Twenty twenty 2.0 (a.k.a. 2021)

The full version [by Jessica, edits and flourishes by Michael]:

It’s crazy to me that 2022 is upon us. I know it’s been said many times, many ways, Merry Christmas, Covid is madness. I feel that Covid lowers everything a joy octave. It makes the good things a little less great and the hard things even more heavy. 2021 has been a year of hopes gone unrealized, but we appreciated what we could and made the best of what we have (sometimes through dark humor). We continue to experience a collective trauma in this pandemic, and the holidays this year may very well accentuate grief and loss instead of joy and peace for you. If you celebrate Christmas, may you be comforted by the birth of our savior entering the world in a messy, painful, inglorious fashion and bringing the promise of hope and reconciliation. 

We continue to be active members at our church, Reconcile Brooklyn. Before the pandemic, we met in a school auditorium, but we’ve been virtual since March 2020. Michael and I were regular participants in the service, leading prayer or sharing announcements or the benediction (“The Bennies” as Michael dubbed it). I co-led our life group with Ellice Lee and Ruby Gee for the first half of the year. We are really excited that after a long search for a new space to gather, we have a proper church building with a steeple, bell, and stained glass windows (a true miracle in the real estate market of New York City)! We had our first in-person service in December, fully masked and full of joy.

In other continuations, I am still seeing my orthodontist for the final phase of my jaw treatment. I’ve realized Dr. Chow is one of my closest New York relationships. I have seen him every 1–3 weeks for years now, and he knows all about my life. It will be bittersweet to finally finish. I got a dental implant in November, which was one of the final milestones in the treatment protocol. I also continued my weekly, friendly chats with my elderly friends that I met through Little Brothers Friends of the Elderly. Anthony and I spent hours on the phone with insurance companies and care providers over a span of a couple of weeks to finally get him a home healthcare aide this summer. Elsie and I frequently chat about current events and politics. 

Michael continues to work at his indoor farming company Upward Farms (formerly Edenworks). When we relocated from Houston in 2018 the whole outfit was just eleven people. If you remember, the company almost shut down in 2019 before a huge investment that has since fueled crazy growth. As of today, Michael’s team alone is twelve, and the company is closing in on 80 employees, averaging one new hire a week for over a year now. That number will continue to grow exponentially over the next few years. If you haven’t read between the lines, Michael is working long hours to keep many plates spinning and his team supported. The growth is exciting but exhausting. 

We started the year invited by one of our pastors, Milly Silencio, to a virtual celebration after the presidential inauguration. Milly is a DACA recipient (a.k.a. Dreamer), and many people in her circles have no personal experience with white American Christians who are pro-immigration and pro-path to citizenship. In fact, many in these circles believe we are like unicorns—mythological creatures. We were humbled to be trusted enough to be invited into that circle, saddened to hear the fear, trepidation, and frustration many people live with daily, and encouraged by a new administration that would hopefully make good on promises to   improve the situation. We remain deeply troubled that our fellow believers are so quick to demonize the orphan, the widow, and the alien that we are called to care for.

February brought some impressive snow storms to NYC. Here cold weather in the winter is the norm, but snow accumulation itself is less so. I convinced Michael to get outside in the snow with me, and we trekked up to Central Park to really experience the winter wonderland. Despite the double masks, cold, and setting sun, we had a magical time. Later that month, we got to watch (virtually) our dear friends, Jeff Boone and Ellice Lee, get married! If you remember, their love story was a highlight in the darkness of the pandemic. We introduced them in August 2020, supported them with backchannel discussions, and watched them fall in love. They now live just one block down from the apartment Michael lived in during grad school on the same street where he and I shared our first kiss.

In March, we started to emerge from Covid winter hibernation to see friends outside again. We had dinner with Jeff & Ellice and Chris & Becca Villalobos in a heated outdoor beer garden. Later in the month we also got to grab dinner with my old Schlumberger coworker, Maria Juliana, and her now-husband, Guillermo, who were in town for work. We had a lovely outdoor dining experience at an eclectic spot in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, and capped the night with ridiculously good Levain’s cookies.

