hey we live here 2019

The full version [by Jessica]:

I feel like I can’t talk about 2019 without talking about the epic cluster truck of December 2018, and I can’t make any promises of when the detailed 2018 summary will be available. The super short version of 2018 includes: lots of jaw treatment for Jessica, deciding to move to NYC for Michael’s job, Jessica leaving Schlumberger, getting a fancy ice cream maker, and a stressful house-hunting trip to NYC.

The Move — An Epic Cluster Truck

Our move started off on November 29 by packing up our diesel-powered 22’ moving truck with the help of our friend and building front desk manager, Miguel Ovalles, without whose help at the eleventh hour, we probably would still be lying (and crying) on the floor of our Houston loft. We showed up 2 hours late, sweaty, exhausted, and emotional to our going away party at Pam & Doug Dunlap’s home. After some (more) tears, hugs, and sleep, we set off north and east in our truck with some clean sheets (courtesy of Pam)! We had grand plans to share the driving, tour the Ryman Auditorium and see the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville, and visit Amy Cesak in Charlottesville. Instead, I got terribly sick on day 1, not to recover fully until nearly a month later. Just outside of Little Rock, Arkansas, I had Michael pull off the freeway, so that I could throw up on the side of the road in the dark of early evening. I spiked a fever, developed a terrible cough, lost my voice, and felt utterly exhausted and terrible. There was no rest in the noisy, bouncy cab of that truck, since I was on permanent navigating duty, being unfit to be behind the wheel in my feverish, DayQuil stupor. It was that first night feeling awful that we stopped at a Starbucks because I wanted some tea. I had it loaded full of honey and lemon, and while getting into the truck, I proceeded to spill it all over my lap and into my purse. I. Just. Lost. It. It was late, we were tired, I was miserable, frustrated, and now sticky. Mike was a saint and ran back to get me piles of napkins and a replacement tea and held me while I cried. 

We felt every single one of the 1743 miles that we drove — eh — that Michael drove. We missed our tour of the Ryman because of the exhaustion-induced late starts in the morning, and barely made it to the Opry show on time. In the truck, I had to sit in the middle seat of the cab bench in order for Michael to hear my shouted whisper directions over the noise of the road. We didn’t make it to see Amy, and instead of arriving hours before our hired moving help, we pulled up 10 minutes after them in Brooklyn. The journey included fueling at a truck stop that suffered some major malfunction with us stuck in a line unable to go anywhere for over an hour, a stop at an urgent care center for me in Virginia where Michael used Google satellite images to confirm we would have room to park the truck, and another fuel stop where Michael had to do an 18 point turn while I blocked traffic so we could go the wrong way back to the pump to fill up with DEF, a fuel additive I had never heard of. Every night, depending on our progress, I would call hotels until I found one that had a vacancy and space to park our massive truck and reserve it over the phone. When we finally got to the city, we quickly realized that Google directions don’t accommodate for driving a truck, and New York City has very strict truck routes. After getting on a truck-prohibited parkway and freaking out that we were going to crash into a low overpass, we exited, pulled over, and I found an electronic document of the NYC DOT truck routes that I proceeded to cross-reference to Google directions. The last leg that we had planned to be 45 minutes turned out to be the most stressful 1.5 hours of the trip.

Why couldn’t we perhaps take extra time for the trip given all the hardships? Well, we were being careful to watch the weather to stay ahead of a winter storm coming in from the west. Had we paused along the route we might have found ourselves driving a multi-ton truck up and down mountain roads during a blizzard.

After the truck was unloaded, and Michael came up and saw the apartment for the first time, we returned the rolling behemoth to a parking lot in Brooklyn barely big enough to hold it. After rejoicing with relief, we learned that we did, in fact, need to refuel the sucker, so it was back in and through the neighborhood to the only diesel station in the zip code, waiting in line for another 45 minutes before we could really be done with it. Luckily, the Penske lot was next door to a 99 cent store, where we picked up needed hand soap and a shower curtain liner before going home to to our new home to order pizza. 

Michael reported to work the next day, and I set to work unpacking and getting the house ready for our first guests, set to arrive in just under 4 weeks. Things got worse for my illness before they got better. I coughed so hard that I pulled a torso muscle, making every movement painful. I would unpack and nap on repeat. 

