Travel

Let’s take a trip to the Grand Canyon, shall we? Thanks so much for joining me as I share our visit to the Grand Canyon, the incredible Desert View Watchtower, and the magical night we spent stargazing under the clearest sky ever. It was yet another one of those goosebump moments I’ll never forget! Here we are back in the van again. I felt very attached to our van, which took us on all these wonderful adventures. It was like our little home on wheels—always ready for the next part of our road trip, packed with snacks, music, and fun. Such beautiful scenery and the endless road that stretched forever. We took a quick bathroom break at a spot that had snacks, drinks, Navajo souvenirs, and a small museum. Minimal snow but maximum fun! The younger cousins made the most of every pitstop, launching into snowball fights with whatever tiny patches they could scrape together. I think there would be more snow in a snow globe than at this spot! Haha. What better way to thaw out afterwards than with some hot chocolate and whipped cream? Soon after, we arrived at the highlight of the day… The Grand Canyon and Desert View Watchtower The Grand Canyon The next photo on my camera roll has us at the South Rim of the Canyon. I remember walking up to the lookout and just being hit by how massive the Grand Canyon actually is. I mean, I knew it would be big, but I didn’t expect it to be that big and that deep. Now I feel a bit awful admitting this (and yes, I even Googled to see if anyone else felt the same), but I remember feeling a little underwhelmed at first. And I felt so guilty even thinking that! But it’s just… It’s so vast that when you’re standing at the lookouts, you kind of lose the finer details. For once, it wasn’t that my phone camera didn’t do the views justice—this time, it was my eyes! The Grand Canyon is spectacular—there’s no doubt about that. But because of its sheer size, you don’t get that instant scenic hit like you do at a place like Bryce Canyon. So I think what I felt wasn’t so much a wow moment. Instead, it was more of a quiet, intense sense of awe. Like… how is it even possible for something this massive and beautiful to be carved completely by nature? I felt very, very small. The Desert View Watchtower Next up, we made our way to the Desert View Watchtower. It was built in 1932 and designed to resemble an ancient Pueblo watchtower. The climb up was definitely worth it (all those stairs!) Because the views of the Canyon from the top are amazing, and again, you can see just how massive the Canyon is from another angle. Seriously, the Grand Canyon seems to go on forever, no matter where you are. Here are some photos I took from inside the Desert View Watch Tower. The Desert View Watchtower is more than just another lookout point. The inside is spectacular, filled with beautiful murals painted by Hopi artists. It was such an awesome place to visit, and I really felt honoured to be in a place with so much history and meaning. The Grand Canyon Visitor Center After the Desert View Watchtower, we spent some time at the Visitor Centre on the South Rim of Grand Canyon National Park. It was another fantastic stop, packed with so much interesting information. We got lucky and caught the hourly showing of We Are Grand Canyon. The film gives a glimpse into the culture and stories of the 11 tribal communities who’ve called this place home for thousands of years, and I was really moved by it. I found the film on YouTube and linked it here in case you want to watch it—it was a real highlight of our visit. It helped me wrap up what I was feeling about the Grand Canyon. It’s not just about the views—how could my eyes possibly take in all the details of such a huge, immense, and spectacular wonder? The film showed me the canyon through the eyes of the people and generations who have lived and experienced it. It’s more than just the views—it’s an incredible sense of wonder that’s hard to put into words. After the most amazing day visiting the Grand Canyon and the Desert View Watchtower, we headed back to the hotel. Even though we’d had such a full day of sightseeing, we still weren’t ready to call it quits. So, some of us went for a stroll around Grand Canyon Village and ended up stopping inside a beautiful hotel (I can’t remember the name). But I do remember that it was decorated with mounted animal heads. Now that was something I had only ever seen in movies! Inside the hotel found a bar and enjoyed the smoothest glass of red wine I have ever tasted while we chatted about our day and all the incredible things we had seen. It was such a cosy moment that’s embedded in my memory forever. We went back to our hotel, where we were staying, grabbed the rest of our gang, and went to dinner at a pizza-pasta place. Star Gazing Then it was time to go and see some stars. We drove to one of the nearby carparks—don’t ask me which one, I just remember how freezing it was even though I was wearing all the layers! But it was so worth it to see the most spectacular pitch-black sky lit up with millions of stars. My cousins S and M really impressed me with all their knowledge of constellations and star names, while all I could think was, “Oooooh, so pretty!” These next four photos were taken by my cousin J. She’s an amazing photographer, and I have no idea how she captured all these incredible shots. I got the latest iPhone 16,