For our first air travel of the pandemic, we flew to Texas for the wedding of Melissa Posada and Jason Childers in Austin at the end of March. We stayed with my parents, Paul and Claudia Schulte, in San Antonio for a couple nights, introduced them to the art of sourdough baking, and enjoyed a meal at their favorite restaurant, Supper, out on its patio not far from the San Antonio Riverwalk. We also enjoyed a trip out to Gruene, TX and ate at the famous Gristmill restaurant along the Guadalupe river. Jason and Melissa’s wedding was small but beautiful under a massive oak tree—just magical, sweet, and lovely. The couple that had introduced Melissa and Jason hosted an an intimate afterparty that gave us more quality time with the our dear friends (and then we smoothly extricated the exhausted newlyweds). The day after the wedding, we got to spend a lovely afternoon with the bride and groom, sipping coffee and enjoying the Texas sunshine. Michael and I had Covid tests before flying to Texas for our own peace of mind and protection of our Texas loved ones, and we had more tests while in Texas to shorten our New York State-mandated quarantine upon our return. Nasal swabs are now the best party favors.

We both were eager to get our first Covid vaccine shots in late March. Being vaccinated and having upgraded our face masks to KN95s made travel during Covid a little less anxiety-ridden. I actually flew back to Texas in mid-April to participate in a surprise birthday party for Amy Cesak. The surprise was well executed by Amy’s mom, Terral, with input from Whitney Reed (after much brainstorming, despairing, and regrouping). I arrived at the party after Amy as the bonus surprise. There were high-pitched exclamations and happy tears, and that’s how you know you really did a good job on a surprise. While in Houston, I got to visit Amy, Whitney & Andy Reed and their kiddos, stay with newlyweds Melissa & Jason, visit Casey & Andrew Douglas and meet their newborn Emmie, and have dinner with Juliana Piché. Michael and Amy happen to share the same birthday, so it was hard to leave him alone while working to delight Amy. Michael was clear that his gift to Amy was sending me to her surprise birthday party. Friends in Brooklyn, Woody & Amory Davis, took Michael to an outdoor brunch and made sure he had a special birthday in my absence. 

Michael’s nephew, Kevin Diemer, married Christine in Wichita, KS in late April. Christine’s elementary students tried to steal the ceremony with their adorableness. Christine was a gorgeous bride, so the kids came a close second (sorry, Kevin). We got to visit Mitchel and Parikshya’s new home and see where they and their kids—Brighton, Sterling, Ramy, and Rafy—are making their life together. We got to cheer on Sterling at her volleyball game. She may be one of the smallest on her team, but she has a big presence on the court (and everywhere else)! We also got to see Michael’s siblings, Kendall & Steve, Steve’s wife Kris, and cousin Christofer & his wife Kimi. We flew in and out of Oklahoma City and drove the couple hours to be in attendance. On our way to the wedding from OKC, we stopped to visit the Oklahoma City bombing memorial, the first of the domestic terrorism memorials that made appearances in our 2021. We both were young when the bombing happened. It took on new significance experiencing the memorial in person and now that we are well aware of the developing extremism gripping our nation. We had a far more whimsical trip home, playing a round of mini golf—very on-brand for us if you have not been on the tiny greens with us already—along the Bricktown canal in downtown OKC. The canal was rather magical and reminded us of the Riverwalk in San Antonio where my parents live.

Through Ellice we have made friends with the one and only Dr. Rose Harrison. The remarkable Rose is in her 90s and joins our Zoom life group every week with her thoughtful questions and honest struggles with faith and how to live it out. For her birthday in May I made chocolate rose (obviously) cupcakes with fancy chocolate rose (again, obviously) decorations. We met with other life group members to sing to her and eat cupcakes. They were a hit—almost as much as Rose. 

My birthday gift to Michael was a coffee roasting class that he had to wait until May to attend. The class was hosted by our favorite new coffee shop, Coffee Project NY. Michael got to learn the science behind roasting from one of the coffee shop owners, actually roast coffee beans, and then bring them home for us to brew. Speaking of birthdays and May, for one of Michael’s coworkers and friends, Parth, we celebrated with a round of mini golf—our second of the year for those keeping track with a tiny pencil and card—on a Hudson River pier followed by some Van Leeuwen’s ice cream. 

