Rites of Passage

My brother, who is in his 30's, just got married. The whole family is very excited for him, both because we had hoped he would find true love and because his new wife is so sweet and wonderful! She also has a daughter who's 19 and it was so touching they included her in the ceremony. Here's a snapshot of the bride and groom, plus my brother's new step-daughter, with me clapping in the background.

The wedding was held here on the family land, and everyone came together to help out. We planned and schemed and cooked and decorated and had a wonderful time. Two of my wonderful friends and their kids came and helped prepare and serve the food. The wedding cake was made and decorated by a hand-picked team of chefs: Mom, Aunt Peg, BlackLion, ElvenTiger, and I. The bride planned a lovely black-and-white theme, with delightful decorations. Of course, the weather was made to order. And the wedding turned out just perfect!

I was honored to be the officiant. Although I've been licensed clergy since 2006, this was the first wedding I've performed. And to have it be such a special one! I had goosebumps during the ceremony (though I managed not to cry - I wanted my voice to be clear for the whole thing).

And now that everything is all cleaned up and put away from the wedding, there's another adventure starting tomorrow! ElvenTiger and I are headed off on a backpacking trip with her Aunt Molly (my sister-in-law). The last time we did a girls-only backpacking trip, I was pregnant with ElvenTiger! So it's a rite of passage for her. She'll have to carry her own pack this time.