Sarah M. Wells

Marriage: Year Ten

Fall 2012: Learning Why We Make Vows Here is one thing I learned in the fall of 2012: There are some people in the world who don’t care about your marriage vows. Here is another thing I learned in the fall of 2012: I do. There is tension, temptation, strength, and fear between those twoContinueContinue reading “Marriage: Year Ten”

Marriage: Year Nine

January 2012: Learning about Nutrition Rescued by the saving grace of the Whole 30, Brandon and I became food evangelists. If 18-year-old fresh convert Sarah was obnoxious with her “everybody gets a Bible for Christmas” evangelizing, 29-year-old Paleo diet Sarah challenged her to laps around the dining room table. But cutting out dairy, cheese, sugar,ContinueContinue reading “Marriage: Year Nine”

Marriage: Year Eight

2010-2011: Learning about Delight The seventh time we get pregnant will be the last, whether it sticks or not, and this one does. Every moment of this pregnancy is treasure. This is the last time in my life I will carry the promise of a child, feel the interior pressure of kicks and movement, useContinueContinue reading “Marriage: Year Eight”

Marriage: Year Seven

2009-2010: Learning about Friendship After the MFA program’s summer residency in August 2010 I went to the doctor to find the heartbeat of our sixth pregnancy and found none, again, and this time the sadness is buried in a dogpile of toddler and preschooler on top of me. Lydia is four and Elvis turns threeContinueContinue reading “Marriage: Year Seven”

Marriage: Year Six

This is entry #6 leading up to celebrating 15 years of marriage. 2008-2009: Learning the Value of Tradition (and Repetition) What do you do when your kids are one and two? You walk to the park every sunny day. You eat breakfast and snack and lunch and nap and snack and dinner and bathe andContinueContinue reading “Marriage: Year Six”

Marriage: Year Five

This is entry #5 leading up to celebrating 15 years of marriage. Fall 2007: Learning about Limits We moved to Ashland the last weekend of October, just as every family in town tucked away their yard furniture and pets to begin their winter hibernation. After being a full-time teacher and three-season high school coach, BrandonContinueContinue reading “Marriage: Year Five”

Marriage: Year Four

This is entry #4 leading up to celebrating 15 years of marriage. 2006-2007: Learning about Miracles When we found out about Elvis, Lydia was six months old and we weren’t even trying to get pregnant (except we were doing everything you’d normally do to get pregnant). Apparently sometimes it really does just happen. Being pregnantContinueContinue reading “Marriage: Year Four”

Marriage: Year Three

This is entry #3 leading up to celebrating 15 years of marriage. Spring 2006: Learning about Abundance The third baby we conceived gave me heartburn like you wouldn’t believe and wanted to arrive 12 weeks early. To keep the contractions from coming, I went on modified bed rest, which basically meant I could lounge aroundContinueContinue reading “Marriage: Year Three”

Marriage: Year Two

This is entry #2 leading up to celebrating 15 years of marriage. Fall 2004: Learning about the Slowness of Grief The first baby we conceived was a partial mole pregnancy. To make sure the cancerous cells of the embryo were discharged fully from my system and not developing further in my lungs, I went weeklyContinueContinue reading “Marriage: Year Two”

Marriage: Year One

This month we’re celebrating our 15th wedding anniversary. I thought it could be fun to pull one or two memories from each year and reflect on how our marriage and lives have changed me, leading up to our actual anniversary. I can’t write with as much authority about how this relationship has changed us, exceptContinueContinue reading “Marriage: Year One”