Tia and Austin met in August of 2019, while attending graduate school at the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville. Although it wasn’t love at first sight - in fact, the first time Austin tried to talk to Tia she accidentally ignored him - the first time they actually spent time together was one for the books. They officially met at a bar called Sideways in downtown Fayetteville. By January of 2020, they were adopting their first pair of cats together, Saffron and Turmeric.
“They officially met at a bar called Sideways in downtown Fayetteville.”
After a year and a half of dating, Tia and Austin took the plunge in May 2021 and moved halfway across the country to Carrboro, North Carolina. They both had always wanted to move to the East Coast, so when Austin got a job at an engineering firm it was the perfect time. With nothing but a truck, a U-Haul, and their two cats, they drove across 3 states to the Piedmont region. Shortly after arriving in North Carolina, they brought home a small black cat named Pepper.
“With nothing but a truck, a U-Haul, and their two cats, they drove across 3 states to the Piedmont region.”
By 2022, about a year after moving to North Carolina, Tia and Austin decided it was time to officially settle down in the Durham-Chapel Hill area. In March 2022, they closed on their first house together, a cute ranch style house with a backyard perfect for their first canine companion. Not even two months later, they brought home Coconut, their Husky German Shepherd mix with a penchant for pine cones. One month later, they brought home Clove, a tiny, 4 lb black cat and Pepper’s emotional support animal.
“In March 2022, they closed on their first house together, a cute ranch style house with a backyard perfect for their first canine companion.”
However, it was nearing the end of 2022 and the Francis-Keefer family still wasn’t quite complete. You’d think four cats, one dog, and a house would be enough. But, in October 2022, Austin and Tia adopted Curry - a small husky with lots of attitude and demands to go around. Coconut and Curry became fast friends and co-conspirators in the mission to befriend the cats. And with that, the Francis-Keefer family was complete.
