varaneka
New Member
Date: January 02 2010
Sig Christenson, Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan
CAPTAIN Matt Howard married Lanessa Lawrence this week. They tied the knot on Skype and are looking forward to their first face-to-face meeting.
''I've never held her hand,'' Captain Howard said. ''I've never kissed her. I've never been in the same room with her.''
The couple tied the knot in a brief online ceremony on Thursday, the groom surrounded by friends from his unit at Bagram, the bride in a small study at her Texas home.
The chaplain, Air Force Captain Jonathan Runnels - who had given premarital counselling sessions to Ms Lawrence via computer - noted the unusual circumstances. ''Nonetheless, it is holy and acceptable before God,'' he said.
And legal. Ms Lawrence, a university education liaison officer, had gone to the Comal County Courthouse and declared Captain Howard, a critical care nurse, an absentee applicant on the marriage licence. As a deployed member of the military, he qualified for it.
So even though they aren't on the same continent and won't meet in person for months, Ms Lawrence nervously said ''I do''.
She had something old (her grandmother's ring); something new (a gold neck pendant); something borrowed (a pearl bracelet from an in-law); and something blue - a single white star and blue background that Captain Howard had cut from a discarded American flag and sent to her.
''I now present to you Mr and Mrs Matthew and Lanessa Howard,'' Captain Runnels said.
In Afghanistan, where it was night-time, the groom and friends celebrated with beer. His bride in Texas, at mid-morning, opened a bottle of champagne with two of her new in-laws, Captain Howard's younger brother and his wife, Mark and Tame Howard. The pair tied the knot with the help of Skype, a popular online video conferencing program, capping a modern-day love-and-war story that started with a computer, a keyboard and a message out of the blue.
''It's very random. There's no explanation for it,'' said Captain Howard, who has worked at the air force hospital in Bagram since 2008.
They can remember the day they ''met'', September 24. Since then the couple have logged 800 hours on Skype.
''Literally one day I was checking my email and I got this random email from Match.com, an advertisement,'' Captain Howard said. ''I was kind of bored, so I just put a profile on there … and when I came across her profile, she was the one.''
Captain Howard and Ms Lawrence each are twice divorced, with children. Both are devout Christians. Their certainty is rooted in a sense of religious conviction. They wouldn't dream of having premarital sex - even if they could. ''I want to do things right,'' Captain Howard said.
But they do dream of their first kiss, and more. Captain Howard has about two months left in his tour before he heads for their first meeting at San Antonio International Airport.
They have talked of a full-fledged wedding on April 10.
SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS-NEWS
Sig Christenson, Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan
CAPTAIN Matt Howard married Lanessa Lawrence this week. They tied the knot on Skype and are looking forward to their first face-to-face meeting.
''I've never held her hand,'' Captain Howard said. ''I've never kissed her. I've never been in the same room with her.''
The couple tied the knot in a brief online ceremony on Thursday, the groom surrounded by friends from his unit at Bagram, the bride in a small study at her Texas home.
The chaplain, Air Force Captain Jonathan Runnels - who had given premarital counselling sessions to Ms Lawrence via computer - noted the unusual circumstances. ''Nonetheless, it is holy and acceptable before God,'' he said.
And legal. Ms Lawrence, a university education liaison officer, had gone to the Comal County Courthouse and declared Captain Howard, a critical care nurse, an absentee applicant on the marriage licence. As a deployed member of the military, he qualified for it.
So even though they aren't on the same continent and won't meet in person for months, Ms Lawrence nervously said ''I do''.
She had something old (her grandmother's ring); something new (a gold neck pendant); something borrowed (a pearl bracelet from an in-law); and something blue - a single white star and blue background that Captain Howard had cut from a discarded American flag and sent to her.
''I now present to you Mr and Mrs Matthew and Lanessa Howard,'' Captain Runnels said.
In Afghanistan, where it was night-time, the groom and friends celebrated with beer. His bride in Texas, at mid-morning, opened a bottle of champagne with two of her new in-laws, Captain Howard's younger brother and his wife, Mark and Tame Howard. The pair tied the knot with the help of Skype, a popular online video conferencing program, capping a modern-day love-and-war story that started with a computer, a keyboard and a message out of the blue.
''It's very random. There's no explanation for it,'' said Captain Howard, who has worked at the air force hospital in Bagram since 2008.
They can remember the day they ''met'', September 24. Since then the couple have logged 800 hours on Skype.
''Literally one day I was checking my email and I got this random email from Match.com, an advertisement,'' Captain Howard said. ''I was kind of bored, so I just put a profile on there … and when I came across her profile, she was the one.''
Captain Howard and Ms Lawrence each are twice divorced, with children. Both are devout Christians. Their certainty is rooted in a sense of religious conviction. They wouldn't dream of having premarital sex - even if they could. ''I want to do things right,'' Captain Howard said.
But they do dream of their first kiss, and more. Captain Howard has about two months left in his tour before he heads for their first meeting at San Antonio International Airport.
They have talked of a full-fledged wedding on April 10.
SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS-NEWS
..I wish them luck-stranger relationships have lasted..sooo who knows?
