Today is my birthday. Thirty one years ago in Oxfordshire,I was born to an American couple stationed at Upperheyford with the US Air Force on their second tour to England. I was a premature baby who got very sick, needed surgeries and the doctors did not think I would make it. I survived and continued moving and traveling around Europe with my family until I turned seventeen and we moved to the USA. They say things happen for a reason. While I cannot apply that logic to all facets of life (like death and loss), it fits in this regard. Due to being premature I did not have to choose which citizenship to keep when I turned eighteen. Had I been born even just a couple weeks later I would have had to choose America or England as my nationality. I have always been proud of the fact that I was born English and claimed certain British traits. I have even had an English accent twice in my life. Perhaps I would have chosen England. Today as a Third Culture Kid (TCK) I claim ownership to all the countries and cultures I have lived or spent a significant part of my life within growing up. I love being labeled a TCK because I do not have to be from a certain country nor sound or speak a certain way. I am a TCK.

I celebrate my 31st with my ex-pat family today at home in England so grateful of that fact. Thankful that we can live here together in a life we all enjoy so very much. To share it with my husband and sons who have never felt against the decision to live outside the US and share the love of travel. The biggest reason being that they love me so much. Unconditional of the fact that I may not think or act ‘American’ as others have judged me for in the US. To them I am perfect and I could not ask for a better family to love.

Photography © Miriam Pinkston 2013

Today is my true love’s birthday and to wish him a happy birthday I am sharing the next installment in recapping our 10th Anniversary Vow Renewal from August.  I want to thank my friend Miriam and her lovely family for being with us to celebrate in Wales and for taking such amazing photographs.  We have not seen all the photographs from the big day yet and I am so excited to have these sneak peek images to share with you on ACR.  What better way to continue telling our love story than with a look at the one who holds me heart.

Before I get too sappy I have to say the first thing that pops in my mind when I look at these photographs of my husband getting ready.

‘Suit up!’ – Barnabus “Barney” Stinson (HIMYM)

The colours I chose for our vow renewal could not be farther from the colours we had at our original wedding in 2003.  We went from dark blood red and white (my husband wore a black suit) to shades of grey and ballet pink.  I loved my the tie and pocket square he found to match his new suit that he got for the occasion, a grey suit from Zara men.  Although the suit is not pictured here it leaves you with something to look forward to in the posts to come.

It sometimes it hard to believe that we have been together for so long and married for ten years. Let alone that we are now both in our 30’s celebrating the next decade of our life together.  Sometimes it feels like it has been a long time and at other times I feel like we are still just the same twenty and twenty one year old newlyweds, ready to find our way in the world. We have been through so much in ten years.  Today I am even more happy to be sharing our life together living the ex-pat life abroad together with our sons.  It sometimes feel like we are living a fairytale and I look forward to many more beginnings in our story together.

*Photography © Miriam Pinkston Visual Artist, 2009-2013 All Rights reserved.www.miriampinkstonphotography.com

Have been a way from the personal blog for a little bit as we are in the middle of a transition period.  Will be moving from Brighton up to Bath during the Christmas holidays.  Stay tuned for regularly scheduled weekly blog posts to follow. 

<3
Bonnie Rose

My boys got to experience their first ever Nativity play here in England.  Ronan got to be one of the Three kings and his younger brother one of the shepherds.  Dressed in their homemade costumes we met at our church where his school was holding their Nativity Christingle.  The kids were so cute, I loved hearing them sing the songs, and they had a lot of fun.