Selfie of Ellie on her front porch steps between her two pit bulls, Roger resting on the left and Ivy alert on the right

Roger (asleep), Ivy (never)

Hi, Lexington.

I'm the new one. Well, newish.

My name is Ellie.

If the BBQ buddies ad brought you here: yes, that was really me, and it was not a marketing bit. I am completely serious about the barbecue and even more serious about the buddies.

In 2024 my husband and I moved here from Indianapolis with a toddler and two pit bulls: Roger, who is elderly and deeply committed to napping, and Ivy, who has never once been calm. We knew exactly zero people. Since then I've learned that red slaw is not a typo, that the Barbecue Festival in October is not optional, and that making friends as an adult is somehow harder than moving itself.

So this little website is me, waving at the whole town. Lived here all your life? I need friends who know the hidden gems, the spots you'd never find on your own. New here too? Then we already have something in common. Either way, leave your email below. Here is everything that will ever happen:

I write back. Me, a person, within a day.
If you want to grab barbecue or coffee, I will genuinely show up. First tray is on me.
Once a month, one short note about town stuff worth knowing. That is the most email you will ever get from me.

Full honesty, because this town runs on it: I sell houses for a living. Howard Hanna Allen Tate, license and all. If you ever need that, well, now you know a person. But nobody ever made a friend through a pop-up form, and this page isn't that. This is just me, the new person in town, trying to turn strangers into friends.

Hi there!

A real reply from me is coming within a day, probably sooner. Consider us introduced.

Ellie

P.S. Roger and Ivy have adjusted. Roger naps straight through the humidity. Ivy has personally greeted every squirrel in Davidson County. The porch passed by unanimous vote.