39 Wonderful Years!
Today Patti and I are celebrating our 39th wedding anniversary. It was a beautiful, sunny, not too hot day on July 17, 1971 when we were married in Hudson, Ohio. At the time we were both living in Athens, Ohio. In case 39 years don't compute, we still have the paperwork from the hotel we stayed at on our honeymoon. At the time it was an expensive room. The cost, just under $25. Imagine what you could get for $25 today! I remember filling my car up with gas the morning of the wedding. There was a gas war going on at the time between these two stations located on opposite sides of the highway. I don't remember exactly what my gas cost but I do remember that it was under 30 cents a gallon.
We have lived in New Philadelphia since 1981 when we purchased Mitchell's Studio. It has been a great 39 years but its incredible just how quickly that time has passed. If you talk to anyone who has been married for more than 10 years they will tell you the same thing. You know that you have been married a long time when you are attending a photography seminar with over 200 other people when you win a prize for being the longest married couple in the room!
We have a daughter that lives in Cleveland and is an attorney there. She also knows how to use a camera. I can take a little credit but she has an incredibly creative eye.
Tuscarawas County has been good to us. We have enjoyed touching the lives of so many people through our photography. There are not many homes that have or have had high school age children in them in the area that don't have a wedding, sports, dance, family, senior or children's picture in them that we have taken. I can't tell you how much I have enjoyed that.
For those of you reading this that are married this will probably hit home with you, especially if you have been married for quite a while. On my first week of owning Mitchell's Studio in mid June of 1981 my first portrait session here was a 25th wedding anniversary. At this time, June,1981 I had been married just 10 years. Again, I can remember this session very clearly. As I am taking their portraits I am thinking to myself, "Boy, these guys are old!" About three weeks ago I just photographed a couple who were celebrating 50 years of marriage. You will hear more about them a little later. As I am taking their portraits and talking to them I am thinking and saying, "You really look great! I would never guess that you are old enough to have been married 50 years." They did look great! But they thing that both they and I agreed on was that the older you get, your perception of what is old moves up too.
The only advice that I can give you about marriage is this, get married to your best friend and make sure you love them. Because you will never do anything to hurt your best friend or someone you truly love. LIfe is a wonderful adventure...enjoy it!
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