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.

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.

Ball Game Bent

Not to sound like a married couple or anything, but with both of us having demanding work schedules, it's hard to find time to chill together. One occasion was going to an Angels baseball game. We both drove from our internships and met up in Anaheim to watch -- or not watch-- the game.

Michelle:
I'm embarrassed to say this, but Gail and I left the game at the sixth inning because I had to wake up early for work the next morning.We were later to find out the Angels had an epic rally in the sixth, and Vladimir Guerrero hit his 400th home run -- a distinction only held by five other players in the history of Major League Baseball.
Gail didn't grow up around baseball, so I explained the basic rules and terminology -- RBI, ERA, etc.
Gail: To be honest, I think watching a baseball game is as fun as the person you're with. In this case, the game was great, and so was my lemon slushie, even though it was kinda cold outside. No really, it was fun dressing in the team colors and I learned a lot of lingo from Michelle. After flagging down the Angels fan site guy to take our picture numerous times, chances are we'll show up on some marketing material sooner or later.

OC Fair 2009

It's our first post-graduate summer and we HAD to finish it off with a bang. So we did, along with few other things like rollercoasters, pig races (where Gail led our cheering section in the wave), and a staggering sports performance by Nellie the pig (see Michelle congratulating her below), and don't forget the acrobats and Al's Brain 3-D show.

Gail pulled a few strings at the OC Fair and got Michelle and a few other friends in for free. The theme was "Think Big" and the mascot animal was, of course, the pig.

Perhaps the theme animal was what induced us to buy this massive Mexican funnel cake. At 5 lbs., 2,000 calories, the stack of churro-like coils was more for the wow effect-- eight of us couldn't finish it. Here's to free ride tickets and the end of an incredible summer together.

This Trip in Photos

The Famous Pike's Place Fish Market

I can't say fish is my favorite food of all time. But when a 10-pound mackerel flies above your head and into the able hands of an employee in waders, it's at least got to make the top 5.

Seattle is home to Pike's Place Market, a fun fishery where the employees perform a skillful game of catch every time someone buys seafood. It is a must-see in the city, and Gail and I got a chance to see the action firsthand (see video).

Let the Rhythm Take You Over, Bailamos

There's an old, standard Enrique Iglesias song I love that goes something like this: "Bailamos, let the rhythm take you over bailamos, te quiero, hasta morir." Essentially: "Let's dance, let the rhythm take you over, let's dance, I want you until I die."

Certain parts of that song don't directly reflect Gail and my feelings toward The Dance or the gentlemen who dance with us. The first part, however, does.

Seizing at the opportunity to hang out with Justin, who usually knows what he's doing when it comes to salsa, we spent our Thursday in Seattle dancing until our feet ached. The event wasn't without its snags -- one of Gail's partners smelled so bad she had to excuse herself from the floor. One of my partners was a bit borracho and had the embarassing habit of whistling really loud whenever I did a turn.

Overall, though, it was muy divertido and we're getting a little better each time we go out. The video of Gail in action is proof.