The Honorary Chairs for the Ball were Lisa and Clay Cooley, longtime supporters of the DSO and the Dallas community. The Presentation Ball Chair was Karen Cox and DSOL President is Cynthia Beaird. All knew well what to expect during the debutante season. The Cooley’s daughter Ciara made her debut in 2016 and Karen’s daughter Isabella was presented in 2020. Cynthia was the Presentation Ball Chair in 2011 and her daughter Jane made her debut in 2008.

“Serving as the Dallas Symphony Orchestra League Presentation Ball Chairman has been a distinct honor and a true joy,” said Karen. “Our 2023 debutantes are bright, accomplished and driven to make a positive difference in their communities. Our Debutante families and our generous donors are making a lasting impact on our beneficiaries, the extraordinary education and outreach programs of the Dallas Symphony Orchestra.”

The incomparable Jan Strimple was given recognition on the stage as this was her final year as Choreographer of the ball. She is turning the reins over the Densil Adams who cofounded Preston Center Dance in 1990. Assisting Densil will be Mia Davis, who has had two Debutante daughters. Jan brought grace and sophistication to each of the presentations for the past 24 years and has taught close to a thousand girls how to do the Texas Dip with poise and confidence. 

There were several legacy families who have been involved with the Presentation Ball since its founding.

Vaughn Miller’s mother Tincy Miller founded the event in 1987 and he was among the first Honor Guard group in the inaugural year. This year, daughter Gigi made her debut and brothers Vaughn and Vance served as Honor Guards.

Members of the Averitt/Duvall families were present for the debut of Natalie Duvall. Her mom Susan Averitt Duvall made her debut in the inaugural presentation ball and sister Madelyn Duvall was presented in 2020. Susan’s brother Mark Averitt was a member of the first group of Honor Guards, and brother Don Averitt worked behind the scenes and graciously greeted the guests. Their work and support has continued since that time. Susan’s sister-in-law Barbara Averitt has assisted the debutantes since the first ball and sister-in-law Kendra Averitt has worked with the honor guard for many years. The Averitt family has continued their support of the Dallas Symphony for over 30 years.  

There were numerous parents who have had debutante daughters in prior years including Heather and Bill Esping, Megan and John Pigott, and Dawne and Patrick Tribolet, along with Michelle and Erik Ward.

Among those in attendance included Sarah and Mark Hardin, Linda Burk and John Gilmore, Kim Noltemy, Marena Gault, and Kristi and Ron Hoyl.

The 2023 Debutantes are: Britton Barcus, Margaret Bracken, Stephanie Ciarochi, Kate Clark, Sarah Crow, Elena Dewar, Gracie Dix, Natalie Duvall, Arden Eiland, Charlotte Esping, Kaitlin Ann Kelly, Celeste Lay, Ella Marks, Ellie Michaelson, Gigi Miller, Lydia Pigott, Morgan Potter, Sasha Schwimmer, Ellie Steindorf, Catherine Stiles, Elizabeth Thompson, Lucy Tilden, CeCe Tribolet, Danielle Ward, Paige Williams, and Nicole Zimmer.

The Presentation Ball was created with the vision of long-time League member Tincy Miller, who also chaired the first ball.

The Presentation Ball, which was first held in 1987, is the largest fundraiser for the DSOL. Over $13 million has been raised for the Dallas Symphony Orchestra through the annual event. 

Founded in 1946, the DSOL’s mission is to support the Dallas Symphony Orchestra through service, education and fundraising activities. Since 1998 the League has contributed over $21 million in support of the Dallas Symphony Association’s Community Outreach and Education programs, which help bring the wonder of the Dallas Symphony Orchestra to thousands of youths and adults in the Dallas Metroplex.

Though Scott and Beth Susens are not Park Cities natives, they love being able to call the area home. Scott, born in California, grew up in Chicago and Fort Wayne, Indiana. After attending college at Indiana University where he studied finance, he moved to Dallas to become an investment banker. “Though I came for investment banking, I ended up getting into the IT business early,” shared Scott. “I worked for broadcast.com and Yahoo! where I began to work in software development and management.” Scott now builds software for ConnectWise.