We purchased additional storage furniture, a rug, and light-blocking drapes (to allow for guests to sleep on an air mattress in our living room without being kept awake by blinding street lights). I believe that we got the drapes hung about 10 minutes before Marc, Priscilla (one of my bestest friends), and Ruthie Liebenthal rolled up in their minivan.

Winter — Full Throttle

The Liebenthal clan spent New Years with us. It was cold and rainy, and we watched the ball drop in Times Square (a couple miles away) from the warmth of our living room on our TV. Two year old Ruthie would look out our window at the three story residential buildings in our neighborhood and exclaim, “Look at all the tall buildings in the big city!” 

We managed to get tickets to see a taping of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert in January! And I was finally healthy!! As we were standing in line to get inside, I had this fleeting thought about how this was such a fun vacation. Of course, I realized how silly I sounded to myself and shared it with Michael. To be fair, I had barely been out of the house because of being sick. He teased me about being on vacation in the city in which we live, but we continue to be amazed  at this place, and we say to each other, “Hey, we live here!” on a regular basis. 

The same day that we were at the Late Show, our friend, Miguel Ovalles, came to stay with us for a week. This is the same Miguel who helped us pack up our truck in Houston that we came to know and love while he was working in our building in Houston. During his visit, we participated in an event called the No Pants Subway Ride. It’s what you might imagine — an international, annual, coordinated prank where people ride the subway with no pants on… in the dead of winter. 

The rest of January included attending the taping of a comedy show by Michael’s friend, Kevin James Doyle. The show was titled “30 Year Old Virgin,” and brought us to tears of laughter, with a healthy dose of Michael’s trademark belly laugh. We took some fun videos at the Dolby Experience pop up in SoHo (like you do when you live here), and I travelled to Rhode Island with a cooler full of homemade ice cream to surprise Priscilla Liebenthal for her birthday. 

Houston friends, Nathan and Allison White, came to stay with us in February. Nathan had an interview for a surgical residency program, and Allison is a complete Newyorkophile™. With them we took the coldest of our seven walks across the Brooklyn Bridge for the year at 26°F. It gets very windy in the middle!! Allison introduced us to Levain’s cookies, which are on the list of Oprah’s favorite things, and have become part of the Karlesky Standard Tour, Central Park Package. 

February also brought with it an excursion to Punderdome 3000, a three hour, live, punning tournament at a bar in Brooklyn. I think of myself as an excellent punner, and these contestants knocked my socks off! We also gave ourselves a belated Christmas present of going to see Mean Girls on Broadway. It was so fetch!

Amy Cesak (another of my besties and former roommate) came for a visit, and one of the highlights was visiting Murray’s Cheese Shop on Bleecker Street. We also happened to be strolling through Washington Square Park while a pianist that Amy had previously raved about was playing! He invites people to lay underneath the baby grand piano that he brings to the park, so that they can be fully immersed in the music. We got to stand there, with sunshine on our faces, listening to beautiful live music, and experiencing a thing in real life that had been exciting on the internet. 

The second half of February was spent in Houston. Pam and Doug Dunlap graciously hosted us in what they’ve called the “Karlesky Suite” ever since we stayed there for a week during Hurricane Harvey in 2017. As part of the ongoing jaw treatment I’m having, my Houston dentist removed the growth appliance that had expanded my upper jaw over the previous six months, and I had an elective oral surgery done by my periodontist that is making my orthodontics more effective. I was consciously sedated, but woke up multiple times during the surgery. It was traumatic for me, and Michael and I both cried together about it afterwards. During my two weeks of recovery I slept a lot, ate a lot of Cream of Wheat, and it hurt to smile or laugh. Our friends, Whitney and Andy Reed lent me their coveted Vitamix for making smoothies. My parents, Paul and Claudia Schulte, came to visit from San Antonio, and we got to attend Nathan and Allison’s wedding in Houston. 

Spring — Movin’ and Groovin’

As soon as we got back to NYC, I was getting braces put on for the second time in my life. Michael makes jokes about how young I looked at 19 when met, and the braces now at age 34 really add a youthful glow. There is a picture of how much my teeth moved after only 24 hours due to the elective surgery, and it is remarkable. 

We started getting more involved with the church we found, Reconcile Brooklyn. We joined a life group and started getting to know Sarah and Stephen Groves, Jérôme Michaux, and Stephanie Lugo. 

