Hello Monday!

Hey there friends! Welcome to Hello Monday! It’s time to link up with Holly and Sarah to share some of our weekend fun. I’m also excited to finally share some big news!!

Saturday

Steve’s best friend came over in the morning and brought him breakfast. Then he hung out and kept him company while I got busy in the kitchen. Steve and his friend have known each other since primary school, he is such a nice guy and he’s more like family than a friend!

Saturday night was Cousin Connect time! We planned to meet at 6 pm at Chebbo’s (a nearby food truck) and then return to our house for dessert. I’m not much of a dessert maker, but since I didn’t have to worry about making a main meal, I decided to make a raspberry and coconut slice, chocolate brownies, and dessert cups. I also bought some iced doughnuts from Woolworths. Watching all those episodes of MasterChef Australia has really inspired me, normally I would just buy all the desserts ready-made.

Sure enough, I made a big mess in the kitchen. At one point, I had chocolate ganache all over my hands and the kitchen counter. It was quite a sight, haha! Making desserts is harder than making meals because you absolutely need to follow recipes precisely. I’m the type of cook who likes to add a bit of this and that, taste, and then maybe add more. But when it comes to desserts, precision is key, and you can’t cheat!

It had been bucketing down with rain all day, and I was hoping it would stop by the time we were due to go out. But no, it just rained harder. I thought maybe the cousins might want to cancel, but we had all been looking forward to our monthly meet-up. None of us wanted to let a drenching stop us! We met up at Chebbos, all bundled up with jackets and umbrellas, ordered our food and went back to our place to eat. As you can see there was no undercover seating area and everything was saturated.

Big news post - Food truck

big news post - food truck

We squished around the coffee table to eat, as I had set up the dining table ready for dessert. It sure was cozy in our small living room! After dinner, we played a couple of rounds of our favourite board game and then enjoyed some sweet treats. I was happy with how the dessert cups turned out. Yay!

Burgers

dessert table

dessert

There was something extra special about this Cousin Connect—Steve was able to join us! Normally, he misses out because he always works on weekends. That’s a big upside of him having three months off work to recover from a knee replacement, he can join in on some Cousin Connect fun. That night we laughed so hard our stomachs hurt. Steve and Luke are both very funny and they bounce off each other. It was a hilarious night! At one point we had to stop the board game to catch our breaths from so much laughing.

Sunday

Here is my big news!! I have been bursting to share it for months, but I wanted to make sure it was a go-ahead, and I’m happy to say it is! Eight of us from our cousin crew are heading to the USA for an epic Cousin Connect adventure in January 2025. Gosh, I’m getting goosebumps typing this!!

Yep, we are flying to LA to visit Disneyland and Universal Studios! Then we are doing a road trip from LA to Las Vegas for one night, before heading to Zion National Park and the Grand Canyon. On the way home, we are stopping in Hawaii for a week. Eeeeeeek!!!!

I am beyond excited—so excited that I’m willing to take multiple flights even though flying is one of my biggest fears! (gulp). I always said the only time I would be willing to get on a plane was to go to Disneyland!

Sunday night, my cousin came over with her family, and we sat around our computers to make everything official by booking the flights. Now that we are financially committed, we have countdowns set on our phones. We’ll spend the next six months planning! (My cousin just sent me a text that says 218 days!)

This is a dream-come-true holiday, and I am incredibly happy to travel with my family. I cannot wait! Ahhh, I’m so excited!!!

That wraps up one of my favourite weekends ever! Thanks so much for being here today. If you have any Disneyland tips or any other travel tips for the USA, please send them my way!

big news - Disneyland countdown

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hello Monday graphic

 

12 thoughts on “Hello Monday!”

  1. Your desserts look good. I enjoy baking and am also.a messy cook : ) Sounds like a really fun trip! I love having something like that on the calendar to look forward to. Enjoy the planning!

  2. What a fab weekend and a great Cousin Connect! It sounds like you did a great job with the dessert! How wonderful that Steve could join in.
    Oh wow! How exciting to be planning a trip to the USA! It sounds like you are going to have the best time. x

  3. Your cousin vacation in the USA sounds like a lot of fun. I love California and the all the marine life there. I envy your trip to Hawaii – I’ve always wanted to go there. Looking forward to photos next February! #MMBC

  4. Those desserts look so good! What a fun Counsin Connect trip you have planned! I would love to go to Zion & the Grand Canyon!

  5. While your weekend sounds like so much fun that trip news really takes the cake! What a wonderful sounding adventure for sure!!

  6. Your deserts look amazing…but what is even more amazing is your trip to the USA. How exciting, and to go with your family too. Planning is going to be half the fun!

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