Beth’s parents are from northwest Indiana, and due to her father’s job with Campbell Soup, the family moved frequently. She lived in Illinois, New Jersey, and Nebraska, before moving to Paris, Texas, where she attended elementary school. She attended high school in Pennsylvania and later moved to Dallas to go to college at Northwood University. She worked for several law firms in Dallas and then Procter & Gamble before staying at home with her children.

The couple met while Scott was installing a computer system for a law firm that Beth was working for. They were both seeing other people, but an insistent coworker eventually set them up on a date. “Initially, neither one of us were interested in the other,” said Beth. “We were both dating other people, and Scott is a hunter and fisherman and very outdoorsy, something I am not.” Their first date occurred at Dodie’s for crawfish, which Beth was not prepared for. “I really just pushed it around on my plate, not wanting to touch it,” she laughed. After dating for a bit, the two ended up going their separate ways until two years later when Beth called Scott to ask him out on a date. “After dating again, I knew that he was the one,” said Beth. Scott continued, “Apparently, I was moving too slow, so Beth actually proposed to me. It was more of ‘Here are some choices for dates. Pick one.’ One was in the middle of hunting season, so that was not going to work,” laughed Scott.

Scott and Beth have two children, Miller and Michael. Miller, age 27, has a degree in Music Education from the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music. She was a part of the orchestra at HPHS as well as the Greater Dallas Youth Orchestra and New Conservatory of Dallas. “With a degree in music education, she had to learn how to teach music and how to play every instrument,” explained Beth. “She started playing cello at age 10 but needed to learn all instruments for her degree and teaching license. She now teaches 4^th-6^th grade elementary strings in Fairfax County, Virginia and loves it.” She is currently preparing to audition for her Master’s degree in cello performance.

Michael, age 25, works at Chance’s Coffee Shop at the Tolleson Building through Highland Park United Methodist Church and To Be Like Me, a disability awareness program that breaks down barriers and fosters compassion. “Highland Park has been a blessing to us,” said Beth. “We moved to the Park Cities from East Dallas in 2004. The Highland Park school’s special education programs emphasize inclusion and giving everyone a chance regardless of ability. The teachers and resources make the programs a success. Their transition program after high school was an amazing boost to Michael’s confidence and job skills. The skills acquired during the transition program with job coaches allowed Michael to be employable in different areas after graduation. We also have wonderful local businesses in our community that have stepped up and given our population with disabilities a chance at employment.”

With a passion for advocacy, Beth stays active as a board member of the Autism Treatment Center and is involved with the Belong Disability Ministry at HPUMC. She spent a good amount of time while her children were in HP schools also volunteering in various roles. Hobbies for her and Scott include cooking and traveling. “I love to cook,” said Beth. “Scott is a great cook as well, and he does all the grilling. He even bottles his own barbeque sauce. For Valentine’s Day, instead of going out to eat, Scott cooks a special dinner, and we enjoy dinner just the two of us.” The Susens also grow herbs and vegetables and love experimenting with new cuisines. “We cook at home more than we eat out, but when we do dine out, we love to try new places,” Scott shared. Beth says she models her cooking style from Food Network host Ina Garten saying, “Not everything has to be hard to serve a great meal!” Scott, on the other hand, says his approach is more Michael Symon from Burgers, Brew, and ‘Que. “He has a practical attitude about grilling and food, and I like his style.”

Beth and Scott describe their favorite vacation memory as a cruise taken for Beth’s dad’s 80^th birthday. Beth comes from a large family of five brothers and sisters. “It’s difficult for us to all be together as we live in different parts of the country,” she said. “We went between Christmas and New Year’s, and we all had a great time. Everyone was old enough to manage on their own, so we planned our own schedules with the exception of having dinner as a family every night.” Current travel plans include an upcoming cruise for their 30th anniversary.

