Here’s What the Texas Exes Staff Has Been up to This Summer

By Abigail Rosenthal in Alcalde Online on August 5, 2022 at 3:06 pm | No Comments

It’s summer here in Austin, which means the Forty Acres are quiet and the heat is oppressive. But we’re already busy getting ready for another burnt-orange school year—incoming students just returned from Camp Texas, our tailgate schedule is set, and we’re excited to greet everyone at our Orange & White Welcome in just a couple of weeks.  

Of course, we’ve also taken some time to have fun this summer. Here’s what some of the Texas Exes staff have been up to since May.  

MMembership & Alumni Records Coordinator Andrea Troncoso drove all the way to Delaware but had to make a stop to see a familiar face in Birmingham, Alabama: Buc-ee the Beaver. “The thing is you can take the kids out of Texas… But you can’t take the Texas out of the kids!” she says.

Marketing Coordinator Rebecca Silver has had a busy summer in and out of Austin. She got to go on the Texas Fight Tour in May, went to Bozeman, Montana with her husband Blake to escape the heat, and found ways to keep cool back home. “Whenever family comes to visit, we go kayaking downtown and swimming at Barton Springs,” she says. “Blake has been on the hunt for the best snow cone in Austin and found a truck near Barton Springs.” 

Our Director of Creative Services Amber Byfield is back spending time at one of her favorite spots to keep cool: Deep Eddy. “For years, my daughter and I have shirked the larger springs for our quiet Deep Eddy days,” Amber says. “This summer, my daughter is suddenly old enough to run upstairs with her little friends, armed with cash from my wallet, to get Jim-Jims and slurp them up at a picnic table—making bittersweet coming-of-age memories for this mama.”  

Amber and Lily are also spending plenty of hours at Crux Climbing Gym with their dog, Millie.  

“My daughter Lily is on the rec team and our friendly dog Millie loves cooling off on the concrete floors and getting pets from passers-by,” Amber says. “And yes, everyone loves finding out that their names rhyme.” 

Back here in Austin as well, Chapters Coordinator Molly Roberts is spending time with her daughter. “I am ‘learning this whole new Mom thing with my 14-month-old baby girl, Hunter Ann,” she says. “She’s a certified wild thang! Often you can find us in our cowboy pool with our best buddy and sister-dog, Brooklyn.” 

Some of our other staff members got to get out of the Lone Star State for a vacation. Whitney Carter, the Forty Acres Scholarship operations manager, headed north to Steamboat, Colorado, while Forty Acres Scholars Programming Manager Ashley Rasmussen hit the beach in Florida. Facilities Manager Thomas Schiefer got to catch a few waves with some friends in Nayarit, Mexico.

But Travel Program Assistant Leslie Parmiter got about as far from Texas as you can get, spending two weeks in Alaska in July.  

“It was my first time there and very helpful since I work in the Flying Longhorns Travel department and sell alumni trips to Alaska all the time—now I have firsthand experience of this spectacular state,” Leslie says. “Look closely at the photo—that little black spot is a seal sleeping inside the glacier!” 

Events Manager Roxanne Garza recommends a visit a little closer to home. “We took a day trip out to Fredericksburg,” she says. “It is a fairly short drive, and the weather is a bit cooler, which was a nice reprieve from the 100+ degree temps here in the city. There are so many wineries to pick from. We visited The Edge (which also has little houses you can stay in overnight) and Signor Vineyards. It was a wonderful day with chilled wine, live music, and yummy food. 

“We also did a chocolate tasting with Hill Country Chocolates that just recently opened there in Fredericksburg. I didn’t think I was a huge chocolate fan, but they turned me into a believer…so good! And of course, left with some Fredericksburg peaches.” 

While we’ve all had a great summer in and out of Texas, we can’t wait to see everyone back on the Forty Acres!