“Fabulous, Fabulous Christmas Letter 2001”
Hello friends,
Well, it’s that time of year again, and so much has happened since last year that it’s hard to know where to begin.[1] There is so much to tell about our Fabulous, Fabulous Lives in this year’s Fabulous, Fabulous Christmas Letter 2001.[2] We enjoyed the opportunity to travel this year. We started in San Francisco, where we rang in the New Year. We took a trip up the coast for a friend’s wedding, and of course stayed at one of the best hotels of the city. [3] Believe it or not, this was my first time driving up the California coastline. We also took a road trip to the Monterey/Carmel area for another friend’s wedding later in 
the year. In February, we went on a mission trip with our church to India. While we were there, we took part in local customs,[4] learned age-old Indian traditions,[5] and sampled exotic cuisine[6]. Also, I caught a nasty bug[7] that kept me close to my bedroom[8] for about a month. So that was fun. This October, we took a trip to New York with some friends to catch up on the Broadway shows. We stayed at the finest hotels[9], ate at the best restaurants[10], and enjoyed a week of romance away from home[11]. Then in November, we went back to New York City to serve with the Salvation Army for a week, and served food to the people working at the tragedy site.
Mark continues to work at Rock Harbor Church, though he transitioned to a new position this year. He has left youth ministry to serve as the Director of Spiritual Formation, where he oversees some small groups, seminars, does occasional speaking, and is starting a recovery ministry. We’ll definitely miss the many nights a week we spent at youth group and having our house toilet-papered on a regular basis[12], but I believe that this new position is going to really stretch Mark. Yes, our Mark is growing up, and I can assure you that since accepting his new position he has been the model of maturity and propriety.[13] This year saw some career transitions for me as well. You may remember that this time last year I was enjoying the challenge[14] of working three jobs. I finally left my research position at UCI in order to pursue counseling on a full-time basis[15]. I am still with Journeys Counseling, and we recently moved off the college campus and into an office suite.
Oh, I almost forget – the kids are doing great.[16] Our three-year old triplets Chelsea, Amber, and Tiffany are growing up so fast!.[17] Chelsea was recently accepted at Dartmouth. Amber just got her MENSA card in the mail, and Tiffany will be playing violin for the LA symphony this year.[18] And we can’t forget our feisty pure-bred golden retrievers who sleep at our feet every night.[19]
But seriously, we continue to enjoy this time in our lives when we can focus on our marriage and continue to learn more about ourselves and each other. As I write this, I can’t help but think how blessed we are by our friendships, and we hope this letter and the coming year finds you healthy and happy.
Merry Christmas, Mark and Kristen Howerton
[1] Statistics show that this is the best way to start a Christmas letter.
[2] This is the first of many lies
[3] San Francisco Youth Hostel
[4] That’s the bathroom?
[5] You use what for toilet paper?
[6] Let’s hope that’s chicken.
[7] literally
[8] bathroom
[9] Best Western
[10] Street-side hot-dog vendors
[11] Shared a room with our friend Isaac
[12] Like you miss a bunion after it’s been removed
[13] Today is opposite day.
[14] Stress and chaos
[15] Full-time meaning as few hours a week as possible
[16] Okay, so we don’t have kids yet. Back off.
[17] But seriously, how much would you kill us if we named our kids Chelsea, Amber, and Tiffany?
[18] I know, it’s a little much. But you were kind of impressed for a minute, right?
[19] As if. We can’t even keep a fish.
