Anna & Nate (#8 Got Married!)

December was such a busy month - as it always is - and I'm only now getting around to processing and celebrating the events that occurred.

The highlight of the month was that my youngest sister Anna got married. She made a beautiful bride, and I'm so happy for her and for Nate. The biggest surprise for me was that on such short notice I was able to make the trip back to Virginia to celebrate with everyone. It was a fairly quick turnaround - arrived Saturday evening, the wedding was Monday, and I left Tuesday - but it was worth being present and part of the occasion.

The wedding was a small, family affair held at my sister Rebekah's home. Bryan, my brother-in-law officiated their ceremony. It was so low-key and lovely... it really was. The boys moved a bunch of furniture in the living room to make space for the chairs. I thought they did a great job of creating a suitable environment for the ceremony, and I really enjoyed myself. :) Good job, Rebekah and Bryan!

I love the Christmas tree!

A lovely table!

And, of course, we had to have some pictures with everyone (well, the ladies, anyway). It was really special to have all the girls present - all four Clementson sisters, as well as my brothers' wives Courtney and Rebekah, who are like sisters and might as well be! It was truly a special time to spend with these people whom I love so very much. Of course, just our core family has grown as everyone has gotten married. Of the eight Clementson children, six are now married, and there are four grandchildren, so that makes 20 right there... Bahaha! I love my family!

Anna and Mommie

The Clementson sisters (me, Anna, Sarah & Rebekah)

All the Clementson ladies

I really love the picture below, and I'm so glad I captured it. Bryan is sitting down with Anna discussing the final details of the ceremony right before all the ladies sat down together to pray over the ceremony and over the covenant of marriage that Nate and Anna made. 

The other highlight of the event was getting to spend an evening with my nieces and nephews. Rebekah and Bryan have four kiddos - two boys Micah and Nathan and two girls Chloe and Jane - and it was truly a precious time for me to hug and squeeze and play and tell them that Uncle Jody and Aunt Ruth love them a lot. They are growing up so quickly!

With Micah before the ceremony

With Janie!

Angry faces... sort of.

With Chloe - compliments of Jane :)

Another picture Jane took of Chloe and me

With Nathan

Every wedding is another reminder to me of the sacredness of marriage, and I leave such occasions with a renewed challenge to love my husband well. To serve him with all that I am. And that marriage - just like following Christ - is about the business of dying to self (and my selfish desires) day after day after day. It also serves as a reminder to me to pray for the couple, that they would love each other well and submit to one another. Tough stuff... but we're rooting for you, Anna and Nate! Congratulations!

Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ. Wives, submit yourselves to your own husbands as you do to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior. Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything.

Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless. In this same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself.    - Ephesians 5:21-28