Their son, Michael, is a huge rail fan.  He has been interested in trains since age two and has advanced from wooden Thomas the Tank Engine to model trains. This has resulted in many train vacations for the Susens family. Over the years, the family has traveled all over the country to ride tourist steam trains in Colorado, California, Texas, and Nevada. He belongs to a train club called The Texas Outlaws and is able to participate with others in local train shows. Last year, Michael and Scott did a week long “train camp” in Ely, Nevada where they worked on the railroad and got to actually drive a steam engine.

Scott also has some bucket list trips. “I got to participate in a big marlin tournament in Destin, and I would like to do more of that,” he explained. “My largest and most memorable catch was a 450lb black marlin that was actually attacked by a shark while I was reeling it in. I have also been to Alaska, Panama, Costa Rica and many areas in the US but would like to go back to do more fishing in Alaska. In the late spring, I head to Connecticut to fly fish at the Walton Fishing Club on the Housatonic River and that’s always a great time!”

Boyd and Wendy Messmann have been Highland Park residents for 20 years and have been married for 26 years. Boyd, originally from Fort Wayne, Indiana, attended Indiana University (IU), The University of Kentucky (MBA) and worked for Lincoln National Life, a real estate investment banking group, covering the southeast United States. Wendy is from Houston but after attending SMU, she declared Dallas better than Houston and decided to stay. The two met through a blind date that they both describe as awkward. “Our blind date was on a Monday in January, and it was freezing cold that day,” explained Wendy. “We were the only ones in the restaurant, and it was just very awkward. I also determined that Boyd was about as geographically undesirable as possible being from Indiana. I thought “What are we even doing here?’ But, God clearly had a different plan.” Boyd described Wendy as beautiful, smart, and easy to talk to. The couple made it through that awkward first date, Boyd later relocated to Dallas, and they married a couple of years later.   

Boyd and Wendy have two daughters, Blaire and Devan. Blaire, 20, is currently attending The University of Oklahoma (OU) in Norman, Oklahoma, where she is an aspiring med student. “Blaire is very driven and focused,” shared Wendy. “She is an academic star and has yet to have a B in any class. She attends honors college, received an academic scholarship, and will likely graduate in three years.” Blaire held the national title of United States of America’s Teen in 2019 and despite the frills and glamour of that title, Wendy describes Blaire as very down-to-earth. 15-year-old Devan is a cheerleader at Highland Park High School and competes on a varsity level 4 all-star competitive cheer team. “She stays very busy with cheer,” explained Boyd. “She is very dedicated and starts at 6am with cheer in the morning, then school, then competitive cheer practice after school. Devan is an old soul with the biggest heart. She loves baking and is always up for a good beach.”

The Messmann family is completed by three dogs, one cat and a hedgehog. “The girls received two teacup Maltese puppies for Christmas when Blaire was 7 and Devan was 3, and they named them Ginger Sparkles and Holly Noel,” said Wendy.  “We then found our sweet Leo, and against better judgement, we now have a cat and a hedgehog. Devan loves every animal and is always looking to add more. If she’s not a vet later in life, she has missed her calling!”

Anyone who knows the Messmanns would tell you that they are all about the holidays with Christmas being the super bowl of all holidays. Decorating is a well-orchestrated collaboration with Wendy and Boyd. Family events consist of costume contests (even at Christmas), white elephant parties, candy house decorating contests – that may or may not involve a trophy that the winning family gets to proudly display at their home for the coming year.

Sports are also important to the Messmanns. Boyd grew up as both a Bears fan and a Packers fan and was named after Boyd Dowler, tight end for Green Bay. “My mom loved the Packers, and my dad loved the Bears,” said Boyd. “Since being in Texas, my loyalties have switched, and we definitely support the Cowboys.” Wendy is an avid football fan, and football season is her favorite time of year. “Boyd also loves basketball, but I just find it so painful to watch,” laughed Wendy. For Halloween, the Messmanns celebrated their love of football by representing the four teams in their lives with pumpkins made for their porch. “We had SMU, IU, OU, and Highland Park,” said Wendy. They also Boulevard as often as they can. “SMU fans can make the best of every situation,” said Wendy. The fans really participate and people from the opposing teams always comment about the great tradition of Boulevard. It’s a fun event and people take pride in it.”

