Ten years ago (holy crap!), I bought an Xbox for my sister ("Mango") so that she could play Halo 2 with me when I was away at college. She'd been to several Halo 1 LANs with me and got to be pretty good at sniping fools out of the Warthog. With Halo 2's online matchmaking, Xbox Live voice chat was cheaper than cell phone minutes and blasting fools is a fun way to keep the family bond strong. Siblings who capture the flag together stay together!

As it turns out, "Matchmaking" is a more apt description than Bungie realized at the time. Shortly after Halo 2's launch, Mango met a high schooler ("SpidermanBBQ") from Indiana (we were in California), and before long the two of them were staying up late playing Halo and/or chatting on the phone together. They would coordinate their playtimes, help each other do homework, and for well over a year they had a long-distance relationship without ever actually meeting in real-life. Eventually they decided that it was time to meet in person, and you can probably imagine my father's (well-intentioned) reaction to this proposition.

It was decided that both families would meet in San Francisco for a long weekend together, so eight years ago, amidst the backdrop of another FIFA World Cup, Mango and Spidey met for the first time! The families hit it off, and the couple was officially "together" at last. Through college, the two of them held a long-distance relationship before she eventually moved out to Indiana where they've been for the last several years.

I'm happy to report that the happy couple is now married as of this last weekend! The wedding had a "vintage travel" theme, but I couldn't resist dropping a nod to their Halo origins with the cake, and someone painted a cute image on one of the coolers. The cake toppers were a complete surprise for them, and they seemed to think it was pretty great. :)

If they're reading this, I love you both and wish you the very best! May you always have Host and your aim be true!