Deleted
Joined: Mar 28, 2024 4:02:19 GMT -5
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Jan 24, 2019 12:08:14 GMT -5
My nephew is in his early 20's. He lived with me and my children for a few years, starting when he was about 6yo.
He sent me a text this morning asking if I knew a man from way back named, I'll call him Larry Smith. I said no, I think the man who sold me my house was named Larry Smith, but that's it. Who is it?
He said his GF had to get her birth certificate recently and he was looking at it and saw my address and got confused. She told him she lived in that house with her Uncle when she was a baby. I do remember the man who sold me the house saying that his sister and her young child lived with him.
My nephew said he already thought he and his GF are destiny because the first time he went to visit her at her family's home, he saw his old basketball coach from our church. Going to our church and playing basketball was also during the time he lived with me. It turned out that the coach and the young lady's family have been friends for years.
So he thinks finding out that he and his GF have actually lived in the same house at different times is amazing. I guess it kind of is, considering this isn't a small town and they both ended up living and meeting on the opposite side of the city from where my house is.
Do you have a "what are the odds" story?
|
|
swamp
Community Leader
Don't be a fool. Call me!
Joined: Dec 19, 2010 16:03:22 GMT -5
Posts: 45,294
|
Post by swamp on Jan 24, 2019 12:15:53 GMT -5
Last year in Florida I was in Walgreens on Anna Maria Island. Anna Maria Island is very retiree/snow bird oriented, not "touristy" at all. I ran into my 5th grade science teacher and his son who I graduated with, and DH used to work with. I also ran into an attorney from the next county on the beach with his family.
Another one: I'm on the county drug court team. The drug/alcohol counselor, who is in recovery from his own addictions, on the team started talking about growing up in "P" city, about 2.5 hours away from me. A friend of mine from Freshman year in college was from there (he's since deceased). I went to his place a few times and went to some wild parties. As the counselor was talking more, I asked him how old he was. About same age as me. Turns out we partied together over 20 years ago.
One more: I'm visiting a friend from law school in her hometown of Utica. She's showing me around the office where she works. She introduces me to one of her colleagues. We had hooked up my freshman year in college.
|
|
Deleted
Joined: Mar 28, 2024 4:02:19 GMT -5
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Jan 24, 2019 12:21:38 GMT -5
I have a similar story. I moved in with my boyfriend into his apartment when we were in college. I came to find out later after some back and forth with my aunts and mom that it was the same apartment my Mom brought me home from the hospital to. It was just a tiny place. I bedroom/living room, small kitchen with the same antique wall sink that was there when I was a baby (I have pics getting a bath in it). As if that wasn't crazy enough, the same lady was still living downstairs (she rented her upstairs out). I dug through the cards my mom had saved in my baby box and still had the congratulations card from her to my mom from when I was born. My mom didn't live there long with me, when I was about 18 months old we moved into the house that I spent the majority of my childhood in. The name of the street this house was on was my boyfriend's last name. We thought these were all signs we were just meant to be together forever.
|
|
countrygirl2
Senior Associate
Joined: Dec 7, 2016 15:45:05 GMT -5
Posts: 16,709
|
Post by countrygirl2 on Jan 24, 2019 12:32:36 GMT -5
When my BIL passed away, we went to the cemetery. This is a huge cemetery which has served the county for decades and decades. I noticed we were heading to where my folks were buried and hubs, DD. and I have plots. I could not believe it, apparently her family had plots next to ours and BIL and hubs will end up being buried catty corner from each other. I was in absolute shock. I mean the odds of something like this happening has to be pretty big. When I got over there, I'm still like I can't believe this.
|
|
Tennesseer
Member Emeritus
Joined: Dec 20, 2010 21:58:42 GMT -5
Posts: 63,120
|
Post by Tennesseer on Jan 24, 2019 12:38:41 GMT -5
Back in the middle 1990s, I had travelled to Los Angeles for work purposes on a HR project. I was somewhere in metro Los Angeles having lunch at a small restaurant with a former co-worker. We once worked for the same company years earlier in Connecticut. My friend worked in sales when we worked for the same company. My friend was asking me what ever happened to this and that employee.
