HB to the girl who always SPARKLES

On the night my sparkly bff turned 26......  there were many things learned. 

But before I get into that,

lets just focus on the fun.

We had reservations at Eva's for dinner

but of course there was even still a long wait. 

So we ended up hanging out at Cheers to You,

which is right next door. 

Real classy. 

The classic foursome

Cheers to you,

 turned out to be a lot of fun actually

Just as we are about to get our table at Eva's,

Kris and I decided to take a small side mission 

over to Maxwell's 

where we partook of the famous

Rainbow shot

Eva's has some of the best small plates in SLC

My favorites are the gnocchi

and the tri-tip bruschetta.
We all ordered different things and fun trying them all. 

So delicious!

8

After Eva's,

we drove over to one of the scariest haunted houses 

in the city. 

The Castle of Chaos!

I know it sounds like a weird thing to do for a birthday

but Kris and I had been talking about trying to 

overcome our fear together

and it was literally like the last day of the haunted houses. 

I think it may have something to do 

with the rainbow shot 

that Kris basically demolished on her own...

but she kicked that haunted houses ass!

I was so proud of her. 

I on the other hand... 

am a little ashamed to admit,

I may have teared up at the end of this horrifying event. 

Granted, I was not in fantastic spirits as we entered, 

but this went worse than I expected. 

I am pretty positive I didn't really open my eyes enough

to see anything in the house. 

At the very end, 

they have these 3 coffins that they open up and put people in. 

Your friends disappear, and all you hear is them screaming... 

Of course, everyone goes before me...

and I am left in that room with these super creepy, deadly girls that don't say anything. 

They just made me stand there and wait. 

I was so unhappy. 

Nobody came. 

Finally I had to get in that box alone and let them close it over me. 

Darkness.

All of sudden, the ground drops and I start flying down this slide. 

You pop out onto the concrete with the sound of chainsaws!

My feet hit that ground and I just booked it! 

I ran like I have never ran before. 

I remember feeling like Forest Gump. 

Arms pumping.... high knees in action... just staring straight ahead... 

NEVER LOOK BACK!

At this point, my eyes were welled up and I was just trying to keep it together. 

Now, of course, the potential emotional breakdown began from something

before, and the haunted house just pushed it over the edge.

I know this is ridiculous.... especially since anyone who knows me,

knows that I have watched nearly every horror film worth watching, 

but I just can't handle real life horror. 

Even when it's fake. 

Don't judge me. 

The survivors...

As you can see,

this night was by many means, a success.  

I know it may seem strange to pull out all the lessons learned in a night of fun with 

your friends... especially a birthday night,

but for some reason, this particular night revealed a lot. 

So this is what I am going to do.....

Start a tradition!

Because we all know I love traditions! 

Every year on our birthdays... we will pull out all the lessons learned

on that particular night, or that particular party, or on that particular event that seemed to stand out. 

There always seems to be an "event" around your birthday 

that, if summarized, will reveal all your secrets. 

So to speak. 

These lessons learned will be the things that you will try to overcome and work on/out before you reach your next birthday.

Good luck to us all!

~

Kris's lessons learned: 

Don't let your hopes get the best of you....

Don't be afraid to overcome your fears any chance you get....

Sometimes it's best to just let it go....

Plans don't always work out but it will seem like they do if you can just go with the flow....

If you really want to, it's not impossible to change something about yourself....

Don't go into a haunted house with someone you are currently in a fight with!.. 

(okay maybe that one is just for me)

So many other things are affected by bad feelings you hold onto.... Even if it's just an hour too long....

* Hopefully Kris will add to these for us...

Just because people disappoint you, it doesn't mean it's a reflection on the person you are.... 

Don't take everything so personally....

Never be afraid to stand up for yourself. Speak up. It matters....

Your past is a story book full of memories and lessons, don't let the bad paralyze you from experiencing life to it's fullest....

* Clearly, these lessons are supposed to be created by the Birthday girl/boy, but since this was my idea... and no one else knows about it yet... I went ahead with the honors. All of these lessons are taken from different things that happened throughout the year and were sort of intertwined in that night. Some may have come from Kris's experiences, some from Derek's, some from our other friends, and some from me. Everyone's life experiences create lessons for us.

 I think that is what is so great about having so many close friends.