July 21, 1973

Yup!  That’s us, 38 years ago today.  We were married at Chapel of the Bells, in Reno, NV., by Reverend Huckleberry (seriously!).  The good Reverend is long gone but the memories linger on.  Yesterday we re-visited some of those old familiar places.  If you care to know more of our back story, read the link on the left side bar called The Story of Russ and Donna.  Don’t want to bore you with it here!

THEN…

…and NOW

Oh GOOD GRIEF…can those really be the same two people?  Yes, the backdrop may have changed somewhat but that is the same Chapel and those are the same two people who stood there 38 years ago today and pledged their lives one to the other.

We even visited the courthouse where we got our marriage license.

And of course, since we had traveling companions this time, we had to get them in the pictures as well.

 

And, just for good measure, one more of us…




We have been back to Reno many times since that day in 1973.  Each time things have changed, everything is a little older, the casinos change, the storefronts change, the hotels change.

This time I was especially struck by how old Reno looks.  Like a glitzy lady who has shed her gold and diamonds and now has only pot metal and rhinestones to offer.  The hotels are looking worn, the facades in need of paint and updating.  Graffiti adorns many surfaces which were once clean and new.  Carpets are faded and wrinkled and banisters need a good polish.

I guess that’s one reason I was so happy to see that our little Chapel, like us, still stands.  In a world of easy divorce and limited commitment, I am so grateful to my husband and to God that we have stood the test of time.  Like the city in which we were married, we are a little worse for wear, but we are still standing,  We have been through the fire and survived, even though sometimes it would have been easier not to.  To walk away is easy, to stay takes a lot of work.

Thank you, Russ, for thirty eight memorable years.  Here’s hoping we make it to Fifty – and if we do I expect another cruise and another renewal of vows!