Legal drinking, can you think of anything better? Turning 21 is no small triumph and shouldn’t be limited to a celebration of just one night. It took some planning and an amazing group of friends to make it perfect, but I couldn’t have asked for a better birthday. There are just a few things that have to be done to ensure a throw-up free, non-arrested and awesome night.

Shotbook, hhotbook. The best part of my birthday and the one that I’ll cherish the most is a 21-page book with each page made by my closest friends. The pictures of me on each of the pages were questionable and mostly heinous, but it is something that I’ll always keep (but probably not show my future children). I have to admit, I did cry happy tears when I received it but I had also just dartied for three hours so it was acceptable.

A designated person to hold the shotbook. By page 13, I couldn’t hold up my own body weight let alone a book that could be dropped, so my friend offered to follow me around all night with a sharpie and my beloved book. You need someone sober and responsible enough to take on the huge role – it’s an honor. Shout out to my shotbook holder for returning me and the book safely back to Alpha Phi.

Choose your shots wisely. Now, I’m not saying study and quiz yourself on the seven million drinks available at a bar. But going into your first bar knowing which shots you’d want to try helps when someone asks what drink you want and all you can reply is “umm…cranberry vodka?” Anything that isn’t peach takka tastes like sweet heaven, so it wasn’t too difficult to find something I liked. After trying 21 different drinks, I’d say Vegas Bombs are high up on my list of drinks to try again.

Location. Original plans were to go to Las Vegas, then they changed to Chicago, and then Bloomington, Indiana. No doubt, Las Vegas would have been the most absurd time of my life and a trip to Chicago is always my favorite, but Bloomington ended up being so fun. Luckily, I go to a school with an amazing bar scene so it wasn’t such a horrible trade-off. The Jungle, also known as upstairs of Kilroy’s Sports, was ratchet but also a blast. Had my sister not dropped $200 to get a table, it would’ve been a lot different. Spend a little money, it’s worth it.

Rides. Fortunately, I had a pledge ride from our pair take me to the bars and it worked out great. But if that’s not an option, be sure to take a cab. Obviously, never ever drink and drive. Seriously, don’t. But having a car ready to take me to the bars and take me home was such a relief. Try to work it around having one of your friends as the designated driver because then she’d have to be sober the entire night and, ugh, no.