2013 Christmas...What we miss about Texas and LOVE about ND!!

If you haven't stopped by before, welcome to Leaps of Faith with my Crazies!!  Below is the 2013 Ortega Family Christmas letter.  Please make sure you take a peek at a few of the other posts on our Leap of Faith to ND and become a follower!

Here are a few quick updates on each family member...

 

The Law Student - John just completed his first semester.  Comes home every day with a huge smile on his face.  Is getting the itch to get back to making money and comes up with new ways to structure the next business deal based on the day's class discussion.  Has handled the daddy, hubby and law student role like a champ balancing us all wonderfully!  We are SOOOOO proud of him!!  He also made it 15 years being married to his crazy wife in Aug. 

The SAHM (stay at home mom) - Please read "Sometimes all you need is a little COCO Chanel" on the blog to get a better feel for how things have been going!  She is a mini-van taxi cab driver going to swim, soccer, dance, etc.  Is now President and CEO of Decisive HR Associates, LLC.  Is enjoying spending more time with the kiddos, but ready to close the first client!!  Is in desperate need of a hair appt. but too scared to try someone new...:-/

 

The Mediator (4.5) - Clark just gets sweeter and sweeter.  Is always giving up his toys, food, etc. to prevent a fight b/w the two strong willed children.  Loves his 1x1 days with mommy.  Sometimes we just sit in the silence together!  Still loves his soccer and gets more handsome by the day.  Reminds all of us when we are breaking a rule or saying a bad word like hate, dumb, etc.  Is currently wearing his hair slicked back like an Investment Banker, so appears to be a future HR Manager/Negotiator in corporate banking!!  ;-)   

        

The Princess (4.5 + 1 minute) - Kennedy (G was seriously following her around the house tonight saying, "Princess, Hey Princess!") counts to 100, loves to color and dance and has a comeback statement for EVERYTHING.  Just had her first big night on stage with the Grand Forks Symphony in the Nutcracker and kept asking all day if her lipstick was still on.  Is sure to be daddy's mini-me at Ortega and Daughter Law Firm based on her 30 min interrogation on the elves, where they live, are there girl elves, what do they eat, how do they fly, etc. etc.

 

Lil G (3 going on 13) - Giancarlo seems to have received daddy's quick wit, love for pranks, and the mind which never shuts down.  We literally have to lay with him at night while he de-briefs his day, what he learned, who he saw, what he ate, and more.  At times he is in mid-sentence and finally falls asleep!  Those EYES...this kid will most likely be able to negotiate ANYTHING he wants in life with those eyes.  He knows that Clark is the "man of the house" when daddy is gone, but makes sure to tell mommy what to do on Clark's behalf.  ;-)
 

What we miss about Texas! 

#6 - THE COCKINESS.  There is just something about being a Texan...You can flip your collars, drive enormous trucks, wear the largest belt buckles, brag about your football team and so much more.  It was the day John finally sent me in to change the mini-van's license plates.  I had been putting it off for several reasons, but one of them was I just felt cooler driving around in a mini-van (if that is even possible...) with Texas plates.  After the deed was done, it felt kind of like my car balls had been cut off once we had ND plates.  I know you know the ones I am talking about...those nasty looking things that the rednecks (I can say this b/c most of the time I am one) in Texas hang from their trucks.  Anyway, I arrived home and told John to give me the truck keys and I would take the F-150 in for the exchange.  His response..."No thanks...I'm a Texan!!"  Needless to say he still has his Texas plates and I feel like the mini-van had to take one for the team in order to qualify for in-state tuition. 

 #5 - OUR CHURCHES (First and Second Baptist) and the kids school (First Baptist Academy)!  We cannot express how lucky Houston is to be one of the core Christian capitals in the bible belt and the US with several of the largest churches in the country.  The pastor quality and small group bible studies are just AMAZING.  We miss all of the teachers at FBA and their hugs sooo much!  Also, a big shout out to the Early Bird ladies!!  One of the best quotes the last 5 months came from Giancarlo during prayers one night..."Mommy, we neeeed to go back to Texas...cus Jesus is dare, Juanita is dare and I need to see my Suzette!"  Suzette being his wonderful teacher from school and you all know who Juanita is and her importance to our familia!  Yup, go ahead and shed a tear...Lord knows Lisa did that night!

 

#4 - Being able to say, "LET'S GO."  And then just put on a pair of flip flops and you are in the car.  My goodness...It's like we have three kids 14.5 months and under again.  It literally takes us 25 minutes from the point of deciding to leave the house to actually depart from the garage.  The hats, gloves, snow boots, snow pants, etc. etc. add a whole new level of complexity to getting ready.  Then you have the (Christmas Story...snowpants movie look) so mom or dad have to climb in the back to help buckle the seat belts.  Thus, you need to keep the windows cracked to let the (-) degree air in because everyone is sweating so bad!!  I'll just stop there...

#3 - THE RESTAURANTS and TEX MEX!!!!!!!!!!!  Yo Quiro Taco Bell just doesn't cut it.  The first time as a family we attempted THE Mexican restaurant in town, the guacamole came out of a plastic bag?!?!?!  However, we recently met some fellow Texans at indoor soccer.  They mentioned there is a bit of cuisine resemblance in Fargo, so when the Tex Mex need gets REAL bad, we'll make the 70 mile trek when it isn't blizzarding!  Vic 'n' Anthony's (the best steak place and where we have celebrated a number of special evenings with friends and family), La Griglia (the BEST Italian in town), Caspian Café (AMAZING Persian food!!  Oh how we need some rice, lamb and roasted tomatoes), Los Cucos for our late night super nacho runs, and how can we forget El Rey!?!?!  Oh lordy, I think we have dreams about plantains, roasted chicken and rice!!!