You may have heard of the newest NYC attraction, the Little Island. It’s a privately endowed, public park that is just so unique and cool. It was designed by Heatherwick, one of Michael’s favorite design firms, and is unlike anything you’ve likely seen before. We were delighted to register in time to get free tickets for the opening weekend in May, and we’ve been several times since. If you come to visit us, this is the newest stop within the Karlesky Standard™ NYC Tour Package. 

If you know my family, you likely know that Memorial Day and Thanksgiving are normally spent at my grandparents’ house in Michigan with extended family. Covid had made the past several gatherings events we weren’t comfortable with from a safety standpoint. But now being fully vaccinated, we were excited to see family and spend time together outside for Memorial Day 2021. We got to spend quality time with my grandparents, Bob and Wanda Jordan, a couple days with Michael’s parents, John and Jan Karlesky, an afternoon with most of my siblings, and Memorial day with whole Jordan clan. We had perfect weather for hanging out in the backyard. My sister Carolyn’s boyfriend, Andre, brought a volleyball net that was a big hit (also some digs, sets, and aces happened). On our way home, we flew into JFK airport on JetBlue. We conveniently popped over to the newly opened TWA Hotel, previously the historic TWA Flight Center. You may recognize the interior and flight tubes from the movie Catch Me If You Can. It was a delightful detour, and we recommend flying JetBlue for the convenience of visiting the incredible TWA Hotel lobby as well as for their legroom and delicious PopCorners snacks. *This letter is not sponsored content.*

Also in May, Nathan White schemed a surprise kayaking birthday celebration in early June for his dear wife Allison that included us. As they live in Bethlehem, PA, the plan was to take a train as far into New Jersey as we could, and they would pick us up in their car, revealing the surprise. There were only minor hiccups as we executed this subterfuge. After three hours on subway and NJ Transit, we needed restrooms upon arriving to the Raritan, NJ train station, but alas, the cute little station house was all locked up due to Covid. We decided to message Nathan and walk ten minutes over to a nearby bakery that an app told us might have a restroom. The bakery was a bust, but we found a 7-Eleven that did have a restroom. This restroom was so new that Google Maps did not yet include the building that contained it. Because Nathan was driving and trying to keep Allison in the dark, he did not get our messages in a timely fashion. So he followed in our tracks to the station house, then to the bakery, and then finally to the 7-Eleven with his confused wife. This birthday trip ended up being as much a surprise to Nathan as to his wife. By then, Allison had figured something was up, but she was still delighted when they finally found us. 

While we were seeking bladder relief along a major artery in Raritan, NJ, Amy Cesak was simultaneously coming up from Charlottesville, VA to spend the week with Jessica in Vermont. She actually joined the surprise kayaking (Nathan decided that any dear friend of ours was worthy of joining—after checking with Allison’s parents). We packed coolers with snacks, drinks, and lunch in our kayaks. Allison is the world’s biggest funfetti fan, so I made funfetti blondies in lieu of a birthday cake. We enjoyed kayak races, splash wars (Nathan is a formidable opponent in both), gorgeous scenery, and great company. We only nearly lost a cooler in the Delaware Water Gap just once. At one point, I was taking cute photos of Amy for the guy she had just started seeing, and we failed to realize the current was rapidly taking us down the wrong fork in the river. We were paddling at max intensity and losing the battle against the current, ever so slowly moving backwards. In a stressful but comical series of errors, we both ended up out of our kayaks, struggling against the current working to hold on to our kayaks, stay upright, and remain on the fork that the rest of our party had floated down. Amy actually had to be rescued by a kind twenty-something man who had been enjoying a beer with his friends on the little island at the fork (an entirely different little island—this one was not manmade). We caught our breath from the exertion and the laughter and rejoined Michael, Nathan, and Allison who were wondering where the heck we had gone. Less than five minutes later, we came upon the spot where the other fork rejoined the river, and Amy and I lost it again realizing that we could have just gone with the flow and been just fine. 

