Have you ever wondered how certain cabins got their name?

It’s very common nowadays for Cabin owners to give their beautiful place a name. The Cabin I want to talk about is located in beautiful Broken Bow, OK.

Often at times, there is a touching story to be told to why cabins get their name in the first place.

The name of the Cabin is “Happily Even After”, but the story behind the name is what I want to discuss with you today.

It’s time for a good old fashioned feel-good story.

 

Without further ado, Let’s go jump into the article.

 

For more information on the Happily Even After Cabin, please check them out at https://www.happilyevenaftercabin.com

 

 

How the Cabin Happily Even After Got Its Name

 

 

Meet Evie Shaw.

Evie is from Northern Louisiana, but she’s Oklahoma strong.

She has just put the finishing touches on her beautiful cabin called “Happily Even After” which is located in the heart of the Ouachita National Forest.

But let’s go back in time before the construction took place and talk about the journey of Evie.

Evie dreamed living happily ever after. That is until several years into her marriage, that things took a turn for the worse.

Evie had been an educator for several years raising 3 tough boys. She always provided for her children, and she made sure that she showered her boys with motherly love.

Her 3 sons, Cade, Cameron, and Coleson got to experience this love first-hand.

They loved traveling together as a family. Being a teacher for several years, Evie focused on living a simple lifestyle and she had the foresight to live within her means. Instead of spending her money on materials, she spent it on experiences.

Like many women, she envisioned having a happily ever after life that was full of hope and promise.

That is until she had to make the dreaded decision of getting a divorce. She had to go back to the drawing board to rebuild the life she had hoped for.

 

 

 

Here Comes the Storm

For many years Evie had hoped and wished for that Cinderella life. After years of trying to make things work, she realized things couldn’t go back to being normal again.

Divorce can change the landscape in a person’s life, and Evie remained strong and true to her 3 boys during the whirlwinds that life can throw at you.

Then, more devastation came knocking at Evie’s door. Her 3rd son Coleson, who was gritty and was known as a “Superhero,” got diagnosed with Cancer in 2016.

 

 

 

 

A Superhero Takes Over

 

 

After Coleson had gotten diagnosed with cancer, she still had hope that things would be ok.

Enter Coleson Shaw.

Coleson loved superheroes more than he loved anything. From the time he was little he adored all superheroes. Now it was time to become one himself.

Coleson was a true competitor, gritty, and was full of tenacity. This was evident as he played as a key member for the Shreveport Force basketball team.

Coleson’s grit and determination provided a spark for his family and for his basketball team. The mental toughness and determination were on full display.

After the doctor gave him the green light to go lift weights again, he wasted no time in getting his body back into shape. He immediately left the appointment and went straight back to the hotel to pump iron.

Not all heroes wear capes, some of them bring hope for others and determination to the table. That’s what this superhero did. He brought an entire community together by delivering a much-needed hope for people.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Coleson Shaw Award

Shreveport head coach Josh Garrett wanted to create an award to showcase Coleson’s courageous spirit and mental toughness, so he created the Coleson Shaw award, and this superhero was already making waves with his efforts.

He gave his mom hope. The kind of hope that can carry you out of the dark place that your stuck in and help restore the joy that was gone.,

Coleson needed his family more than ever before, but it was Evie and her two boys who were feeding off of Coleson’s attitude and how he was approaching life that gave their family the much-needed hope that they were looking for.

They spent the next several months cheering Coleson on as he was going through treatment and all four of them made those memories count forever.

Everyone chipped in on helping Coleson get through those treatments. Cade, who was already helping churches around the country, made the trip out to Tiajuana for 3 weeks in supporting Coleson during that time.

Once Coleson was in the hospital during the last 7 days, Cameron never left his sight.

The family pulled together when Coleson needed them the most. That is something everyone can feel proud of.

Coleson put up the good fight, the fight that inspired his family and everyone that knew him.

Then on the dreadful day of April 25, 2018, her son had taken his last breath.

Evie had no idea that life could go on anymore or that anything would ever be “ok again.

