A Charmed History

Creating and writing a blog is about the last thing I thought I would ever be doing. But… here I am.

I have spent the past 28 years of my life as an educator. My passion has always revolved around young children learning to read. I worked as a first- and second-grade teacher (boy, do I have stories I could tell!), a literacy coach working with K–4 teachers (even more stories to tell!), and a literacy specialist who trained early childhood teachers across Western Arkansas working for the Department of Education through our local Education Cooperative.

From 2018 to 2024, I spent six years in sales of reading materials for a growing company based outside of Chicago. This past year, I returned to the school setting as a reading teacher and Dyslexia Coordinator for a local school district.

As you can imagine, working anywhere in education is stressful these days. Acting on advice from my doctor, I made the decision to change careers to reduce the amount of stress in my life.

Perhaps the reason this change was a bit easier is because my youngest daughter, Laura, recently opened her own real estate brokerage in the charming town of Paris, Arkansas. Paris is quintessential Americana with its courthouse square and tree-lined streets full of historic homes. It sits about 45 miles east of Fort Smith and 115 miles west of Little Rock. The great thing about Paris is that it’s far enough from these bigger towns and cities that people rely on their neighbors for entertainment, support, and friendship. It’s a quaint little town with many historic streets and homes with stories to tell.

My favorite time of year in Paris is Christmas. Our family decorates and puts together a float in the parade and it is one of the highlights of our year. The parade kicks off with the official lighting of the courthouse. Thousands of people, from all around come to watch the monster trucks, churches, high school bands, fire departments, and yes, Santa Claus move down main street, around the court house and through town. It’s a Hallmark movie at Christmas time for sure!

Back to my recent career change. Laura’s brokerage sits on the north side of the square in a historic building that once housed the town’s butcher shop and locker plant. I have to admit, when she first showed me the space she was thinking about purchasing and refurbishing, I was skeptical. As you can see from the pictures, it was in need of more than a little TLC. Today, that building is beautifully refurbished. Beyond housing her brokerage, its historic charm has made it a popular gathering spot for town events, retirement parties, and baby showers. Laura has quite the eye for combining the charm of a place’s history with newer amenities that make it functional day-to-day.

When I expressed that I was experiencing what many educators face today—burnout and enormous amounts of job-related stress—she made me an offer I couldn’t refuse. I decided to jump headfirst into getting my real estate license and working with her and her team at Oak and Main Realty Group.

I am learning from her mighty team—consisting of herself and two local women—that above all, listening to clients’ needs and advocating for them are the most critical things I can do to become a successful realtor. I learned in a big way that it’s a lot like being an educator. As a teacher, I always wanted what was best for the students in my care. It’s the same way now with my clients: I want them to love the home they choose to purchase. If they are selling, I know that leaving a home they love is often hard and emotional.

As a new realtor, I want to always remember that the homebuying and selling process isn’t about me. Walking with and supporting my clients as they navigate the often frustrating and confusing process of buying and selling homes and property is my new mission.

After all, homes are where we do life. The people we love are housed there, spend time there, and it’s where our most sacred memories are held. My mission with this blog is to capture some of the essence of what people from all walks of life here in Arkansas find is important when creating their homes, along with some of the history their homes hold.

There was an educator, Debbie Miller, who I studied who always used the phrase, “Happy Reading!” So, I will end this with my own play on words, “Happy Homing!”