When Verna Benham was growing up on a rural farm in the Black Hills of South Dakota, she never imagined her later life would include living all over the world, meeting international leaders, and witnessing important historical events. After finishing college at the head of her class, Verna joined the U.S. Foreign Service-a decision that would both broaden her worldview and challenge her Christian faith. As Verna experienced life in Taiwan, Bolivia, Argentina, and Brazil (among other places), she made many friends, some of whom she now lovingly calls "pearl friends" because of their great significance in her life. Airport goodbyes shared with these friends often included toasts with champagne in paper cups, which has inspired the title of this book, but with a twist: a "champagne life" of extraordinary experiences in exotic places lived by a "paper-cup" girl¬-a young wife and mother from humble origins.