At the end of March, I flew down to Houston for a surgical followup appointment. My dear friend, Melissa Posada, flew back up with me to NYC to spend a week with us. Melissa introduced me to Dante’s, a bar that has become one of our favorite spots for special occasions. Most days, we hung out in our pajamas for as long as possible and enjoyed each other’s company.

In early April, my parents, Paul & Claudia came to NYC. Paul, Claudia, and I went to the top of the Empire State Building (something I had never done). Then while Paul attended a conference and Michael was at work, Claudia and I did fun things like see Beautiful on Broadway, popped into the Macy’s Flower Show, ate delicious waffles at Bryant Park, and found a spot for delicious pastries. We also headed out to Corona Park, site of the 1963 World’s Fair that my mom attended as a girl. It was fun to see the exhibits in the Queen’s Museum, and see my mom stroll down memory lane. Over the weekend as a foursome, we took a historical Hamilton walking tour of lower Manhattan, visited the Transit Museum in Brooklyn, and enjoyed a nice dinner out.

I surprised Michael for his birthday with tickets to visit the new art installation at Hudson Yards, called The Vessel. It looks like a beehive made of staircases. It was designed by one of his favorite architects, Heatherwick, and he didn’t it know it existed before I told him about it. The joy of telling Michael about a thing he doesn’t yet know about is singular and rare. We also went to a very fancy dinner at a restaurant called One if by Land, Two if by Sea located within the structure of Aaron Burr’s carriage house! 

Also in April, we enjoyed a day with friends Jenny Distefano and Liffy Varghese at the Brooklyn Botanic Gardens for the Cherry Blossom Festival. It was beautiful to see the trees full of pink blooms. 

In early May, we traveled up to Rhode Island to celebrate Ruthie Liebenthal’s 3rd birthday. We also enjoyed a delicious pizza at the famous Juliana’s with Scot Sroka before his next deployment overseas. Then, Priscilla and Ruthie Liebenthal came down again for Mother’s Day weekend. 

In May, we enjoyed a visit from my sister, Carolyn Schulte. She is a zookeeper, and there is quite a tight network of keepers across the country. We obviously had a visit to the Bronx Zoo planned, and Carolyn was able to coordinate a behind-the-scenes, in-depth tour of the herpetology department (reptiles and amphibians). They wouldn’t naturally be my favorite type of animal, but everything was so interesting, and the keeper showing us around was so passionate, that he made (at least temporary) converts out of us. The slam bang finish was getting to go inside the giant tortoise enclosure and pet them! The tortoises, when raised by hand, come to really enjoy human affection, so they would follow us (albeit slowly) around the yard if we walked away. Imagine being followed around by a persistent, 500–700lb new friend. It was amazing!

The day after Carolyn left (to go home to Michigan) we flew to Michigan for Memorial Day. We got to meet baby Simone Medema and saw new parents, Aaron and Erin. We enjoyed a visit with Kacy and Justin Houseman and their kiddos, and joined up with a garage sale with Aaron and Alisa Smith and kids. We had a family dinner with Len and Jody Netti and spent a day with Michael’s parents, John and Jan Karlesky, in an Amish town. Then it was the annual parade and extended family festivities at my grandparents’ home outside of Detroit. My friends from high school, Peter and Amy Joseph and their kids came over to enjoy the parade and lunch as well. 

Summer — High Temps, Low Points

Summertime is the most uncomfortable in New York City due to hot and sticky subway stations and the necessity of walking in the concrete jungle. That was reflected in fewer visitors and activities. We did attend the Mermaid Parade at Coney Island in June, and we took a trip to Staten Island to eat at a restaurant called Nonnas of the World with Sarah Merchlewitz Kuhner and Russ Kuhner. The food at the restaurant is made by a rotating staff of grandmas. There is always an Italian grandma in the kitchen as well as a grandma from another country. We ate Italian and Lebanese food, and it was worth the trek on the ferry!

We did have an epic date that was inspired by a summer filler TV show. Michael loves miniature golf, so when I discovered that there was a new show called Holey Moley — think Wipeout meets putt putt, I knew we had a winner on our hands. We first went to play miniature golf (indoors, because it’s hot), then we went to an ice cream shop, called Holey Creams that serves ice cream in donut sandwiches. Finally it was back home to watch the first episode of Holey Moley. As far as quirky fun goes, it was a hole in one!