Hi friends! Time for another trip recap. I’m taking my time writing these recaps from our January trip, and at the rate I’m going, it might take me most of the year! But that’s okay—there’s no rush. Today, it’s all about our visit to Bryce Canyon National Park. Thanks so much for stopping by! Dixie National Forest After hiking The Narrows the previous day, we were on a high and excited to hit the road the next morning to visit Bryce Canyon National Park. Our first stop was Dixie National Forest, about an hour and a half’s drive from our base in Springdale. On the drive there, we saw a bald eagle—and we just about lost our minds! These guys aren’t easy to spot, so we felt incredibly lucky. Somehow, I even managed to snap a couple of very blurry photos from the moving van. We arrived at Dixie National Forest at 10 a.m., and Sam’s childhood dream of seeing snow finally came true. Yay! Haha, he would always make us laugh, saying that he had a great childhood, but the only letdown was that we had failed to take him to see snow. Finally, Steve and I are off the hook—we took him to see snow at age 20! We only missed his childhood by a few years 😉 There wasn’t much snow at this stop, but enough to make a couple of tiny snowballs that turned into dust when we tried to throw them at each other. Bryce Canyon National Park We jumped back in the van and drove another twenty minutes to the Bryce Canyon Visitor Center. All the visitor centres we stopped at were fantastic. They had clean restrooms and water refill stations where we could top up our bottles. The staff were super friendly and helpful, too. We didn’t have a ton of time, but we still managed to skim through the exhibits and pick up a few interesting facts about the area’s history, geology, and wildlife. Bristlecone Loop Trail Next stop: Bristlecone Loop Trail, where the views were, once again, absolutely breathtaking. I took so many photos and videos, hoping to capture the stunning scenery. But as I look back at them now… they just don’t do it justice. Aargh, I really wish everyone could experience these incredible destinations for themselves so you’d understand exactly what I’m talking about! In all my videos, you can hear me gasping and saying just one word, “Wow!” Haha, the beauty was so intense I couldn’t even form a sentence. Being left totally speechless really became a recurring theme for me throughout the trip. Bryce Canyon is amazing because all the trails and viewpoints are so close to each other, so we got to explore different spots and soak in all the beauty from different angles. After we hiked the Bristlecone Loop, we drove to the “Hike the Hoodoos” trail near the Bristlecone Benchmark. Each stop was incredible, and we couldn’t get enough of the views! Between all the “wows,” I kept saying, “I can’t believe I’m really here!”. What a master of language! Hike The Hoodoos and Black Birch Canyon Then back to the van, but first a snowball fight! I know, I know—there wasn’t much snow, but for us, it was more than enough for an epic snowball fight! Bryce Point, Rim Trail, Navajo Loop & Wall Street From there, we went Bryce Point, where we got one of the best panoramic views of the amphitheatre. The layers of red and orange hoodoos were unreal! We drove along the Rim Trail for a bit before heading down to the Navajo Loop Trail, which took us through Wall Street, the famous narrow section with towering rock walls and tight switchbacks. It was so cool being down in the canyon, looking up at those amazing formations! Sunset Point and Drive Back Then back in the van for the ride home. We spotted bison! We got back to Springdale at around 5 pm and stopped at a cute gift shop called Bumbleberry. Then we wrapped up the day with dinner at Oscar’s Cafe. I’m not usually a beer drinker, but on this trip, I decided to try a beer with every meal. A beer with my first-ever Philly cheesesteak sandwich–Y’all! Haha! We had an amazing visit to Bryce Canyon National Park, and it’s definitely a place I’ll never forget—how could I not? Every stop was unforgettable, and I’m so glad we got to experience it all with my very fun family. If you ever find yourself in Utah, make sure to add Bryce Canyon National Park to your must-see list. It’ll wow your socks off!

