Justin: Our First Goodbye

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It is with deep sorrow that Michelle and I say "until we meet again" to our Seattle friend, Justin Key, after he passed away from a sudden pulmonary embolism, December 14, 2009.

This week has been hard for both of us, however, through tearful Skype sessions, swapping memories, pictures and videos, we've come to celebrate Justin's full and vibrant life, resolving to follow his example this next year. As one person put it, "We live with the hope and confidence that it is not final and also the realization that his was not just a promising life but a life that already lived according to the Promise."

To our fun-loving friend:

--You're with Jesus now!
--We wish we could have accepted your Mexico invitation last summer.

--Thank you for sharing your gorgeous city with us last March.

--You're still on our "List of Extraordinary Gentlemen."

--We already miss you, your laugh, hugs, brilliant mind and devastating smile.

Until we all meet again in eternity,

Michelle and Gail

Made for Two

It doesn’t take a genius to figure out that Michelle and I are both hopeless romantics.

That’s why it’s no surprise that we were enchanted with the hottest new couples item on the market: Smittens! As you can see, they are perfect for holding hands with a significant other on bitterly cold days like the ones I’m experiencing in Seoul. We hope you like red as much as we do, because that’s the only choice, although hearts are optional. The only drawback we can see with this holiday must is that we’re having trouble thinking of guys who would actually use them. We did, however, come up with a few winners, and curiously enough, most of them are TORREY guys, confirming what we’ve suspected all along: They’re saps. The following individuals were carefully selected from a lengthy list of candidates:
-Dustin McCurry (Our first “Definitely!” candidate, just because.)
-Scott Munekawa (One condition: Only when no one is looking.)
-Michelle’s dad (Because the hilarity of her parents’ over-the-top affection is not lost on anyone.)
-Bradley Clarke (Because anyone who proposes in the Hagia Sophia’s got mega class.)
-Dr. John Mark Reynolds (Because his FB profile pic of him grabbing his wife’s butt gives us license to assume he’s OK with PDA.)

Note: This item is untested, as neither Michelle nor I have boyfriends and we don’t plan on using Smittens together.

Michelle and Gail dominate Asia!

After numerous video Skype sessions and spontaneous Oh-my-gosh,-guess-what-happened chats, Michelle decided she couldn’t stay away any longer. She’s coming to visit me in South Korea! And I couldn’t be happier!! I’m so, so, so blessed! One thing’s for sure: We’re going to have a blast. Here’s a sampling of what we’ll do in the five days she’s here:

-Indulge in CRAZY food!
-Visit hostels, temples and palaces, oh my.
-Go salsa dancing, now a tradition.
-Take a tour of the Blue House — South Korea’s version of the White House
-Attend the largest church in the WORLD, Yeouido Full Gospel
-Night cruise on the Hangang River, which runs through Seoul
-Teach at my school

Pretty sure the post-visit list of what we did will be much more entertaining, but there it is.