Our A/C system in our apartment decided to stop working on the first day of the most intense heatwave of the summer. Our landlord was out of the country, but she made arrangements for us to get a portable unit. On our way to Home Depot, we got a call from friends in distress, so we got off the train to respond and support them. We finally got home and got our portable A/C installed around midnight. We ordered a pizza from Domino’s. They screwed up the order twice. Walking up the stairs with a second incorrect pizza and zero emotional reserves was the low point of the year so far. Nevertheless, we persisted, and survived the heatwave over the next couple weeks with our portable unit, fans, and shades closed. 

In late July, Jessica took a bus down to Washington D.C. to meet up with college friend, Kelsi Archibald, and to visit Carly and Mark Mphasa and their new baby, Mya. Early August brought a visit from our dear friend, Jeff Boone. He was in town to see us and to visit one of the young women he knows from working at an orphanage in Romania. She got a scholarship to study for the summer with the Bolshoi Ballet in NYC, and we got to see her perform.

In August, we were invited to join Michael’s best friend from grad school, Holly Robbins (visiting from the Netherlands), and her parents, Richard Robbins and Nancy Orr, at their cottage at a lakefront community outside the city. We took the train out and had the most relaxing, delightful weekend with them. There were evening soaks in the hot tub, lazy coffee mornings on the screened porch or on the deck, and afternoons by the lake. There was a community event, called the Moonlight Cruise, where we paddled around in a canoe to different docks to receive treats, drinks, and collect stamps on our treasure map. Holly, Richard, and Nancy even surprised me with a “Birthaversary” cake to celebrate my birthday and our anniversary.

We responded to a desperate plea from a new friend at church to join the Tech Ops team and become trained to run the sound board on Sunday mornings. We said yes, so we are nearly there on being able to set up, sound check, and run the service. We have enjoyed the opportunity to work as a team and get to know Bill and Joanna Hess, Angel Reyes, Cory and Keyla Morgan, and Louise Nankiinga better (to name just a few people) by being more involved at church. 

The winds of September took me back to Houston again for another checkup on my mouth. I got to see many friends, and got to meet three-month old babies, Nora Piché and Sadie Douglas. While I was away, Edenworks, Michael’s employer, got bad news that their promising, potential lead investor had backed out. This left the company with no good options and about 4 weeks of money before having to shut down. At that point, I just wanted to get home to Michael to grieve together the loss of this startup dream, but tropical storm Imelda moved in, flooded the airport, most of the freeways, and delayed my return. I was fortunate to be visiting Whitney and Andy Reed when the flooding got bad, and they were kind enough to let me spend the night and join in the chaos of life with three kids ages four and under. I tried to earn my keep by turning a pile of apples into an apple pie.

Autumn – Falling Leaves, Rising Hopes

After the announcement of the bleak news from Edenworks, Michael had decreased responsibilities at the office and was spending most of his time working on his resumé, LinkedIn portfolio, and looking for new jobs. The added flexibility allowed us to kick off the fall by attending the naturalization ceremony for our new friend from church, Jérôme Michaux. We are a better country with Jérôme as a brand new U.S. citizen!

I processed the hard Edenworks news by increasing my baking output as some form of therapy. I bought a culinary torch to make creme brûlée. When my beloved ice cream maker had to be sent in for repairs, I taught myself to make French macarons. 

We took a day and adventured by ferry to Governor’s Island in early October. With Michael’s future at work uncertain and life being so busy, it was a sweet day to breathe, be with each other, and enjoy the perfect fall weather. 

The dramatic climax of the year came in October. Edenworks secured a lead investor and solidified the future of the company a mere six days before running out of money and shutting down! Whereas the bad news in the summer came in a crushing wave, the good news came in bite-sized bits of hope and optimism over the course of a couple weeks. We think that the slow build was the reason we didn’t have an overwhelming moment of staggering joy, but it was nothing short of miraculous in the timing and the generous terms the investor provided. The guys that had worked on fundraising had spoken to over 400 potential investors over the past four years. They were all but ready to give up but decided on “one more call.” That last call led to millions of dollars in the bank just weeks later. We obviously believe in the company enough to move to New York, and we are profoundly grateful for the hard work and the divine blessing that allow us to continue this adventure of ours. 

