photo PicMonkeyCollage_zpsac20b1ca.png

Thursday, March 8, 2012

the wild, wonderful SAICFF: through the eyes of. . .me. {part 1}


and all i learned. i'm beginning to believe the infamous "ziggy cloud" (you know, as in the comic strip?) that forever follows my mom must be hereditary. in other words, tragedy and embarrassing moments and calamity and. . .well, it's a part of being michaela. or my mothers daughter. haha--love ya, mom!

 
{via} our group walking the convention hall on Thursday

  • it's possible to accomplish multiple over-nighters without dying. 
  • one can go for hours--even days--on zero coffee. also without dying. 
  • passionate, die-hard fans of 'the high kings' can tolerate 'celtic thunder'. it's blasphemy, but true. this was after much controversy and denial. pouting while secretly wishing 'bird without wings' would play just one more time. *ahem* block out the grating voices of paul and ryan, and. . .i  might be a semi-"thunderhead". 
  • 'san antonio' is usually pronounced "s-An An-tonio." must be the italian in me, because it's "Ahn-tonio." thank you. 
  • joshua phillips listens to (speaking of,) THK. 
  • ball bearings are tiny pieces of metal. they should be smooth. otherwise near-death experiences occur.
  • i was born in the wrong state. 'seven days in utopia' confirmed that. i'd pack my bags in a heartbeat for the land of drawls, country charm, ranch life--and never look back on OH. if  i could take my puppy, parents, and a sister or four. OR marry my handsome cowboy. 
  • the river walk is gorgeous--a twist of Mexican/Spanish/European. . .floating with romantic music, the aroma of food, flocked with tourists. . .and filled with crime. laptops left in open view WILL be stolen. huh, so that's what all that glass was about. i was wondering why the guys left the van window open. . .
  • blogger ppls are even more awesome in real life. 
  • even borrowed, [PINK] over sized, Walmart-inspired sweatshirts can make one feel like a princess.
  • giving up a blueberry bagel sandwich to a homeless man is very fulfilling.
  • packing for a trip to texas is hard. layers are important. remembering to wear warm clothes when the weather shifts from 70's to 50's is imperative. sundresses don't count. (guess what i did?) 
  • i cannot sleep in people-loaded vans. or on overnight road trips. period. fist-fulls of m&m's don't help. especially when the entire van-load is ingesting them. sugar-high, anyone? 
  • movies are fun. fellowship, new experiences, and special friends are better.
  • ray comfort has a great sense of humor. "wow, you make me feel tall.
  • camera's should be attached at the hip--always. otherwise they might be left five hours away in a strangers home. . .
  • 'courageous' is one of my favorite movies--the third time through and i still cried. nothing--no other movie could possibly beat it, right? until i saw 'seasons of gray.' review coming asap.
  • Walmart can be a lifesaver. no, i didn't just say that.
  • sitting at the phillips house in the phillps living room on the phillips couch is breathtaking.
  • "pumpkin head" is dutch for "slap-happy".
  • vacations are great weight-loss programs.
  • truly gentlemanly, chivalrous young men are hard to find. i traveled with several. it makes a girl feel good to know her brothers in Christ go above and beyond to honor and protect. 
  • messy hair, bad breath, and wrinkled clothes = serious bonding. getting used to the humiliation is another matter. 
  • pumpkin-headed people, 5:00 AM, and intense conversation = priceless memories.
  • y'all is a cute word.
  • i plan on attending the festival next year.
  • most importantly, we saw the work of our Lord's hand through everything that happened--the perfectly orchestrated events that without Him, left us powerless. to God be the Glory!!

and that's just a brief overview. . .some of the less-important points i just had to share. the little tidbits that often mean the most. i haven't even touched on our epic van breakdown. WHY we visited the phillips house. charlie zahm's concert on the river walk. celebrating a friends birthday at an outdoor Mexican restaurant. the rescue of stranded travelers at 2:30 AM. the horrible feeling after realizing that wait, i left my newly ordered eShakti dress in the hotel room--and here i am, sitting in the theater on the awards night. . .in casual clothes. the glories of stopping at gas stations for breaks and snacks. hey, a 25 hour drive dulls the mind.

 

thanks to all my wonderful guest posters! weren't they fantastic? keep the comments coming, and don't forget to check out/follow their blogs. hmm. . .already scheming up a new guest-series. 

a few things i've learned since getting home

  • there is something inside just begging for purpose--a ministry. a vision. i'm waiting on Him to show me exactly what that means.
  • singleness isn't a bad thing. the Lord has opened up so many doors in this season of life. i'm enjoying every minute, thanking Him for past and future adventures. it's rather exciting. 
  • movie-making is interesting. luckily i know several people in the independent film industry. . . 
  • it hurts to return to the snow-lands. spring, hear my call!
  • the spring clothing at 'old navy' is loverly this year. peach, mustard, lavender, turquoise, mud, mandarin, cream . .mmm. my mom is having 80's flash-backs. . .i'm loving the feminine look. and the peasant tops. and the maxi skirts. it's possible to shop and actually find girly-clothing! 