All of a sudden, the woman eating in the next booth stood up and apologized for interrupting us but stated she too had once worked for the same company as us, near the same geographical area. She told us she too knew some of the names my friend and I were discussing. She then named off some other names she once worked with which my friend and I had not discussed and we too knew them. So we knew she was telling the truth.
The three of us were three thousand miles away from where we once worked and yet here was another one time employee from the same area, eating lunch in a small restaurant, and knowing the same people we knew too.
|
|
Deleted
Joined: Mar 28, 2024 4:02:19 GMT -5
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Jan 24, 2019 12:42:00 GMT -5
I have a similar story. I moved in with my boyfriend into his apartment when we were in college. I came to find out later after some back and forth with my aunts and mom that it was the same apartment my Mom brought me home from the hospital to. It was just a tiny place. I bedroom/living room, small kitchen with the same antique wall sink that was there when I was a baby (I have pics getting a bath in it). As if that wasn't crazy enough, the same lady was still living downstairs (she rented her upstairs out). I dug through the cards my mom had saved in my baby box and still had the congratulations card from her to my mom from when I was born. My mom didn't live there long with me, when I was about 18 months old we moved into the house that I spent the majority of my childhood in. The name of the street this house was on was my boyfriend's last name. We thought these were all signs we were just meant to be together forever. I won't tell my nephew your story and burst his bubble.
|
|
Pants
Junior Associate
Joined: Dec 27, 2010 19:26:44 GMT -5
Posts: 7,579
|
Post by Pants on Jan 24, 2019 12:45:59 GMT -5
When my BIL passed away, we went to the cemetery. This is a huge cemetery which has served the county for decades and decades. I noticed we were heading to where my folks were buried and hubs, DD. and I have plots. I could not believe it, apparently her family had plots next to ours and BIL and hubs will end up being buried catty corner from each other. I was in absolute shock. I mean the odds of something like this happening has to be pretty big. When I got over there, I'm still like I can't believe this. I mean, not really. Only certain sections of a cemetery are "open" at any given time. It's the one, or one of only a few cemeteries serving this area. You live in a largely rural area, meaning there simply aren't that many families to begin with. This is one where the odds against it not as large as you think they are.
|
|
Deleted
Joined: Mar 28, 2024 4:02:19 GMT -5
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Jan 24, 2019 12:46:38 GMT -5
I have a similar story. I moved in with my boyfriend into his apartment when we were in college. I came to find out later after some back and forth with my aunts and mom that it was the same apartment my Mom brought me home from the hospital to. It was just a tiny place. I bedroom/living room, small kitchen with the same antique wall sink that was there when I was a baby (I have pics getting a bath in it). As if that wasn't crazy enough, the same lady was still living downstairs (she rented her upstairs out). I dug through the cards my mom had saved in my baby box and still had the congratulations card from her to my mom from when I was born. My mom didn't live there long with me, when I was about 18 months old we moved into the house that I spent the majority of my childhood in. The name of the street this house was on was my boyfriend's last name. We thought these were all signs we were just meant to be together forever. I won't tell my nephew your story and burst his bubble. Well, technically we are still very much in each other's lives still 30 years later. I just emailed him asking when he was going to meet with our son about getting his ass going on his Eagle project...oh, and we share a Netflix account.
|
|
Deleted
Joined: Mar 28, 2024 4:02:19 GMT -5
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Jan 24, 2019 12:49:39 GMT -5
I won't tell my nephew your story and burst his bubble. Well, technically we are still very much in each other's lives still 30 years later. I just emailed him asking when he was going to meet with our son about getting his ass going on his Eagle project...oh, and we share a Netflix account. Wait, I didn't catch the "OUR son" at first. Is this your first husband?
