New Year's Eve 2015

Spent New Years Eve this year with my good friend Marcy.  We had all intentions of spending this holiday in some city, but when it got down to it....that's just not us. Lol.  So she came here to visit me.  We shopped and then decided we were old and staying up late just isn't very fun.  So we ordered pizza and watched the Alabama vs. Michigan State game in our comfy clothes.  Honestly, the best way to celebrate!  Love this girl! Pogo sticks and all (inside joke!) 

 Here's to a great 2016!!

Christmas 2015

 This year for Christmas I went to Chicago to be with my aunt and uncle.  It was a smaller crowd this year as my brother and his family didn't make the trip back to Illinois.  But in size of the crowd didn't stop us from celebrating with all the Swedish food.  One of my favorite parts of Christmas is dressing up and going to church for the Christmas Eve service.  This year of all years, the presence of those missing was really felt.  But through those hard times we can still rejoice that a Savior was born so that one day he could become the Savior of the world.  Merry Christmas to all!

 My 94 year old grandpa...he's incredible.

First Ever family selfie!

A little coffee to keep me up....Lord know's I'm not a night person

 Love spending time with my second mom (aka aunt)

 The family- Christmas 2015

Eastview Christmas Concert

    Tonight, I had to write.  My mind, rather my heart, is about to explode with joy.  I've been waiting for this day all week.  My story leading up to today actually starts awhile back... I'll start at the beginning.  A few weeks ago my students at school had a music concert.  I was talking with one student named Daveon as asking if he was coming.  He said no because mom doesn't have a car or insurance.  He talked about how much he wanted to come.  Now you have to know that Daveon lives with 7 people in a low income housing area.  It's not a good neighborhood, the live off little, they have little. Well at that point it was a burden on my heart and had the concert not been that night I would have thought of a way to get him there....but needless to say it was last minute and I let it go.  Well about 2 weeks later I was talking with another student who goes to Eastivew and is part of the Kidsview program.  Daveon happened to be near us and kinda jumped in on our conversation and said, "I wish I could go there..."  As days went on I thought of this comment and my heart got heavy.  Here is a child wanting to go to church and has never had the opportunity.....so I began to think.  I knew that Eastview was having a Christmas concert and I thought what a perfect opportunity to have him come with  me!  After jumping through some hoops and getting some advice I  was able to get the moms permission to drive Daveon and his brother Marquette to the concert.  At first it was just my intention to bring these two boys.....but when your car has three seat belts in the back seat, why not use all three :)

Sooo...

I had something else come up this week that kinda took me back for a minute.  I have this student in my class that came from another school last year where he was suspended many times.  He had red flags written all over him when he came...but like all things....God's in the business of making all things and people new.  I never for a minute believed that Carmelo wasn't within the grasp of bringing back.  I have made it my mission this year to invest in him and build a relationship. Without a relationship nothing will change.  Well, I'm so thankful that God gives me tangible reminders of His changing power.  I need those tangible reminders.  This week we were on the carpet in the class reading a book and two kids were talking and I told them to move their clips down when we were done reading.  Well when we were done Carmelo came up to me and said something I have never had a student ask...Now Carmelo was at the top of the chart these other boys were about to move down and miss 5 min of recess.  Well, he said, "Miss Boline, can I move my clip down instead of those boys so that they don't have to and I'll take the consequence for them?"  I was thrown back.....the selflessness and Christ like behavior from a 3rd grader.  That's when I knew that this child need to come with me the Christmas concert and fill that third seat belt....and sure enough mom said yes he could come too.

So tonight, I headed to their houses excited to share this time with them.  Actually, way beyond excited!!

I was supposed to bring cookies to the concert and I asked the boys who wanted to bring them in...they all did, so I divided them up so that all boys could bring something in to serve.  Together they took it to the counter.  Watching them give and serve was priceless.

As we were leaving, I looked around and realized I was missing one of the students.  There way, way behind was Carmelo.  I looked back and saw him holding the inside door for a very elderly lady who was still rather far from approaching the door.  My heart sank to see this.  What an act of kindness.  Here was a third grader being observant enough to notice a lady who could use a door being opened for her.  Well Daveon noticed too and he went running to hold the outside door open for her.  As a teacher I talk about kindness all the time, but seeing them act it out in real life settings is the reason I teach.  They are giving back to society.  They are loving people, serving people, and showing kindness...and it makes me cry.  Really it makes me thank God that he has blessed me with the ability to love these boys.

