The last time two of my best friends and I went on a trip was in 2009, so we were just 23 years old at the time — that’s 17 years ago, so a long time ago. We did a long weekend away for two of our bridal shower/bachelorette weekends. We’ve also done long weekend trips along with other friends with two out of three of us present. But this weekend is actually our very first trip again with just the three of us, which is kind of funny to think about.

“Has it really been since November 2009 when we went to Chicago for Thanksgiving?” One of them said when we were at dinner this evening.

Yes, it really has been. Time passes that quickly.

A lot has changed in the last 17 years. Two of us got married and had kids. One of us, who was partnered at the time, is no longer partnered with the same person. One of us relocated to another country and came back. Many employment statuses and jobs have changed. None of us live in the same place as we did in 2009. We’ve all grown older, traveled more, experienced more, and as a result of all that, have developed preferences about what we want and how we want it. So when we decided to share the same room on this trip, I was not completely sure how this would go. We like different things. Our personalities are also very, very different.

Here’s a case in point of something seemingly minor that was top of mind tonight: One of these friends, who is unusually sensitive to light, prefers to use blackout shades when in hotel rooms. She sleeps with eye covers and ear plugs, and she doesn’t want to be disturbed at all when sleeping; the tiniest bit of light upsets her. When she started drawing close the blackout shades, I already felt like I was being rubbed the wrong way. I asked her why she was doing this, and she explained her preference to me.

“But natural light guides your circadian rhythm and is healthier for you,” I said. “The daylight tells you that it’s time to wake up. It’s better for your health.”

This was met with a dead stare. “Yeah, well… I don’t like it,” she insisted and shrugged, as she continued to draw the blackout shade.

She also insisted that our third friend likes using the blackout shades as well. The third friend, always a fence-sitter and trying to remain as neutral as possible, quietly relented that yes, she does prefer that we use them. So, I was outnumbered and had to deal with the blackout shades.

In November 2009 when we were in Chicago for Thanksgiving, we unfortunately had to all share a king size bed and rotate who slept in the middle (room type availability with a special rate). That was a bit too cozy, and this time, there was zero way anyone would tolerate that. So for this trip, we got a double room with two queen-size beds, and I requested a roller (twin) bed be brought to the room. We’re rotating who sleeps in the roller bed, and since we’re here three nights, it’s easy to split up.

As we turned the lights out tonight, we were reflecting on how in 2009, we all slept in the same bed, and this time, we all had our own beds, but in the same room, so it was a bit of an upgrade. And we were musing over whether we’d do a 50th birthday girls’ trip.

“Well, if we do a 50th birthday trip in ten years, I think we can further upgrade that trip from this one and get separate rooms!” I said. When I am 50, I probably will not want to share a room, and I definitely will not want blackout shades.

Everyone agreed. In 2037, separate rooms it will be. Of course, it will cost more, but we all agreed we think we will deserve it.