Hey friends, I hope you are having a wonderful day! Today, I’m sharing Part 5 of our incredible USA trip. So far, I’ve covered our arrival in Part One. A day of unexpected mall exploring in Part Two. Because our original plans had to change due to the LA fires. Then, in Part Three, I shared our magical two days at Disneyland. Part four was all about Universal Studios, where we had an unforgettable time experiencing the rides, shows, and behind-the-scenes Hollywood fun. Road Trip In today’s post, I’m sharing the next leg of our adventure, where we road-tripped through Nevada and Utah. I’ve spent the last couple of days retracing our steps to write this recap. We just packed so much into our days and saw so many incredible sights! It’s been hard for me to remember exactly when we did what. Luckily, I took heaps of photos of everything and anything. So it’s really helped me to piece everything together. I’m still kicking myself for not writing any notes along the way—big travel fail! Steve, Sam, and I got to enjoy the trip without stressing over the logistics—my cousin and her husband took care of all the flights and hotels while we focused on planning the fun stuff! It honestly felt like we were kids on holiday with our ‘mum and dad.’ Since they already have two kids, I’m sure to them it may have felt like they were travelling with five kids! I can’t thank them enough for all the planning and effort they put into making this trip such an incredible experience for us. And Cousin S definitely deserves a medal for all the driving he did! There are just no words to describe how amazing this adventure was. So, today, I’ll be covering the first couple of days of our road trip. We made our way from California, driving along the iconic Route 66, and then through Las Vegas on our way to Zion National Park. Along the way, we explored the stunning landscapes of Death Valley and Valley of Fire State Park. I can’t wait to share all the details (plus another hundred or so photos) of these unforgettable stops and the incredible sights we saw! I hope you like travel posts! Route 66 For part of our drive, we followed Historic Route 66, passing through spots like Victorville and Barstow, where old gas stations still hold onto that classic Americana charm. The petrol stations were incredible—they’re nothing like the ones we have here in Australia. Some were decked out with old artifacts, vintage signs, and even classic cars on display. And they sell alcohol!! Haha, that totally blew my mind. In fact, my mind was blown earlier in LA when I saw alcohol sold at Target. In Australia, alcohol is only sold in licensed stores, so seeing it in places like Target was such a huge surprise! I loved how we stopped at so many interesting places, and this country store was incredible! They sold everything—from clothes and snacks to jerky, stones, and even more alcohol. I’m not a huge drinker, but I must sound like one with how often I mention it! I just couldn’t get over how different it was here. The next stop was McDonald’s, where my cousin J introduced us to the most delicious breakfast ever—sausage biscuit. I had mine with hot chocolate, and honestly, it will go down in my mind as the best breakfast ever! I’ll be doing a separate post about all the food we ate and how I struggled with eating so much fast food. But this sausage biscuit was something else—soft, buttery, and so satisfying. I had no idea what to expect since we don’t have biscuits like this in Australia. In fact, we refer to biscuits as cookies! But in the US, “biscuits” are more like our savoury scones (only better). The Chevron with all the cool artifacts on display. On the road again! Look at the landscape! It’s nothing like what we have back home. We passed so many of those massive trucks, and even though I completely trusted Cousin S at the wheel, I still found myself closing my eyes. Big trucks on the road are definitely not my favourite! Death Valley National Park Three hours after leaving California, we made it to Death Valley National Park. In the following pic, we got caught just as we were about to do our jump! Before we left on our trip, one thing we all agreed on was that we would film ourselves jumping at all the major signs. I’ve put all our jump shots together in a reel, which you can check out here if you’d like! It was hilarious, and we definitely had to do a few takes because, well, we weren’t always the most coordinated! Oh my gosh! Death Valley is just something else! It honestly felt like I could have been on the moon, or even better—Tatooine! Yep, if you’re a Star Wars fan, you’ll know exactly what I mean. Death Valley was actually used as the filming location for many of the desert scenes in Star Wars: A New Hope.. So yeah, I guess this was me during the whole trip! I love this photo of my family. This path is where R2D2 walked! Pinch me now!! Here we are, heading back to the van, but I could have stayed forever! Next stop–The Visitor’s Centre Then, it was back in the van again, where I took this incredible photo. Las Vegas at Night It was starting to get dark just as we got to Las Vegas. We stopped at Olive Garden for dinner. Then jumped back in the van for a nighttime drive through Las Vegas. It was incredible! Along with being eye-opening! Some of the nighttime activities we saw were a bit sketchy, to say the least. This time around, we just drove through, but on our way back after visiting the national parks, we spent a

