Have you ever met a couple and just known that they were meant for each other? Lee and Barb Lyons’ love story makes us swoon, and we think it’ll warm you right up, too.
Read their beautiful story below!
The Lyons, A Chaos Story
It was one of Barb’s first days working the first class cabin as a flight attendant for Northwest Airlines. Already, she had run into a small problem: locating the champagne glasses. She frantically searched the unfamiliar front of the plane but was coming up dry.
Lee, a gentleman who was on military leave from Northwest Airlines and was sitting near the front gally, noted her dismay. He knew where the glasses were normally stored and stood up to help Barb find them. They were indeed missing, however. Instead, he helped her pop the champagne into normal glasses and plopped back down in his seat. Everyone who ordered the drink received a bigger pour than usual, becoming quite a bit giggly.
“I think that man is pretty cute,” remarked one of Barb’s coworkers. Barb couldn’t help but agree, but she shooed the thought away. She had promised herself that she wouldn’t date passengers, and that was that.
Soon after, a woman with her baby came to use the restroom. Barb offered to hold the little boy and found herself sitting next to the cute man. She and Lee cooed over the baby — look at those little hands! And those feet! He’s such a softie! — and they spoke for a few minutes. The woman came back and Barb resumed working the cabin.
After a smooth flight, the plane landed in MSP. While Lee was deboarding, he stopped Barb to ask her on a date. Barb refused, explaining that she didn’t date passengers. However, she reluctantly gave him her phone number. “If you remember this tomorrow, you can give me a call,” she said. Shortly after, they had their first date at a bar in downtown Minneapolis.
Their date went fantastically. When their waiter asked if they were married, Barb laughingly replied, “I’ve been trying to get him to propose, but he just won’t pull the trigger.”
But Lee did eventually. And maybe a bit sooner than they expected. With Barb often traveling for work, they didn’t have much time to see each other before Lee was deployed to the Philippines for 18 months. Despite this, Lee proposed to Barb before being whisked away. They opened up to each other through tapes and letters during his time abroad, and they were married three days after he was back in the U.S. They spent their honeymoon in the Virgin Islands and moved to Fort Meade, Maryland upon return.
After 16 months, Lee left the service and they moved back to Minneapolis, where they adopted two beautiful daughters from South Korea.
Years later, it was their youngest who convinced them to fall for the charm of raising horses.
“For couples to enjoy each other, they have to have a passion together, and ours happened to be the love of horses and animals,” they tell me. This passion led them to leaving their home in Wayzata of 28 years for a larger, more quiet plot of land in Delano, Minn. They’ve been in the same spot for 17 years now.
Recently retired, they take care of their farm together. “We’re a good team,” Barb says warmly. They show me around, and you can tell that their horses are their closest thing to having more children. They mention that one horse is now 28 years old, and they have a photo inside from the day she was born. Since she was born in February, she was comically dressed in their daughter’s Gap sweatshirt to stay warm.
But this year, they’re shifting their focus from raising their animals to making changes to their home. “Now it’s time for Mama to get her kitchen!” Barb exclaims. They use this area to entertain, and they’re excited for simple updates: a modern fridge, a microwave in their new island, a more organized space for entertaining guests. They both love to cook and are excited that an open floor plan will make it easier for them to move around.
“Maybe you’ll love the stove so much, I won’t have to cook!” Barb says to Lee, laughing heartily.
Our goal for this renovation is to be a positive addition to Barb and Lee’s lives; to make their relationship and routine run more smoothly. And, of course, to create a home they both love.
Stay tuned for more updates on their renovation…XO!
June 28: This sweet couple’s renovation is finished! See renovation >