|
|
Deleted
Joined: Mar 28, 2024 4:02:19 GMT -5
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Jan 24, 2019 12:52:39 GMT -5
Well, technically we are still very much in each other's lives still 30 years later. I just emailed him asking when he was going to meet with our son about getting his ass going on his Eagle project...oh, and we share a Netflix account. Wait, I didn't catch the "OUR son" at first. Is this your first husband? Yes.
|
|
billisonboard
Community Leader
Joined: Dec 20, 2010 22:45:44 GMT -5
Posts: 37,385
|
Post by billisonboard on Jan 24, 2019 12:54:59 GMT -5
I was putting in work hours at the Veteran's Affairs office on campus during Winter Break. I was headed out as the Dean was coming in so I held the door and bowed him in (jokingly). Once he was in, I did a quick turn and was briefly face to face with a young lady. I did a pirouette and proceeded down the hall backwards, apologizing to her - the young lady I had met and attempted unsuccessfully to seduce at a party the previous weekend.
|
|
Pants
Junior Associate
Joined: Dec 27, 2010 19:26:44 GMT -5
Posts: 7,579
|
Post by Pants on Jan 24, 2019 12:56:06 GMT -5
I've run into people places I had no reason to be. Folks from high school or college when I was randomly visiting their town(s).
|
|
countrygirl2
Senior Associate
Joined: Dec 7, 2016 15:45:05 GMT -5
Posts: 16,709
|
Post by countrygirl2 on Jan 24, 2019 13:04:09 GMT -5
There are tons of cemeteries around here, every town and church has one, way more then one would think. Not just the one.
|
|
chiver78
Administrator
Current Events Admin
Joined: Dec 20, 2010 13:04:45 GMT -5
Posts: 38,384
|
Post by chiver78 on Jan 24, 2019 13:18:19 GMT -5
a number of years ago, I was travelling for work during the summer. I think my assignment that time was in France (not Paris), so my flight path home would have been <job site> to Munich to Boston. I remember sprinting from the lounge to the gate just as boarding was starting for first class. I was business class, so I had a few minutes. I was listening to a group of American ladies, mid20s or so, looking comfy in yoga pants and tshirts. it took a minute for one of the voices to sink in as familiar - it was my hockey linemate. the group of 20somethings had just done 3 weeks backpacking around Europe, crashing in hostels and the like. this was their last leg home back to Boston.
|
|
andi9899
Distinguished Associate
Joined: Dec 6, 2011 10:22:29 GMT -5
Posts: 30,284
|
Post by andi9899 on Jan 24, 2019 13:19:24 GMT -5
In HS I was at a family function of my then BF's family when my uncle Dave walked in. I had commented that it was weird to see my uncle Dave there. He got this weird look on his face and goes "That's my uncle Dave." We immediately ran to go find his mom to find out how he was related to uncle Dave as he was a bit of a distant relative for BF. Turns out he's not related by blood to uncle Dave. He's blood related to aunt Mary, uncle Dave's wife. I'm blood related to uncle Dave as he's my grandpa's brother. So we share uncle Dave and aunt Mary, we're just not related by blood. Good thing to as we had already been having sex at that point and that would have been really weird.
Also years later Thing 2 ended up being friends with exBF's niece, so I would still see the same family from time to time. I still do and we broke up in 1996 or so.
|
|
chiver78
Administrator
Current Events Admin
Joined: Dec 20, 2010 13:04:45 GMT -5
Posts: 38,384
|
Post by chiver78 on Jan 24, 2019 13:25:22 GMT -5
In HS I was at a family function of my then BF's family when my uncle Dave walked in. I had commented that it was weird to see my uncle Dave there. He got this weird look on his face and goes "That's my uncle Dave." We immediately ran to go find his mom to find out how he was related to uncle Dave as he was a bit of a distant relative for BF. Turns out he's not related by blood to uncle Dave. He's blood related to aunt Mary, uncle Dave's wife. I'm blood related to uncle Dave as he's my grandpa's brother. So we share uncle Dave and aunt Mary, we're just not related by blood. Good thing to as we had already been having sex at that point and that would have been really weird. Also years later Thing 2 ended up being friends with exBF's niece, so I would still see the same family from time to time. I still do and we broke up in 1996 or so. yikes. you win.
