This summer we will have lived in our country home for five years. That’s longer than we’ve lived in any other home in our almost 18 years of marriage.

We had 13 other addresses before we moved here. After some quick math, that’s a total of 14 moves in 13 years.

Our last move was also our first to the country. All of the other places we lived were in town.

Is there some significance between moving to the country and living here the longest? Perhaps.

From the day we were married, I always knew we would one day move to the country, and probably the ranch. It was just a matter of time before Handsome Hubby was drawn back.

And while country life has certainly grown on me, I must admit that I would probably still choose to live in town if it were up to me. But it’s not.

It would just be so much easier to run the girls to their music lessons or sports practices, and then be able to come home until I needed to go back and pick them up. If I tried that now, I would have to turn around and head back to town almost as soon as I got home. So I can’t.

Thankfully, we moved to the country when the girls were young enough to appreciate its advantages. They enjoy being able to have critters larger in size and number than any city kids, and they have fun getting an occasional ride on their grandpa’s four wheeler. They get their exercise climbing the hay bales in the late summer and fall, and they cool off running through the pivot irrigation system – a sprinkler much larger than any city kid could possibly imagine.

Horse Lover has lamented from time to time that none of her friends live close enough for quick and frequent play dates. That is one disadvantage to living in the country. But that frustration generally passes quickly.

Both Horse Lover and Sports Girl sometimes wish out loud, as I have quietly, that I could run them home after their last activity and before their sister’s next one, but there’s rarely time for the 30-minute round trip and it certainly can’t be justified. So we often spend extra time in town. This means frequent trips to the convenience store for snacks, drinks and restroom visits; it also means regular visits to the library, which is always a good place to kill time. A stop at the grocery store is also often on our agenda for these in between times.

I hope making these sacrifices for each other will help teach my girls that life isn’t always centered around them. We must give-and-take for the benefit of others — especially our family. I guess that’s exactly what I’m doing by living in the country. Although it’s not really a sacrifice — just a little bit of give, I guess.

In the end, I think I’m the only one in the family who has really had to make the big adjustment to country life. After all, the kids can move to town when they are out on their own if they want to. I think I’ll be here for the duration. And I’m OK with that.