Category Archives: Ryan

My Husband’s UK Visa Journey

ukvisajourney

What I love about travel is that you do not have to go far to see the world.  You can visit the local sites in your area as a traveler with a new set of eyes.  However, if you are going to be traveling to another country you will need to have your passport and possibly a visa.  The matter furthers if you are planning on staying in another country for longer than the intended vacation stay.  Every country is different and the rules are always changing.   Continue reading

My 10th Wedding Anniversary – 02.08.13

Today my husband and I have been married for 10 years. It has become the most important anniversary milestone in our twelve years together and our ten years of marriage.  It is a realization in itself that we have been married this long but there is no denying the fact when I also remember that our oldest is now eight years old.  Time really does pass you by.  I recently was given a wedding dvd from one of our wedding guests after I told them we had lost our wedding dvd in a move.  We watched it last night with my sister and it was remarkable to see just how young we were only a decade ago.  It almost seems like a whole different world we were living in as newlyweds.  
We we currently still living in the ‘bubble’ of my conservative christian university in the days before my husband joined the military.  I had my parents’ relationship, a couple who raised their children overseas and loved travel, as my vision of marriage.  I think it is safe to say as newlyweds we both had a more fantasy view of what our life together would be like throughout our marriage.  I had no foreshadowing of the hardships to come our way.  The stresses of military life, starting a family and raising children,  being far from family without a support system, the sudden loss of a parent, and how it would all affect our marriage.  On top of it all it became hard to name a couple I knew that were still married amongst our military friends and acquaintances, and more easier to name those who called it quits.  
In the end my husband and I stayed together, moved abroad together, and have begun a whole new life for our family as expats in England.  Life has never been sweeter.  Yes life has still been hard and we still find our moments of stress. However we know that we have each other.  Being married to your best friend and experiencing all the ups and downs together as partners is what has made our marriage stronger.  
I am so happy to begin another ten years with Ryan and to continue our life overseas.  Though we are no longer those naive newlyweds in their early twenties,  we have both evolved into the people we are today.  I love my husband so much for who he has become and who he is to me.  Something I mentioned in my vows a decade ago.  Today we are getting ready for our Vow Renewal ceremony here in Snowdonia, Wales.  It is been a long anticipated event that we now share with a few family and friends.  It is not our ‘happy ending’ but just another new happy beginning to the next chapter of our love story. 

Have you been following along for love week? 
More coming tomorrow and here has been the 
guest posting line up for the past several days: 
Follow along via Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter 
with the hashtag: #RyanAndBonnie

Summer Fete in Batheaston

Yesterday we attended our second fete for the Summer season and it will not be our last.  Though we almost feared the weather would have ruined this gem of summers in Great Britain. It was set to begin at noon but we did arrive until three because of the pouring rain.  Miraculously the rain stopped and we were able to spend the last hour of it partaking in all our favourite fete activities.  There was drinking of Pims, letting the boys spend pocket money on activities, checking out the goods for sale, and the eating of cakes and ice cream. The only thing we missed out was on a delicious bowl of strawberries and cream.  However in its place we got to watch a Maypole dance with local school children.  If that was not enough dancing for my boys, they also got to partake in dancing to Gangnam Style.  I left with a happy family, a full belly, and a camera filled with documented memories and a nearly dead battery.  All in all it was a lovely village fete and I look forward to our next one in two weeks time. If the photos below are not enough to get you to a summer fete this year, I took two videos posted to Instagram as well.  To which I have to say is a new feature I highly love. However since they do not allow embedding of videos yet, insert shameless plug to follow me on Instagram here.
** Bonnie Rose Photography © 2013 All Rights Reserved – www.bonnie-rose.co.uk

Browns Folly & Monkton Farleigh

This weekend we were blessed with a break in the rain and a lovely sunny Saturday.  We took the opportunity to explore a new area near our home in Bath, England.  As active participants of country walks through the English countryside, we love finding new paths to enjoy.  We begun our walk through the town of Bathford up to the woods in the area known as Browns Folly.  My eldest had come here on a school trip this year and we had heard much about the mines and the ground flora we could find in the area.  We indeed did find some of the King Alfred’s cakes and the wild garlic. We also found a lovely horse that was very friendly, got stung by nettle, and covered in pollen as our path took us through a massive yellow field of blooming rapeseed plants. It was yet another day out in England where every ten minutes one of us would exclaim either how beautiful it was or how much we never want to move.  It is hard to feel sad or stressed out when you are outside scenes that look ripped out from a storybook.  Not to mention the tower that was so Rapunzel-esque and the beautiful view of our town below.  Here are a just a few of the many photographs I took on our country walk journey through Browns Folly and Monkton Farleigh. 