It’s time to share part 3 of our Cousin Connect adventure! We switched up our original plans and ended up going to Disneyland on Thursday and Friday instead of Friday and Saturday. Universal Studios was still closed due to high winds and the threat of fires. My brilliant and fast-thinking cousins figured that if we moved our Disneyland plans up a day and left Saturday free, we might just have a chance of going to Universal Studios if it reopened. We were hoping really hard that we wouldn’t miss out! Spoiler alert—Universal reopened on Friday, so we made it there on Saturday (phew!) Disneyland Day One Oh, my goodness, words cannot describe how excited I was—how excited we all were! We were running purely on adrenaline after staying up late the night before, making a last-minute plan. So, what does one do when they’re living a wish come true? They take random pictures! Here’s my first pic of the day, taken the minute I got out of the Uber. And, of course, a Disneyland garbage bin because it says DISNEYLAND!!! I promise the photos do get better, and just to prove it, I’ve posted about a million. Sorry, not sorry. 😜 Every time I read these words, I choke up! Isn’t it just the most beautiful message? I couldn’t hold back the tears the minute I walked under the sign. And to make the moment even more perfect, Minnie was waiting to greet me! Ok, I’ll be honest—I was so excited that I didn’t notice the small queue of waiting kids. All I saw was Minnie, and I ran straight to hug her. Sorry, kids!! My cousins haven’t let me live this down yet! Hahaha—oops!! They’ve even come up with a new saying: “Ruthie Minnied Minnie!” And now, if someone pushes past, we say they’ve “Minnied past.” First stop: Galaxy’s Edge—no questions asked!! Watching the pre-show for the ride Rise of the Resistance! This is a very unflattering photo, but I think it does capture the “I can’t believe this is happening” moment. The ride was an unbelievable experience, and we all felt like we were right there in a Star Wars movie, fighting for the resistance. Words can’t even begin to describe! Hello friend! We were on such a high after visiting Galaxy’s Edge—being a family of Star Wars fans, it was an absolute dream come true! I’m still pinching myself! Next ride-Pirates of the Caribbean! Waiting for the Cars ride at Disney California Adventure Park I can’t quite remember the exact order of the rides we went on, but I’m pretty sure our next one was Guardians of the Galaxy – Mission: Breakout! It’s no secret that I’m a scaredy-cat, BUT I had promised myself I was going to conquer all of my fears on this trip. I’m not sure if I’ve conquered them all (the list is pretty long), but I definitely crossed off a huge chunk! And I didn’t chicken out of any rides or activities I’ve been too scared of in the past—go me! I knew that the Guardians of the Galaxy – Mission: Breakout! ride was a fast, free-falling (gulp) ride. So I was prepared—scared but prepared. That’s the best way to be, no? What I didn’t know was that they were going to play the awesome 80s music from the movie during the ride. Heck, if you’re going to play my kind of music, throw me down a building anytime! I’m totally cool with that! And when “Hit Me with Your Best Shot” by Pat Benatar started blasting, I almost died—and no, not from fear! I’m in the back row next to Steve, who I think must have been praying at the time, hehe! He did love it enough to ride it again with all of us the next day, though. The Incredicoaster was a different story—I did not love it. But I’m glad I went on it, and once was definitely enough for me. The ride was fast, and the car tipped from side to side as we went up, down, around, and upside down. I remember thinking, “Yep, this is when the car flies off the track and we end up on the news.” Haha—also, I was wearing contacts so I could see distance crystal clear and not have to deal with my glasses. But when I got off the ride, I had clamped my eyes shut so tightly that the contact in my right eye got completely squished—like an accordion—and fell out! My face says it all! Cars Land is just so sweet! We shot anything and everything on Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters. It was a fun tame ride after the Incredicoaster! We wore funny glasses to see the 3D effects on Webslingers. The Cars Ride was so much fun and a lot faster than I expected! But it wasn’t scary at all. Sam, who grew up watching the Lightning McQueen movie about ten times a day, absolutely loved it. When he was two, he would go everywhere with his little Lightning McQueen car in hand. I even kept a spare one just in case he ever lost it. Some of the Cousin Crew All of the Cousin Crew. This was so cool! It looks like I’m about to fall into an abyss, but it’s actually a brilliant illusion! The floor is completely flat, but if you stand in just the right spot, the tiles create a mind-bending effect that makes it seem like there’s a giant hole beneath you! You can find this optical illusion in Tomorrowland, near Star Wars Launch Bay—definitely worth a stop for a fun photo! It got dark pretty quickly as it was winter. All the pretty lights came on everywhere and here is one of my favourite rides, It’s a Small World. I know some people think this ride is boring, but I love it! The song is so sweet, even if it got stuck in my head on a loop. It was

