Merry Christmas

Our Dear Family and Friends,

We would like to wish all of you a joyous and love filled Christmas season. However you celebrate this time of year, we wish you much happiness with your family and friends. We would like to thank you all for the time you have spent to keep up with our family. We have had an adventurous year in 2009 and know that 2010 will provide another amazing journey for our family.

The best Christmas present we received this year was a personal surprise. Mark took time off work and made a long journey from Qatar to be with me and the kids, as well as other close family members. It was such a joy to see him sitting in the Sovereign's family room after going out to see Christmas lights. I was so shocked that I had to step back into another room to compose myself as the tears started flowing down my face. So far, we have all re-connected as a family and it is just a blessing to see the kids interacting with Mark and for me to get to spend the quality time I need with my husband.

We shared wonderful Christmas memories with my parents on Christmas Eve.  One event was identifying the key people in the story of Jesus' birth with the nativity scene.  Brenne and Liam enjoyed that part the most.  We made cookies for Santa and opened presents from my side of the family.  On Christmas morning, at the Sovereign's house, we held the kids back for almost an hour before we tore into the presents, but once they opening began, they didn't mind the waiting.  We enjoyed a simple brunch and gathering with Mark's brother, Eric and his family, Jenny and Luke.  It was a relaxed day and it was fun to play with the kids and their new toys.  We are grateful for all the gifts we received: Thank you.

As the year comes to a close, I again thank you all for the friendships we have made. Every journey is made with keeping old friendships, making new ones, and keeping close with your relatives. May the year 2010 be a wonderful year for each of you. I look forward to keeping up-to-date with you and sharing our stories through the year.

Love,
Mark, Adriel, Layne (7), Liam (5), Brenne (2)

Blog Comments-Part II

So, I hope that you are checking back frequently to see what is going on. As I had stated in a previous blog that I appreciate comments, right now and for the past several months, I am not able to receive comments. Thank you to my sister-in-law, Sarah, for pointing this out to me.
I have been checking into this through the blogger site, trying to change my HTML, but I am not having luck.
If you feel so inclined to drop me a note, please e-mail me at ahsovereign@gmail.com. But, don't feel like you have to, I know now that you are visiting me and that is enough.

A quick post

WOW!!!

I am not keeping you all informed about what has been going on. Much has been happening, but I guess nothing 'major' for me to write frequently.

Here are a few things:
The kids really, really enjoy their elementary school and are making really good friends. I am glad that they are feeling settled and not sad about missing their old school.

Layne and Liam are really enjoying the AWANA church program on Sunday nights at Colonial Baptist. They are making friends there and really enjoying the lessons and activities.

Brenne turned 2 on Friday, Dec 11 and absolutely loves Dora, dolls, shoes, and is already showing signs of pickyness with clothes. GIRLS! We had a great b-day celebration here at the Sovereign house. More to post later.

Thanksgiving was great, as all the family came together. It was a bit sad for me, as I really was missing Mark not being there as a whole family. I know that I have a very supportive family and I am thankful for all the blessings that God has provided for my family. Mark is safe and doing well, but of course would much rather be with us.

The Christmas season is upon us and I feel joy to be among a very loving family. I miss Mark tremendously and so do the kids. I know that Mark is lonely and really misses being with us. Please pray at this time for us and his absence from us right now.

More posts to come, so stay posted and check back again soon.

Closing the chapter on Germany-Welcome back to North Carolina

Our adventure in Germany was amazing. I must say that it was sad to leave, as being in Europe provided us with a chance to explore all Europe has to offer, but there is a chance we may head back there one day. We explored many areas and of course there were many we wanted to explore and never did. We loved Switzerland, Belgium, England and the areas within Germany we saw, like Heidelberg, Neuschwanstein castle and Garmish. I know I will miss the picturesque countryside that we saw all around the area we lived in.

We also made some great friends that we will miss and the kids will miss their friends. I think every stop you make in your life is a cherished memory, has you make connections, grow from them and then reap the benefits from the experiences you made. We have been truly blessed to have experienced living overseas over the past 4.5 years. Thank you to all who contributed to the very precious memories we will never forget.

Saying goodbye to Mark was a very emotional time. It was quick, at the airport and then he was gone. The kids and I were on our way to North Carolina, to America. The long 8 hour flight was not as bad as I thought it could be with just me, and no Mark to help. Brenne had her moments, but the kids were great overall. It was nice that the transition to arrive at the next gate was long, but not too long, as it never gave Brenne a chane to 'wander' around the gate waiting area the way she likes to.

We finally arrived at Raleigh airport and were picked up by my Mom. The kids were sooo excited to see her, as was I. We really enjoyed our time staying over at my parents house. Grammy and Grampy were just as excited to be able to enjoy special moments with each grandchild. We went to the NC State Fair with my sister, Lisha, and her two kids, as well as my Dad, and visited my Mom, since she was working at the Fair. Liam and Evan loved being able to play with each other again. All the kids enjoyed riding on the rides at the fair and playing a game or two. Thanks Lisha for coming out to Raleigh to see us.

