Like everyone else, we bolted from San Francisco as soon as Governor Newsome mentioned there was a shelter-in-place in March 2020. We, independently, called Black Butte Ranch, Oregon home for 2-3 months thanks to some good friends, and we met for the first time in the BBR. After a rowdy COVID Cinco de Mayo and some Burma Superstar-filled hangouts in SF, we decided to pack up and go back to our respective hometowns, maybe forever. But, thanks to some brave friends who kept their intimate New Hampshire wedding weekend that November (and a +1 for Suraj which is always risky), Suraj invited Amanda to a wedding in a NH cabin where she knew nobody (that changed...quickly). Yet again, there was the elephant in the room- how do we manage the fact Amanda lives at home in Raleigh and Suraj is using his buddy's place in Austin rent-free while he "figures it out"?!? Fate (and blind optimism) would really kick in from here. Amanda was convinced she would move out of SF, and get a car, dog, and house all in the same go. She got the car and she finally got off the waitlist for a dog (sweet little Meru). The breeder was in Dallas, and Suraj made a bold ask - come to Austin, stay with me for a week, let's see if this is going to go places. Amanda was crazy enough to take him up on it, and Suraj played the most important host and courting role of his life! Yet again, great times, but long distance was the elephant in the room. Fate kicks in again! Suraj had a golf trip canceled and conveniently invited himself to pick up the puppy with Amanda. He drove to Dallas to her brother's place, and showed off his fathering skills (and ability to deal with no sleep) for the next few days.
Fast-forward to 2021...55 days in the Hatfield home (24x7, not the type where you show up for dinner, clean, and leave before the hard questions get asked) and Meru getting too big to fly (and airlines removing ESA because of some country folks bringing their pigs on the plane) prompted Amanda to take a leap of faith, move to Austin in May 2021, and the rest is history. From Austin, to a "ski season" in Utah, to becoming homeowners (to buy a yard for Meru of course), to a test run in Portugal, to franchising a small business and everything in between...here we are :) Can’t wait for you to celebrate with us and add another adventure to the list!