You don't have to describe it - I know that exact feeling. It was why I used a bivy/tarp combo until the really lightweight, all-mesh-inner tents like the Hubba from MSR and Seedhouse SL from Big Agnes came out. I'd only pitch the tarp when it looked like rain, or when I wanted to block some wind in cold weather. The rest of the time, it was just the bivy. I loved falling asleep under the stars, and a couple of times I woke up to find deer browsing just a few yards away.

I can do the same thing, more comfortably, now with the all-mesh tents (my current favorite: MSR Carbon Reflex 1) for about the same weight, so I've given up the bivy. But, if you're not ready to move to something like that, stick with the bivy and enjoy the stars!