The truth of life is this.....when you invest your time in others, the reward and return will always be greater than what you could ever imagine.

A Little Auntie Time

 Sometimes in life the best things happen in a blink of an eye when you least expect it to.  Like when you truly live in the moment and you realize you are making a life time memory.  I got to spend a few hours with my nephew this weekend.  It's hard being an aunt to only one nephew who lives 12 hours away.  It's really hard.... in my mind I want to be that aunt that's always around, that gets to go to sporting events for Noah as he grows up.  I want to be that aunt that doesn't have to be reintroduced once or twice a year that I see my nephew.  When my brother and sister in law moved it placed a great hurt in my life, because I knew that the greatest gift for me (time) would be taken away.  So when they come back and visit I have learn to adjust and take in the moments knowing that they will be short.  I was so thankful that God gave me some time alone with my nephew this weekend, because though the time was short, I made new memories that I can now cling to until the next time I get to hold and hug my buddy bear again.  

Take time to be silly, cherish the moments, cling to them when life get's hard, and love the joy you are given today....

Radar's Pumpkin Patch

I am so blessed with some of the dearest and most loyal friends ever.  I've never been someone who's had a ton of friends in my social circle.  At times I envy those people who have like a thousand friends it seems and is always invited to like a hundred different activities with different friends.  That's never been me.  But what I can say is that God has always given me since a young age a small group of some of the closest friends ever.  Friends who get me, love me for who I am, and would be at my side within seconds if I needed them.  One of those friends is a friend named Marcy.  I'm honestly not even when we first met, but we started judging trampoline/tumbling competitions together.  She lives in Michigan so I actually didn't judge too many with her, but recently have more.  Through that connection, we became good friends and this weekend she came to visit me.  She's the type of friend I can have fun doing anything with.  I probably took for granted the time she devoted coming down to see me, but honestly loved having her in my neck of the woods.  She helped me plan and prepare for my mom's 60th surprise party too.  I'm blessed to know her and have her as a friend!

This Beautiful Life Journey

I love to write.  It's a bit of a hidden secret of mine.  When I was little, I wrote all the time.  Still to this day I love picking up a pen and writing a handwritten note.  I feel like I express myself best through writing.  I'm able to fully convey what my heart feels through writing. So, years ago, I started a blog.  I've had years where I was good at writing about my adventures, but this year I have once again found this love for writing and blogging.  I can't guarantee I will have time to write a lot or keep it updated, but I'll try.  My life isn't always that exciting, but I try to make it an adventure when I can.  And if people want to join me on that adventure than all the more better.  For the best in things in life are meant to be shared!  I found this in a book and I think it describes me perfectly:

"If anywhere in your heart you should feel the desire to write, please write.  Write as a gift to yourself and others.  Everyone has a story to tell.  Writing is not about creating tidy paragraphs that sound lovely or choosing the "right" words.  It's about noticing who you are and noticing life and sharing what you notice....When you write your truth, it is a love offering to the world because it helps us feel braver and less alone.  And if you're a really really bad writer, then it might be most important for you to write because your writing might free other writers to have a go at it..."

So follow me as God writes my story and I live out this 

beautiful life journey...

Some of my favorite things in life...beaches, Caribou Coffee, thinking, hymn singing, and making the most of everyday.

Let Your Story Speak

I love how God often times in my life just is so direct with me....for example.  Today is Sept. 20th.  In my life this date has huge meaning.  12 years ago today I had a trampoline accident and was paralyzed.  A defining moment in my life....  Truth is, I don't talk about it a ton any more.  Maybe it's because it was so long ago and maybe because I've just feel like I've told the story so many times that its been overheard.  Yet today at church I sat in my seat and listened as it seemed Mike Baker and I were the only ones in the room.  His message revolved around Acts 3 and 4, where a lame man was healed and he spends the rest of his life running with joy the truth that His Savior had healed him.  He had a story, and he chooses to tell it.  We all have a story.  Our stories go like this: 

I once was _______, but now I'm ________.

