On Dogs, Connections, and Living in Ardmore
The light that fills my foyer late in the afternoon is alive with dust motes, remnants of shakes and wags from my two dogs. I first laid eyes on both of them at Forsyth County Animal Shelter, but in two different chapters of my life. They are comprised of quirks, muddy paws, dander, and endless enthusiasm.
After adopting them, I hired a pet care company to exercise and feed them when I was occupied or out of town. The pet care providers walked them along charming streets in the largest residential neighborhood in Winston-Salem, Ardmore, where I was living with my family at the time.
While living in Ardmore, I walked to First Street Draft House (RIP) or Stella Brew for a winter warmer on a snow day. I laughed loudly and ate well while huddled around backyard fires on chilly evenings. I was repeatedly captivated by century-old trees and bungalows in golden hour light during the summer.
Many new connections stemmed from living in Ardmore, sometimes because they lived close by, sometimes because we learned after the fact that we were actually neighbors (no way), sometimes because they just wanted to pet my dogs.
Those people unknowingly inspired me to breathe life into creative and grassroots projects that were ruminating in my brain. We knowingly got each other through the pandemic.
I didn’t know it at the time, but those passion projects were the foundation of my work today as a community-focused Realtor and marketer, and those connections are woven into my work still.
The same person who owned that pet care company now operates a coaching business and is an ongoing marketing client of mine. My last real estate transaction of 2025 was an updated ranch-style home just a couple of blocks from where I used to live.
This is how Winston-Salem — and community in general — works. We dance around each other as our roles and goals shift, somehow synchronized and nebulous at the same time, and we inspire each other as we go. We begin to see familiar faces everywhere we go. Our connections ebb and flow as we move through life’s seasons. Our go-to spots become unfamiliar, and familiar again.
I used to deeply mourn the waning of connections, but I’ve become more comfortable with the idea that we are all continuously morphing and moving in our own directions for our own reasons. We are fortunate to live in a community that so often feels like a soft place to land, no matter where we might be at the time.
As a Realtor, I say that I’m with my clients for the hellos, the goodbyes, and all of the life in between. There is truly so much in the in-between.
Interesting in living in Ardmore? Get in touch to learn more about available homes and financing options.