In addition to sports, the Messmann family also have a love for travel. “We always wanted the kids to see the world and have an appreciation for different cultures,” said Boyd. “They have traveled from a young age and have been to Italy, Hong Kong, Thailand, all throughout Europe, and have been on mission trips to Guatemala and Nicaragua.” Perhaps their favorite trip, though, is a family trip to St. Thomas. They are currently planning a trip to Greece, and Blaire is considering a semester in Italy, so a new reason to visit Italy may be on the horizon!

Locally, Wendy and Boyd enjoy dining out, and some of their favorite places are Café Pacific and Al Biernat’s. “Not only is the food consistently wonderful, but we have also so many great memories from when the kids were young,” shared Wendy. When Blaire was an infant, we would take her in her carrier, and Al Biernat’s had a windowsill where she would sleep peacefully during dinner. Another memory is when, at around age 9, Devan wrote a blog where she reviewed the escargot at Café Pacific!”

There are many reasons to love Highland Park, but the strong, cohesive community and great schools are what brought Boyd and Wendy here. After living in Arizona for three years for Boyd’s career and while Wendy obtained an MBA at Arizona State University, they built a house in Plano. “After moving to Plano, we would always find ourselves driving back to the Park Cities on the weekends,” explained Wendy. “I was pregnant with Blaire, and we had only been in our new home for four months before we decided to start the whole process over again and built a house in Highland Park.”

Boyd and Wendy are very active in the community while juggling a busy family and demanding careers. Wendy has managed money for over 25 years and is currently Market Leader, Managing Director for Bank of America Private Bank and Boyd, with a background in real estate, financing, and lending, launched a national acquisition platform for Vertical Ventures. Giving back to the community is a core tenet of their family and a value that is important they instill in their children. Currently they are very involved with the Crystal Charity Ball and Wendy is board chair at CitySquare. They are also passionate about New Friends New Life, The Cattle Barons Ball supporting the American Cancer Society, The Junior League of Dallas, and the CFA Society of Dallas.

With a busy schedule and a passion for non-profit work, Wendy is working on bringing more margin into her life for 2023. “I’ve been reading a great book about margin,” she said. “I heard about the book at a recent National Charity League meeting that my daughters and I are a part of, and I’m working to apply that to my life. Things are going to come up in your life that you can’t predict, and you have to be able to adjust for those things.” Likewise, Boyd said that de-stressing and taking time for yourself is something that the family is focused on this year. “We would love to do some more traveling and just spend more quality time together as a family.”

Meet Your Highland Park Neighbors- The Hunsicker Family!

By Sarah Mitchell

Both Harry and Alison Hunsicker spent the majority of their lives right here in Highland Park. Harry moved here when he was just two years old and Alison when she was four. Alison’s father started the Knox Street Pub in the 60s, and her mother was a retail executive at Sanger Harris, as well as the first female store manager of a major Federated department store in the area. Harry’s roots run deep in the area. He is a fourth generation native of Dallas, his great grandmother having been born in what is now East Dallas in 1868 and his great grandfather having served as a judge in the 14^th District Court in the early 1930s. His father was in the real estate business, and his mother was a clothing and jewelry designer.

After graduating from high school, Harry attended Baylor where he received a degree in history. After Baylor, he became real estate appraiser and then a novelist and screenwriter. Alison attended the University of Texas at Austin where she received her undergraduate degree in business. She began working in a variety of industries including a position as a jewelry representative for Christian Dior jewelry and acted as manager for a group of doctors’ offices. She later obtained her MBA from the University of Dallas with an emphasis in industrial engineering and went to work for a fellow Highland Park resident whose company functions as an outsourced real estate department for national restaurant concepts. “We worked with our clients from strategic planning through real estate acquisitions all across the country,” stated Alison.

