1999 Christmas Letter

AH YES. The Soupiset Family Christmas Letter. Gather the children ‘round, add a log to the fire, call the neighbors over, and grab that cup of coffee…
Nineteen ninety-nine got off to a rolling good start in New Orleans, where Paul and Amy were able to take a mid-winter’s vacation and explore Paul’s roots along the French Quarter (thanks to Amy’s job and wonderful friends and relatives who watched the kids). Beignets and mediocre coffee were consumed en masse, and Paul experimented with some black-and-white photography to boot. (editors’ note: we nearly froze off our ears and noses walking around Tulane’s beautiful campus on a blisteringly cold day).
Later in January, Abigail turned one!
She was dedicated at Wayside Chapel just hours before her birthday party (which was thrown just hours before our impromptu Super Bowl party. Whew.)
Spring came next and lived up to its effervescent connotations: one of Paul’s package designs was one of six nominated for a Dove Award (the Gospel Music Association’s version of the Grammys). Paul and Amy were able to fly up to Nashville (probably our second favorite city) for the gala, and spend some great catch-up time with our friends Eric and Carrie Barton, who are there spearheading Vanderbilt’s graduate IVCF chapter.
In the spring Paul and Amy also began attending a weekly home group Bible study with old and new friends; these get-togethers have become an oasis in the middle of the week for all involved.
(It’s always great to see the mix of people God puts in our lives, and at providential times, too. We are learning and growing.)
As May rolled into view, Paul—and brother Mark—had Star Wars: Episode I on the brain. In an amazingly generous gesture, ‘Grandpa’ Mike and ‘Grandma’ Shelley Thomas sent Paul and Amy to Dallas to see the official Star Wars charity premiere for Paul’s 30th birthday. Did someone mention birthday? Robin and Amy threw a surprise party for the trigenarian twins with a
Star Wars theme later that week.
They decked out the house with ‘70s era Star Wars toys and even had twin R2-D2 birthday cakes, courtesy of stellar baker Pat ‘Grammy’ Soupiset.
Summer came, and the San Antonio Spurs won the NBA championship, marking the first time Paul ever really got into watching organized athletics on TV! The night of the victory Amy and Paul drove downtown to revel alongside 100,000 locals in an impromptu citywide celebration, and hung out at the Broadway Pig Stand until 3 am (Jordan and Abigail were sleeping over with ‘DanDan’ and ‘Grammy’ Soupiset).
In July, Amy and Abi went to the national convention for The Pampered Chef while the guys stayed in town. The next week, (while the Soupiset lawn died a quiet death) the family headed north in the aging Dodge Minivan that knew its way to Colorado by heart this time. Breckenridge was the destination; Daddy, Mama, Abs and Jaybird all lived a week in a wonderful cabin owned by some new friends in Michigan. Fun was had hiking, searching for and finding snow on the Continental Divide, painting with a $1.29 set of children’s watercolors
bought in a five-and-dime store,
and strolling (er, strollering) around the stores, galleries and restaurants up in
the mountains.
Before the summer came to an end, our foursome was also able to make its
quasi-annual trek up to the Guadalupe to stay a weekend with about a dozen friends happily crammed into one of the couples’ river house. Jordan and Mama tubed and Daddy and Abigail napped and sunburned
and strummed guitars … and everyone met new friends and grew closer. It’s usually the closest Paul and Amy get to being hippies each year, and this year was no exception: tie-dyed teeshirts and flip-flops were the
de rigeur attire.

In mid-September the family was able to make another noteworthy mini-vacation, this time to the Hackberry Ranch near Rock Springs, Texas, to spend a long weekend with our home group. Jordan got to ride a horse, and Abigail learned firsthand the Joys of Falling Into A Prickly Pear Cactus.
In October, Amy’s top-twenty regional sales distinction with the Pampered Chef, garnered national recognition and an all-expense paid trip to be ‘pampered’ in Chicago, which she parlayed into a visit to see her brother and his family in the ‘burbs of the Windy City. We also had a great Sunday School class couples’ retreat in the hill country at the Heart O’ Hills.
In November—Jordan was a wonderful Pilgrim at his Thanksgiving program at Alamo Heights Methodist Church day school. Paul, Amy, Jordan, Abi, along with aforementioned brother Syler, sister-in-law Heidi and cousin Kaila were able to pull off one final 1999 roadtrip, this time to Lubbock (by way of Austin) for a family-packed Thanksgiving weekend, featuring Nana & TomTom; Grandpa & Grandma; visiting cousins, aunts & uncles, the kids’ great-grandfather we now call ‘Pop,’ and a cool game that pitted Elvis and Lucille Ball against Bob Dylan and Andre the Giant (ask us sometime.)
December 2 marked the official Open House celebration at Toolbox Studios—Paul and the gang had a great celebration with live music and clients and friends…
Christmas will be celebrated in town this year, and we have no Millennium plans, so give us a call. We’ll be the ones who didn’t stockpile water and non-perishable goods.
Blessings,
paul, amy, jordan, and abigail