My best friend and I went on vacation with my parents, who are in their 70s. I wish we hadn't waited so long to do it.

I went on vacation with my parents, who are in their 70s, and my best friend. It's one of the best trips I've taken in a long time.

Lauren Breedlove

My best friend and I leave a trail of sand from our day at the beach as we hurriedly run ahead of my parents, beach cruisers haphazardly parked outside the rental.We're on a mission to hide a disheveled Barbie doll named Trixie (a victim of a DIY haircut long ago), somewhere hilariously unexpected in the house.It's a favorite pastime of ours — and the best part is the suspense while we await the discovery, which prompts uncontrollable laughter when my mom or dad finds Trixie posing in the microwave.This was just one of our staple summer vacation antics that my best friend and I had been performing since meeting in the last two flute seats of band class at 12 years old.Fast forward 30-plus years, and the only thing that's changed is that we're grown adults with careers and children (hers: human, mine: canine), and we've swapped soda for cocktails.These days, I'm based in New York and she's in Texas, so we mostly only see each other once a year on a specially chosen annual trip.This time, instead of relaxing in Jamaica or road-tripping through Arizona, we decided to hijack a long weekend of my parents' monthlong vacation on the Florida Gulf Coast.