bridesmaid dress from Cheryl.

#2 - Deposit some money in the bank .... withdrawal some money.

#3 - Mail Malibu payment.

#4 - Head to the Porch to help mom with her Publisher program.

#5 - Call Jared and Mags and ask what I can do to help them get ready for their special weekend!

#6 - Make sweet tea for tonight's rehearsal dinner.

#7 - Take the tea to the Porch.

#8 - Hang out with Shelley at some point. (Yes! Pastor Mike and Shelley are in town! I saw 'em last night!!!!!!!!!)

#9 - Come home and pretty myself up for the rehearsal.

#10 - Rehearsal at GFC!

#11 - Rehearsal dinner at the Porch! (Bonfire!!! Which means chili, hot dogs, sweet tea, and s'mores!!! .... Oh, and celebrating with Mags and Jared too!) ;)

Yep .... I know I forgot some things, but that's about all I can remember!

Swweeet! ....... See most of you at the wedding tomorrow! :D

Good Homework Session

Hey, all! Just a quick post to say .....

I JUST WORKED ON MY PSYCHOLOGY HOMEWORK FOR 3 HOURS STRAIGHT!!!!!!!!

I didn't have trouble concentrating at all!!!!!! It was the LONGEST I've worked at one time all semsester! It was the BEST homework session I've had this semester!

(I have trouble focusing ... big time! Especially with reading. So this is huge!

.... I'm convinced I have A.D.D. ...... but perhaps we'll never know for sure.) Ha! Ha!

It was a good homework session. Just thought I'd share. :)

Off to class! ....... Love you, all! :D

AMAZING HAIR and a GOOFY MICAL :D

Yeah .... so I couldn't resist. :D

My hair looks amazing! And I'm a huge goofball! ............ Put those two things together, and what do you get????

AMAZING HAIR and a GOOFY MICAL.

Profound, I know. ;)

............ I get to be a bridesmaid on Saturday!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Yahoo!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Again .... TOO MUCH FUN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Persimmon Grove ... yep, that's right!

OH, MAN!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Emily and I were on our way to Lawana's house to do a practice run on our hair for Mags' wedding, and I couldn't resist!!!! Lawana lives behind the Clarion Hospital, and on our way to her house, we passed this new neighborhood! It is called PERSIMMON GROVE!!!!!!!!!! And there is a street called PERSIMMON GROVE DRIVE!!!!!!!!!!! Oh my goodness!!!!!!!!

And we never would've found it if we hadn't gotten lost on our way to Lawana's house! It was probably the BEST thing I saw and experienced all day (other than my amazing hair later that night ... yep, I'm SO posting some hair pictures in my next post!)!!!! Too much fun!!!

If you don't know what is so great about this story .... scroll down and read about Patrick the Persimmon ... my new friend from the Calvary Chapel Ladies' Retreat. .... I'm serious! Read it! What a great day! :D

TOO MUCH FUN!!!!

I'M GOING UP FROM HERE

Alright!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Who's excited????!!!!!

Mical Masterson is!!!!!!!!!!!!

..... Well, I just spent the past half an hour looking for the song lyrics to one of my new favorite songs. David Phelps (my favorite singer in the world .... and the BEST singer in the world) recently came out with a new CD called "The Voice." My friend, Kim, got it for me a few weeks ago ... and there is a song on the album called "Higher" that described exactly how I was feeling a few weeks ago. I really wanted to post some of the lyrics on here, but alas ... I looked everywhere for the lyrics and couldn't find them. .... I finally gave up looking because I really should be working on homework right now. Ha! (Isn't that always the story I'm telling?) ;) I'll just have to use the only line of the song that I remember.

"I'm going up from here."

I'm excited about this song because that's me!!!!! I'M GOING UP FROM HERE!!!! I've been dwelling a bit on this idea of being UP .... and two things have been popping in my mind. A song and a couple of verses.

I think my all-time favorite hymn is Be Thou My Vision because it is a great reminder that we are to continually be focusing all of our attention, all of our passions, all of our energy, all of our entire beings on the Lord. Check out these lyrics!

BE THOU MY VISION
Be Thou my vision, O Lord of my heart.
Naught be all else to me, save that Thou art.
Thou my best thought, by day or by night.
Waking or sleeping, Thy presence my light.

Be Thou my Wisdom and Thou my true Word.
I ever with Thee and Thou with me, Lord.
Thou my great Father, I thy true son (daughter in my case).
Thou in me dwelling, and I with Thee one.

Riches I heed not, nor man's empty praise.
Thou mine inheritance, now and always.
Thou and Thou only, first in my heart.
High King of heaven, my Treasure Thou art.

High King of heaven, my victory won.
May I reach heaven's joys, O bright heaven's Son!
Heart of my own heart, whatever befall.
Still be my vision, O ruler of all.



"Be Thou my vision, Oh LORD OF MY HEART!"

"Thou and Thou ONLY, FIRST in my heart."

"MY TREASURE THOU ART!"

Am I really treasuring Christ? Is He really the LORD of my heart? ........... I've been thinking about how the only way to "go higher" is to make Jesus my EVERYTHING. He MUST be my VISION, the ONE I look to in ALL things ... He must be the LORD OF MY HEART. I can only be "up from here" if JESUS IS MY UP!!!!

And my second thought comes from Colossians chapter 3.

Colossians 3:1-2, 4, and 16 ........
1 - Therefore, if you have been RAISED UP with Christ, keep seeking the things ABOVE, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.
2 - Set your mind on things ABOVE, not on the things that are on earth.
4 - When Christ, WHO IS YOUR LIFE, is revealed, then YOU ALSO will be revealed with Him in GLORY.
16 - LET THE WORD OF CHRIST RICHLY DWELL WITHIN YOU, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God.
(Yep ... the emphasis is by me!)

These verses remind us to keep ourselves focused on things ABOVE .... in other words, "Think UP!" "I'm going UP from here!" Right? :) We go "UP from here" by focusing our hearts and our minds on JESUS! We need to DWELL on His word ... may it "richly dwell within you."

God's been doing a lot in my heart and mind over the past few months, and He recently provided the long-awaited RESTORATION and HEALING that my weary spirit has been so desperately crying out for. Since then, He's been reminding me to live well .... to find joy in HIM ... to be UP. And not UP for some gushy "mountain-top experience," but UP so that I can live for HIM to the best of my ability .... love Him with ALL that I am instead of going at it half-heartedly or broken heartedly. He's got a lot up His sleeve for this little life!

What about you? What is God teaching you???

Me? ................. I'M GOING UP FROM HERE!!!!!