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My Spring Break Vacation 2022

And now – Week 3 of my 4-week series on my 6-day / 626-mile road-trip adventure here in South Florida and also up in Central Florida.

So my family flew in to South Florida (from North Texas) on a Thursday evening, and they arrived at their hotel at around Midnight. The next day – Friday – they did their own thing, as did I. (See my blog from last #TravelThursday.)

On Saturday March 05TH 2022 we spent the entire day together in Fort Lauderdale and adjacent Dania Beach. We enjoyed Breakfast at TooJay’s (one of my favorites). After that we went shopping at Five Below. (My nieces love that store.) From there we all proceeded over to the Broward County Convention Center where gymnasts from South Florida and beyond competed in various tournaments. My (almost) 12-year-old niece was one of the competitors from beyond – representing Allen Texas (near Dallas) – and she won awards. We were at the tournament for over 4 hours, and it was actually very interesting to watch. (I had never been to one before.)

That night we ate dinner at Lime Fresh Mexican Grill, and then we went shopping at T.J. Maxx. I had no idea that my sister-in-law absolutely loves that store. I think we spent over an hour there. I was bored after the first 10 minutes, but I was with my family, so that beats any other normal Saturday night for me.

The next day – Sunday – they did their own thing, as did I.

On Monday March 07TH we all cruised-up U.S. 27 (in 3 separate vehicles), and we all met at – LEGOLAND !

I’ve wanted to visit Legoland for the past decade, and just after opening time at 10 AM on that day I finally made it. (My family arrived about an hour later.)

Legoland greatly exceeded my expectations. I thought that I would just enjoy watching my nieces have lots of fun, but I had fun too. I even rode some rides including a scary rollercoaster !

My favorite part of Legoland is Miniland U.S.A. which features realistic Lego displays of various U.S. cities and their famous landmarks underneath several MASSIVE white canopy shade covers. You can walk around in this giant centerpiece of the park for a couple of hours enjoying it all and snapping photos all around.

I also appreciated the tribute to Cypress Gardens which was the original tourist attraction (and later theme park) at this location for almost 75 years starting in 1936 and peaking during the 1950s and 1960s. A portion of the original park has been preserved exactly as it used to be, and you can walk around and enjoy the sights and sounds of nature. Me and my brother actually visited Cypress Gardens on April 02ND 2005 when they had already converted over to a theme park (adjacent to the botanical gardens). We enjoyed the park during the day, and then we attended a Switchfoot concert that night at the park. The concert was quite memorable for us in that Switchfoot were at their mainstream peak back then, so a good crowd came to see them. Also a strong cold front had swept through the region during the day, so it turned cold just in time for the concert after dark. There were swarms of bugs flying around in the cold. It was quite eerie.

It was a fun day at Legoland. We were there from opening to almost closing. I would actually consider purchasing a limited annual pass to the park after I retire and relocate close to that local area. (It’s about an hour up the road from Sebring.)

Next #TravelThursday I’ll conclude my recap of this fun road-trip, and I’ll reveal the location of my next vacation (and series of blog posts).

All rights reserved (c) 2022 Christopher M. Day, CountUp

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My Spring Break Vacation 2022

And now – Week 2 of my 4-week series on my 6-day / 626-mile road-trip adventure here in South Florida and also up in Central Florida.

I blogged about The Beach Boys concert in Fort Lauderdale last #TravelThursday. Original members Mike Love and Brian Johnston fronted the band backed-up by talented touring musicians who looked and sounded great together – bringing back that unique Southern California surf pop and rock sound of the 1960s.

Brian Wilson and Al Jardine co-founded The Beach Boys (along with Mike Love) 61 years ago. Brian (80 this June) and Al (80 this September) are also touring together alongside another Beach Boy from the early-1970s – Blondie Chaplin. They are co-headlining (without The Beach Boys name) with Chicago for 25 dates this June and July. I may see them in Tampa (not sure yet). I checked tickets, and good seats were running between $206 and $436 (not including fees) with not that many of those seats left. I don’t really wish to spend that much money on that concert – as much as I really want to go to it.

OK it’s now Friday March 04TH 2022, and I’m spending the morning at Flamingo Gardens – one of Broward County’s top tourist attractions that’s not a MASSIVE shopping mall or a beach. Flamingo Gardens is a longtime botanical gardens and now Everglades wildlife sanctuary and aviary in Davie Florida (a South Florida suburb near Fort Lauderdale). I’ve been visiting this fun place since 2012, and this was my 5TH visit – and 1ST since December 2017. This is the type of place that I would work at after I retire if I were to move to that local area, but there’s no chance in that occurring. Broward County is a fun place to visit for the day or for a vacation, but I wouldn’t want to live there.

