2006

I knew that this would happen, convincing friends to move to Austin – I just didn’t know who or when.  Then Hansell called last month letting me know he was scheduling an April apartment hunting trip for an early May move.  I. Was. Stoked.  You see, Hansell and I lived together from 2006 to 2007 in Tampa (see the picture above from our college-style digs).  We loved our friends, we loved laughing, and among a gazillion other things we had in common, we loved food – a perfect recipe for a fast friendship.

2007

And for every single thing we had in common, there were at least three things we didn’t have in common.  We’ve always joked about how living together forced us into a solid friendship, one that went right from non-existant to a best-ship.  And one that neither of us could have seen coming had we just met under normal circumstances.

2008

We met through my college friend and his childhood friend, our roommate Lex (pictured above).  And I met him the day he moved in – no “interview”.  I think I was crying about a boy when he arrived.  I wouldn’t have blamed him if, at that moment, he felt instant regret about moving in with two 23 year old girls.  Today, it makes for a good story.

2009

And then we had our share of hellos and goodbyes.  I moved to Dallas from 2008 to 2009.  And almost the moment after I returned to Tampa, I was throwing his farewell party because he accepted a temporary work position in London (picture above from said party).  We lived together briefly between my return and his departure.  I affectionately refer to that time as the “loveless marriage”, when we were both so busy that all we had time to talk about was whether or not he’d be home for dinner.

2010

By the time he settled back in Tampa, a lot of our core group of friends had either moved or gotten married (or moved and gotten married).  There were occasions that brought everyone out from the woodwork (like the Shea’s FL/GA extravaganza pictured above).  But a lot of the time we steered clear of our old scene and ended up parking ourselves upstairs at Fly.  We spent countless weekend nights at that bar, getting nerdy about cocktails and dreaming up plans for the future.  At some point along the way, and probably while perched at that very bar, we planned our escapes from Tampa, again.

2011

In the middle of 2011, Hansell resigned from his job and headed to Miami to develop something of his own.  And not so far behind him, I moved to Texas for the second time.  We kept in touch as often as two easily distracted friends could.  And every time we talked, I threw out a little plug for Austin.  He knew I wasn’t exaggerating, though.  I was happier here, lighter here, and anyone that knew me could tell.

I convinced him to visit last July, just as he was dreaming up plans to start a food-related app.  He loved it, and we not-so-jokingly joked about him moving here.  And after seven months of development, the app is no longer a dream – he’s here, in Austin, and on the verge of signing a lease.

So yes, I’m beyond excited to have a friend as close as family moving to my hood (so excited that I wrote a novel about it).  But!  What excites me even more is that his app goes live TOMORROW!!  So if you’re a restaurant lover and interested in finding and sharing fantastic dishes in your area, head on over to YumCrumb and see what it’s all about!