#2 - OUR PEEPS!  Sorry ya'll but you are not number one.  You will realize why shortly.  We are very much missing all of our Texas family and friends.  Fo sho the San Antonio family!!  Tio Marco and Tia Tiana's stop in every other weekend for the Houston Cougar games.  Grandpa Donald and Grandma Susan showering the kiddos with goodies and lots of love.  Uncle Tim & Aunt Debra.  Our co-workers, neighbors and the numerous people who helped to run our lives!  Our Doctor's (Dr. Ho, the best pediatrician EVER - Hope you like the shout out!), Dentists, Hair Stylists, Teachers, Baby Sitters, Running Coach, JUANITA, and so many more!  We love and miss you all!

#1 - Is it not obvious?  A lot of this list stems around FOOD...but the #1 thing we miss is HEB!!  For the northerners, it is only the BEST grocery store chain IN THE WORLD!!  You can get everything and anything there.  Not to mention when you are feeding a family of five and have an entire cart full of groceries, they help you to the car and unload everything!!  Texans you have NO idea what it is like to pull TWO Wal-Mart karts behind you (yes, even the grocery carts are bigger in Texas) struggling through the 6 inches of snow in -20 degree weather.  I once asked if I could have help out to the car and you guessed it, they looked at me like I was a cocky Texan with big kahunas.  BTW, this #1 was confirmed when we met the other Texans...the first words out of their mouths after "Gig 'em'" was, "We miss HEB!!" 

What we LOVE about North Dakota!!

#6 - SLOWER PACE OF LIFE!!  We do not go above 45 miles per hour in the vehicles.  We get up at 8:30am because we can.  :-)  We hang out in the mornings and get to school anywhere b/w 9 and 10am.  Yes, Kindergarten will be a rude awakening next year!  We eat dinner b/w 5 and 5:30pm as a family, and generally speaking are all in bed and asleep by 9:30pm.  The lack of rush, rush, rush has been amazing for us as a family!!

#5 - OUR NEW HOME, awesome cul-de-sac street and the neighbors!  John went all out knowing we would be spending A LOT of time inside.  We trusted him to make the family decision as he flew up in March by himself and he did NOT disappoint.  Just goes to show...let the man make the call and he will totally surprise you!!  ;-)  Our neighbors are wonderful and have helped us navigate many things...like reminding us that the sprinkler system needed to be blown out before the freeze and so much more.  At least...they were awesome when we first moved in!  Now that we are all under 10 feet of snow, we have not seen them in a month, but their lights come on at night, so we believe they are all still there!!  ;-)  Seriously though...the Ortega's tend to have a knack for picking the best street in town to live on and it's safe to say, John did it again!  Love ya'll Robert Circle Peeps!

#4 - HEATERS.  John has said from the beginning...if it doesn't feel like Texas in my home...then it isn't warm enough.  Let's just say when the kids get home they strip off their 5 layers of clothing and run upstairs to put on their shorts and t-shirts.  When the neighbors came over the other night, one of the girls came up after playing for 20 mins saying she needed to take her shirt off because she was so hot.  We all laughed and said, "Welcome to the Ortega's where it feels like Texas!"  Additionally, we would not survive without the heater in the garage!!  Public service announcement...DO NOT PURCHASE A HOME IN ND w/out a heater in the garage!  Period and the end.  The below pic does NOT include the wind chill btw. 

 

#3- THE COLD WEATHER FASHION!  It is awesome for Kennedy and Lisa to get back into fashion via the layering of clothes.  We have had a lot of fun purchasing coats, scarves, scarves and more scarves.  We just love seeing Kennedy rocking a scarf and boots which actually have a purpose here.  Makes me think of the 2x a year the ladies pull out their fur for church in Texas.  Ha!

#2 - VERY LITTLE CRIME.  You seldom hear an ambulance, police sirens, or anything of the sort.  It is often eerily quiet.  That is except at 5am in the morning when the neighbors start to snow blow their drive ways!!  Generally speaking, you leave your car running in the parking lots when you run inside for something.  Texans, can you imagine...You come back out and your car is still there!  ;-)

#1 - BEING CLOSE TO FAMILY!!  Words cannot even begin to express how awesome it is to have family only 4 hours away.  Often in Texas during the small holidays, it was just us 5...now it is a huge gathering with cousins, and Aunts & Uncles almost every weekend!  It has been a huge blessing for Lisa to be able to grab the kids for the weekend or during finals and take them to the farm while John gets his study on.  We hunt, have sleep overs with cousin Carter, ride the 4-wheeler, break ice for the cows and so much more!  Grandma and Grandpa have been a huge support system and Grandpa's regular routine now at bed time is memorizing the 10 commandments.  You just CAN'T get any better than that!!! 

  

That pretty much wraps it up from North Dakota.  Oh, it wouldn't be the Ortega Christmas letter if we didn't tell you to ensure you are getting your mommy/daddy date nights in...make it happen people! 

 

There is another blizzard brewing, so we need to get these cards in the mail ASAP!  We hope that each of you has had a blessed 2013, and an even better 2014.  We were not sure how this LEAP OF FAITH was going to turn out, but it is definitely safe to say, this is EXACTLY where we are supposed to be.  God is good!  Love and miss you all.  Stay warm, stay cool and please send us some fresh tortillas and guacamole!  ;-) 

 

Lots of love and blessings from our family to yours.  LOVE the Ortega's. 

 

Giancarlo, Lisa, Clark, Kennedy and Lil G!!  And Flops from the farm.  He truly does not want to come home with us...he LOVES the farm too!