The Top 10 Surprises in Transitioning to Country Living

The night before we moved, Mike and I wondered if we were crazy. Was this a bad idea fueled by HGTV binges? Suburbia was all we had ever known. Neither of us had grown up on property - much less owned over 5 acres and a barn. It was a dream we knew many had - and we were making our dream come true. But... what if we hated it?? We had no choice at that point but to jump in with both feet. It wasn't a completely smooth transition - I won't lie. The neighbors still jokingly call us "city slickers." Below, in no particular order, are the top 10 surprises we've encountered in 9 months of country living..

10) Wildlife is abundant. We learned pretty early on (read: days after moving in) that if you have a forest in your backyard - you can also expect forest animals. One night we heard coyotes yelping so loud it sounded as if they were next to the windows. Silly me, I muttered something about teenage girls being super loud outside. Then, my brain restarted, and I remembered where I had moved - to the middle of acreage with nary a teenage girl in sight. That's when we learned Boston (our labradoodle) could not be outside after sundown. We regularly hear strange noises at night - one of those noises was even identified as a fox. We've seen (and killed) our fair share of rattlesnakes near the house, the dog has been skunked, we came home to a hawk eating a large jack rabbit on our lawn, and we've seen our resident owl go after bats at dusk. We also see deer, bobcats, and recently heard word of a mountain lion down the street. It's actually pretty cool to have nature right outside our door - but we do think twice about going outside late at night, and definitely pay careful attention to our surroundings. Much more so than we did in the 'burbs!

My (very poor) picture of a coyote in the neighborhood.

9) It's so QUIET! I never thought our previous home was loud at night - until I moved to the country. The still and quiet at night makes my old neighborhood seem like a blaring city in comparison. Sure, we hear the occasional fox or owl - but no traffic, no neighbors, nothing but crickets. It's amazing. The same goes for the day time. It is absolutely peaceful. Summer mornings are perfect for opening up all of the (many) windows and just listening to the wind through the trees and the birds. This is one of the things I was most surprised to love. After a busy work day, coming home is honestly like coming to a sanctuary - a respite from our otherwise very busy lives.

A little end of the work week relaxation on the deck.

8) The scenery is calming. This adds to the respite described in #9. It's tough to be stressed when the views outside of every window are all God's doing. Trees, pastures, wildlife - no fences or cars. Joanna Gaines taught us that a home in the middle of property doesn't always need window coverings. When your views are as amazing as ours, take the window treatments down and let the views be the art. I really think God designed his handiwork to be calming to our souls - and I feel it here when I look out the windows, or walk through the property. It's absolutely serene and helps me to recenter on whose I am.

Starting the day off right. You can't be mad with a view like this.

7) ARACHNOPHOBIA! Apparently spiders like trees. We have a lot of trees, and hence a lot of spiders. In our first couple weeks here, I saw multiple LARGE spiders per day - no two the same. It didn't take us long to get a pest control service to keep the spiders OUT. Here's one that we found outside, thankfully dead.

No words.

Yes, that's a tarantula. A TARANTULA. If I see one in my house, I may actually die. Thankfully, that has been the only one I've seen.. so far.

6) SPACE. Enough said. What do you do with over 5 acres? Whatever the heck you want! Right now we have a barn and several pastures. Longer term we'd like a vineyard, pool, pool house, sports courts and the list goes on. If we can dream it (and save up the cash for it) we can do it. It's that simple.

5) PRIVACY. See above - when the pool goes in, we're surrounded by nature - there aren't any fences for neighbors to look through. (Yes, that happened before) We don't have to worry that our kids are too loud, or our music offensive (hey, Tupac). No one can hear us - except the deer, and surely they'd appreciate the company.

4) A walk to the neighbors' is actually a hike. I brought cookies to a couple down the street a couple weeks ago (after my dog roughed theirs up a bit) - the distance between our doors was enough to have the kids whining for a break. That's been a big change. Old house - my neighbors across and down the street were a staple in my daily sanity. One step outside and we were having a glass of wine together. Here, I have to put on my running shoes and pack a bottle under my arm to share.

3) The work is truly endless. There is always something to do on over 5 acres. Hundreds of trees means hundreds of leaves. Rain storms make every flipping tree drop large branches EVERYWHERE. My dog really works to spread his droppings across every corner of the property - and heck no I don't trek through every inch to find them. He's not trying to make anything any easier though. In suburbia, you plant your flowers, trim your lawn, weed, and you're done.. satisfied that all is pristine. Here? You can't ever really say that you're done, because you're not. You won't ever be.

Mike and his new toy. Didn't need a blower in the suburbs!

2) Lots of trees also means free, endless firewood. We've already had a tree go down and chopped it up for the already full wood pile. We used to purchase a cord of firewood every fall - no need to do so anymore! With two fireplaces, we'll use it too!

1) It's the most amazing way for my kids to grow up. Back in the suburbs I couldn't just let my littles go out front without supervision. Here? Our actual property is gated so I don't worry about them.. and they play for hours. HOURS. Even the teenager. There is so much to explore - Christian actually found an owl pellet the other day and dissected it. (Yes, gross - but your kids will do it in elementary school and think it's awesome) What is amazing is that there really isn't anything fancy outside right now - we have a swing and a trampoline, yes. Still, they will explore for hours on end, and just come in to grab a snack to bring back outside. I love that - and I love that they can grow up this way.

It's safe to say - spiders and snakes aside - the good far outweighs the bad for us out here on our piece of land. Mike and I both agree - this is the life for us. God knew it when he planted the dream in our hearts - this place fills our souls in a way nothing else could. We're officially those country folk.. still figuring it out.. but country nonetheless.