|
|
weltschmerz
Community Leader
Joined: Jul 25, 2011 13:37:39 GMT -5
Posts: 38,962
|
Post by weltschmerz on Jan 24, 2019 13:30:57 GMT -5
I was vacationing in Jamaica, when I ran into a couple who were my neighbours. I suppose that means we were meant to be together and I become a sister wife.
|
|
greeniis10
Well-Known Member
Joined: May 9, 2012 12:27:09 GMT -5
Posts: 1,831
|
Post by greeniis10 on Jan 24, 2019 13:33:18 GMT -5
Oh, I love these types of stories! Mine is a bit different than the others, but here goes: my son has a half brother 8 months younger than him. Turns out my 1st husband cheated on me and she and I were both pregnant. Our son was born in Jan. and he and I decided to stay together. The other boy was born in Sept. the same year so my husband signed over his parental rights to the child's mother and her fiance. We raised the boys together though so they knew the whole story. Eventually we divorced and I re-married and gained 2 step-children. The 1/2 brother's parents divorced later as well. The adoptive father of the 1/2 brother then married my current husband's ex-wife's sister (my step-children's aunt)! It was a confusing mess really, but we all got along so instead of having separate family events we just had them all at the adoptive dad's home. And we also gave up trying to identify anyone as step-sibling, half-sibling, etc.
Now, I'm divorced again so I guess that makes everyone "ex" so whatever. Thankfully I do have my son and his brother and their extended families in my life.
|
|
Value Buy
Senior Associate
Joined: Dec 20, 2010 17:57:07 GMT -5
Posts: 18,680
Today's Mood: Getting better by the day!
Location: In the middle of enjoying retirement!
Favorite Drink: Zombie Dust from Three Floyd's brewery
Mini-Profile Name Color: e61975
Mini-Profile Text Color: 196ce6
|
Post by Value Buy on Jan 24, 2019 14:08:18 GMT -5
Oh, I love these types of stories! Mine is a bit different than the others, but here goes: my son has a half brother 8 months younger than him. Turns out my 1st husband cheated on me and she and I were both pregnant. Our son was born in Jan. and he and I decided to stay together. The other boy was born in Sept. the same year so my husband signed over his parental rights to the child's mother and her fiance. We raised the boys together though so they knew the whole story. Eventually we divorced and I re-married and gained 2 step-children. The 1/2 brother's parents divorced later as well. The adoptive father of the 1/2 brother then married my current husband's ex-wife's sister (my step-children's aunt)! It was a confusing mess really, but we all got along so instead of having separate family events we just had them all at the adoptive dad's home. And we also gave up trying to identify anyone as step-sibling, half-sibling, etc.
Now, I'm divorced again so I guess that makes everyone "ex" so whatever. Thankfully I do have my son and his brother and their extended families in my life.
Okay, you win, because I was lost by the second paragraph........
|
|
andi9899
Distinguished Associate
Joined: Dec 6, 2011 10:22:29 GMT -5
Posts: 30,284
|
Post by andi9899 on Jan 24, 2019 14:12:10 GMT -5
In HS I was at a family function of my then BF's family when my uncle Dave walked in. I had commented that it was weird to see my uncle Dave there. He got this weird look on his face and goes "That's my uncle Dave." We immediately ran to go find his mom to find out how he was related to uncle Dave as he was a bit of a distant relative for BF. Turns out he's not related by blood to uncle Dave. He's blood related to aunt Mary, uncle Dave's wife. I'm blood related to uncle Dave as he's my grandpa's brother. So we share uncle Dave and aunt Mary, we're just not related by blood. Good thing to as we had already been having sex at that point and that would have been really weird. Also years later Thing 2 ended up being friends with exBF's niece, so I would still see the same family from time to time. I still do and we broke up in 1996 or so. yikes. you win. Basically when you're Mexican and you date a Mexican you have to practically do a background check to make sure you're not related first. At least, that's how it seems to work.