Amy and I left for Burlington, VT a couple days later. Because there never seems to be a dull moment in our lives, the morning we were leaving included a last-minute doctor appointment, and Michael had forgotten his keys at home. Amy and I managed to drop keys off to Michael, find parking in Manhattan for my quick appointment, and get out of the city. Part of Amy’s vision for our trip was riding a tandem bicycle (to be clear, we left NYC in a car—the bicycle was in Vermont). If you want to test your communication and trust with another human being, ride a tandem bicycle. The person at the back is the power and can’t steer or brake. The person at the front steers and brakes. Getting started is the trickiest part because the bike wobbles, and you feel like you’re going to topple over, but you must keep the faith and just keep pedaling. Amy and I found our groove and were basically pros by the end of our trip out on the Colchester Causeway and back. Back in town, we enjoyed some great local breweries, sunsets over Lake Champlain, and some beach time.

Amy and I also climbed Mount Mansfield, the tallest peak in Vermont. Thankfully, we discussed our plans with a park ranger before heading out and realized that the route we had found on All Trails was more treacherous than perhaps we wanted. The phrase “four points climbing” was offered, meaning we would have to scramble on all fours. This seemed unnecessarily difficult. The alternate route that we were pointed along was allegedly easier, but we were still on all fours many times! We did not fall to our deaths, and made it to the summit! The way down was a different kind of challenge on another trail. If four points climbing was required on the way up, we employed “five points descending,” frequently having to scooch on our butts to get down the boulders. In fact, whichever one of us happened to be leading the way would holler back, “This one’s a butt-er” to the person bringing up the rear… pun definitely intended.

If you’ve stayed at a hotel during Covid, you’ve probably encountered the limited housekeeping aspect of the pandemic. This meant that when Amy and I decided to change beds to accommodate sleeping temperature preferences and proximity to the A/C, we had to remake the beds ourselves rather than simply rely on housekeeping to change the sheets. Also, this particular DoubleTree had the world’s worst sheets. Half were threadbare and felt more like sheer, gauzy curtains than crisp hotel sheets. This was particularly disappointing to Amy who adores staying at hotels. When we got back to our hotel after our mountain climbing adventure, I realized with great disappointment that my Camelback backpack water bladder had leaked onto my mattress that morning. The comforter, sheets, and mattress were sopping wet. This is not a problem you want to have while exhausted, hungry, and sore. I was at the end of my emotional rope, so Amy took care of getting us towels, more sheets to remake the bed yet again, and a box fan to help dry the bed while we went to get dinner. We developed a reputation with the front desk staff for asking for so many sheets (and their signature cookies). 

For the birthday of my Little Brother’s friend, Anthony, I made him carrot cake cupcakes with adorable chocolate carrot decorations. He requested fried chicken for his birthday meal, so Jerome, the head of Little Brothers NYC, brought Popeye’s and special candles. Soon after his birthday, we finally succeeded in securing for Anthony a home health aide. I helped him slog through the insurance and paperwork to finally get him the help he needed. I don’t know how people who need help manage without help, as it was painful and confusing even for me. Anthony and I grew closer this year, and he even dedicated a poem to me. I got teary when he read it to me over the phone. 

In late June, I participated in an Improv Everywhere mission. You may know them from the “No Pants Subway Ride” or some of their other popular YouTube videos. I made a couple friends on the spot, and we had a blast having spontaneous dance parties. If you watch the video of my mission, you can spot me a couple times in my white tank top and orange crossbody fanny pack.

Michael and I enjoyed a date night sunset harbor cruise in late June. NYC is surrounded by water, but we rarely get out on it. Seeing the city from the water is beautiful. We cruised around Manhattan, saw Little Island from the water on the Hudson, and came up the East River under the Brooklyn and Manhattan bridges. Then we headed out to the Statue of Liberty as the sun was setting. It was lovely.