For me, my story is I once was lame, but now I stand. I have a story and I need to speak.  I actually love speaking about it...it's just I do it more when directly asked by someone.  I mean I remember the day I came to church in a wheelchair and they asked the audience to stand and sing.  Everyone in the church did, but I couldn't. It was a moment I remember thinking, that I may never be able to stand and sing again.... yet 12 years later I can.  That's God's faithfulness. 

So I write as a way of speaking.  To let the world know that because I have seen, heard, and felt the love of God in some of the most tangible ways ever, I can speak boldly about His constant love for me in the good and bad times of life....

Listen:

Lifesong

My Story

A New Journey In The Making

I’ve started a journey….a new journey…or maybe it’s the same journey that’s just leading down a new path.  Whatever the case may be, I’m excited to share this new journey...

It’s taken some time to get to this point.  Maybe it’s because for a while it seem like just a dream and not something that truly could happen.  But more, I think it’s because I’ve been fearful.  I’ve let this fear hold me back from really moving forward with excitement.  It’s a fear that others will look at me and judge me, question me, not understand me, or really even give up and leave me.  So many times we pick a path and we keep on that path for a long, long time.  For me, I’ve chosen to be a teacher.  I love kids, I love their hearts, I love being with them.  But I love other things too.  Before I go any further, I’m not leaving teaching.  I’m still a teacher.  But, in every human heart there is dreaming and curiosity.   I’m scared of pursuing a dream and having people look at me and say, “that’s stupid, you could never do that…just be content with the job you have, it’s more secure…”  Maybe part of me thinks their right.  After all, what if I dream big and that dream becomes costly in many ways.  There is this fear that people will judge me for being someone I’m not….or at least someone I’m not yet. But at the same time, how many people have actually taken steps to pursue their dream?  There are a lot of people who dream, but not a lot who take action.  I don't want to just be a dreamer forever...I want to live it out.  

Maybe what scares me the most is that dreams can be taken away.  I’ll be honest and say that I haven’t done much dreaming in the last 10 years or so.  When my accident happened, it took more than just physical strength away.  It took some dreams too.  And aren’t dreams unfulfilled sometimes harder than the physical battles?  Slowly though, I’ve had to relearn how to let myself dream small without fear.  It’s not been easy, but as I’ve dreamed, I’ve learned this important lesson:

God is only a giver, and where he takes, it’s only to give something greater. 

So what’s my new dream and journey?

 

I want to work in real estate.  Maybe more specifically I want to become a female flipper.  YES, a female flipper :) No, not like the gymnastics stuff I use to do…but a real estate rehabber, aka flipper.  Maybe that will change into something else, but for now that’s what seems fun and exciting to me.

Yes, I have little experience.  But I haven’t invested a lot of time, money, and energy into learning.  I have a desire to learn, to grow, to see something completed.  I don’t know if that’s going to be enough….I’ve never gone down this road.  Are there things that are COMPLETELY out of my comfort zone?   ABSOLUTELY!  But, I want to conquer them. So I'm starting this journey of not just learning a new trade, but of implementing the learning and opportunities I've been given. 

Let me start from the beginning and where this dream started….

Let me first start by saying, that in college I really wanted to get a finance minor.  I’ve always been interested in finance and seriously considered it, but when my accident happened, it put me behind and I truly wanted to graduate with my class.  So I worked my butt off to finish my Elementary Education major in less than 3 ½ years.  But in doing so, I had to let go the idea of getting a finance minor.  In addition, the last few years since owning a home, I’ve really come to love home design and home construction.  Maybe it’s a trait my dad’s passed down to me.  He owns a remodeling and construction business and has taught me a bit along the way. 

So with those two things as interests of mine, I decided to attend this three day real estate investing workshop in town that a company called Fortune Builders was putting on.  I had known of someone who had joined Fortune Builders a few years back and have seen her success, so I figured it wouldn’t hurt to just listen and learn.  Fortune Builders is an educational company that teaches people how to do real estate investing….in other words, you go through hours of curriculum learning how to do marketing for homes in distress, purchase them at discount, learn how to wholesale them out, or fix them up (flip), and sell them.  They teach systems that people can use to learn how to become an entrepreneur as well as coaching/mentors from experienced investors.  Well those three days were the start of a journey I didn’t really see coming.  The class was run so well and by day one I had learned more than I probably ever did in my masters (sad to say).  So much information was being presented that I felt like a sponge that wanted to soak it all up.  It made me excited, it made me curious, and it really made me wonder “what if…”  So on the last day of the workshop, they asked for people to interview if they wanted to join the Fortune Builders Mastery team.  My stepdad and I decided to interview.  Long story short, we joined.  What that means is that we will form an LLC small business and receive lots of support from experienced investors to help us navigate through this.  We have coaches who will call us and guide in the right direction with the best systems.  What our company will do is provide cash offers, which allows us to close quickly, and sellers avoid closing cost and commission fees.  We look for people who are motivated to sell due to things like facing foreclosure, divorce, inherited property, relocation, bank owned, etc.  Anyone who needs to sell quick and has a house that maybe needs some repairs and wants to sell in "as is" condition.  It wasn’t an easy commitment in any regards.  So why did we do it?

