And the Birthday Celebrations Keep Coming!

I think I've been a bit spoiled with birthday events this year :) There was the concert last month, breakfast at the cabin, a lovely catch-up phone call with my birthday-month Cali-girl buddy whose family is currently stationed in Guam, and now dinner at my new favorite restaurant plus an escape room! Even better, Gabby got to go! We originally picked this date and time because everyone could be there--but then her schedule got wonky. Chase still planned to join us, and did for dinner, too (he even tried a sausage stuffed mushroom!--he still doesn't like mushrooms, and that's okay :) Back to Gabby--she mentioned to her boss that there was a family event that evening and that Buck offered a behind-the-scenes tour of his business if she could go . . . which got the attention of the man who runs Gabby's business (because he's a huge fan of Buck's business), lol. Whether that tour happens or not, I was so, so happy that Gabby joined us at the escape room--we couldn't have solved it without her!

But I got way ahead of myself in my excitement about Gabby :) Before we left, Grandma J mixed up some chocolate caramel brownies for my birthday dessert--yummy! Chase arrived, hopped in the van, and away we went to meet Noah and Caelan. 

Our meal was delicious, and Grandma J's treat! We enjoyed the atmosphere and unique flavors, and finished up just in time to get to our next destination on time--and of course, to meet Gabby :)

This puzzle was NOT linear, which was great because we all had something to work on that matched our skill set. The puzzle master thought we were on track to beat the record, because we found so many of the clues so quickly! But, part of the fun is the experience, so I'm glad we didn't hustle through too fast :) I think one of the most unique clues involved pouring a teapot of water into a tube next to the grandfather clock. We really debated if that was allowed, and finally just went for it :) It was the right move and the next clue floated to the top! Also, the China on the platter was the same pattern my mom used to have when we were growing up. So funny how some of those things stick in the old memory bank :)

So, the drawback to this type of escape room was that we didn't coordinate the answers to all the clues that each individual or duo worked out. This means, we decided to ask the puzzle master guy for clues that we probably would have easily discovered we already had, had we all talked through our own solved part of the mystery. In the end, we found all the clues, connected the dots, and escaped before the parlor exploded! (We've had a lot of dynamite experiences at these rooms lately ;)

On the way home, we drove through Chik-Fil-A for their Christmas peppermint shakes, a happy ending to a super fun evening! Happy Birthday to me . . . again! :)