That night I saw The Bee Gees – LIVE in concert. Well – sort of.

Instead of me trying to capture the experience of this concert in my own words – allow me to share this promo with you:

Some tribute bands sound good. Some look good. Some move and dance like the originals. Every once in a while you get this powerhouse combination of sounds GREAT, looks GREAT, stage presence is GREAT, show is GREAT, light show is GREAT !

You’ll have a night like this with this Bee Gees tribute band – “Stayin Alive”. The vocal match of Tony Mattina, Todd Sharman, and Joseph Janisse to the Gibb Brothers – Barry, Robin, and Maurice – creates an eerie sense of seeing The Bee Gees LIVE in concert. The performance captures a full history of The Bee Gees music beginning with the 1967 breakout album “Bee Gees First”.

Stayin Alive offers songs and sights of a full Bee Gees playlist – singing blockbuster hits such as “Night Fever”, “Jive Talkin’”, “How Deep Is Your Love”, “You Should Be Dancing”, “Nights On Broadway”, and “Stayin’ Alive”.  In addition – they perform softer poetic ballads – “I Started a Joke”, “Massachusetts”, “Fanny Be Tender”, and “To Love Somebody” – among other great hits.

Close your eyes, and The Bee Gees are THERE in the theater. The band and their show bring back an unforgettable era of great music !  If you’re looking for a concert that will take you back in time this is it ! You might want to break out the white bell-bottoms, low-neck shirt (for the guys) with the 8-inch collars, or perhaps a leisure suit. Then again – maybe just jeans or shorts and a ’70s-looking’ tee-shirt. Oh – and maybe watch “Saturday Night Fever” before you come – just to set the mood.

I fully concur with that description of the concert. I never got to see the real Bee Gees in concert, but this was definitely the next best thing.

One final note: They performed an unknown song to me early in the show that I immediately loved and started singing along to with the 1,400+ in attendance. “I’ve Gotta Get A Message To You” was actually their first Top 10 hit here in the U.S. in 1968, but I had never heard it before. It rocked the Coral Springs Center For The Arts. #HOLDON #HOLDON

Next #TravelThursday I’ll share my fun adventures with my family (and extended family) in Fort Lauderdale – and 3½ hours away up in Central Florida at a popular theme park that’s not near Orlando.

All rights reserved (c) 2022 Christopher M. Day, CountUp

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Blogging Driving Food Music Shopping Travel

My Spring Break Vacation 2022

And I am back from another fun-filled vacation. This was a 6-day / 626-mile adventure right here in South Florida – oh – and also up in Central Florida. More on that part of the trek in a few weeks. This will be the start of a 4-week series here on #TravelThursday, so let’s begin about an hour before sunrise on Thursday March 03RD 2022 (last Thursday).

That’s when I placed my travel bags in the trunk of my car – and I went to work – as in my workplace. WHAT ?

That was my plan. My 6-day vacation would start at my workplace – where I worked for almost 6 hours in the morning. And then I declared the official commencement of SPRING BREAK 2022 !

I proceeded northward to Broward County (the neighboring county north of Miami-Dade County). My first stop was at a popular outdoor shopping center in Pembroke Pines. I ate at a place called “The Pub“. It’s a British pub (or tavern). They’ve won awards for having the best fish and chips in the U.S., so naturally I had to experience it for myself. I had the “wee” size (for Lunch). It was good. It wasn’t the best ever. The best ever was actually over in Britain when I lived there 35+ years ago. I spent a lot of time in British pubs back then, and I enjoyed some great food in those pubs. One thing that The Pub had going for it is that it actually smelled like a British pub. That aroma (both positive and negative) that I remembered from all those years ago was right there.

After I walked around the shopping center for a little while I drove over to my hotel (also in Pembroke Pines). It would be my home for the next 4 nights.

That night I drove almost 20 miles into Fort Lauderdale for the first time since the Summer of 2019. I saw The Beach Boys LIVE in concert at Broward Center For The Performing Arts. Nowadays they are fronted by co-founder Mike Love and Bruce Johnston. Mike’s been a Beach Boy for the past 61 years, and Bruce for the past 57 years. Mike is 81 (next week), and Bruce will be 80 later this year. Mike and Bruce and the touring band look and sound great together. They plowed through no less than 35 of their hits over the years from the ’60s, ’70s, and ’80s. They were on stage for more than 2 hours combined (before and after about a 20-minute intermission).