Before I tell of the “why”, let me just begin by placing my fears out there.  I am a teacher.  I have been for many years now.  I do enjoy my job and love working with kids.  It has so many wonderful things that it encompasses.  But the teaching world has changed.  So many more demands are being placed on us, and we are expected to make every child into children who are on grade level standards.  We spend countless hours at school or at home doing work….not to mention that I go into work EVERY weekend.  We work for salaries that are pathetic and spend more and more time working each year when it should be less with experience.   The last few years have taken a toll on me and I’ve found myself wondering more and more each year about what else is there out there that I could do?  I don’t feel called to leave the teaching field as of now….but I do feel like I need to explore what else is out there.  I want to dream….

Why would I leave such a comfortable and easy place?   Why would I turn my focus to something so new and quite frankly something I have so much to learn still?  I’m not a salesman….I’ve never been good at that.  I’ve never worked in the business world and learning how to connect with people and network is such a new concept to me.  But I find rehabbing and staging houses to be exciting.  But, if I truly want to be a dreamer and participate with what God’s doing and going to do in my life then I can’t live in the clouds. Dreamers are people who don’t live with their heads in the clouds…dreamers are people who are willing to crawl through the swamp.  Dreamers live in the mud where things get dirty.  They learn how to do things they’ve never experienced and they learn to step out of their comfort zone everyday.

So why?  Why not stay content with the great job you have now?  Truth is I am content, but I have a vision for more.

1.         My why is so I can financially give so much more to people and places than I can now.  My why is so that I can go on mission’s trips and spend time serving others.
2.        My why is so that I can provide scholarships for high school students who can’t afford to go to CIY church camp
3.        My why is so that I have time and financial ability to visit family that lives far away more often than I do now.
4.        My why is to be able to travel, see the world, and find new adventures.
5.         My why is to meet more people and really grow in knowledge
6.        My why is to give back to schools that need funding for projects and technology.
7.        My why is to support my family.
8.        My why is I want to prove to myself that any physical, emotional, mental limitation can be over come with faith.
9. My why is so that I can keep the generational family home in Michigan in the family through my generation.
10. My why is because I need to learn how to overcome things and how to be vulnerable and brave at the same time.  Because without scary, we would never learn how to be brave. 
11. My why is so that I can give back to Taylor University and leave a legacy.

I don’t know where this will go.  Heck, it may go no where and in a year from now I may be back where I started.  But I have faith that God’s journey is better than mine.  I’m just going to go where he leads.  I feel a bit like Moses in the Bible….fully knowing my weaknesses and not fully knowing my strengths.  But even though Moses spent most of his years in the desert, he did something most people don’t do when things get tough…..he kept going. 

So I’m going to do the same… I’m going forward and going to see how God leads this new journey.
Can I ask a favor of you?  I don't ask for a lot....just your support, love, and encouragement.  And if you have connections to anyone in the real estate world..... attorneys, agents, other investors, hard money lenders, or people who want to become private money lenders.....send them my way.  The best journeys in life are ones that are shared....   

                               www.upwardhomeproperties.com

Kindness

       I don't forget kindness.  There are people in my life who have shown much kindness to me and I will NEVER forget that kindness.  Sometimes it's just been simple small gestures.  I can think of lots of people and examples, but one would be the emergency room doctor that I had called me when I was up in the Chicago hospital and asked if he could come visit me as he had a business meeting near by.  He took time out of his day to visit me in my new hospital.....someone he didn't even really know.  And then he followed it up with a handwritten note to me about how I had been an encouragement to HIM.....really?!  He had by far made the greater impact on my life with his kindness towards me through everything and with taking the time to come see me.

