Hello, Hive friends! ✨ ✨
It's me, Abby 🦋. Come and join as I tell the tale of how my friends and I went on an adventure last Friday, the 13th. And to show you how the spirit of Christmas overpowered the said unlucky day.
Like what I mentioned in one of my previous blogs, I keep my circle small, not intentionally to be honest, like magic it just happened -- No, actually it was destiny I'd rather say. And to witness each other grow as our own individuals, for me is a bliss.
As the 2024 season is about to come to an end, almost every friend group is having their get-together parties: beach party, pool party, classroom party, or house party. During our previous years in college, we usually hung out at the beach during our free time to unwind, so my college besties and I decided to do something different this year. In fact, it was our first Christmas get-together with only the five of us.
Last December 13th of this year, Friday the 13th which may sound terrifying, turned out to be a heartwarming moment for the five of us as we did our little picnic on top of the mountain. It was a very unusual decision from us.
Not too far from our university is a trail that leads to a mountainous adventure. My friends and I — Cath, Jo, Jera, and Atet 
We were catching our breaths and decided to look back to see how far we had walked already, and to our disappointment we were just still a few meters away from where we started. We began giggling hard because of how ridiculous we felt — we were such clowns.
Minutes had passed, our knees started to tremble, and our feet almost stuck on the ground. Minutes, an hour, another hour; time kept moving from 4 p.m. to almost 6 and yet we haven't arrived at our destination.
My friend Jera kept asking our friend Cath how close we are already to our destination, and Cath kept answering,"We're almost there."
However, it's funny how the "we're almost there" phrase felt like forever. We were catching our breath and running out of energy, paper bags holding our snacks started to rip off, tears dwell from our eyes as we are so exhausted from hiking the never-ending elevated path we are taking. To add up to our worries was the gloomy sky above us that gets darker and darker as we move on. We couldn't stop ourselves from thinking about the possibility of a sudden heavy shower on top of the mountain that might be waiting ahead of us.
Fortunately, we reached our destination before we passed out. The scene in front of us washed every exhaustion we had in our nerves away. The sky started to clear out as if the universe itself were on our side. It was beautiful and majestic.
After a quick break, we set up our blanket, changed our sweaty clothes to our cute little dresses, and fixed ourselves as if Cinderella's Fairy Godmother did some touches on us for the ball. We took photos and shot videos of fun and chill TikTok challenges.
Afterwards, we sat on the blanket and ate our snacks as we conversed — indeed our own life therapy. We shared thoughts about our journey in college, how we survived everything and then we exchanged presents. This slow moments I get to spend with my friends is everything to me. The glowing spherical moon right above us witnessed how much we had fun together during the picnic.
Before the darkness of the night totally enveloped the surroundings, we decided to head down with our flashlights on.
On our way down, we virtually spin a bottle and played a Truth Game. Each of us threw questions and answered it honestly, a perfect game indeed to share little secrets with your friends. Later on, our simple game led us to some deep talks; life advices, romances, future plans with hints of jokes and teases.
The time had gone by unnoticeably and we have reached the highway.
We took a tricycle and went to the Christmas Village right in Danao City — Boardwalk. We sat there for a while and took wonderful photos with its lovely decorations and lights.
The night was packed with people wearing their wonderful smiles as they glided from one corner to another holding the hands of their loved ones.
The time has come for me and my friends to bid goodbye. We exchanged hugs, which we rarely do, took the busy streets of Danao and went on our separate ways to our home. The beating joys inside our hearts silenced the honking sounds of the vehicles around us.
Friday, the 13th in the year 2024, was a day to remember filled with sweet memories that we'll forever treasure in our hearts.♡
