Heya! thegirl is back for hopefully some more consistent blog posts!!

Yes, it is currently 10:51pm. Yes, I have just deep cleaned my entire bedroom and bathroom after procrastinating it for like a week. No, I am not supposed to be awake because I have work tomorrow.

Like I stated last time, this will pretty much be an overview of my trip to New South Wales during April/May and all the fun I had and stuff I did over there.

Alright so this trip had been in the works for monthsss. The main reason that it was initiated was because it was my cousin, Rosie’s, 18th birthday and because I wasn’t at school anymore I could actually be there for her birthday instead of just during the Easter holidays, like I’d done in 2023 for her 16th.

However, as I thought about the trip more, I decided to spend a decent chunk of time over there, do some tourist-y things and visit some other friends. (Originally intending to see a guy from tinder who lives in NSW, but alas this fell through)

The schedule ended up being – drive to Perth from Bunbury on Friday the 11th of April, and then catch the red-eye flight direct through Sydney to Port Macquarie where one of my best friends from my final years of high school now lives and studies. Anna and I graduated together in Geraldton, we had most of our subjects together and she was definitely one of my closest friends I’ve had through high school. After graduation, Anna moved to Port Mac, where her family is, to study at uni and play rugby league which WA does not have.

Yeah, so I caught the overnight flight to Sydney, had breakfast in Sydney airport, bought Sunrise on the Reaping (heart; shattered… plot; thickened… Suzanne Collins; a legend) and then walked back and forth like 4 times between the gates because I kept confusing the numbers on my ticket. Got my flight don’t worry.

Flew from Sydney to Port Mac where Anna greeted me with pouring rains and flooded roads. I should have packed a more water proof jacket.

So Anna and her family live just outside the town on an island? We literally had to catch a car ferry to get across to their house which was so crazy to me. The first time I didn’t even realise we were moving until the other side got too close to ignore.

Touch down at home base and then straight to Anna’s rugby game. I did not shower or sleep, however despite the rain I managed to get sunburnt on my first fricking day on the east coast. Sorry mum.

Anna has two younger sisters and their grandma was visiting as well so it was quite a full house, especially with two yappy dogs and a cat. But it was great.

Anna and I watched My Fault London, Anyone but You, and then she finally got me to watch Bridgerton, which Kylie had been bugging me to watch for literal years. I never really thought it would be my sort of thing.

I was wrong, it is very much my thing, don’t come after me.

The Sunday was Anna and I just driving around pretty much. We had pancakes for breakfast, then she showed me all of the beaches that the mainland has. You know those beaches that are beach and then go straight into like jungle/rainforest/cliff side? The whole of Port Macquarie was like that. Like every beach had an uphill hiking path. Lowkey felt like I was in the 75th Hunger games, hearing the beach in the middle of a jungle messed with my head. Or maybe thats SoTR messing with me….

Monday, we visited the Port Macquarie koala hospital and then went swimming at one of the many beaches.

Tuesday it was raining again. We managed to get froyo, check out Anna’s uni dorm room, and then go back home to binge Bridgerton.

On Wednesday the whole fam including grandma took a trip to Ellenborough Falls. Made the 600 and something step trek down to the base of the falls, and then all the way back up. Worth the photos.

Thursday, my last day in Port Mac, Anna’s neighbour took us 4wd-ing to the other side of the island where we went swimming again in the mouth where the ocean meets river. We finished s2 of Bridgerton that night before I left.

I know staying in touch with long distance friends can be really difficult and I’m so glad it lined up that Anna had some time off uni and her family were happy for me to stay with them. I definitely rate Port Macquarie as a holiday destination btw.

On Friday I caught the train for 5 hours (?) from north NSW into the central coast where my mum’s younger sister Lee and her family lives. So its my aunty Lee, Uncle, cousin Rosie who’s 7 months younger than me, but the same grade at school, and my younger cousins Autumn and Henry, 14 and 12. Rosie and Aunty Lee picked me up from the train station – thank goodness I did not want to have to catch a bus to their house with my suitcase.

