Well Friday was a busy an exciting day that saw us fulfilling our duty of volunteering with the Christmas program at the Mahaffey Theatre after actually attending the first 6 PM service. This venue is awesome in size as it holds a little over two thousand seats and first class in structure. The ambiance is very nice as well which sits next to the waterfront. We were nearly packed with just a few seats empty in the first service and just a few folks shy of filling it again for the second evening service at 8. The message, music and video's were life changing as the story of the birth of our Savior was told.
I started the day much the usual with a 6'ish rollout to my morning routines. I had my cup of hot green tea laced with turmeric while posting this ramble and then spent some quiet moments with that Savior in humble thanksgiving and intercessory prayer for those I know and love. I headed out just before 8 on my bike for a good two hours on the pickle ball court with a handful of other players. I had a wet shirt when I left there around 10. I came home and then headed over to Amy and Tyler's to check on their home and to hand water their garden and on over to GG's where I took her blood pressure. Seems we have to do that for a week to satisfy her that she isn't having a stroke or heart attack. We stopped there again last night on the way home after the program and took it again.
I piddled around in my garden until lunch time giving it a good drink as well. The 1/2 runner beans are blooming and my bush beans are really starting to mature. The tomato's continue to set fruit but are slow in ripening. Everything is really growing especially the peppers, collards, cucumbers, lettuces and kale and I should be harvesting lots of these in the next couple of weeks. The weather here has been great for the garden except I'm hand watering daily. The yards have all but dried up except for the weekly watering.
We were meeting up with our "cool people's club" trio (which consist of the Tracy's now back from being out west since Sept. and the Botbyl's) around 3:30 to convoy down to St.Pete and have dinner at Bella Bravo on Beach Drive which is near the Mahaffey. The food was very good and while we couldn't get reservations we got right in at that hour. It takes a good 30 minutes or so to get there from Seminole but this place and the area is very upscale with beautiful huge high rise buildings, boats docks and many museums dot the recently renovated area. Al Lang stadium is near there as well as Albert Whited airport. The huge expanses of park like open areas near the water make for great viewing of the bay. This is just a classy area and now becoming a must see tourist area for down town St. Pete. We will bring our visitors here next time as its really that nice and the what use to be a crime area has moved on south.
The food was great and we had a lovely server who was expecting her second child any day. After dining we moved on down to the huge area that now had a 4 story parking garage for both the Dali Museum and the Mahaffey Theatre. There were people everywhere waiting to enter the theatre. We saw lots of familiar faces while waiting to take a seat in the balcony area which was perfect for viewing the stage. GG just bought tickets yesterday to see Tony Bennet who will be performing there in March( if he lives that long as he is now 90). Her seats are where we sat and they are awesome. The hour and few minute long program was full of fantastic music with a mixture of some old Christmas Carols, hymns and updated songs. The light show was unbelievable as well as it denoted the difference of the appearance of Christ into the dark world of humanity. It was a candlelight service as we all had candles that were battery operated thus making it safe in such a large crowd but the difference was awesome as light always diffuse the dark thus the Christ always diffuses the dark.
We served the second show that started at 8 greeting those who want to be seated in the balcony. Everyone had to have a ticket for that specific time and date. There are 3 more shows today Saturday at 2, 4, 6. It was a great experience to be at this 4th annual program by Bridgepoint Church at the Mahaffey and we look forward to serving again each year. Such a splendid and uplifting program that honors our Lord and Savior on the day that we celebrate his birth. Today Saturday we head over to Tampa and have an annual get together with Katie's extended family for a noon meal. We will bring the side dishes and gather at her grand parents house and celebrate the season with them. They are very nice and make you feel so welcome and we look forward to seeing and dining with them as well, LATER
