If you were with us a couple Sundays ago, Dewey announced that Danny Varner and Lizzie Griswold got engaged! I asked Danny for some details so I could post them here on our New Hope Blog, and he came through for me with some great pictures and the story about how they got engaged...
Lizzie and I had made plans to go snowshoeing on Mt. Adams so the day before our hike I drove up to the mountain by myself and stopped at the Ranger Station. I told the ranger lady what I was planning to do and she was eager to help so we pulled out a map of the Gifford Pinchot National Forest and she marked a great secluded spot out in the backcountry. With help of a compass I hiked a few miles through the snow to this beautiful valley that used to be a horse camp, which was now perfectly covered by a fresh layer of snow. I found some branches nearby and setup a sign I made earlier saying "Lizzie, Will You Marry Me?" smack in the middle of the giant valley. I then hiked back to my car and drove home all the while staying under Lizzie's radar for the day.
The next morning I picked her up and we drove out to the same spot. It was a sunny day and we were having a nice enjoyable hike through the snow. After a few hours of hiking we were approaching the old horse camp. Before we climbed down into the valley I told Lizzie I needed to go to the bathroom real bad so I went behind a tree and put on a button up shirt and a tie, I then threw my jacket over that to hide my snazzy new outfit. As we climbed down into the valley I was becoming impatient, she wasn't noticing the sign in the middle of the field, so I took the liberty of pointing it out for her, "Oh look, a sign in the middle of the valley, I wonder what that could be...". She looked at me suspiciously (I'm not a very good liar) and she started walking toward the sign with me right behind her. As she approached I struggled to get my jacket zipper unstuck, right as she came close enough to read the sign my zipper came loose, I flung my jacket off, got on one knee and asked the big question. She was able to say "YES" with the warm tears running down her face, I pulled off her right glove only for her to gently correct me, "Wrong hand", which I then took off her left glove and slipped the sparkling rock onto her finger. We then sat down in the snow holding each other as we ate a warm can of beef stew I cooked with a camping stove out in the quiet seclusion of the winter-filled Mt. Adams forest.
The next morning I picked her up and we drove out to the same spot. It was a sunny day and we were having a nice enjoyable hike through the snow. After a few hours of hiking we were approaching the old horse camp. Before we climbed down into the valley I told Lizzie I needed to go to the bathroom real bad so I went behind a tree and put on a button up shirt and a tie, I then threw my jacket over that to hide my snazzy new outfit. As we climbed down into the valley I was becoming impatient, she wasn't noticing the sign in the middle of the field, so I took the liberty of pointing it out for her, "Oh look, a sign in the middle of the valley, I wonder what that could be...". She looked at me suspiciously (I'm not a very good liar) and she started walking toward the sign with me right behind her. As she approached I struggled to get my jacket zipper unstuck, right as she came close enough to read the sign my zipper came loose, I flung my jacket off, got on one knee and asked the big question. She was able to say "YES" with the warm tears running down her face, I pulled off her right glove only for her to gently correct me, "Wrong hand", which I then took off her left glove and slipped the sparkling rock onto her finger. We then sat down in the snow holding each other as we ate a warm can of beef stew I cooked with a camping stove out in the quiet seclusion of the winter-filled Mt. Adams forest. Danny and Lizzie plan to get married on August 5th in Silverton, Oregon. Congratulations!
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