Happy New Year!

I have been thinking about starting a blog for quite a while now, mostly to keep our family and friends up-to-date on what is going on in our lives. I'm still not 100% sure about this, but I'm giving it a shot! I figured that since one of my goals for 2011 is to stay in better contact with people, this may help a little as well!

First of all, I feel like I need to explain the name of the blog "The Heavins." I realize I'm not technically a "Heavin" (pronounced Hay-vin) yet, but I'm not going to worry too much about the technicalities right at the moment! :)

I'm sitting here this afternoon (doing nothing), when I really should be getting ready for our New Year's party we are having here tomorrow night, doing laundry, mopping the floors, etc. I have been thinking a lot about the happenings in our lives (Mason and I) this past year, and I have concluded that 2010 has been both the best and worst year of our lives. Even though I said that I wasn't going to worry too much about the "technicalities" at the moment, Mason and I actually met in October of 2009. Since it was more of a blind date situation, and since Mason is 4 and a half years younger than me (yes, I'm a cradle robber), I didn't really expect that much out of our night out. Who would have thought a dinner at Applebee's followed by a movie would turn into something so great?! Well, lucky for me, it did, and Mason and I began spending a lot more time together. Little did we know all the challenges we would be faced with!

When  we first started talking Mason informed me that his grandpa, Clyde Arlan "Buzz" Cooper, was struggling with the complications of cancer. Not even a month into our relationship, we went up to Bethany, Missouri to visit him, along with Mason's mom and sister. We decided to make it a hunting trip as well. However, in route to finding a good spot we rolled Mason's truck and totaled it-- we had to crawl out of the front window that you see in the picture. We were very lucky that nothing happened to either of us, but his truck was not so lucky.

Since we still had to get home, we took Mason's grandpa's truck home, a little Nissan that was painted camouflage, complete with burlap on the hood, and a set of deer antlers. Yes, we saw a lot of pointed fingers and laughter on the way home, but hey, it got us there! The next morning, November 22nd, we found out that Mason's grandpa passed away. In the picture below is Mason with his mom Shelly, his sister Tabitha, and his grandpa. Since his grandpa lived with Mason and his family for the majority of his life, it was definitely hard as they were very close.

December started out well, and we were excited to decorate and share our first Christmas together. On my way back to Missouri from celebrating Christmas in Iowa I ended up going in the ditch off the interstate. As luck would have it, nothing happened to me or my car. I got pulled out and continued on my way home. Despite the slight set back Mason and I both had a good Christmas. However, my family was hit with a shock when we found out my Grandpa Cletus Steffen had pancreatic cancer. It was definitely hard to see such an active man suddenly become so limited in what he was able to do. We lost him January 22nd, 2010. Although it was very hard, in a way it was a blessing he went quickly so he didn't have to suffer. He is missed terribly.

From there, our relationship continued to grow. Mason worked a lot on his aunt's house so he could move in and I was busy with school and grad school. On March 25th, my life was thrown into a whirlwind. We woke up at midnight to the sound of my fire alarms going off. I opened my bedroom door to find smoke up and down the hall and fire coming in around the front door. Since fire was coming in through the door and around on the balcony, we had to go back to the bedroom to get out. While Mason opened the window, I attempted to call 911 with little success because the next thing I knew Mason was picking me up and throwing me out the window. Keep in mind, this was from the second story. Granted, it's not that high, but it's high enough. We both got out safely, with only a few scratches and cuts, and only the clothes on our back. I was wearing a yellow t-shirt with white and red plaid boxer shorts with ants on them. Classy, huh? Mason had to go get some oxygen from one of the ambulances but otherwise he was okay. It was a cold, rainy night, and by the time the firefighters were able to get the fire out, my apartment was gone, along with everything in it. I was fortunate, however, because I not only have very supportive family, friends, and coworkers, but I also had renter's insurance. Only three of the twelve families affected had it. I can honestly say the following days and weeks were a blur and very stressful, but I made it through with the support of Mason and everyone else. Mason dealt with my breakdowns and helped me in any way that he could. Plus, he threw me out the window! How lucky am I?! ;)

This is a picture from the road behind the apartment complex.

The white post is what was left of my balcony. The first window to the left was where my guest bedroom was, and the next one over was my bedroom where we jumped from.

Although life was crazy following the fire, things gradually started to fall back into place. Mason's dad and several of our friends helped to get the house he was working on livable for us. It is finally starting to feel like home, and I will post pictures later of the house. At the time of the fire I had to drop two of the classes I was taking, so that prolonged my graduation. I was able to start classes again in the summer, which was nice to get back on track. Mason continued working with a company called Dieman Construction in Waynesville, framing houses, while I enjoyed my summer vacation. I went to Iowa for a while and got to spend some much needed time with close friends and family. I even got to see my friend Jenny from college get married, which was great. From there I came back to Missouri for a couple of days. My friend Cara met me down here in good ole Edgar Springs, and from here we took a road trip down to Georgia where she and her husband Joey are stationed. Since he was deployed at the time, we got a lot of much-needed girl and pool time! :)

The morning of July 1st, I left Georgia and flew to Springfield, Missouri where Mason was picking me up. Little did I know I would be getting the surprise of my life. He greeted me with a big hug in the waiting area and we went to go wait on my luggage. As we caught up and I began to share my trip, he suggested that I set my other things down since it would probably be a bit before they started unloading the luggage. I did, and when I turned around he had a box out. Now, I was a little shocked, and didn't really know what to expect. I thought it was a ring, but didn't want to get all excited just to find out it wasn't. Well, he opened it and sure enough, it was a ring! He asked if I would marry him, and I apparently asked, "Are you serious?!" I, of course, said yes, and spent most of the day looking at my ring and admiring how shiny it was! As a newly engaged couple, we decided to go to Bass Pro. Mason looked around while I followed and called everyone I could think of that may be home! It was definitely a wonderful surprise!

Shortly after, we celebrated the 4th of July with his family down at the river. We spent a lot of time boating, chatting, and eating. It was a very relaxing day, and we even brought our dog Ike along. Well, we were getting ready to go that evening and had put Ike in the back of the truck like we always did. The rest of Mason's family that was there had already started shooting off fireworks so we decided to stick around for a few minutes to watch. Unfortunately, the noise scared Ike and he was able to pull enough slack in the rope and jump out. I don't think I need to go into detail for you to figure out what happened. Needless to say, we were both pretty devastated. We decided that we wanted to get another dog, and since I was on summer vacation, then would be a good time to get one. We found some more border collies for sale nearby, so we went to check them out. They were adorable and ended up picking one we named Gus. So, he is our "child" until we decide we want a real one later down the road!

As summer came to a close, school started, and life became a little more hectic again. Mason went back to class at Drury; he's going to school to become a teacher as well. Shortly after school got back into session, Mason was laid off from his job, which was definitely a challenge as well. However, we made it through and we were even able to make a couple trips to Iowa. We were hoping he was going to get to come with me to Iowa for Christmas, but work started picking up again with the company he was with before so they called him back. He has been working again for close to a month, which is great!

We had a wonderful Christmas! I graduated with my masters (finally!) and got to spend some time with my family and friends, as well as Mason's. We spent some time in St. Joseph with his mom and sister, and down in Rolla with his dad's side of the family. As you can tell, we have had quite a crazy year, both good and bad! Even though I have already wrote a novel, I could write a lot more, but I tried to just cover the basics this time. I'm definitely looking forward to 2011, not just because we are getting married, but because a new year somehow provides a fresh start. It's very refreshing. Now, before I ramble anymore, I wish all of you a very happy and safe new year! Goodbye, 2010! Hello, 2011! :)