Making Dreams Come True...

2007-09-30T07:18:00.000-07:00

It was a tough decision for Maaike to give up her childhood dream. She had wanted to become a doctor.

"But when I looked at how the schooling, the residency and the internships could take me all over the country, I had to rethink it," said Maaike (pronounced MY-kuh).

Maaike, whose parents brought her to America 10 years ago from the Netherlands, was studying pre-med at Western Michigan University when Jeff Wallenstein walked into her life.

The Muskegon native was working his way through college and had dreams of his own. He had worked his way up to supervisor at Red Lobster and when asked to train the new waitress, he knew he had found "a good catch." The young couple fell in love and worked side by side at the restaurant and continued to hit the books. When Jeff earned his degree and went out into the corporate world, the couple decided it was time to get engaged. They began sorting out their life plans.

Putting down roots and staying close to their families was important. Jeff got off to a fast start, if anything a little frustrated by the slow pace in the "Fortune 500" world in which he was working.

It was when the young married couple decided to build a house that Maaike had found an excellent outlet for her medical aspirations. "The Physicians Assistant program at Western is outstanding. I can still use my prerequisites, do important work and remain in the Kalamazoo area," she said.

The PA program, as Maaike knows, is highly competitive. So, she's buckling down with her biochemistry, genetics and pharmacology classes. She is also still waiting table. Her mom and dad are thrilled that she is nearby. Her father hung the flower planters at the new house. One of Maaike's favorite things is to "sit at the table with my mom and yap." Jeff's parents, of course, would have preferred to have the couple settle down closer to Muskegon, "but we're still close."

Moving into Ashton Farms off of South 12th Street in May, the Wallensteins were "early settlers," part of the nucleus of this "new neighborhood" created by Allen Edwin Homes. Their next door neighbors proudly came over to show off their new three-day old baby. Residents kept an eye on who was moving in next. Landscaping chores beckoned. And men in the neighborhood were forced to accept the fact that Jeff cheers neither for the Lions nor the Bears. "Funny, but my Uncle Rex, when I was little, always sent me Minnesota Vikings gear, and it stuck," admits Jeff, who also enjoys the leisurely pursuit of golf. It's fun, the Wallensteins say, to watch the neighborhood grow and develop.

Maaike, meanwhile, although a proud homeowner while still a coed, knows that the American dream takes a lot of work. "We still do things with friends, but I know I have to study hard, do my share of work around the house and help pay the bills," says Maaike.

Jeff's career took a twist as he and Maaike worked with Allen Edwin to build their new home this past winter. "As a buyer, I thought, wow, I wish my company treated people this way." After he and Maiike bought the house, Jeff inquired about sales opportunities with Allen Edwin. The company saw in Jeff the desire to succeed and made a place for him.

Even though the home-building and neighborhood-development company is small, "they provided me with the most intense, most complete, best training I've ever had. All I could think was that bigger companies could learn something from this," said Jeff.

Today, Jeff works in Allen Edwin's Northgate community. There he sees other couples, families and individuals in pursuit of their own dreams. "I keep waiting for another Jeff and Maaike to walk in, but everyone has their own story," says Jeff. "I find it interesting, and maybe I see this because Maaike is from the Netherlands, but our neighborhoods appear to have a strong international flavor. We see real diversity, too. I don't know what people expect when new neighborhoods are created like this, but it's a wonderful mix of people..."

...people who, someday, Maaike will be able to help with their medical needs.