Close Friends

This week was the last full "free" week that David and I had together for the summer, so Monday we decided to head to downtown Houston.  We visited the Holocaust Museum (very sad, but I highly recommend seeing it) and the Health Museum.  In the exhibit at the Health Museum there was a 'game' that would compute how long you were supposed to live.  It began at the average age of males (77) and females (80) in the US and then proceeded from there. It was quite simple-you just answered yes or no questions. 

"Do you smoke?" No + 5 years
"Do you wear a seat belt while in the car?" Yes +2 years
"Do you eat red meat or pork?" Yes -1 year  (they can have that year because I'm  not giving up a good burger, lol)

"Do you have 4 or more close friends?"..............I don't know ??

I just stood there and did not know how to answer this question. 

I mean, define the term 'close friend'.  I have a lot of friends, but what makes them 'close'?  It is the amount of time you spend with them each week?  And if that is true, are you're friendships therefore always going to be determined by where you live and who is nearby?  Maybe it's the people you've known the longest.  Like those that you grew up with or went to school with, but even then you often lose touch with those people after high school.  Or maybe it's the people you hold the most dear in your heart.  Life is busy and sometimes you forget to make time to call friends and get together with them, even though you are thinking of them often.  But does just thinking of somebody really make you 'close' friends with them?  And then I started to feel bad.  I mean, what if I hold certain people as really close friends to me, but they don't even think so because I'm not calling them enough or going out with them for coffee.  How can one little question be so hard?!


Does this make sense?  What do you think defines close friendship?  I would love to know everyone's ideas on the question....


(Oh, and by the way, I'm supposed to be around until I'm 86 years old.) 

Vacation

For summer vacation this year David and I packed our kayaks and drove around Texas.  Well, kind of.  We had a total of three stops: Corpus Christi, Laredo, and Austin.  I had the most fun in Corpus.  The waves were really big on the beach so kayaking was out for me-but David LOVED it.  I was so afraid that he was going to turn the kayak over, but it never happened.  (Thank you Emotion Kayaks for being so stable!)  The above is a picture of David at the lake in Laredo.  We camped there the first night and it was raining the entire time from the tropical storm that came in.  Our tent held up well and it actually kept the temperature in the low 80s, which David says is a blessing for the Valley.  After two days in Laredo we drove to Austin. (The border patrol officer liked our kayaks as we went through the check point.)  We stayed with David's mother and went to Lake Travis.  I was amazed at the million dollars houses everywhere on the lake.  Finally, we ended our vacation in Houston at Hotel ICON for our anniversary.  Usually we stay at the Magnolia hotel, however they're prices were extremely high so we decided to try something else.  I am SO happy that we did.  ICON used to be an old bank, and they converted it into a hotel.  The decor is absolutely beautiful and the staff there was so friendly.  I highly recommend it to everyone!

So, that was our vacation.  I'll try to upload more pictures from it later.  :)