I had really been missing my best friend, which is why I decided a few weeks back that I was going to brave the drive to Tampa, Florida alone with my two children over spring break. We hit the road the morning after Corin’s birthday party and left daddy behind to bring home the bacon.

The kids did great. Seriously, they are champion travelers.

This trip, however, had some other unexpected elements. It turned out Lila’s family was being felled by the flu just as we arrived. I brought the virus home with me, which then bestowed the lingering gift of a massive sinus infection. Corin and Lina seem to have escaped the worst of it. I don’t know how that happened, but I am very thankful.

So, not quite the trip we imagined, but we did get some time with friends we love, and the kids and I had a great time exploring parks and museums. We even all got a few hours at the beach on Friday. As I walked along the beach with Lila, pushing a tired Lina in the stroller, we talked about the ups and downs of life and how we would remember the trip when we dragged our flu-ridden bodies along the shore. That’s the thing about a friendship like this: it spans the full range. It won’t be the last time we shake our heads and wait to laugh at the memories.

I hope you’re lucky enough, as I am, to have friends who are worth the germs.