The Navarrete Family
By:
Jenny Jurica
Photography By:
David Teran
What kind of a family gets dressed up for a professional photo shoot — in full hair and makeup — only to suggest to the photographer that they should jump into the pool in the middle of the shoot? The Navarrete family, that’s who!
“‘Sure, why not?’ This statement pretty much sums up our family,” said Lindsey Navarrete of herself, her husband, Isaiah, and their two children, 14-year-old Julian and 12-year-old Ella Grace, regarding the family’s free-spirited spontaneity.
This zest for life is a guiding force for most aspects of the Navarrete family’s life. From the entrepreneurial spirit that has afforded both Isaiah and Lindsey huge professional successes, to the decision to uproot their family from their home in West Texas and move to Boerne, the Navarrete family lives life with few regrets.
Speaking of living with no regrets…when Isaiah first saw Lindsey at a restaurant where she was working in the early 2000s, he felt an immediate attraction and knew that he needed to jump right in the deep end and pursue her, or else he’d regret it for the rest of his life.
“I told a friend of mine that I was going to marry that girl,” remembers Isaiah of the night he first saw Lindsey.
While it took several months before Lindsey and Isaiah were able to connect, once they began dating, the chemistry was palpable and, 17 years later, their journey continues.
Both Isaiah and Lindsey grew up in West Texas — Lindsey in Odessa and Isaiah in nearby McCamey. While Lindsey spent her whole life in Odessa up until the move to Boerne in 2017, Isaiah felt the entrepreneurial call early on and, after completing his degree from McMurry University in Abilene, he headed overseas to study international business in both London and Paris.
“I always knew that I wanted to be a business owner. Since I was a young man, my family has always raised me to think for and to bet on myself,” said Isaiah.
Isaiah’s drive and business acumen undoubtedly came from his parents. “My father was an immigrant from Mexico who came from nothing,” said Isaiah. “He came to the United States at a very young age and, although he had no schooling, he is smart and has a very strong work ethic.” This ambition and tenacity helped Isaiah’s parents to start their own business, which, 40 years later, is still going strong.
To date, Isaiah, who began his career in banking, has started, grown and sold several successful businesses, including a factoring company (which provides capital for companies by purchasing their invoices). His most recent business endeavor is in the booming home building industry. “With some good luck and with good people, we have been able to grow and still keep our sanity,” said Isaiah of their recent success in home building.
But Isaiah isn’t the only one in the family with a hard-working and committed entrepreneurial spirit. Lindsey has been working in the cosmetology industry for 20 years and has owned two salons during this time. Her first was a successful salon in Midland that was open for 11 years. “We were like family at the salon. I had the same employees from the time we opened until the salon closed,” said Lindsey.
Once the Navarrete family made the move to Boerne, Lindsey continued seeing clients at her Midland salon, traveling back to West Texas every five weeks in order to take care of her clients — many of whom she had for 15 years. The pandemic, however, was the catalyst to finally give up the Midland salon and focus on building a new life and a new career in the Boerne area.
Today, Lindsey is the owner of Plush Salon, located next to the Bergheim Meat Market. It’s there that, along with her co-stylist, Katie, Lindsey has introduced her talents in hair and makeup to a new population of clients. “I have the best job,” said Lindsey. “Who doesn’t love hair and makeup? It’s fun to make people happy and see them smile. You can do so much for somebody.”
While Isaiah and Lindsey transitioned rather easily to life in Boerne, they worried about the impact of the move on their two children. To ease this transition, Isaiah and Lindsey enrolled their kids in every camp and activity that Cordillera Ranch had to offer in order to help them to adjust and meet other area kids. One of the camps that they put their daughter, Ella, in was horse camp at The Equestrian Club. “We thought this was just a camp to be able to meet other kids and to pass the time. Little did we know, we’d found Ella’s passion,” said Isaiah. “From the start, Ella fell in love with the horses and, from there, she met other friends and began the life of a show jumper. Although we knew nothing about this sport and swore we would never own a horse (We’re on our second horse now!), we knew she loved it and it was an opportunity she would never have had, had it not been for the amenities that Cordillera Ranch offers. We love it because it’s more than riding. It also teaches responsibility and she takes it very seriously.”
Their son, Julian, who seems to fit in everywhere that he goes, is active in all sports but football and baseball are two of his passions. He’s in his second year of playing football for Voss Middle School and the Navarrete family enjoys watching him play every chance that they get.
When the family isn’t busy with work, school and after school activities, travel provides a special time to reconnect and make memories. The Navarrete’s favorite holiday getaway is to scenic Telluride, Colorado, where they have been spending Christmases since the children were small. The family rents a house every year in this winter wonderland, where Isaiah enjoys snowboarding and the kids ski. “We have so many memories and we love it. It’s been our tradition since the kids were little. I love taking my mom and mother-in-law because family is everything to us and it’s a great way to spend time with everyone,” shared Lindsey.
In the five years since the Navarrete family has lived at Cordillera Ranch, they have fully embraced the Cordillera community and have become raving fans of the area. “We love Cordillera Ranch! We always eat at The Club and enjoy sitting on the patio with friends,” said Lindsey. “I lived in Odessa my whole life and I didn’t leave until we moved here. All of my family and friends were back home and when we moved, we were like, ‘Are we going to meet anyone? Are we going to have friends?’” said Lindsey.
“It turns out that we have the best friends here! We travel together, the kids hang out together. We just do life together. It’s very comforting to have that,” added Lindsey of her new community.
Being natives of West Texas, the Navarretes were enchanted by the rivers that flow in the area, as well as the atmosphere and natural beauty of Kendall County. In short order, they scheduled a tour of Cordillera Ranch, found their lot and by June of 2017 had officially moved to Boerne. “We looked at a lot of places before deciding on Cordillera Ranch,” said Isaiah. “After seeing them all, there is just nothing like our neighborhood. Everyone is so nice and welcoming. Now, everyone may not see eye to eye on many areas of this crazy world, but everyone we’ve met here seems to have the same morals and principles.”
The Navarrete family has no regrets about their decision to move to Boerne and relishes every day spent at their home in Cordillera Ranch. It is here that they have begun a new chapter of their lives and can’t wait to see what happens next. Time spent on the golf course, at The Clubhouse and at the Equestrian Center remind this family that Cordillera is right where they’re meant to be and that taking the plunge and settling into this community has been their best leap of faith yet.