We decided to be brave and watch the NYC July 4th fireworks in person. We planned our day to include a Manhattan outing, a picnic dinner, and a ferry boat ride across the East River to a park in Queens. We took our camping chairs and sunscreen and staked out a spot along a walkway. It was crowded when we got there (so we thought), but it was manageable. Unfortunately, the people just did not stop coming, and the walkway turned into a “standway.” I got tired of being stepped on. We were so unaccustomed to that many people after over a year of pandemic life. We took turns pushing through the solid one hundred yards of humanity to go use a restroom (thank goodness for good masks… for multiple reasons). It was all an uncomfortable experience, to put it lightly. But, the fireworks were truly magical—some of the most expansive and rich we’ve ever seen. Fireworks and lights from atop the Empire State Building synced up with the show over the East River. Thankfully, we could see them over people’s heads because we are tall. It was your standard crush of humanity as soon as they ended trying to get out of there. We made it home in one piece each, without the need to do that again.

July also brought a visit from our friend, Monica Lackman, who drove her Prius from Michigan to Brooklyn. We always ask our visitors what kind of experience they’d like to have when they come to visit—classic tourist, art & history, off-the-beaten-path, food tour, etc. Monica was our first visitor to ever choose the food tour. We had Moroccan brunch, Tibetan lunch, Persian dinner, and various fun snacks. While walking to our beloved Domino Park, we stumbled upon a delightful mini golf art project pop-up along the East River that Michael and I came back to play when we had the time.

The summer seemed to be bringing an end to the worst of the pandemic. We were fully vaccinated, case numbers in NYC were steadily declining, and the city was opening up more and more. Michael and I spent the afternoon at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. On our way there, we ate at a gorgeous Thai restaurant and then found the most beautiful and delicious gelato shop on the Upper East Side. If you’re ever within twenty blocks of Anita Gelato, it’s worth going and standing in line! When New Yorkers are willing to wait in line for something (or, as many New Yorkers insist on saying “wait on line”—yes, really), you know it’s good. On our way home, we ate dinner at a Persian restaurant that I had been wanting to try for months. It was a success of a day and felt like a new day in the city, but it was not to be as the Delta variant was soon to take over. 

At the end of July, Michael told me that I should expect a package on the 27th. It turns out that the package was a person—Melissa Childers! We spent many hours in stretchy pants but did manage to venture out to see the new Moynihan Train Hall (an expansion of Penn Station in the renovated and restored Post Office building across the street), pick up some banana pudding from Magnolia Bakery, and get some flowers. I did Melissa the favor of introducing her to the AppleTV+ show Ted Lasso, and we (re)watched the entire first season together. Truly, it is some of the best television you may ever see. Ted Lasso has totally roped us in.

In August, we celebrated five years of marriage. We both agree that each of our lives became so much crazier after we got together. We lived more than our fair share of life in these past five years—“an unreasonable amount of life” per Michael, but we are so profoundly grateful to have each other. There were no romantic getaways, as Covid made that difficult, but we did go play Pixar Putt, a traveling, themed, pop-up mini golf course in Battery Park. For those with the little golf pencils and cards, that’s seventy-two holes of miniature golf we played in 2021, with fifty-four of those windmills, ramps, and patches of artificial grass in New York City. This reminds me that our summer also included our Friday evening ritual of watching our beloved Holey Moley, the number one extreme mini golf competition show on television, airing Thursdays 8pm (7pm Central) only on ABC and streaming on Hulu. *This letter is not sponsored content.*

In late August and early September, Mother Nature decided to pay a visit to NYC in the form of Hurricane Henri and Tropical Storm Ida. We broke all-time hourly rainfall records with Henri and then smashed those same records just a week later with Ida (3.15" of rain in a single hour). Our basement storage flooded like it does sometimes. However, this time was special as there was an open bag of topsoil that mixed in with the rush of water and spread all over the entire basement floor. I estimate that we had as much as three inches of water moving through the basement where previously it had been just a quarter of an inch at most. We had learned the hard way last time about the flooding tendency. Thankfully, we had long ago moved all our belongings off the floor to avoid being soiled (pun intended). Our neighbor, Jerry, was a hero in cleaning the whole place out.

We ventured out on September 11th to see the Tribute in Light and the 9/11 Memorial in person. The Tribute in Light is a yearly temporary installation of two massive beams of light shining into the night sky symbolizing the fallen Twin Towers and the many souls lost. It was meaningful and moving to be there on the 20th anniversary of that tragedy.

