Brandalyn Rhymes with Mandolin
That is how Brandalyn introduces herself.
She is a ray of sunshine and new in town. She hails from Raleigh, but don’t hold that against her. Tell her “Hello!”
Brandalyn is one of the nicest humans I’ve ever met. I don’t think there’s a mean bone in her body. That goes for her husband, David, as well. They moved to Charlotte three and a half months ago and have become staples in the Hygge community. What was life like before them? I don’t want to remember. It hurts.
They are genuinely great people. I had drinks with them last week. Yes, I third wheeled, but it was so much fun! I was sad when the last drop of beer was gone and it was time for them to go home.
During our hangout, I found out a lot. If you’re wondering how they met, don’t worry, I have you covered.
Long story short
- They were close friends in high school.
- He liked her.
- She friend-zoned him until late college.
- They lived happily ever after.
They also went to prom together and she wore white. Foreshadowing much?
Now I’m going to sell you on why you should be friends with Brandalyn. Are you ready?
She’s a Raleighite
“(David and I) are so Raleigh it hurts,” she laughs. “School in Raleigh, grew up in Raleigh, met in high school, like we’re as redneck Raleigh as it comes.”
If Raleigh Agenda needs an insider scoop, Brandalyn is your girl.
Apparently Charlotte’s food scene has some work to do, because Albert and Brandalyn said so. Hmph. If Raleigh’s food scene is sooooo good, what are the best places to eat, BRANDALYN?
- Sitti — Brandalyn swears by their food. I’m still skeptical about the name, but apparently they have awesome Lebanese food. So awesome, in fact, that Brandalyn worked there in college and had her wedding reception there.
- Stanbury — Brandalyn says the chefs got rave reviews in The New York Times. She was right. I guess I believe her now, although she says the fried sardines are superb. I’ve never eaten a sardine, but I’ve smelled them, so I may or may not try that dish.
OK, maybe I didn’t do a good job of selling you on why you should befriend her. Let me try again.
She has good taste in music
She and David only listen to Mipso Radio on Pandora at home.
The first time I heard Mipso, which was Mipso Trio at the time, was in my freshman year dorm room at UNC. My roommate was a Morganton native and played me her hometown band. “Morganton” is still one of my favorite songs and I did a project on Mipso for my PR Writing class senior year.
Brandalyn gets an A+ in my book.
How she’s adjusting
Well, it takes time. In Raleigh they used to know everyone.
Contemplating life.
“Raleigh is not a small town, it’s not a big city, it’s a small city,” she says.
A small city where the barista knew their order by heart and felt like family.
“Charlotte’s like that too, I just haven’t gotten to know it yet,” Brandalyn says. “That’s what I’m excited for, but that takes time, it takes relationships and it takes buying a lot of coffee.”
She knows other nice people
Brandalyn knows Haley Bohon, founder of the uber popular startup, Skillpop, from their college days at N.C. State.
At one point Haley lived in Brandalyn’s old house and continuously got her mail. Don’t you know you’re supposed to change your address, BRANDALYN?
On a serious note, Brandalyn and Haley are amazing people. I guess radiance attracts more radiance.
Bee social
Start up a conversation with Brandalyn if you ever run into her at Sabor eating nachos or at Neighborhood Theatre listening to Gillian Welch or at Goodwill searching through racks or at Hygge munching on her homemade snacks.
Not sure what to talk about? Just say bees. She is a customer marketing manager at CloudBees, an open source software company focused on DevOps, and has an affinity for bees in general.
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