Sarah wears: The Pandora Moments Studded Chain Bracelet, and the Sparkling Asymmetric Wave Ring Set rings.
It seems crazy to meet the love of your life at primary school – but that’s when I first laid eyes on him. There was never one defining moment, we definitely weren’t childhood sweethearts or anything but I remember him at school – this little boy from a big family, always kicking a ball around on the top field. At that stage we were completely indifferent to each other – he had his friends, and I had mine. And it stayed that way until we’d finished high school and somehow afterwards our groups of friends all merged together. I always laugh when I think we went to each other’s 21st birthday parties but we barely knew each other – still, I’m glad I can say I was there.
He became my best friend first. And honestly, we tried not to be anything more than that. But every time we pulled away, it felt like an elastic band would snap us back together. Once we officially started going out, it all happened pretty quick. He proposed to me 6 months later while sitting on a castle wall in Havana, Cuba, and I thought he was joking. I kept saying ‘Andy – get up off your knee – this isn’t funny!’ We got married a few months after that.
The catalyst to our speedy wedding was because my dad was sick – and I wanted him to be there. It was a huge Irish wedding – lots of my relatives flew over from Ireland to celebrate and there was Irish dancing, and copious amounts of alcohol. Neither of us wanted to leave. Andy still says the ‘day after party’ at my parents house was his favourite part of the wedding, as all the formalities were over and he could just relax. But for me, it was the ceremony – the little chapel, the flowers, the speeches. I wore my sister’s wedding dress because there wasn’t time to get one made.
Andy injects fun and spontaneity into my every day. He’s very social and loves to go out – he can still be a little wild at times. I love that about him. I tend to veer onto the pessimistic side so I love his optimism and the way he views the world. He doesn’t sweat the small stuff. We just enjoy each other’s company – whether it’s hauling three kids around the world, or waltzing around the kitchen on the weekends once they’re in bed. He’s incredibly intelligent too – without a doubt the smartest person I know.
Having children has certainly changed our lives and relationship. We’ve both mellowed a bit. People often ask me what was the biggest step one to two, or two to three, and I always reply ‘zero to one!’ I found the shift from only looking after myself to looking after a baby absolutely massive. Just adjusting to life with a baby changes you. And it’s in those early days of parenthood you definitely see the worst in each other – you’re tired, and for me I felt a real sense of losing my identity when I became a mum because I felt like I wasn’t a journalist anymore. I missed that, and then I felt guilty for missing it. Whereas Andy still got to get up and go to work every day. I always knew he would make a good dad but he’s even better than I could have hoped. I love how he adores the kids. We put them to bed at 7pm each night, and at the end of every day we have a big debrief on our days, and then we often (like an old married couple) watch a show on Netflix together. But at least once a month we make sure we have a ‘date night’ where it’s just the two of us.
Even in the bad times, he somehow makes them better. When my Dad died my eldest Rafferty was only four weeks old. I cried every day for 18 months, and he was just there for me. Two years later Sloane was seven weeks premature and I had to have an emergency C-section. I felt so hollow, and guilty for not bringing her into the world safely. It was all consuming. When I told Andy this he looked at me and said ‘but you saved her life’. I held onto those words so tight. And I thought of them every day in the SCBU [neonatal] unit where she lived for a month, and for the year afterwards when I had to give her daily vitamin D and iron supplements. It helped. It’s so cliche but all our challenges have brought us closer together. Sometimes I think about how carefree and unknowing we were when we got married. There is a depth to us now that only comes through time, and from living. He makes me feel so loved and supported. He makes me feel safe.
Photography by Mike Rooke
Makeup by Kiekie Stanners from Loser Kid.
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The Pandora Moments Studded Chain Bracelet, and the Sparkling Asymmetric Wave Ring Set rings.
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