As the country indulges in an unadulterated celebration of love today, it shouldn’t be any surprise to report that Durango, a place many are drawn to out of an adoration for the great outdoors, has inspired numerous passionate and enduring unions.

But like the sometimes unorthodox residents of this town (how else can you explain Snowdown?), relationships here don’t always conform to a conventional track.

Take for instance, Travis Clark, 26, and Lacey Schuster, 23, who have been together since September 2008 and have scrambled the old K-I-S-S-I-N-G playground taunt, starting with the marriage part. On Sept. 17, 2011, the couple had a baby girl who they named Cadence.

“We have no plans on marrying any time soon, in fact, we have never even really talked about it,” Schuster said, “We are both still pursuing other goals.”

Schuster is applying for graduate school where she plans to pursue a master’s degree in media studies, while Clark is working on obtaining physical therapy certifications, Schuster said.

“We have invested the next several years in school and career goals; we definitely can’t afford to have a wedding at the moment,” Schuster said. “Focusing on more realistic endeavors will be far more rewarding than rushing into marriage.”

Similarly, Nikki Holland-Plum, 22, and John Plehinger Jr., 24, are balancing love with other pursuits.

The two met at Fort Lewis College and flourished as a couple before moving to Denver to pursue their careers.

“I would rather get comfortable in a career and work through any relationship problems that come from that, before getting married,” Holland-Plum said.

She added, “I’m looking into working in law enforcement, and their divorce rates are a lot higher.”

Plehinger is currently getting his bachelor of fine art at the Metropolitan State College of Denver.

Holland-Plum said they are taking it one step at a time. “We’re working really well as a couple and don’t feel the urge to get married.”

Putting off marriage has become increasingly common for young couples.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2010 data, the median age for a first marriage is 28 for men and 26 for women, up from 1960 when the median age was 22 for men and 20 for women.

The number of unmarried couples has increased, too, with 96 million unmarried people representing 44 percent of the U.S. population older than 18, up from 32.4 percent in 1960.

While waiting to wed has become more common, having a child out of wedlock can still raise some eyebrows, said Schuster and Clark.

“There is always that pressure from society, especially now that we have a child, to get married, and it just isn’t for us right now,” Schuster said.

She also finds high divorce rates to be a looming factor motivating the couple to wait.

“I feel like there is a big, dark cloud hanging over the concept of marriage,” Schuster said. “I don’t think marriage would make a difference in our relationship; we have a good thing going just the way we are.”

Durango therapist Melaney Sreenan said the trend is a reflection of people becoming more sophisticated in their relationships.

“Sometimes a romantic beginning was good enough. Now couples are looking at others things like core values, similarities in lifestyles and emotional intelligence,” she said.

Couples can be copacetic in all those facets without being married.

“Marriage used to be more of a natural developmental stage in life. It was just what you did,” Sreenan said.

Sreenan, in her 30 years of work, has noticed couples increasingly are evaluating their bond in the context of a broad spectrum of criteria, in large part because of the diversity of opportunities awaiting young people. What they seek in a mate is permanence and partnership.

“Valuable relationships reflect the commitment of being in the world of growing, staying connected and meeting each other’s needs,” she said.

Sometimes finding that perfect match can take a long time.

Art Lemmon was 62 years old and retired before he proposed for the first time.

“Life began at 62,” Art Lemmon said. “When I met Lucille, I knew I wanted to marry her.”

Lucille, a widow, happily agreed, and they married at the Methodist Church in Durango in 1977.

They met at a dance hall called the “Silver Spur” that used to sit where Christina’s Grill & Bar is located.

“We danced throughout our marriage. We had quite the reputation of being good polka dancers,” he said. “We had parties and lived high on the hog.”

For 34 years, their love has only grown and deepened.

“We’re the most in love right now,” Art Lemmon said.

Despite the challenges of aging, they still cherish their time together.

“We’ve had a very good marriage,” Lucille Lemmon said. “Art has been so good taking care of me.”

Wedding or not, it’s clear love and commitment are the ingredients that make a relationship work.

“I would like to get married for the social aspect of the wedding,” Holland-Plum, the former FLC student, said. “Having all my family and friends come and be a part of something would be special between John and I, but I don’t think it is necessary for us be a happy and successful relationship.”

pblank@durangoherald.com