Snapshot of a Marriage | Lynn & Martin, Married 16 Years

Snapshot of a Marriage | Lynn & Martin, Married 16 Years

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Lynn and Martin have a wonderfully romantic story of the night they met, on a dark, rainy night in the countryside of Ireland. Lynn had just moved to Ireland from Canada, and Martin was a musician with a wink for her in the corner of a cozy little pub.

Lynn tells the story of that first night they met, shortly after she moved to Ireland: “I decided to explore the country a bit, and someone in [the tourism board] told me to go to Doolin, which I’d never heard of. So off I went to Doolin, a tiny village on the west coast of Clare that is renowned for Irish music. After several days of being buffeted by wind and rain, all on my own, I decided to head to the pub farthest from my B&B since there was a chance some tourists I had met would be there. I was dying to talk to somebody! I headed out into the blustery night and passed a cozy looking pub which almost tempted me to stop, but I was intent on finding someone to chat with.

“On I went, into the driving rain, until I paused. Madness! I decided to turn and just go back to the first pub. After about 10 steps in the other direction, I thought, This is not so bad – I may as well go on to farthest pub. So back I turned. After about 10 more steps the realization dawned that I would be coming back in this weather – or worse – at about midnight – so again, I turned. I’m not sure how many times I went one way, then the other. Eventually I decided sensibly on the first pub and was soon ensconced with pint in hand. At that moment I saw an interesting looking man enter. He passed me, saying howya, then headed to the musicians corner. I moved to where I could see the musicians yet was somehow still shocked when he looked over and gave me a wink and a huge smile.”

Doesn’t that sound like a scene from a movie?! The two were married 16 years later and have settled in Dublin, where they live with their two kids. Both Lynn and Martin both work partly from home, and have learned what works in their home so they can: “If we didn’t fully support each other, neither would get anything done! Sometimes we’re both working at home, sometimes one of us is away; both situations inevitably need one of us to be there for the other, especially where the kids/household is involved. I was able to write a novel because Martin took care of our daughter during the mornings for several years; I take on everything whenever he’s away on tour. My part time job is easier because he does the school runs when I’m in work. And because we’re both often trying to create in the same physical space, we try to give each other the room to do that.”

Lynn says they have always tried to figure out ways to work as a team, both in parenting and in major house renovations. “Often the best times we have together are when we’re stuck in doing some project, or cycling together. After Martin bought the house, we put in a maple floor that was salvaged from a postal sorting office in Dublin. It was a huge project as the wood needed to be sorted, cleaned, everything, and we were doing the entire ground floor, in our free time. We established a system where each was doing what we were best at, and eventually got the floor done! Except I was in Canada when Martin actually finished it. When I came back, he showed me how he had left some nails exposed near the wall, so we could hammer the last ones in together. I thought it was an incredibly romantic gesture.”

As for advice, Lynn suggests married couples make sure they spend quality time together. “Really make the effort to have time together – even better if it’s something fun! – but a quiet cup of tea in the evening does wonders as well.”

Martin sums up his feelings for Lynn and their marriage very sweetly, “Lynn is not just my wife or the other half of the management team that runs our family, she is my best friend and the person I want to hang out with more than anyone else in the world.”

“Snapshot of a Marriage” is a series from contributor Emily Westbrooks, who interviews couples on some of their secrets for a strong and successful marriage. With all of our focus on how to make your wedding special, we thought it was important to highlight some ways to make your marriage awesome, too! Click here to see previous Snapshots.

SNAPSHOT SUBMISSIONS  Do you know a married couple whose relationship you admire? Or maybe you’re married and want to share your words of wisdom! We’re now accepting submissions from couples who have been married for ten years or longer. Email Emily at [email protected] with your first names, how long you’ve been married, and a few sentences about why you’d like to be interviewed for our Snapshot of a Marriage series.

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