If anyone told me five years ago that I’d be living in Greenville, NC I would have laughed. Raised in a very rural area of Upstate (Central) NY where the cows outnumbered the cars 10 to 1, I learned to enjoy the peace and quiet. Fast forward to 2007 and my life was very, very different. I was driving 1000-1500 miles a week, running from store to store to store to store for the company I worked with so when I was fortunate enough to have time at home, I NEEDED that peaceful setting. Foolishly, I believed that I could find that balance that everyone talks about….what a lie. (Psssst…Work/Life Balance doesn’t really exist. We simply adapt to the tilt our life takes each moment and pray we don’t tip over!!)

As luck would have it, we found a house in the Greenville area and kind of ‘fell in love’ at first sight. Well, maybe not First Sight, but we had a very clear vision of what this unique home could look like with some love, paint, patience and (what we now know to be true…) a bit of money. It was like a scene from The Godfather; we made an offer they couldn’t refuse. Well, technically, they DID refuse it but we just knew this was where we were supposed to be and God didn’t fail us! Before we had time to think about it, we signed an Offer and bought our piece of heaven in Greenville, NC.

What changed my mind about being in Greenville? There were many things, but a few stand out in my mind:

• Convenience; We were close to all the amenities without being inside the City limits
• Friends; We could get together more often with friends
• Activities; From the Umbrella Market to the concerts at ECU, we were able to DO more
• People; The people here in Greenville are amazing!
• Greenville’s population is growing but it still has a ‘small town’ feel. People are connected and take time to really know each other in Greenville.
• Restaurants; There is such a diversity here that you can go from hot-dogs to surf & turf in an instant. The privately owned restaurants are just amazing, too.
• Growth; The infrastructure, the incredible growth of the Arts District, and the support of our local businesses….Greenville is growing by leaps and bounds.

If you notice, I haven’t mentioned the Medical or College spin. I don’t think that there are words to explain the impact these two areas have on Greenville, or how far-spread their impact is felt. They are employment giants, for sure, but it goes beyond the numbers of families they serve. It’s more about having a deep sense of Community. Inclusion and desire to do good things for a community who embraces the very existence of these institutions. It’s not only about how far we’ve come, but how far we will go.

Dream big, Greenville.