Because this was good Friday we pretty much dropped my suitcase at their house and then went straight to dinner at a wharf side restaurant to have seafood. Well I had seafood as I don’t eat meat on good Friday because of my religion, but it was a beautifulll view anyway, watching the sunset over the water for dinner.

Next day I took my cousins to the Royal Sydney show, which is hugeee and we went the last time I was in NSW with them so really wanted to do it again. It was a huge money suck because you not only have to pay for entry tickets, but then every ride as well. Scamming stupid people like me. Especially with ✨showbags✨I am sorry not sorry Steve lol

Of course I had to buy everyone in the family a showbag. Including the dog. Which in my defence, was great value because I think it will take him the rest of the year to get through all the treats in there. We went on all the classic rides, rollercoaster, the air swing one, haunted house (which I shut my eyes for the whole ride). Had plenty of great food, the sugar crystalised strawberries and grapes on a stick, fresh lemonade, waffle on a stick, twisted potato on a stick. (Ok but I am just wondering now, why is everything on a stick??) Rosie had like 4 $3 cheese toasties for dinner, which my lactose intolerance could not handle.

We were at the show for like 8 hours I think, plus a 2 hour train ride each way so by the time we were on the last train home Henry and Rosie were both dozing off.

Sunday was easter, and Rosie had work so my uncle’s mum, who we all call Grandma, took Autumn and I to church which I LOVED. Very similar to the Christian church I was going to in Gero before I moved, service full of singing, and the sermon! well I applaud the preacher because they were very intrinsic thoughts full of alternate perspectives on the classic Easter story. Then it was just a chill day with a large brunch when we all got home.

Monday I travelled down south of Sydney city to stay with a friend I hadn’t seen in nearly 11 years. We went to kindy and Pre-primary together in Perth, but then both our families moved and, yeah it had been a while. I was super nervous because 11 years is a long time to go between visits. What if we didn’t connect? Had too much time passed?

Answer is no, Kenzie was great and cool and fun just like I always knew she had been. I was at Kenzie’s from Monday through to Friday and we did a few things but it was mostly really chill, so a nice break from the pace my holiday had been so far. We went out with Kenzie’s parents (who both served in the defense force, her dad worked with my dad) to trivia at the bar one night, went shopping at her local shopping center WHICH IS LITERALLY 3 STORIES TALL WITH A WHOLE FOODCOURT and soo many upbrand shops, the Lego shop, Sephora, like 4 Boost Juices, a cinema on the roof ??!! …. I was not prepared lmao. I spent some time there while Kenz slept in, looked in the book shops, got a pedicure and breakfast. Kenz and Claire, her mum, took me to Ikea for the first time (watch out when I start uni 😈). $1.50 hotdogs were worth every penny.

Before I left Friday, Claire took me to the local ANZAC day service which was so nice. I’ve always done dawn service with my dad and being with their family was extra special considering the army technically bought our families together.

Then Kenzie dropped me back to the train station and I rode my way back to the central coast for more time with my family.

On the 27th of April, we packed up two cars and drove all the way up to the blue moutains where Aunty Lee had booked us in for the Nocturnal exhibit at scenic world, where there’s cable cars that go across the blue mountains. SO DAMN PRETTY, albeit cold af, but like the mist over the mountains, and then the nocturnal exhibit was so so amazing, and something I never would have done by myself.

Once we got back the next day, it was pretty much game on for cleaning the place for Rosie’s party on Saturday night. Now my cousin is a fair bit of a party animal (she takes after her mother). I have heard alot about what happens at the parties they hold from many a snapchat vlog the day after. But never had I experienced such a party. Yet.

It was a mad rush to clean everything, because the downstairs room was going to be used for the party, but our cousins and aunt from Victoria were also visiting for the party and concert – which I will get to in a minute. So we were pressure washing back steps, vacuuming, putting together party favors like shot glass necklaces and paper lanterns. Rosie had decided on a festival theme for the party, so there was bunting and fake candles and hay bales being purchased to birth the aesthetic. It was fricking awesome! Not the cleaning mind you, it was perpetually rainy and theres many more deadly spiders hiding under their balcony and on the fences than I was used to. But to come out Saturday afternoon with everything in place was the coolest thing ever. Certainly helps that Aunty Lee is a graphic designer.