|
|
Deleted
Joined: Mar 28, 2024 4:02:19 GMT -5
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Jan 24, 2019 14:28:10 GMT -5
Oh, I love these types of stories! Mine is a bit different than the others, but here goes: my son has a half brother 8 months younger than him. Turns out my 1st husband cheated on me and she and I were both pregnant. Our son was born in Jan. and he and I decided to stay together. The other boy was born in Sept. the same year so my husband signed over his parental rights to the child's mother and her fiance. We raised the boys together though so they knew the whole story. Eventually we divorced and I re-married and gained 2 step-children. The 1/2 brother's parents divorced later as well. The adoptive father of the 1/2 brother then married my current husband's ex-wife's sister (my step-children's aunt)! It was a confusing mess really, but we all got along so instead of having separate family events we just had them all at the adoptive dad's home. And we also gave up trying to identify anyone as step-sibling, half-sibling, etc.
Now, I'm divorced again so I guess that makes everyone "ex" so whatever. Thankfully I do have my son and his brother and their extended families in my life.
Wow! It did get a bit confusing, but I think I kept everybody straight.
|
|
tskeeter
Junior Associate
Joined: Mar 20, 2011 19:37:45 GMT -5
Posts: 6,831
|
Post by tskeeter on Jan 24, 2019 14:34:43 GMT -5
From the unlikely coincidences file. DW met a woman of Chinese ancestry at work. The woman’s husband was a physician. DW came home and asked why the name Dr. X sounded very familiar. I reminded her that my dentist cousin and her dentist husband from Nebraska were both Dr. X. And that my cousin’s husband was Chinese. When DW told her coworker about the name coincidence, the coworker told her that the name X was the Chinese equivalent of Smith and that any relationship was unlikely. DW told her coworker that she also thought that a relationship was unlikely because my cousin and her family live in Nebraska. The coworker responded that she thought that her husband had relatives in Nebraska. It turned out that the coworker’s FIL and my cousin’s FIL were cousins. Who’d a thunk?
|
|
greeniis10
Well-Known Member
Joined: May 9, 2012 12:27:09 GMT -5
Posts: 1,831
|
Post by greeniis10 on Jan 24, 2019 14:39:05 GMT -5
Oh, I love these types of stories! Mine is a bit different than the others, but here goes: my son has a half brother 8 months younger than him. Turns out my 1st husband cheated on me and she and I were both pregnant. Our son was born in Jan. and he and I decided to stay together. The other boy was born in Sept. the same year so my husband signed over his parental rights to the child's mother and her fiance. We raised the boys together though so they knew the whole story. Eventually we divorced and I re-married and gained 2 step-children. The 1/2 brother's parents divorced later as well. The adoptive father of the 1/2 brother then married my current husband's ex-wife's sister (my step-children's aunt)! It was a confusing mess really, but we all got along so instead of having separate family events we just had them all at the adoptive dad's home. And we also gave up trying to identify anyone as step-sibling, half-sibling, etc.
Now, I'm divorced again so I guess that makes everyone "ex" so whatever. Thankfully I do have my son and his brother and their extended families in my life.
Wow! It did get a bit confusing, but I think I kept everybody straight. I lived it and still have a hard time explaining it. It's a bit easier with names but I'd confuse myself even more if I tried to make up names.
|
|
cktc
Senior Member
Joined: Mar 19, 2013 22:15:31 GMT -5
Posts: 3,202
|
Post by cktc on Jan 24, 2019 14:41:30 GMT -5
I had a bunch of these with my ex and DH, none quite as impressive as living in the same house though.
