We returned from North Carolina a few days ago after several days of sometimes frantic, but enjoyable activities related to the planning and logistics of the wedding of our youngest son Ross to his new bride Marina.

Mission accomplished: They were married Saturday evening, June 14, at the Pine Knoll Shores Aquarium, which is about a hundred yards away from the Atlantic Ocean on North Carolina’s Crystal Coast.

North Carolina is Marina’s home state. We had a great time. There were the usual kinks in the hose regarding flight delays for our sons and their spouses, as they flew in from the west and east coasts for the event.

Our oldest son Conner flew in Friday evening from his home in Maryland where he resides with his wife Kristina and their two month old daughter Olivia. Kristina arrived the next morning. The baby stayed home with Kristina’s mom, who traveled from her home in Boston to take care of little Olivia at their home in Edgewater.

Our middle son Ben is currently a Captain in the Marine Corps. He flew in from San Diego. His flight was shot through with misadventures due to weather delays.

Ben’s wife Julia recently relocated to Oklahoma to begin making their new home for at least the next three years.

Julia was a Lieutenant in the Navy, and in early June, she received her discharge papers.

She and Ben purchased a home in Norman, where Ben will attend the University of Oklahoma School of Law in August.

Ben’s release from the Marine Corps. will not happen until this Friday, June 27.

He is still at their home in the San Diego area, tying off loose ends and preparing their home there for sale.

Ben and Julia will have their first child, another granddaughter for the happy Kingfisher grandparents, in August.

Ben’s flight was supposed to arrive on Thursday evening at the airport at New Bern, just 30 miles away from the wedding site. However, lightning strikes in the vicinity of Charlotte, N.C. prompted the airport there to shut down, leaving him stranded, with no guarantees of when he might make it to New Bern.

So Julia and I made a midnight run in the rental car to pick Ben up. It was a 10 hour round trip. We made it there and back just fine, but Ben’s luggage, which included his wedding tuxedo, did not.

Luckily, the luggage finally arrived at the airport in New Bern a few hours before the Saturday evening wedding, so we were able to retrieve it in the nick of time for the big event.

Other than those minor inconveniences, we had a wonderful wedding. Several of our Oklahoma friends made it to the wedding, and we spent a few days with family and friends on or near the water and enjoying all North Carolina’s Crystal Coast had to offer.

My dad and his wife Christine were able to visit with one of my dad’s cousins who lives in Asheville, N.C.

He hadn’t seen her in many years, so they arrived a few days early and had a wonderful visit.

Everyone made it back to their homes safe. Ross and Marina spent a week on the island of Antigua in the Caribbean for their honeymoon, and the pair will soon travel to Eunice, Louisiana, where Ross works as a pipeline inspector.

2025 Has Been An Eventful Year For The Reid Household.
One More Big Event To Come.

Ben begins his trek from San Diego to join Julia in Norman this Friday. He will be bringing the last of their household items. Then on August 7, or thereabouts, they will welcome a second baby girl to our family.

This will be a new experience for Mary and me. For 35 years, all we have known is boys. I’m ready for little girls to spoil. Sounds like fun. And this one will only be 90 minutes away!