Austin came to New Orleans in September 2023 to visit his best friend, Gentry, who happened to be dating my best friend, Katie (now happily engaged!!). On his first night in town, Katie called me to come hang out with them. I noticed him right away… and it was pretty clear he noticed me too. We spent the whole night dancing with friends and having the best time together. Our second time seeing each other came with a live performance by our Uber driver, Kerry, who proudly serenaded us with his original hit, “The Wun Nut Strut.” Yes, he popped an actual cassette tape into his car stereo. Yes, the song was about a squirrel. And yes, he passionately sang every word while we tried our best not to laugh in the back seat! (You can find the Wun Nut Strut line dance on YouTube.) From there, we made plans to see each other every day… except for two days when I told Austin ahead of time that I’d be insanely busy and wouldn’t be able to talk much. But we already had tickets for a Moon Taxi concert at Tipitina’s the following night, so nothing to worry about, right?! Apparently not. That information went in one ear and out the other, because during those 48 hours he convinced himself I had ghosted him and proceeded to tell everyone. Dramatically. Frequently. It was extremely on brand and honestly very funny. (Austin is still willing to die on that hill and swears I ghosted him.) Once he finally snapped out of it, we went to see Moon Taxi and had the best time! After the concert, we headed to the French Quarter, where I gracefully fell into a pothole and started profusely bleeding in the middle of the street. Our Uber driver took one look at me and refused to let me in the car… but he was kind enough to toss me a dirty bar rag to stop the bleeding. So, naturally, I hailed a cab (my superpower), and Solomon, king among cab drivers, took us straight to Walgreens. Austin ever so romantically treated me to some gauze and bandages, patched me up, and I headed off for stitches while he Ubered home… with none other than Kerry again. And yes, Kerry performed The Wun Nut Strut again! Austin was convinced there was no way I’d ever speak to him after all of that, but the next night I showed up and invited him to meet my family and family friends the next day. He walked into the house and was immediately greeted with, “Hi, nice to meet you. Why’d you push her in a pothole?” He survived the interrogation like a champ. Later that night, we went to a blues concert, and that’s when everything changed. We followed the band outside, danced together in the street, and both just knew. I told him, “We’re both thinking the same thing, we’re just not saying it.” And he said, “I love you.” We had known each other for eight days (six, if you subtract the two days Austin swears I ghosted on him), but it didn’t matter. We were completely sure. By the end of his two-week trip, Austin already had plans to move to New Orleans. We did long distance for ten months, though Austin spent more time in New Orleans than Nashville during that stretch. And now, he’s officially here – right where he’s meant to be: dancing with me in the street and saving me from potholes. And the rest is just the beginning.