Let It Snow: Neil and Jackie’s Proposal
Here is the problem . . . the weather during the winter months in East Tennessee is schizophrenic.
On New Year’s Day, we enjoyed temperatures in the 70s. That’s right, January 1st saw people in t-shirts, enjoying the sunshine.
Neil had planned with me to propose to Jackie just two days later on January 3rd. What happened? Heavy, wet snow came blowing in the night before. Trees down, power out, and roads closed. And by roads closed I mean every artery of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park on the Tennessee side was shut: US 441, Little River Gorge, Laurel Creek, Wears Cove, Cades Cove, the Gatlinburg Bypass, and the Spur. What that meant was trying to get out and see the snow was impossible.
Well, almost . . .
Fortunately, I knew that the Greenbrier section of the Smokies would be accessible. The entrance is just off US 321, the road that leads from Gatlinburg to Cosby (and with the Spur closed, the only was out of town), so I knew it would be plowed and salted, if needed. I gave Neil the coordinates and dodged fallen trees along back roads to get there.
Because, you see, love conquers all - even bad weather.
See for yourself.
After the proposal I asked this intrepid couple, would they be willing to drive about three miles to the bridge over the river, warning them that (a) it would be a rutty dirt road, and (b) who knew what conditions we would find. Being from Illinois, snow was no threat to them, so we went further into the park, dodging fallen branches and one broken down truck along the Greenbrier road. It was worth it!
And it would not be complete without a video.
Are not Jackie and Neil simply adorable? Neil is about to start his residency in medicine. That will be an exhausting time for him but I know he will be supported by Jackie, who clearly is a woman of great energy and love. These two could not stop laughing at the joy of now being engaged - they lit up the wintery woods!
By the way, this lovely couple was my 80th marriage proposal. I love planning these surprises with the “proposer” and seeing the delight in the face of the “proposee.” What also makes me happy is knowing enough about spots in the Smokies to make it happen even when the weather does not cooperate.