In late September we used our membership to the New York Botanical Gardens to experience a much kinder, lovelier, and drier side of Mother Nature as well as the Kusama show hosted there. We enjoyed being in nature and the whimsical art installations.

In October, I surprised Michael with tickets to see Freestyle Love Supreme on Broadway. If you’ve never heard of it, the production is an improv show where songs, characters, and beatboxing are all made up on the spot from audience participation. The creator of the phenomenon that is Hamilton, Lin Manuel Miranda, was part of the original troupe and wrote Hamilton during his tenure (he wasn’t at our show, though). Michael and I had watched a documentary on Freestyle Love Supreme in 2020 and learned then that their run on Broadway had ended. We were so bummed that we had missed it. Imagine my delight this summer when I learned they were bringing back the show for a short run this fall!! Michael had no idea. As we walked down the street to the theatre, he saw a billboard for Freestyle Love Supreme and exclaimed in confused excitement that he thought they were finished! I played it real cool and surprised as we walked up to the line to enter the theater. Michael was delighted! There were strict vaccine/Covid test requirements to attend the show and mask mandates while inside. It was a bit emotional to be back in a theatre, and we enjoyed it so much. 

Halloween weekend had us in Michigan again. We were not going to be in the Wolverine State for Thanksgiving, so we wanted to see our families before travel restrictions or weather prevented visiting. We saw my Grandma and Grandpa Jordan for a couple meals, cards, and conversation. We saw Mom and Dad Karlesky for a visit and some adventures in the kitchen. And, we enjoyed a bonfire and dinner of my dad’s venison with the Schulte sibs (Dan, Kat, Sarah, Carolyn), nephews (Jack & Emmet), and my father, Paul. Sarah and Dan were the master chefs for the venison dishes. Michael and I grabbed a couple moments to ourselves on the windy shores of Lake Michigan, which always feels like home to me.

Thanksgiving had us at home in Brooklyn, cooking for twelve but hosting just two. Jeff and Ellice came for dinner, and we had turkey with all the fixings. We had leftovers for days. The day after Thanksgiving, we met up with the Ryzengas, friends from Michigan, who were in town for a short trip. We had a proper bagel breakfast, stayed warm with good coffee, visited the High Line & Little Island (once again), and enjoyed the Union Square Holiday Market. As usual, the Ryzengas are delightful company, and our time felt too short.  

Our last visitor of the year was Priscilla Liebenthal, who drove down from Rhode Island in December. Much to the dismay of five year old Ruthie, her mom came alone. Priscilla brought amazing pastries from Sift Bakery in Mystic, CT, a favorite of ours since being introduced to it by the Liebenthals. We took it easy, ate lots of Asian food, baked some holiday treats together, and enjoyed each other’s company after far too long apart. 

Just after Christmas we received unexpected and heartbreaking news that my elderly friend, Anthony, died of a heart attack on Christmas Eve. He had told me just two days before his passing during our weekly chat that his plan for Christmas was to spend time with Jesus. He was always talking about how he was going to live a long time. I’m quite sure he meant he would pray and enjoy time alone with his savior on Christmas Day, but it turned out to be a more prophetic comment than we knew. I am grieving this loss and am missing my friend, but I am comforted that Anthony is at peace in Heaven, released of bodily discomfort.

Our Christmas and New Year’s were otherwise quiet and cozy. We had too many treats and watched several terrible Christmas movies. (We have a tradition of watching movies that fit the formula: Christmas _____ (noun), e.g. Christmas Calendar, Christmas Wish, Christmas Prince, etc. Most of them are truly terrible, and we watch them for sport.) We did the annual Schulte Secret Santa Christmas gift exchange via video call after Christmas. New Year’s Eve is for younger folks than we are. We were fast asleep well before the ball dropped. 

We are grateful to rejoice in the birth of our savior and look forward to what 2022 has to offer.

Previous Years’ Entries:

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

2017: https://karlesky.net/whatayear2017

2018: Doesn’t exist, may not ever

2019: https://karlesky.net/heywelivehere2019

2020: https://karlesky.net/blursday2020