The rest of the year took a solid upturn in activity! Melissa Posada came back for a weekend visit and brought her boyfriend, Jason Childers, with her. We had a sweet afternoon at Dante’s to celebrate Edenworks and the relief of not having to worry about Michael’s employment. We visited the Observation Deck at One World Trade, enjoyed a new delightful coffee shop that is Cafe Felix in Manhattan, and discovered a french fry joint that has 30+ available dipping sauces!

It was a quick turnaround on the Karlesky B&B to then welcome Andrew, Casey, and four month old daughter, Sadie from Houston. When planning their trip, Andrew expressed that he wanted to make people say, “You did all that, WITH A BABY?” Some highlights with them include riding an antique subway train from 1917, visiting Central Park, and exploring Roosevelt Island. 

In November, we took a trip to visit Amy Cesak in Charlottesville, VA. We took a really interesting historical tour of University of Virginia’s campus, had a great lunch at a local brewery, followed by a hike up to Humpback Rocks, and spent an amazing afternoon at a gorgeous winery with a group of her new friends and an amazing charcuterie platter.

In the tradition of having Michigan Schulte siblings visit just before Michigan trips, my brother and sister-in-law, Dan and Kat came to visit in mid November. It was a much-anticipated opportunity to spend time together as a foursome. It was Kat’s first trip to NYC and Dan’s first time in Brooklyn! We prioritized diverse food and beautiful parks, and we were able to see the most beautiful moonrise from Brooklyn Bridge Park that any of us had ever seen. We ended with a lovely dinner at at French restaurant where the waitstaff was all French (so we figured it’s legit), and Michael Keaton, the actor, was just chilling at the bar. Kat pretended to take a photo of the guys across the table but totally zoomed in on him. 

The week of Thanksgiving took us back to Michigan again for the family and friends tour back and forth across the state. We were hosted by Michael’s former Brooklyn roommates, Ian and (Ni)Cole Sigmon, who now own a beautiful fixer upper farmhouse, my grandparents, Bob and Wanda Jordan, and Len and Jody Netti. We also had the pleasure of seeing Kim and Josiah Clemence who made us Ethiopian food, Kelsi Archibald for our traditional Thanksgiving coffee/hot chocolate date, Phil and Ellen West, Aaron and Alisa Smith and crew. We had Thanksgiving meals with John and Jan Karlesky and with the Jordan/Schulte clan. Lowlights include my Aunt Dorene needing emergency surgery due to a skiing accident that fractured her pelvis (she is recovering well, but missed Turkey Day with the family), and our return flight being cancelled due to inclement weather when we were already waiting at our gate. Thankfully we were able to rent another car, and the Sigmons were willing to take us in for an extra night.

Winter – Christmas Rest

We did our best to have a quiet, relaxing Christmas season here in Brooklyn. One of our favorite things is to watch bad Christmas movies that are titled: Christmas ________ (any noun). Examples are Christmas Kiss, Christmas Lodge, Christmas Engagement, Christmas Crush, Christmas Calendar, etc. They are usually bad, and sometimes terrible, but we watch them for sport, and they are typically accompanied by homemade molasses cookies and eggnog with a necessary splash of booze.

We did have a flooding incident in the shared basement storage space after 36 hours of heavy rain. We got through Hurricane Harvey in Houston dry as a bone, but lost some packing materials to a rainy day in Brooklyn. We live in a city of hard knocks, it would seem. Michael spent the better part of an afternoon using our landlord’s wet vac to clean up the standing 0.5” of water before our landlord could make it over and then rearranging all our stuff down there. I was frantically working upstairs to make 60 Rice Krispie treats that I had committed to bringing to our church Christmas party that evening. Never a dull moment around here.

We ended the year much as we started – in our Brookyn apartment, with Jessica sick (a cold that won’t quit), and watching the ball drop in Times Square from our couch.

Epilogue

We are so grateful for the many blessings of 2019. The highs were amazing, and the lows were abysmal. We are happy to turn the page of a new decade and greet it with open arms, open hearts to our growing community in Brooklyn, open doors for more visitors, and proper health insurance thanks to Edenworks’ success!

Previous Years’ Entries:

2016: https://karlesky.net/2016wasinsane

2017: https://karlesky.net/whatayear2017

2018: Doesn’t exist, may not ever