      That may be an extreme example of kindness.  But a more simple act of kindness was the other month my refrigerator was about on the fritz...or so I thought.  I was walking out of the gym one day and just quickly told this guy I know about it.  I told him I was leaving to go buy a new fridge (I seriously was).  He took the time to ask me about the symptoms of the fridge and gave me some advice.  Now, I'm a single girl who doesn't know everything about home improvements and am always wanting and needing manly advice.  The fact that he wanted to give me advice was received as pure kindness.  In fact, his advice saved me the cost of a new fridge I didn't really need.
      I'm just a simple girl who values the intentionality that being kind brings.  If there's one lesson people should learn in life, it's to offer kindness to all people.   When given the choice between being right and being kind....choose kindness.  Kindness will always bring with it a lasting impact that last far beyond the initial gesture.   

Taylor University Alumni Gathering

Taylor University Alumni Gathering in Peoria!  Got to see an old friend and say hi to President Habecker and his wife Mary Lou.

Summer Fun

The best way to spend a summer Saturday is near water, with a friend, and a kayak.  Loving summer...

Summers End...

This picture simply makes my heart happy :)

Life is short....Make it beautiful

It’s August…just saying that word makes teachers stress level increase ten times.  But I refuse to let the stress that I try to keep hidden dictate my here and now…

Because it’s a spectacular morning out and my heart is filled with joy.  Pure blue sky, early morning, car windows down with pure sunshine warmth, Jesus worship music blaring, bike on back of car, kayak on top (ok…just a wish on that one, lol), Caribou Coffee destination ahead, Lake Michigan view off to the side, church soon, beach time after, and my mind simply spending time pondering.  I’m pondering the struggles of life, the joys of life, and the uncertainties of life.  This week has been filled with them for me.  I’ve struggled to really believe that I can move life forward in the way that I’ve wanted to.  But sometimes that’s the joy in it all….the beauty that can be found within the struggles of life.  It’s important to take the time to remember, ponder, and delight in it all.

For me these moments bring pure joy.  When I think about my personality and me, this picture comes to mind.  A girl who loves nature, sun, life, Jesus, coffee, fitness, music, car rides, and adventure.  Add a best friend and really this would be close to heaven for me. 

How often do we really take the time to delight in these things and simply ponder them.  Don’t forget to spend too much of life making a living and forget to make a life out of it.  J

Psalm 111:2-4

“Great are the works of the Lord;

They are pondered by all who delight in them.

Glorious and majestic are his deeds,
And his righteousness endures forever.
He has caused his wonders to be remembered.” 

Friendship

For me, it's always been the smallest things in life that make me happy.  I find joy in such little things.  Today was no exception.  I've always loved writing cards to people.  It's such an easy thing to do to encourage someone but also such a lost art in the digital world.  So when I received a card like this in the mail....it made my day.  From a dear friend who I simply look up to and admire in so many ways.  She has the courage, strength, attitude, and sass I so long to have!  It's all in being intentional with friendships!

Angie's Trail...

So there I was on a short hike in Door County when the path I was on came to a split.  Which way to go?  While deciding, I noticed a big boulder at the start of one path.  It was unusually to be there because it wasn't at the start of the hike, but rather in the middle of a no where really.  I decided to go over to it and sit for a minute.  As I approached, I noticed a plaque on it.  Right on the top it said "Angie's Trail".  I couldn't believe it.....what a cool thing to see on a trail I was hiking.  It was in memory of an elementary teacher of all things too.  As I sat on the rock, I began to think.  I wondered why this huge rock hadn't been placed at the start of the trail for everyone to see it.  Wouldn't that make more sense?  Instead here it was hidden in the middle of a hike.  But as I began to process this thought, I realized something.  This teacher must have been someone special.  Someone who left a trail behind her.  Possibly a legacy.  Maybe, just maybe, she wanted the boulder in that exact location for the fact that you do have to walk to find it.  What if, even after her passing, she's wanting to teach people like me who come on this hike a lesson.

I want a life like that....a life that teaches people years and years after I'm gone....leaving a legacy of relationships.

So as I sat there all alone on this rock, I began to concluded the lesson:

 Sometimes the trail you leave behind is more important than the path in front of you...

 

Door County, Wisconsin