I was singing and swaying along to the music from start to finish. It was cool to see all age groups represented at the concert. Of course most of their fans are in their 60s, 70s, and 80s, and they were well attended that night, but there were also kids, teens, 20s, 30s, 40s, and 50s there too – enjoying a night of classic surf pop and rock. It was a fun, fun, fun night with so many good vibrations. I can’t wait to do it again. It was actually my 2ND Beach Boys concert. (My first was near Fort Lauderdale at the Hard Rock 6 years ago.)

Now I need to buy some Beach Boys singles on iTunes. I can’t seem to get “Help Me Rhonda” out of my heart (and mind).

Next #TravelThursday I’ll share Days 2 and 3 of my Spring Break Vacation 2022. I’ll tell you all about my morning at one of Broward County’s top tourist attractions that’s not the beach or a shopping mall. I’ll also tell you all about my 2ND concert in as many nights featuring one of the biggest-selling trios of all-time – sort of.

All rights reserved (c) 2022 Christopher M. Day, CountUp

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Blogging Christian Driving God Music Travel

My Concerts – 2021

Every Monday I post my all-new Top 10 Christian hit music chart based on personal preference and influenced by radio airplay from the previous week. It’s the continuation of a weekly hobby that goes back 40+ years.

My chart is offline for this week’s edition. It will return next Monday.

Today it’s a #CountUp special. It’s a look back at my concerts from 2021.

I attended 3 concerts in 2021. That’s a slight uptick from 2020 (Pre-COVID) when I managed just 2 concerts. By comparison I attended 12 concerts / LIVE events in 2019, 5 in 2018, and 5 in 2017.

3 months ago in Tampa Florida I saw MercyMe, Micah Tyler, and Sam Wesley and his band. Sam is Bart Millard’s son, and he also plays guitar for MercyMe on tour.

The next night I drove down to Estero (between Fort Myers and Naples), and I saw Casting Crowns and Matthew West in a show that was postponed twice during COVID in 2020. I had a ticket to the show for 21 months. It was well worth the wait. It was my very first Matthew West concert. My second Matthew West concert may be soon !

The first of the three concerts occurred in February. Here’s what I wrote about it back then:

Last Sunday night (February 14TH 2021) I attended TobyMac’s “Hits Deep Tour 2021” at the BB&T Center here in South Florida (Sunrise). It was my first LIVE concert in over 11 months (since just before COVID shut-down America), and it was my first LIVE concert at the BB&T Center in over 15 months. It was also my 3RD TobyMac concert in mid-February over the past 4 years.

The wearing of face masks was mandatory and strictly enforced by staff. The arena had socially-distanced seating. Individuals and groups were more than 6 feet apart from others both in the standard (elevated) seating as well as the floor seating. Arena seating (usable for the concert) was probably no more than about 20% to 25% full. It was one of the best concert experiences I can ever remember for the simple reason that I had plenty of room to stand-up and dance all around my seat on the floor, and I did just that. Everyone had their own personal dancefloor !

I was seated along the right-edge of the floor in the center of the arena. There were two stages – the main stage up-front – and the center stage to the left of me (by about 20 feet or so).

Unspoken kicked-off the show from the main stage, and then Terrian performed from the center stage. We Are Messengers were up next from the main stage, and then Cochren & Co. took over from the center stage. Tauren Wells performed from the main stage. The first 5 artists split (almost evenly) 1 hour and 20 minutes (about 15 minutes apiece). They were all great. We Are Messengers are my personal favorite of the 5, so naturally I was singing and dancing along through all of their hits. I liked when Chad Mattson (lead singer of Unspoken) guest-performed “Echo” (the Elevation Worship song) with Tauren Wells.

After a 35-minute sermon and fundraising push (Food For The Hungry) TobyMac took center stage for “The Elements”. He performed non-stop hits for the next 1 hour and 35 minutes – performing about half of his set from the main stage – and half from the center stage. The guy has so much energy for his age. (He’s 56.) He’s also from one of my childhood hometowns of Fairfax County Virginia.

Terrian was with Toby for many of his hits. (She’s a back-up vocalist with Toby’s Diverse City band.) Michael Cochren assisted Toby with one of his hits.

What a great night to praise and worship my Lord & Savior Jesus Christ with my instant church family for the night.

This concludes another weekend of blog posts. I’ll do it again this upcoming weekend – with 4 new entries on Thursday, Friday, Sunday, and Monday. I don’t blog on Saturdays. That’s my day of rest.

Your likes, follows, and comments are always appreciated. Thank You for being part of my online ministry to share God’s Good News and win souls for Christ through His music. I’m also on Twitter and Flickr.

Be blessed my friends !  May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

All rights reserved (c) 2022 Christopher M. Day, CountUp Ministries