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

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.

New on Skippy: The World Clock

When's the best time to Skype Gail? Or Michelle? With Skippy's newest feature, you can calculate the girls' time instantly, or your money back! Look to your left.

Skype Dates, Smoky Eyes and Hello Kitty Yoga Mats

Fortunately for ardent fans of Gail&Michelle, the adventures haven't stopped since Michelle moved away from L.A. and Gail moved to the Orient. The fun just takes a cyber twist.

Gail recently purchased a netbook with a webcam. Although the idea of a webcam can be creepy, especially in the hands of a Match.com or eHarmony client, it's made it possible not only to hear Gail's cheerful voice, but to see her myriad expressions. Today, she demonstrated her new "smoky eye" look, and showed the Hello Kitty mat that will be my bed when I visit her in Seoul.

Conveniently, Skype has a "video snapshot" button I can use to take incognito pictures during our conversation. Hence, the two photos you see here.

Fortunately for me, my laptop doesn't have a webcam. This means I can wear insulting shirts in Spanish (the one I'm wearing right now says "Nunca olvido una cara, pero contigo haré una excepción") and not comb my bed-head before our morning Skype dates. I tell Gail I will get a webcam soon, but "soon" could mean years from now.