But! I am getting ahead of myself!

We celebrated Rosie’s birthday on the Tuesday by going to a brewery, and then to her band practice prior to preforming on Saturday. We had her birthday dinner at home with one of her best friends and Grandma.

More cleaning more cleaning in between.

Our older cousins and aunty came up from Victoria on the Thursday 1st of May, as we were going into the city Friday night for DICE’s concert. It was a bit more of a hectic morning than I anticipated. In my head it was breakfast with the cousins, fake tan, drive to the city. But I guess everyone else is a lot more go with the flow because it did not happen like that. This left me a fair bit overwhelmed by the time we actually got to the hotel in the city, and I ended up bawling to mum because she’s grown accustomed to what I need because of my autism, even prior to being diagnosed, and it was difficult with people who schedule so much different to me.

Definitely considered not even going to the concert but I knew I would hate myself if I didn’t go. So I donned my clubbing dress and put on some makeup and felt a bit better for Rosie’s sake.

And then I had the best night ever (aside from wishing that my mum could’ve been there with my other aunts and cousins).

We started at an Italian restaurant where the waiter kicked a group of people off a table for us to sit at. We did not ask him to. A couple entrees, drinks, and pics for the gram, then we made our way to a Mexican bar just a little further, where the waiter informed us they have a free karaoke booth available if we ordered a drink. Between all 6 of us we ordered 6 drinks. And then drunkenly stumbled through 15 minutes of song choruses.

From there we Uber-ed to the university where DICE was playing. Basically the entire room was a mosh pit plus a bar. Again, it was awesome. We met some of Rosie’s friends, we had cheap drinks, and it was the absolute best time.

I felt much better after the concert, and woke up early for my complimentary continental breakfast. We drove our way back to the central coast and then got on with the finishing touches for the party. Rosie’s best friends Lara and Ginny arrived early to help and they were both so cool. It was great to finally actually meet them in person after hearing about them for years. Very interesting for me to see a trio where there is no competition or favouritism, but that might just be because I’ve never had a friendship like that for myself. Again, autism and friendships are difficult especially when someone *cough cough me* has an incredibly detrimental headspace and self-destructive behaviours. NOT ANYMORE but the damage is done. (I realise now how difficult that can be I am so sorry Darcie and Josetta)

It was a great night. Rosie managed to accommodate 3 live bands, one which was her own, aunty Lee, Autumn and Henry managed to smash out about 60 orders of burgers and fries in a makeshift food van for everyone. I made friends with heaps of people, which is easy to do when they’re nice people and everyones a little bit (if not alot) drunk.

Just had the best time ever, even though I had inhaled two redbulls prior to the party in order to create 3 of the most stunning charcuterie boards if I do say so myself. Note to self: no more than one redbull a day or you jitter like a kitten on crack.

Sunday and Monday were pretty docile, cake for breakfast and cleaning up streamers and empty bottles pretty much. I finished Bridgerton in the central coast (please hurry s4) and Monday afternoon my cousins caught the train with me to the city to send me off. Aunty Lee had found this adorable place called the Potting Shed, a restaurant that was basically an indoor greenhouse, that changes themes each season. We caught it with a Snow White theme and they truly must spend thousands on decorating this place. Like, a forest walk with cartoon animals and fairy lights, replica dresses based on characters, a miniature cottage where the dwarves live. It was mind boggling and so incredible.

Afterwards I was escorted into the airport with two suitcases (I had to buy a whole second suitcases to bring the showbags home deadass 😭) and three cousins. Made my way promptly to the terminal and gate which was easier now considering I’d paced it back and forth not 4 weeks ago and made it pretty much as soon as they opened boarding.

Red-eye flight back to Perth, where mum picked me up. We had a hotel room for the night and left first thing in the morning.

I only finished unpacking my suitcases 2 weeks ago.

Yeah so that was my trip to NSW! I am so so glad that I could spend so much time over there and do so much. I may not financially recover from it but as long as I have my memories.

It is currently 12:32am, I am going to edit and spell check this one time, publish and then go to freaking bed.

Hope to be back soon lovelies ❤