In this Monday, Feb. 9, 2015 photo, Thomas Baytarian and his wife, Lisa, stand for a photo in front of their home in Port St. Lucie, Fla. Thomas was at sea -- literally -- when he found love. His sister talked a lot about her cool new friend Lisa. Thomas, a Marine corporal, looked up Lisa on Facebook to say hello, just before deploying for nine months aboard the USS Kearsarge. While the ship crossed the globe, helping flood victims in Pakistan and civilians in the Libyan civil war, Thomas and Lisa messaged and talked. Working two jobs cleaning houses and delivering pizzas back in Florida, Lisa gave up sleep to reach him in her only free time. Thomas had to wait his turn for a ship computer or phone. "It was nonstop, trying to find time to communicate with each other," Thomas says. They started talking marriage, even though they'd seen each other only in photos. Lisa nervously awaited his return alongside jubilant Marine families at Cherry Point, N.C.: "I felt like, is this going to be real when we meet? Is everything going to change?" Nothing changed, except they could finally kiss. "It was just like we'd been in each other's presence for that nine months," Thomas says. They married a month later, June 2011. He's out of the service now. Thomas and Lisa Baytarian, 25 and 27, are raising their 2-year-old son in Port St. Lucie. (AP Photo/Alan Diaz)
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