We are the Ammann Family : Charlie, Pepper, Conrad, Brill and our sweet dog, Bo.  We have been in Northwest Hills since 2023, but in Austin most of our lives.  Charlie and I grew up in Austin and have mostly lived “south of the river”.  We have always loved the gorgeous hill country views and old Austin feel of Northwest Hills.  We found our house on Tenison Court when a family friend informed us that their neighbors, who lived in the house since it was built in 1990, were moving.  With the beautiful views and great bones, we knew we could make this our home with an update.  We absolutely love the vibe here in this neighborhood: active, fun, easy-going families.  It reminds us of when we grew up here in Austin.  Fun fact: Charlie’s parents first purchased home in the early 70s was in this neighborhood on the corner of Chimney Corners and Running Rope.  

Charlie and I both graduated from Westlake in the late 90s.  We grew up going to shows at Liberty Lunch, Antone's, The Backyard and Austin Music Hall and spent our summer days at Barton Springs pool and Lake Austin.  We are high school sweethearts but chose our own adventures before getting back together in our late 20s.  I was born in Galveston Texas and moved to Austin in the early 90s when my family sold the Dr. Pepper Bottling Company in Galveston.  As you might have guessed, this is where my name originates.  I’m BOI "Born on the Island" and my family was in the Dr. Pepper business for several generations.  I went to UT and worked abroad in Europe and San Francisco before coming back to Austin and marrying Charlie.  

Both sides of Charlie’s families, the Ammann’s and the Connally’s, are early Texans, and our kids are sixth generation Austinites.  The Ammanns had a large dairy farm in the area where Lamar middle school is now located, and also owned the old Austin Ice House, where people would buy big blocks of ice to keep food cold.  Charlie’s maternal grandfather, John Connally served as the Governor of Texas, Secretary of the Navy and Secretary of the Treasury.  He was in the car and survived a gun shot wound that fateful day when John F. Kennedy was assassinated.  Charlie's parents attended Austin High, as did his grandmother, Idanell “Nellie” Brill Connally, and were married at the Governor's mansion here in Austin.  Charlie’s mom, Sharron Connally Ammann, is a talented artist and bronze sculptor, who sculpted the Bob Bullock statue at the Texas History Museum, as well as other well-known works.  

We have two very active boys. Conrad is a sophomore at Anderson and Brill is in 7th grade at Murchison. They can usually be found hooping at the JCC or other neighborhood basketball court.  Brill plays football, basketball and also the trombone at Murchison.  Conrad is on the basketball team at Anderson, and we are gearing up for a fun season ahead. To unwind, Charlie and I love to hike the trails in the neighborhood and usually drop in at Valburn/Sevan near our house.  When we are not here in Austin, my crew is hunting or fishing on the coast.  Charlie is big into coastal fly fishing, but also recommends a fun night of flounder gigging if you are looking for some action on the Texas coast.  In the summers, you can also find us surfing on Lake Austin and hitting Ski Shores for a burger.  We grew up hanging out on Lake Austin and are so happy our boys enjoy it as much as we do.  

For fun, I love vintage/resale hunting and some of my top spots include: Uptown Modern, Big Berthas, Garment, Feathers, Alador for for estate jewelry, the City Wide Vintage Sale and The Pieces Collection Art. I also have a strong wanderlust, and Charlie laughs every time I pitch a “once in lifetime” trip because he knows this is a few times a year occurrence.  I recently checked off one of my bucket list trips, a five day hike to Machu Picchu.

With all these fun Austin activities and restaurants, we manage to squeeze in a bit of work too.  I’m on the qualitative research team at a New York based investment firm and love investigating different companies and industries.  I also help to run my family’s charitable foundation, the Ippolito Charitable Foundation of Galveston.  In my 20s, I started a local digital media site Austin Tidbits, which then expanded to Houston, Dallas, San Antonio and New Orleans.  Charlie works in ranch real estate.  He started is career in landscape architecture and then owned and operated a hunting outfit in Floresville, Texas but now focuses his time fully on land/ranch real estate and investing.  

We absolutely love the Northwest Hills neighborhood and can’t believe it look us this long to find our way “home” here.