Hey friends, welcome to a bonus Monday night post where I’ll continue the trip recap. So, here’s what we had planned for Tuesday, January 8th: we were meeting in the hotel lobby at 6:30 am to make sure we’d get an early start for Universal Studios. We were so excited! Honestly, the anticipation was through the roof. When we stepped outside, the wind hit us hard. A super friendly hotel staff member with the coolest U.S accent asked, “Where are you folks headed?” All seven of us said “Universal Studios!” at the same time. Then, my ears and brain didn’t quite sync up, and it took me a minute to process what she said next, “Sorry folks, it’s closed today because of the winds.” I honestly think my first thought was, “Wait, what? Could you please ask them to open it because we’ve come all the way from Australia, and we’ve been planning this for two years!” She told us that overnight the strong winds had blown debris everywhere. Universal needed to check that everything was operational. She also mentioned something about a fire. My cousins, who organized the trip, are amazing at pivoting and coming up with a Plan B. So after the initial disappointment and shock—wait, a fire? What fire? Oh, maybe the one we spotted from the plane the day before?—We all agreed to grab some breakfast and then call my aunt, who lives in LA, to hang out with them instead. Originally, we were going to visit Universal Studios on Tuesday and spend Wednesday with our LA family. Switching up the days made sense—after all, once the debris was cleared, Universal Studios would be open. Or so we thought. They say ignorance is bliss, and that day, it sure was. It was still early, so before heading to my aunt’s house, we stopped at Walmart. I know this sounds crazy, but I think my excitement about stepping inside a Walmart was equal to my excitement for the theme parks. I kid you not! When we got out of our van, we noticed the smokey sky and thought Hmmm, that looks kind of bad. Do you know what really stands out about the U.S? The amount of space they have. Space to build huge, stand-alone Walmarts with massive, wide-open car parks. We don’t have that over here because land is expensive, and every bit of space gets used efficiently. You’d never see a Walmart-sized store sitting all on its own with a giant parking lot in Australia! Well, definitely not in Sydney. Cool Walmart entrance Then I spotted some of the food items I’d read about on blogs and just about lost my mind. Look, Crescent rolls!!! I couldn’t cook or taste them, but I could hold the package!! Minute Maid!!! And eggo’s just like on Stranger Things! Huge packet of strawberries. We only see these at Costco. Everything is so mini over here 😂 So many varieties of sauces! And look at the huge bottle of Sweet Baby Ray’s! I wished we could take one home—Sam goes through the small bottles (the only ones available) so quickly. Haha! The price signs are in English and Spanish, and so were the store announcements. My cousins were laughing as I tried to translate fast before the announcement came on in English. I should probably explain that Spanish speakers are few and far between over here. Australia has a large Chinese-speaking population, along with communities from Italy, Greece, India, Vietnam, Lebanon, and many other cultures, especially in the suburbs where we live. After Walmart, we hopped back in the van to go to my aunt’s. We could see some blue skies, and we were pretty certain that those fires that were mentioned were probably all under control. But then, as we kept driving towards Tujunga, a strange alarm started beeping super loud in the van. At first, we thought the noise was coming from the car, maybe the door wasn’t closed properly. What was that piercing noise? After a minute or so, I realised it was my phone with an alert. We were confused and totally unaware of the severity of the situation, so we kept driving towards my aunt’s house. When we got there, we met up with some cousins we had caught up with the night before. They had been evacuated to my aunt’s house because their homes were closer to the fire. Oh gosh, I thought, this must be serious. Nah, everyone’s probably just being cautious. We grabbed my aunt and cousin to go and explore Glendale Mall. All the photos I took are of shops we don’t have back home. My cousin M loves and plays baseball, so he bought some cool cleats from Dick’s. They sell alcohol at Target!! No way!! Okay, before you think we don’t have escalators in Australia, and that’s why I took this photo—don’t worry, we do have them! What we don’t have, and what I’d never seen before, is a trolley escalator. You just place your shopping trolley in between the escalators, and it goes up. Woah!!! I saw someone doing it, but my jaw dropped, and I fumbled with my phone, missing the shot. I did manage to get a video later, though. Haha! As we walked around, I was chatting with my aunt, and she said she had never seen the mall so empty. She said it was like a ghost mall. Afterwards, we walked over to the Americana Mall, and it was so pretty! Some of the Christmas decorations were still up. What?? A cupcake ATM!!! Most of the shops were closed. I don’t know what this shop was but it’s the name of that movie I’ve never seen. Then it was time to grab something to eat at Buffalo Wild Wings. Something I’ve always wanted to do is go to a sports bar, eat wings, watch sports, and drink beer. Now, here’s the thing: I don’t actually love sports, and I don’t drink beer.