    12 comments:

    1. Looks like an amazing trip! I know several people who went to the SAICFF and they all said what an amazing experience it was. I really need to go one of these years...

      Love the group pics...you guys look like you're having the time of your lives :D

      As for Courageous could not agree more. We'll leave it at that.

      Ditto to Old Navy's spring stuff. Actually, today I'm wearing the most awesome yellow and white stripe dress I just bought from there. Layered, of course, as it is still March and far from spring (although the weather today it deceiving :P).

      -BW.

      ReplyDelete
    2. Oh my, it sounds like you had a wonderful trip! I wish I could have come; I've heard from so many people that the SAICFF is amazing. One day, hopefully. ;)

      I still have yet to see Courageous. *blushes and ducks head* I know I'm dreadfully behind on the times — and I plan on seeing it eventually. I just keep forgetting about it. :P I'm glad you enjoyed watching it. And I'm looking forward to your review for Seasons of Gray.

      Ahh, spring . . . I can't wait. :) I'm from the South, so it's already starting to get to 60 and 70 degrees, and when you add sunny skies and no clouds . . . well, let's just say I'm in heaven. *sigh of delight* Plus, wearing pretty floral skirts in the spring is so much fun — I always feel so feminine and ladylike. Unfortunately, it's never very constant weather-wise until mid April; it was rainy and chilly today. :/

      Have a lovely evening, dear!

      ~Elizabeth Rose

      ReplyDelete
    3. Is it really possible for us HK fans to like Celtic Thunder? I hadn't heard. I'm not convinced. :) But then again, I'm very selective about which HK songs I like. I prefer the 'old guys'-- the Clancy brothers and Tommy Makem, the Sons of the Pioneers, dead guys. ;)

      Of course Josh P likes the High Kings. Just goes to prove that he knows music. Hee hee!

      I've sat at the P's house a few years ago after the 200 year plan conference. It was neat, but it was even more neat to see that they aren't perfect like we tend to think sometimes. They're normal people, and it's really nice to know that. :)

      ReplyDelete
    4. Oh, yeah...nice to 'meet' another young woman who is 'going' to marry a cowboy. ;) MY cowboy has to be a singing cowboy.....Yes, I'm hopelessly in love with the Sons of the Pioneers.

      ReplyDelete
    5. Wow... I'm so glad you had such an amazing time!
      I went to watch the trailer for "Seasons of Grey"... WOW! I really want to see it now! I'd never even heard of it before! Thank you for making me aware of its existance.

      Thank you for sharing some of your trip with us!

      God bless!
      Rachel

      ReplyDelete
    6. Thanks for sharing, to those of us who couldn't attend SAICFF, it's fun to hear about it. :)

      I agree with you, High Kings is the best, but I could get used to a little Celtic Thunder. (Just a little. :)

      ReplyDelete
    7. Wow, the trip looks amazing! :)We really wanted to go this year, but sadly, we couldn't make it. :( Courageous is totally the best movie ever, (Besides Tangled) :)

      I have a ? though, do you know why your friend wears those British explorer type outfits? :D XD :) Just wondering. ;)

      Have a wonderful day!

      Summer~

      ReplyDelete
    8. I want to go there SO bad! {I know what can happen in a van full of sleep deprived teenagers..it's very interesting;)

      {Thanks for the tip about Old Navy..I have a gift card to there, and I have been hoping that there would be so really cute stuff}

      ReplyDelete
    9. Goodness gracious--just realized this post has a "part 1" attached to it! Guess that means I actually NEED to write a follow-up post. ;)

      You know I haven't actually been able to make it back to Old Navy since I posted this post? Really. Money is scarce when traveling is frequent. As it has been. I also want to raid Forever 21 at some point. . .

      @Elizabeth Rose--we miss you on facebook, girly! How have you been?? As far as Courageous. . .tisk, tisk. You need to see it--NOW. It's an incredible movie. The end.

      @Dolly Madison--haha, well, it IS possible, though THK's will always be #1 in my heart. Personally I don't care for the very old folk-style music. It's the voices that grate me. The songs are awesome. That's what makes more modern folk groups like The High Kings so appealing. Celtic Thunder I'm very choosy with, especially since they tend to have a corny, over-processed twist that is a bit much. *ahem* I like a few of their older songs, like Come By the Hills.

      Speaking of, Josh and Justice Phillips and some friends performed THK's The Rocky Road to Dublin, Little Beggarman, and Paddy's Green Shamrock Shore at the Titanic 100. Pretty neato.

      Oh yeah, and I AM going to marry a cowboy. Preferably a singing one. ;)

      ReplyDelete
    10. Oh yes. . .almost forgot to answer you, Summer! ;) Good question, actually. My friends recently started a project called The Henty Film Coalition--they dressed in costume every day of the festival to advertise. I opted out since I already packed clothes I *wanted* to wear. ;) The only costume I brought along was my Regency dress, which I really don't care for. They aren't the most flattering things in the world. :P

      ReplyDelete

    Thank you for visiting Rhapsody in PINK, friend! I hope it has blessed you in some little way. Please remember to stop in again. . .and leave a name with your comment (if you do not have a Blogger account.)