 

*photographs belong to Bonnie Rose Photography © 2013 All Rights Reserved | www.bonnie-rose.co.uk 

Weekend Walks: Solsbury Hill

If you follow my blog you know that my husband and I love living in England.
One of our favourite things to do is go on walks on the weekend.
When the weather is really wet sometimes we hide inside.
But today it was not only warm, but the sun was out along with the blue skies.
You know the amazing view I talk about seeing from our living room window?
The beautiful hills dotted with cute white sheep?
Well we finally went to the very top of it today.
We started at our church and walked up to find it is indeed Solsbury Hill.
Just like the song. 
It is beautiful and I will be sharing photos of more Batheaston landscape
and of course more sheep.  There were even more lamb out today.
We had a wonderful time and made it back just in time for the 
Arsenal game.  Ryan made homemade chips to accompany our Carlsberg.
It has been a great day with the familia. 
Hope you are enjoying your weekend!
With my boys, Ronan and Maddox, on top of Solsbury Hill in Batheaston. 
My  husband and his wellies, a must have for our country walks.
Ryan made homemade chips to eat while we watched some Football. Go Gunners! 

*Bonnie Rose Photography © 2013 All Rights Reserved | www.bonnie-rose.co.uk
** Bonnie Rose on Instagram – @thebonnierose

Baaaaa-ank Holiday Monday

Today was a bank holiday here in England and so Ryan had the day off of work.  
Since the boys were already off of school for Easter break, 
we were able to get two days of country walking in this weekend.  
Yesterday we walked for four hours and today for nearly five 
as we went on a seven mile walk through the English countryside.  
We saw deer both days.  Today we also saw the following animals: 
cows, horses, pigs, llamas, chickens, goats, birds, chickens, and fields of sheep.  
I love sheep. Especially the way the dot the rolling hills behind our house. 
But they are even cuter when  you have to walk through 
a field of them and have them ‘bah’ ing in chorus around you.  
I hope you like photographs of sheep 
because I took quite a lot to share with you on the blog. 
Pink Wellies by Hunter, black leggings & scarf from my closet, and I raided my husband’s closet for the jumper. 
The deer that we saw today running through the meadow. 
Trying to get my boys to not shout, as to scare the wildlife,  was proving challenging today.
Then we came across the sheep.  
There were so many little lambs running about the field. 
Here was one feeding from their mummy. 
My babies obliged me with having their photo taken with the sheep.
There was a whole field full of sheep. 
The lamb were definitely my favourite.  So cute.
Maddox said he was very glad to see the sheep because it was his first time being so close to them. 
We eventually found our path through the field and what could be cuter than watching your family among the sheep. 
My husband with our our sons and the sheep in the background. 

*photographs belong to Bonnie Rose Photography © 2013 All rights reserved. | www.bonnie-rose.co.uk
**Please contact if you want to use any photographs or for more information regarding photographic services. 

Dick Willows Farm Shop

This past week I had the opportunity to go to my first farm shop, since relocating back to England.
Dick Willows is forty minute walk from our house making it quite convenient.
Sadly Dick Willows is leaving its location just as I find this gem.  
The silver lining being that while they are here everything is currently 30% off.
On Friday I was taken here by my friend Libby and we browsed around, 
enjoyed a chai latte with scone, and then picked up a few food items. 
She also introduced me to how amazing the combination of 
chutney, cheese, and bread/crackers and how delicious it can be.
So the following day, despite the heavy cold rain, I dragged my family back with me.
It ended up being lovely despite the weather conditions.
The boys had a lot of fun browsing the antique section
as they hunted for treasures to purchase.
Ronan finally settled on a cool dark red dragon figure.
I found some vintage fabric for which I plan to make couch pillows.
Maddox picked up vanilla fudge and Ryan found his cider.
You can actually come to Dick Willows and do cider tasting.  
I should add that if you are in the Bath area you can still purchase the cider
from the weekend market in town. 
All in all it was a great two days out and I am still
quite gutted that its closing down.
Yes. The cider is really that bright orange.
It tastes quite yummy too.