Now, we are settled over in Mark's parents place with Loreen and Warren. Gramma and Papa were thrilled to see Layne, Liam, and Brenne and so far we are making progress with getting settled. The kids have really enjoyed all this time with the grandparents. We have seen Mark several times already via the internet and keeping in touch with him has helped with our separation. He has gotten settled over there in Qatar and has been adjusting to his new work schedule.

We start a new adventure. For now, we know that for a least a year we will be here in NC. We pray that Mark will remain safe while he is away from us and enjoy the times when he can travel out here to see us. We will pray for our time here in North Carolina with our family and friends, knowing that they are here to support us and ease our separation from Mark. Thank you to all who have acknowledged our current situation and have been praying for our family.

Liam's 5th Birthday

Although this post about his birthday is about a month old, I am amazed at how Liam has changed in 5 years.

Liam shared his birthday with a classmate at the very popular indoor play place at Yabadoo in Germany. His favorite tv show and character right now is Ben 10. The boys, Liam and Jack, did great sharing the day together and playing with their friends. Jack was into GI Joe. I made both boys a separate birthday cake and they were both very excited. It was great to divide the party prep in half and spend Liam's birthday at a place that we thoroughly enjoyed playing at while in Germany.

Liam appreciated all of his presents, especially with the fact that since we were packing up and moving, they were the only toys he could play with at that time.

Currently, Liam is really enjoying his kindergarten class. I was soooo glad that the public elementary school accepted him. The cutoff date in North Carolina to be 5 for kindergarten is August 31st. Since Liam was attending a public, accredited Kindergarten at C&K Children's house in Germany (the montessori school), the principal allowed Liam to attend. What a wonderful prayer answered. It works out great that Liam and Layne can go to school together. He was very cute the first day he came off the bus (because he had not riden on one before), "The bus is the best."

Thanks to all who provided birthday wishes and happiness to Liam.

Neuschwanstein Castle and Garmish

We had a wonderful weekend trip to Southeast Germany, as we finally went to see the famous Neuschwanstein Castle and very popular town of Garmish.

The Hohenschwangau Castle was right next to the Neuschwanstein castle and we captured some photos of that castle as well. There were three modes of transportation to get to the top of Neuschwanstein. You could walk the entire way which was a 30min walk. Take a horse and carriage ride, which was a little more euros. We took the bus up to the bus stop and then walked the rest of the way up. It was a slightly overcast day, so the images weren't crystal clear. There was a bridge view of the castle which was a little scary to be on, especially with the amount of people on the bridge. The castle is currently under restoration, so that was what we saw, bridge view.

We took the English tour, but our guide was difficult to understand. No photos were allowed in the castle, but we were able to take photos from the windows for the outside scenery. There were many steps to take, up and then back down. It was more of a tour to say, 'hey we have been inside the Neuschwanstein castle.', and gain some history of King Ludwig and his life and interests. The castle was the inspiration to the Walt Disney castle in Walt Disney World.

We then left for Garmish-Partenkirchen, to stay at Edelweiss, the military lodge and resort. The cloud coverage was very thick, so we were not able to view the largest mountain, Zugspitze, in Germany. We explored the Eibsee lake and were able to view one of the smaller mountains. We were planning on taking the boat tour, so we could see the Zugspitze, but the weather was a bit windy. I think the kids we more fascinated by the ducks, thus playing with them was all the fun they needed.

As we explored the town of Garmish and other close towns, we saw some adorable lodging homes, which resembled bed and breakfast places in the States. We walked around the shopping streets and I loved all the artwork, flower displays, and sidings of the buildings. It was even more windy by early evening, so our stroll down the streets was just long enough to see everything and head back to the resort. We finished off our stay by swimming in the hotel pool. Generally, the hotel pool is always a highlight with kids.

Overall, we all had a wonderful mini-vacation exploring a part of Germany that was highly recommended to see while living in Germany. It would have been fun to have explored many more areas of Garmish, so maybe sometime in the future we may venture back to this picturesque spot in Germany.

The Official News

Okay. I said I would state some news on Friday, but the news was made official today.

We have taken a new job contract and are moving away from Germany. Mark has taken a job contract in Qatar and will be there for a year. It was a difficult decision to make, but Qatar is a safe place, the contract will provide him with the work experience he needs to further his career, and will support our financial needs.

The kids and I will be going back to America (or the States, as I like to call them while living abroad). We will be living with Mark's parents and making frequent visits to my parent's house which is about 20 minutes away. The families and other close relatives are excited about this news, but the adjustment to make with Mark being away for a year is going to have its difficulties. It will be nice to have 'grandparents' help out and be around the kids. We plan on having many web camera internet phone calls while he is away. Plus, Mark will be making trips back to NC for some visits.

Things have been moving quickly and currently we are looking to be back in the States the weekend of the 24th. This will give us some time to transition back to State time and routines before getting the kids back into school mode in November.

Right now, I just would appreciate your prayers for our transition and separation from Mark. We have a lot of people who are supporting us and we love and thank you all.

So, again bear with me and my posting, as I have much on my plate at the moment. I hope to be blogging again soon.