With ex, my sister lived on the navy base outside his home town, and both of us briefly had opportunities to live in Jax with other relatives. I thought this meant we were destined to meet because our paths could have crossed in 3 different states. Shortly before we divorced, I also learned ex-mil used to go to the same German dance club at an air force base my grandmother frequented in the 60s. Unfortunately I never got them together to compare notes and see if they knew each other.
DH and I grew up in, and outside, the same small town. Both ended up at the same state college, though he dropped out and joined the military, and I ended up with ex. When I was going through my divorce. we were living in different towns in the same metro area. We reconnected but I wasn't trying to date so was dodging offers to hangout and bringing a friend along when we did. I ran into him at a shopping center in another town on a day I declined a date. We also both bowled in leagues at the same bowling alley in yet another town
|
|
NomoreDramaQ1015
Community Leader
Joined: Dec 20, 2010 14:26:32 GMT -5
Posts: 47,119
|
Post by NomoreDramaQ1015 on Jan 24, 2019 14:53:47 GMT -5
Almost every year we've gone to the Iowa State Fair we run into my parents.
No clue they are even there. Once on the skytram I joked about my parents probably being there.
DH looks down and responds "they are right below us." what are the odds.
|
|
NastyWoman
Senior Associate
Joined: Dec 24, 2010 20:50:37 GMT -5
Posts: 14,233
|
Post by NastyWoman on Jan 24, 2019 14:54:30 GMT -5
When DS2 was ~8yo I was at a soccer game he played in in Bangkok. One of the moms on the other team complained that a child so much older than the others was allowed to play on DS's team. Turns out she was talking about my (rather tall) son. So that got us talking and we discovered that her daughter less than a full one day older than my son, but she had been born in the same hospital as DS2 was → we were in there at the exact same time. Since her child was born rather quickly and DS took his sweet time we had been in L& at the same time - close to 8,000 miles away from where we were having this conversation
|
|
billisonboard
Community Leader
Joined: Dec 20, 2010 22:45:44 GMT -5
Posts: 37,385
|
Post by billisonboard on Jan 24, 2019 15:00:42 GMT -5
Wife #1 and I first played together when we were about 3 when our moms got together a few times to play bridge. We re-met (and played together ) again starting our sophomore year of high school.
|
|
Pants
Junior Associate
Joined: Dec 27, 2010 19:26:44 GMT -5
Posts: 7,579
|
Post by Pants on Jan 24, 2019 15:32:48 GMT -5
Almost every year we've gone to the Iowa State Fair we run into my parents. No clue they are even there. Once on the skytram I joked about my parents probably being there. DH looks down and responds "they are right below us." what are the odds. Apparently both of you go every year, so again, not as low as you would think?
|
|
chapeau
Well-Known Member
Joined: Jan 17, 2013 10:50:04 GMT -5
Posts: 1,649
|
Post by chapeau on Jan 24, 2019 16:13:16 GMT -5
My dad worked for the same company for his whole adult life, almost 50 years. It’s not a huge company, 500 or so employees. My parents have literally never been on vacation without running into someone from dad’s company. Dad was once driving with my brother, moving him from North Dakota to Texas, a couple of thousand miles from our home in Pennsylvania, and ran into a former coworker. At a rest stop in Nebraska (or maybe Oklahoma) at 5:30 am
But the best one was a guy my dad worked with who ran into another man who used to work at the company. They ran into each other on the Great Wall of China.
|
|
Deleted
Joined: Mar 28, 2024 4:02:19 GMT -5
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Jan 24, 2019 16:24:56 GMT -5
Almost every year we've gone to the Iowa State Fair we run into my parents. No clue they are even there. Once on the skytram I joked about my parents probably being there. DH looks down and responds "they are right below us." what are the odds. Apparently both of you go every year, so again, not as low as you would think? If it's anything like the MN State Fair, even running into people you KNOW are there is highly unlikely. There's typically 150-200K people there on any given day. And it's over the course of 12 days, so even if you know they go, you have to land on the same day too.
|
|