After meeting Harry through mutual friends, they were married in 2001 at which time Alison decided that her current career was requiring her to travel more than she would like. “I then began managing Harry’s family’s multifamily properties while starting my own company,” she explained. “In 2014, I was in the inaugural class at the University of North Texas Dallas College of Law where I graduated cum laude and received my juris doctorate degree. People would always ask me if there was anything I wished that I would have done, and law school was it for me. Since I also had my own business, I attended night classes and finished during the four-year program.” Harry added, “This was a difficult time as both her parents and my parents passed away while she was attending law school. Her mother actually passed away the week she was supposed to start studying for the bar. She studied and passed, which is a testament to her fortitude.”

Though the Hunsickers have made many amazing memories along the way, their favorite memory to date is their wedding. They married in Dallas on September 14, 2001. “It was a rollercoaster of emotions with 9/11 occurring just days before,” shared Alison. “Harry proposed on Saturday, 9/11 was on Tuesday, and we were married on Friday. We had a small wedding at home with immediate family, and it was very indicative of the time and that very few things were super important when the world was in chaos. This marriage was supposed to be, the way it all happened, so directed and so meaningful.”

The couple enjoy traveling and have recently traveled to Israel with plans to travel to Peru soon. Closer to home, they enjoy visiting Santa Fe. In addition to traveling, Harry also loves reading and writing. After taking classes at SMU, he began writing his first novel which came out in 2005. “I enjoy writing crime thrillers set in Dallas,” said Harry. “The first three books are centered around a detective, Lee Henry Oswald.” With eight books now under his belt, Harry branched out into screenplays with his first released in October of this year. He said, “Hit Squad, the family-friendly title, is a short comedic crime thriller based on a hit man with IBS and debuted at the Dallas International Film Festival. We are taking it on the festival circuit now and hoping to get some interest and make bigger picture out of it.”

Alison, a self-proclaimed lifelong learner, enjoys taking classes and has volunteered in several capacities within the community. She was previously on the zoning committee for Highland Park and was recently appointed to Board of Adjustment. In addition, she was two-time chairman of Highland Park Community League and participated on the Centennial Committee. Alison is also passionate about Girl Scouts and is on the Endowment Committee for Girl Scouts of Northeast Texas.  A lifelong Girl Scout, Alison says her motto to live by comes from the Girl Scout Law. “The Girl Scout Law which says, ‘I will do my best to be honest and fair, friendly and helpful, considerate and caring, courageous and strong, and responsible for what I say and do, and to respect myself and others, respect authority, use resources wisely, make the world a better place, and be a sister to every Girl Scout’ is exactly the motto I have thought about since I was a child. I do whatever I can whenever I can, and I enjoy giving back to the community that has given me so much.”

Harry and Alison live in Highland Park with their King Charles Cavalier named Radley, named after Boo Radley from To Kill a Mockingbird. “Our first dog was Scout,” Alison said. “Then, our fist King Charles was going to be named Atticus, but Harry said that was a ‘big dog’ name, so we decided on Truman, for Truman Capote. The next dog we had, we named Harper Lee. We have a theme here!” They both feel blessed to live in Highland Park and are passionate about the community. “After the centennial, we went to dinner with a group of people and we were all asked what we like about Highland Park,” shared Alison. “I have lived here essentially my whole life except for a year and a half in New Orleans. During that time, I had my car stolen twice and there were numerous break-ins. When I came back to Dallas, I realized how fortunate we are to not experience the looming fear that is present in some places. We have stellar police, fire, and EMS services, and I’m so grateful for the sense of community and small-town feel that makes this place amazing.”

Technically, it did premier at the noir festival but that was a one-time event so we are counting the film’s screening at the Dallas International Film Festival as its premier.