 

You can watch the Tribute to Coleson Shaw right here…https://youtu.be/4cPylBmjaDM

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Honoring a Legend

While the rest of the world celebrated National superhero day, Coleson’s closest friends and family came to celebrate their own superhero.

During the service, it was only fitting to celebrate this superhero by wearing superhero t-shirts in memory of Coleson Shaw. Family and friends packed the service and wore their favorite superhero t-shirts. Now, that indeed is the proper sendoff Coleson would have wanted.

Josh Garrett spoke of the strong character Coleson displayed to his teammates during the season, talked about the toughness and courage that was brought to the table, and how he inspired his team to several victories.

Garrett stated, Coleson wasn’t just a member of the Shreveport Force, Coleson was the force!

Tears were shed, but the impact that Coleson had on the community of the Shreveport Force will always be remembered.

His family will always remember the impact as well. Coleson’s fight through treatment and the courage he displayed will never be forgotten.

Coleson Shaw Night

The entire community of the Shreveport Force wanted to pay tribute to this Superhero. They decided to dedicate an entire night to remember his courageous acts.

Coleson Shaw Night brought the entire Force family together. They won’t always remember the score against Mount Olive that night, but what they will remember is why they gathered in the first place, and that was to honor a superhero.

Coleson would have been proud.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

New Beginnings

 

In 2019 Evie was teaching first grade in Homer, LA and decided to change things up a bit.

It was at that time that Evie’s best friends David and Sara Clampitt decided to build a beautiful cabin.

A beautiful cabin in Broken Bow, OK.

What’s even better, her son Cameron, was able to participate in the construction of the gorgeous home.

Ron Baker, a well-known home builder out of Tyler, TX became the general contractor of this dream home.

Ron had built a masterpiece of a home in one of the hottest vacation spots in the country and Evie had no idea what was about to transpire in the months ahead.

After months of conversing with her best friends, she decided the best thing to do was to figure out a way to buy a precious piece of property in the Ouachita Forest.

As with many hot vacation spots in the country, you are going to pay a premium to secure the land. The amount of money seemed like it was out of reach for Evie.

Evie, who is well versed in managing money and coaching others to do the same, realized that she could fulfill her dreams and build a dream home herself.

 

 

Dreams coming true

 

After years of hard work and pushing through, Evie was able to secure a precious piece of property in the heart of the Ouachita National Forest.

Dreams come true after all!

With Ron’s expertise and Evie’s vision, Ron designed the cabin of her dreams.

This cabin has it all.

The cabin is fully equipped with all of the amenities you could ever ask for. As she sits on the front porch enjoying a nice cup of coffee, she thinks to herself, dreams really do come true after all.

After years and years of heartbreak and piecing her life back together, she has finally reached the pinnacle. The life that she always wanted was right in front of her again. But this time it was different, she knew this new life she has worked so hard to build spelled happiness.

Except it wasn’t happily ever after, this was “happily even after”.

 

 

 

 

What Does the Future Hold?

 

Evie’s story should inspire you if you ever find yourself in a dark place. It inspired me when I structured this article and put it into real life form for my audience.

Evie’s story may resonate with you and give you the hope that you need if you ever need a pick me upper. I know we can all use those from time to time. We all need to realize no matter how tough life gets, there is always light at the end of the tunnel.

Perhaps we all have some Coleson Shaw in us. Whether we want to unlock that energy is up to us.

This is also a perfect illustration of learning how to play the long game. Evie was patient and lived within her means for several years until the right opportunity presented itself.

It would’ve been really easy for Evie to have thrown in the towel when things were falling apart. Instead, she focused on the things that mattered, which was her family.

I love how cabins get their name. What I love even more is to meet new people who have had to overcome the battles that life can throw at you. You are my people.

Evie has dreams that still need to be fulfilled. She wants to bring the residents of Broken Bow, OK together through community engagement and helping other small businesses in the area grow to their full potential.

That would make Northern Louisiana proud. But that would also make the superhero that is looking over her even prouder.

 

 

 

 

-CT