Wife Life Balance

We started talking about haircuts. Naturally, 10 minutes later, we were discussing sperm.

This week, we're looking back at how we got here. Five failed IUIs, IVF, 26 embryos, two very different pregnancies, and the fact that we somehow now have two actual children running around our house.

We get into what it was like building our family as two women, the very different experiences we had giving birth, and what nobody really prepares you for when you go from one kid to two.

And because we can't stay on one topic for too long, there's also some questionable haircut advice, a watermelon comparison that probably didn't need to happen, and our ongoing attempt to figure out whether our toddler is testing boundaries or just having a really hard time being three.

Turns out you can love this stage of life and also desperately want to fast-forward through parts of it.

Welcome to Wife Life Balance.

We started this conversation talking about our anniversary and somehow ended up unpacking just about every relationship decision that brought us here. 😆

From dating at 15 and spending 14 years apart, to staying in relationships way longer than we should have, almost marrying other people, and eventually finding our way back to each other.

We also revisit our very COVID wedding, how we managed to get married in SIX DAYS, and why our neighbors' first impression of us involved two wedding dresses, a U-Haul, and champagne.

Somewhere between all of that, we get into people pleasing, knowing when a relationship isn't right, and what it feels like to finally be with someone who lets you be completely yourself.

A little funny, a little emotional, and a whole lot of us.

Welcome to Wife Life Balance. 💛

Well… that escalated quickly.

Last episode, our biggest debate was whether making the bed is a requirement of adulthood. This week, Ashlee ended up in the back of an ambulance.

After taking cold medicine while sick, an unexpected medication interaction contributed to episodes of SVT that sent Ashlee to the emergency room and ultimately kept her in the hospital overnight.

And while she's okay and can laugh about parts of it now, there were moments when she genuinely believed she wasn't going to make it home.

So we talk about it.

What it feels like when the person who spends her life taking care of everyone else suddenly becomes the patient. What it's like watching your wife leave in an ambulance while your kids are still asleep upstairs. The strange experience of continuing to parent and keep life moving while something terrifying is happening in the background. And the emotional aftermath that doesn't necessarily hit until everything is over.

Somehow, we also manage to discuss Costco's aggressively timed DayQuil display, Bethany fulfilling her lifelong dream of dramatically banging on the back of an ambulance, why you should apparently always wear clean underwear, and whether normal people put on a fresh pair before bed.

Because apparently that's how we process trauma around here.

Mostly, though, this one is about perspective; slowing down long enough to appreciate your life, your family, the people who show up for you, and the person standing beside you through all of it.

Take care of yourselves. Take care of your people. And, apparently, read the entire medication label.

Welcome back to Wife Life Balance.

Well… it's been a while.

We finally found a quiet 28 minutes while our kids were sleeping, turned on the microphones, and talked. No agenda. No perfectly packaged topic. Just us.

We talk about what happens when your best friend is right in front of you every day, but somewhere between work, toddlers, bedtime and trying to keep everyone alive, you realize you actually miss them.

Then, naturally, we end up discovering (again) just how differently we grew up. One of us made her bed every morning and had porcelain dolls displayed neatly on shelves. The other was outside skinning her knees and occasionally needed to clear a path through her bedroom floor.

Somehow, we married each other.

We get into cleanliness, routines, parenting, ADHD, why Bethany simultaneously needs structure and wants absolutely nothing to do with it, raising two little humans, sharing clothes, the importance of laughing with your person, and why sometimes you just need to remind each other: same team.

We're very different people. But as Ashlee put it, we're the same in the ways that matter, and the rest of it just balances.

Welcome back to Wife Life Balance.

Ashlee & Bethany start their first episode (of what will likely be many) on their fertility journey so far.  

The hope is to educate others on the steps ahead of them when they decide to start their family. If you're not at a point where you're ready for that step, this episode can either give you a glimpse into what lies ahead, or what your friends/family go through when they face their fertility journey. 

Ashlee opens up about her father's battle with cancer, and how she navigated this hard time as both a daughter and a nurse. 

Coping mechanisms to get through grief. 

Signs in all shapes and forms; feeling your loved ones after they leave the physical world and the peace it can bring you if you allow yourself to be open to them. 

Starting new traditions to celebrate the life and memories of those still with us, rather than waiting until it's too late to reminisce. 

The first feelings of love as children and adolescents

Ashlee & Bethany's instant connection

Self-love and the power of hearing love song as it relates to YOURSELF, rather than other people

Witnessing examples of love and how that reflects the love you search for as an adult

Ashlee & Bethany answer questions about love from listeners

Prioritizing mental health in a world where "sick days" are limited and you don't have the physical symptoms to take the day off 

Not living your authentic life, going against your internal knowing, and the effects that has on your mental health 

The crippling worry of what other people are thinking of you and the spiral effect that can have on all areas of your life

The journey of therapy and how things get messier before they get better

IT'S HAPPENING! This is an intro episode to set the tone of what our podcast will entail. This is a space to talk REAL talk - the good stuff, the hard stuff, and the stuff you didn't even know you wanted to talk about.  Want us to dive into a particular topic? Email us at [email protected].  Cheers!