Ooh..this is a bit posh for us! Day 7 - OKW, HOB Gospel Brunch, shopping, HS Osborne lights

[purple myra]

Day 7

Long lie, HOB Gospel Brunch, shopping, HS

We had our much anticipated long lie this morning, even after waking I stayed in bed with a cuppa, some shortbread and the laptop…no rush to get going. Eventually I did get up and ironed some clothes for later while Jake went to Goods to Go for some Danish pastries for breakfast.

Just after 12 we made our way to the boat dock for a pleasant journey to DTD. We headed straight for HOB box office to pick up our tickets for the Gospel Brunch. I had specifically booked a bench table for two with low seating, the only ones available when I booked were upstairs but that was OK, it was still preferable to perching on a high stool. I was slightly worried that as soon as my booking was brought up by the CM she had to scurry off to speak to someone else. She came back to tell us that upstairs was closed today and we had been given a table for two at the side, I explained that I wasn’t happy about the high stools blah blah blah but she assured me they were really comfortable and had backs on them. Hmmmmm! I didn’t have much choice it was either accept the new seats or miss the event so I sulked a bit (a lot) let them know I wasn’t happy and then wandered around an almost deserted DTD for half an hour or so. When we arrived back at HOB there were already a few people in line. A few minutes later 3 ladies came to the door and performed a few songs for us, Amazing Grace and another really rousing song; Joy today is mine? I’m not sure if that is the correct title but it had us all clapping and telling Satan to “get thee behind…for joy today is mine”. I was loving it already and I hadn’t even entered the building!







The stunning toilets!





The new seats weren’t too bad, we had a good view and the stools did have backs on them…just a pity they were solid wood. My definition of comfortable seating obviously differs from the lady at the box office. The buffet was opened immediately and we had 45 minutes to eat before the show started. The spread was fantastic; breakfast items, fruit, a carving station for brisket and ham, roasted half chickens, shrimp, salad, pasta dishes, rice dishes, mac and cheese, so many different entrée items and then a table groaning under the weight of the desserts. At the bar there were glasses of coke and apple and orange juice already poured… It was a genuine feast. We ate far too much but it was all so delicious.





Oops, a bit late with this one, a half eaten chicken half!



Desserts



The show was excellent, I’d read that it was more “inspirational” than religious but I found it full on religious. As a non-church goer and an occasional non-believer I came out of there feeling really warm and fuzzy.






My hands were nipping by the end of it, I really got involved clapping and dancing along It would have been 7 years to the day since my Mum died and I’m usually a right miserable sod around this time of year as my Dad’s birthday and the anniversary of his passing are all so close together but the entire experience was so uplifting. I spent the rest of the day loving the baby Jesus and telling old Satan to “get thee behind” I did have a couple of slightly embarrassing moments; our table had a huge white tablecloth on it and every time I came down off my perch to get a drink, visit the loo etc. I accidentally caught the tablecloth and dragged it with me. Luckily Jake was always quick enough to grab hold of it and avert disaster… he was not so vigilant as we were leaving! He was first off his stool and as I “de-perched” to follow him I dragged the tablecloth and everything on it off the table and on to the floor…spilling my unfinished drink down the backs of my legs in the process. With bright red cheeks and a very full belly I hurried outside, mortified!

The Gospel Brunch was the only thing on the itinerary for during the day so we decided to take a wee trip to Premium Outlets at Vineland Avenue, we hopped in a taxi and we were there pretty quickly despite the carnage around DTD. We made another unsuccessful trip Timberland but had more luck in Under Armour where Jake stocked up on more shorts and T-shirts, Famous Footwear Outlet where Jake got a couple of pairs of walking shoes/trainers and I got a pair of Croc flip flops and a pair of trainers! I also managed to get a pair of UGGs from the UGG outlet next door. My swollen legs and ankles meant I couldn’t try them on but I got the same size as the ones I already had at home (that worked a treat! Even after two weeks at home I still couldn’t get my feet into them so they were sold on Ebay ). Jake also managed to pick up another couple of T-shirts from Journeys before we headed to the taxi rank feeling tired, footsore and very, very skint. The taxi ride was pretty quick again considering the road works and only cost $18 plus tip.

We flopped in a chair and had a relaxing half hour or so with a cuppa and some TV/FB/Dibb time before setting off to the bus stop for an hour or so in HS. By the time we arrived we had already missed 2 of our 3 FP+ but to be honest the only reason we went to the park was to see the Osborne Family Christmas Lights. We made our way towards RRC for our FP but on the way I had to stop at a cart selling all the light up and glow with the show items, although I was only going to be there for a short time I really NEEDED the glow with the show Minnie Ears! Resplendent in my new headwear we noticed TOT was showing a tiny 20 minutes standby line… It would have been rude not to! I love TOT even more in the dark, the view of the park all lit up is spectacular.




The wait time didn’t feel anything like 20 minutes and soon enough we were off and heading for RRC. With all the rides we wanted now completed we wandered towards the Streets of America.













The lights were as magical as ever and standing watching the dancing lights and feeling the snow falling on my face made my warm fuzzy feeling from earlier even more fuzzy. I took too many photos and even resorted to a few selfies to get the full effect of me, my glow with the show ears and the dancing lights. As we left the lights behind we saw Goofy doing a photo op and we were lucky enough to see him up close as he “went for a short break”.






With the park almost ready to close we hopped on the bus home to OKW. The usual night time ritual followed; cuppa and a biscuit and bed… still stuffed from our lunch at HOB. I went to sleep still humming and clapping along in my head. I was a nice day. A really nice day.

[sameeel]

Wow HOB gospel brunch looks amazing... I bet it was a fantastic experience?

[Guest]

Did the HOB Gospel Brunch back in November and its everything you say... WAY TOO MUCH food.

[Milner]

Great day and photos.

[gerryc]

Great pics of the lights, looks like another fab day had by you and jake.

[WileyCoyote]

Wow that brunch looks amazing, and what a lovely way to round off the day with the fantastic lights at DHS , your pics are fab. Shame about the Uggs not fitting , hope your feet are fully recovered by now !

[Jools]

I've always fancied doing the Gospel brunch but not got round to it yet. Your mishap with the tablecloth made me hoot with laughter. See they should have seated you on a low table and chair!

[Fuellady]

What a lovely, happy day The brunch sounds great... and the Osborne lights look amazing.

[KittyBlackDog]

Wow that brunch at HOB looks fabulous. Yum yum and poor you with the tablecloth...that's normally me...especially if there are too many empty wine glasses on the table!

The Osborn lights look fab too as well as your glowing ears!

I'm off to read day 8 now too

[BriarRose]

What a great day, HOB looked amazing.