Hey friends, It’s time for Friday Favourites! I’m starting with a trip recap (the first of many) because our family trip definitely tops my list of all-time favourite moments! You know that feeling when a big day finally arrives, and you can’t believe it’s happening? That’s how I felt on the 7th of January, the day we were flying out. I’d been thinking about it, counting down the days, and looking forward to it for what felt like forever! Time to Go! Our flight didn’t leave until 4:30 pm, but we got to the airport around midday. We checked in early and headed to the lounge. My cousins fly a lot for work and holidays, so they have lounge access. We got to join them as guests. What a way to kick things off! We raided the incredible buffet, which had everything from pasta, soup, nachos, sandwiches, sweets, coffee, and so many other delicious things I can’t even remember. They also had a bar stocked with everything! But I only had a couple of glasses of sparkling wine because, you know….I needed a little liquid courage to get on the plane, hehe. Before we knew it, it was time to board, and we took our first of many family pics. Here I’m smiling like this frightened emoji 😬 The Flight The dreaded flight was thankfully okay. I mean, I didn’t love it, but it was bearable—I survived and even felt a bit braver for it! But it was a long 13-hour journey, and the plane was packed. My cousin’s family were all seated together behind me, but somehow, Steve, Sam, and I got separated. We managed to get two seats together on one side of the plane, while the third seat was one in from the aisle on the opposite side. Both Sam and Steve offered to take the separate seat, but I insisted they stay together since they’re both over 6 feet tall and needed the extra room. They were a bit surprised I volunteered, knowing how nervous I was. But honestly, I’m glad I stuck to my decision. I was squashed the whole way, and I’m kind of small—Steve or Sam would have found it unbearable! The girl sitting on the aisle next to me wasn’t the friendliest, but I won’t judge—she might’ve been terrified too. Her way of coping seemed to be covering herself, including her head, with a blanket for the entire flight. After a few hours, my bladder couldn’t take it anymore, so I finally had to ask if I could squeeze past. I needed to get my numb legs to the toilet—fast! She grudgingly obliged… ho-hum. We landed in San Francisco and then raced to catch our connecting flight to L.A. Los Angeles After such a long flight to San Francisco, the flight to L.A. felt like a breeze. We were up, and then we landed, and I felt so relieved. But once we hit the tarmac, all the fire alarms inside the plane went off for about five seconds, and I thought, Whoa, that’s weird. Then I looked out the window (the only time I looked out during the entire two flights) and said to my husband, “Hey, look over there at all that smoke! In the distance, it looks like a fire.” I joked, “Nah, it’s probably just the pollution in the city.” Little did we know! We grabbed our bags and headed to pick up the van my cousin S would drive us around in for the next two weeks. I remember Sam saying, “I want to hear people talking American; I can’t wait!” He was so excited too! On the way to the car rental place, I called my aunt to let her know we had arrived, and she was excited. She also reminded us to be careful while driving because the winds were so strong. I thought it was sweet, just like my mum used to be—always looking out for our safety. We got in the van, and as we drove around, I was in total awe. Here I was, in L.A. pinch me!! I started snapping photos of random things I had only seen on TV, like a school bus. (We don’t have those in Australia!) I’m not sure why I took a pic of this street sign with a number on it. Maybe because we don’t number our streets like that back home. It’s more likely that I just was so excited that I wanted to capture every second. So I snapped away at the most random things! And then I spotted a Lowes! A Lowes, people!! My family must have thought I was nuts. We stopped for a snack at Wendy’s, and I had to video it because… WENDY’S! I was finally going to eat at Wendy’s!!! Cousin Connect in Los Angeles! After checking into the hotel, we quickly freshened up and drove straight to my cousin’s house. On the way, we definitely felt those winds my aunt had warned us about! The van was swaying along the road, but we were on such a high, completely clueless about what was really going on. As we drove, we noticed power lines coming down and entire suburbs losing power. Still, we weren’t worried—just casually pointing out, Hey, look, another blackout! Duh!! We finally made it to my cousin’s house, where my aunt and a whole bunch of other cousins were waiting. I had met most of them on previous trips when I was much younger, and my aunt and her son had even visited us in Australia when I was pregnant with my second son. But my cousin J and her family—who we traveled with—had never met them before. So, having this family reunion after all these years was definitely a highlight! When my cousin T opened the door, we screamed, hugged, laughed, and I almost cried—it was just pure joy! If I could freeze a moment in time, this would be it. We ate pizza