 After moving from Plano in 2012, the Watermans now reside on Amherst in a charming house built in 1933. Seeking a more inclusive school environment for their daughter, Happy, the Watermans moved to be a part of Highland Park ISD when Happy was entering her junior year and their son, Nick, was entering his sophomore year. With a business degree from the University of Maine, Bob has been in the media business for nearly 40 years with the majority of that time with CBS Radio, now called Audacy. Kelly has a degree in journalism and marketing from TCU and spent the first part of her career in corporate America in sales and management for the consumer packaged goods industry and CBS Promotions. The two met when Kelly was a client for the radio station where Bob was sales manager. At the time, she was sales manager for Kraft Foods/Oscar Mayer, and Bob was with KPLX. Kelly later formed an LLC to do contract project work, and she is currently a distributor for Aquaphalt, a high-performance cold patch for asphalt. The Waterman children both graduated from HPHS, and Happy went on to graduate from the Transition 18+ program in 2017. She now has a parttime job with Reading Glasses, Inc. where she works two days per week, and she attends HEROES, a day program based out of Richardson, the other three days. “She loves her work at Reading Glasses, Inc.,” shared Kelly. “She assembles 400-500 boxes per workday which is amazing. She truly loves it, and I love sharing what she does so other businesses can begin thinking of how they can hire someone with special needs.” Nick graduated from the US Air Force Academy in Business Management and is entering his fourth year of service as part of his five-year commitment. Sports and competition run in the family.  Bob played  football for four years at the University of Maine and played rugby for the Dallas Harlequins for 15 years. “Nick also played football at Highland Park High School,” said Kelly. “He was on the Player Committee and was one of the track team captains. He accepted an offer to play football at USAFA and did so for his first year before transferring to the USAFA Rugby team where he continued to excel, ranking in the top 10 collegiate rugby players in his position.” Happy is also involved with competitions, competing at the state level riding horses for the Special Olympics. “Every January, she competes at the Chisholm Challenge for riders with disabilities,” said Bob. “This takes place in Fort Worth and is associated with the Fort Worth Stock Show.” She also competes in HP Special Olympics Track and joins Bob every  Sunday for a game of golf. Advocating for Happy and others with special needs has always been important to the family. Kelly is a special needs advocate and has served on several boards. She currently serves on the board for ManeGait Therapeutic Horsemanship in McKinney where Happy rides weekly. ManeGait serves children and adults with disabilities, as well as veterans. Kelly also introduced the Sparkling Scots Cheerleading Squad to Highland Park High School. “We came from an inclusive cheer squad in Plano and saw the need here, explained Kelly. “In 2013, I put together a presentation complete with data, pictures, suggestions, how-to and secured funding to start up the inclusive squad. The Highland Park HS principal at the time, Walter Kelly, loved the idea and accepted it immediately. The squad started out with five members, including Happy. Now, nine years later, the squad has grown significantly and includes male cheerleaders which was the hope someday. They are now called the Spirited Scots, and I couldn’t be more proud!” Additionally, when Nick was in high school, he  participated in the Peer Buddy program which matched him with a special needs student, Jillian Letier. He remains in contact with her and flew home from the Air Force Academy in 2017 to surprise her and escort her to her senior prom. As a family, the Watermans love to entertain, travel and spend time with family. Bob and Nick both love to hunt, fish, and BBQ, and love sports, especially rugby. Happy loves movies, coloring, writing, and texting and calling friends. Her true love is horseback riding and has competed for years at the Texas State Special Olympics Equestrian Games. They have traveled around the US and internationally, with a trip to Africa in 2019 being one of their favorites. Bob and Kelly enjoy living in the Park Cities community and like to compare University Park to Mayberry RFD saying, “It truly is a small-town neighborhood feel smack dab in the middle of the city. The location is ideal! Our initial plan was to get the kids in school, and then move away after they graduated. We had no idea, however, how much we would love this neighborhood, and are so happy we decided to stay!”

