By Living Room Realty, April 16, 2018
One time, at summer camp, I met these two amazing people.
I’ve done a lot of camps growing up, meeting various people throughout. Most of the time, it’s a fleeting relationship. Camps can sometimes feel like a crucible, forcing people from various parts of town into a secluded area for a week or so at a time. I think camp relationships are extremely strong, but the separation afterwards makes staying in touch hard to do. Best friends made at camp often just become “camp friends.” I’m really glad I can still call these two best friends.
It was my first summer working at this particular camp and the summer’s staff was sitting in a large circle on the blacktop basketball courts, introducing themselves. I only knew one person, Molly, going into it, so I was a little nervous. As we were going around the circle, listing our name, our age, our experience, our role and a fun fact about ourselves, a couple people stood out in particular.
One was Mike Laskowski. First off, he was boisterous. The kind of person that stands out in a crowd. He spoke with a bravado that made you think “alright, he’s in charge.” Secondly, his name sounds a whole lot like Mike Wazowski of Monsters, Inc.
Another person who stood out was Rylie Schlottmann. Almost opposite of Mike in personality, she exuded a sweet, welcoming feeling. She also announced that she was the Program Director, which made you think “oh shit, she’s ACTUALLY in charge.”
That first summer together was amazing. Over the next 6 weeks, living in the woods with Mike and Ry really gave me the incredible opportunity to get to really get to know them. After the summer was over and we returned to our respective universities, we still found time to get together as often as we could during holiday breaks. We also agreed to return to camp the following summer.
Our second summer together was one of the most impactful summers of my life. I worked with amazing kids. The girl I was crushing on the summer before agreed to go out with me. And my friendships with the staff, in particular Rylie and Mike, solidified. The end of that second camp session was an extremely emotional time. Mike and Ry have been going to this camp for years with their core friend group, and that was their last summer together.
However, after it ended, rather than drifting apart, we grew closer. A lot closer. I spent nearly every New Years at their house – always raging cages and sometimes losing Rylie’s phone. We went to Sasquatch together. Rylie and I got camp tattoos together. A couple of Rylie’s best friends started dating a couple of my best friends. Our worlds collided and these two camp friends were now some of my absolute best friends.
This past year has been a big one for the pair. They got married this past summer, in what was truly the littiest event of 2017. I was lucky enough to be a part of the wedding and the preparation activities leading up to it. The whole process made me appreciate these two even more. They’re both extremely kind, loyal, and compliment each other perfectly. And I know kind and loyal are cliche and overused adjectives, but these two take really exemplify them to the fullest.
So a couple months ago an opportunity came up in St. John’s. It was a unique opportunity that I actually almost jumped all over. Before doing so, I was reminded that I’m a broker before investor. I immediately thought of Mike and Rylie. They currently lived in St. John’s and loved the area. Mike went to the University of Portland, so we had spent a lot of time together up in the bluff. After talking about it, it became a real possibility once they spoke with their parents. The day it turned into a reality, I submitted the contract right before leaving for Asia for a couple weeks. Jake held it down for me while I was gone, but I was eager to come back to work with them. The sellers were nice enough to allow us to push off inspections until after I returned. They also worked with us when we needed lender required repairs. A huge thank you to them, And a huge congratulations to Mike and Rylie! I’m looking forward to many more New Years parties at your new home.