   Born in Missouri, Jason Bottenfield moved to Flower Mound in 1986 when he was just eight years old. He later moved to Dallas in 2004 and began working in the Park Cities that same year. Jason’s wife, Brandi, is originally from Oklahoma and moved to Dallas in 2014. The couple now reside in University Park after moving from Dallas in February 2020. They have a daughter, Ainsley, who is 16 months old, and two dogs, Teddy Bear and Ace. Jason says he had a different college career compared to most people. “I went to college and was drafted in the 1999 MLB draft to the Boston Red Sox as a pitcher prior to finishing my finance degree,” he shared. “Following my childhood dream, I decided to try my hand at professional baseball.” After a few years in the organization, Jason had career-ending shoulder surgery in 2001 and spent six months in Fort Meyers, Florida completing active rehab. “Long-time pitcher, Bret Saberhagen, would eat breakfast with me and ask how I was doing,” said Jason. “I told him, ‘My fastball is down to 90-91 from 96, and I can’t throw but every three to four days without pain.’ He said, ‘Look around here. Some of these guys are 30 years old or more and may not make it. You’re 22. Don’t drag out baseball if you’re not coming back to where you were. Start your life and career.’” Jason took the advice of Bret Saberhagen and began to pursue his career in financial planning. He returned to college life and completed his degree in finance at UNT. “I then went on to pass the Certified Financial Planner designation test in 2005,” explained Jason. “To get into financial planning in my early 20s wasn’t easy. I started in the mailroom at Citigroup in one of their real estate management buildings. I began emailing Smith Barney managers to build rapport and let them know of my desire to work in the business and my timeline for finishing my degree. Eventually, Steve Austin, manager in the Smith Barney Park Cities branch, gave me a chance to meet with him, and I guess I did well because he gave me a shot.” Jason and his business partner created the Park Cities Group in 2006 while working at Smith Barney. They later left the corporate world of wealth management and are now equity partners in their broker-dealer and independent IRA firm. “This was always the goal for us,” said Jason. “We have enjoyed working and living in the Park Cities for so many years and look forward to many more.” Brandi, a cheerleader in college, earned her bachelor’s degree in psychology. When she first came to Dallas, she worked at Neiman Marcus and later transitioned into running her own Real Estate business, REBRANDI LLC, where she helps buyers and sellers with their real estate needs in the Dallas area. Brandi met Jason on Labor Day in 2014 while enjoying outdoor activities for the holiday. They were married on May 25, 2018, at a property they own in Jacksonville Beach, Florida. “The Casa Marina is typically considered a wedding hotel on the beach,” said Brandi. “It was a wonderful, sunshine-filled wedding that we got in just before Tropical Storm Alberto came through a few days later.” In addition to Florida, the Bottenfields have great memories of traveling coast to coast from San Francisco to New York on annual trips while dating and married. They continue to travel on long weekends when Jason races his 1969 Texaco Camaro in the Optima Ultimate Streetcar series. “I started this grassroots racing when Covid shutdown the baseball league I played on in Dallas,” he explained. “I was looking for something to fill the void, and I already had my Camaro which was my first car at age 15. We built it into a pro-touring, race-prepped car and traveled to the West Coast, East Coast and near Canada to compete. We have continued to travel and race even with Ainsley being born, racing one weekend a month. She has been to 20 states by the time she was one.” Brandi plays the role of team mom and part-time crew chief during the racing season. She has also enjoyed competing in various marathons in Texas and Oklahoma before Ainsley was born, and she is looking to get back into that in a few years. Together, the family attends Park Cities Baptist Church (PCBC) and love walking there on Sundays for worship. “We have always enjoyed PCBC and the opportunities they provide the local community,” they shared. “We did our pre-marriage classes at PCBC and look to involve Ainsley in all the offerings they have for kids.” The Bottenfields enjoy their Bryn Mawr neighborhood and the ability to walk to some of their favorite locations, some of which include Mesero for dinner or Hudson House for lunch. “A guilty weekend pleasure is getting coffee at Drip Coffee and grabbing a few ‘piggies’ at Yummy Donuts during our walk around the neighborhood with Ainsley,” stated Brandi. They love the safety of the community and say they are thankful for the University Park Police Department and all they do for the community. “We have a wonderful community and wonderful neighbors,” they said. “We moved in during Covid, so we are looking forward to spending more time with our neighbors and seeing the neighborhood kids play together as Ainsley gets older. We are thankful to be in a great community with such wonderful schools within walking distance. We both grew up with that, so having that for our daughter means so much”