Post by texassmith on Jun 16, 2014 17:11:01 GMT -5
Do you ever have "good lord it is SUCH a small world" moments? I just found out this morning that my cousin works with the boyfriend I broke up shortly before I started dating H. Like, they're not just coworkers, but actually close friends. They're both great people and there's really nothing wrong with the situation at all, but it's just so freaking WEIRD. Like I've thought about it all day, because damn. Small world.
I went to Spain last month. On the first day we took a bike tour, with a total of 4 couples. One of the men who happened to be on our tour was my husband's coworker. Like, someone who he works closely enough with that it was odd that they didn't know that they'd both be in Spain at the same time.
When I took a Vatican tour with my family after my first year of law school, the tour had 7 people in it -- my family members and me, plus the biggest gunner in my 1L section and her parents.
I know a lot of people who are friends with each other from things completely unrelated to how I know them.
I met my best friend freshman year of college and at the time she was living in IL and I lived in Mass, but we discovered that her second mother/mentor was my mother's best friend (who now lived in Georgia). We also discovered that our fathers were stationed at the same naval base when we were babies and we were actually in the same hospital at the same time when I was born.
My grandmother grew up 2 hours from where DH's whole family is from, but my great uncle used to work with his great aunt (and we didn't meet until college, which isn't near either of our hometowns).
Post by RoxMonster on Jun 16, 2014 17:24:31 GMT -5
Yes. I just had this happen this weekend. We went car shopping with MIL and the guy helping us was someone I used to take dance lessons with. We find out later that afternoon that he's the nephew of MIL's neighbor/good friend.
Post by gogadgetgo on Jun 16, 2014 17:28:38 GMT -5
DH's best friend's dad was the children's librarian at my local library when I was a kid and did the storytime I attended. I didn't meet DH's bf until at least 15 years later.
I sat beside a chatty guy on a plane once. He told me all about how he was flying to my city to see his girlfriend, how awesome she is, etc. We get to the baggage claim and his girlfriend was there to pick him up--it was one of my college roommates!
So, I was dating this guy, Nathan. He grew up in a town about an hour an fifteen minutes from my hometown, but we met working for the same company one summer (not close to my hometown) during college.
When I met his parents for the first time he was like, Your last name is familiar! I served in the Navy with a guy named Robert Mylastname.
Come to find out, Robert was a relatively close cousin. LOL
My best friend's ex-roommate from five years ago is really good friends with my SIL. My BFF was astounded they were such close friends when she saw a picture he posted of them both on Facebook. Her worlds collided. Then she texted me to tell me all about it
Today I met puddleofgrace on a professional level, since I found out she works for one of our clients.
It was weird, giving her our 2 minute elevator schpiel and not laughing my ass off.
I know! It was hard for me not to just plop down next to you and gossip over ML with you. LOL. It really was great to see you today. You looked amazing as always :-)
Ha, you're too kind. I will say I thought exactly the same with you, but most of all your smile and cheer was such a phenomenal welcome.
Though you you also looked fabulous!
Most of all it gave me the impetus of ensuring I make it a priority to see you soon. It's been too long, and just seeing you, even if briefly, made me happy
At a BBQ years ago at my boss' house, we realized that my boss and I we were distantly related on my husband's side. (He had an aunt who was once married to my FIL's cousin, or something of that nature.) When I asked for things at work then on, I'd joke, "But we're family!"
I have random FB connections - like someone I know from Crossfit in Houston was at the wedding of someone I worked with in DC when I waited tables. Turns out, my Houston friend and the bride went to high school together.
I also have a high school friend who used to date a college friend's husband (and they are still friendly). It was a little odd when the pictures of a playdate popped up on FB from two friends from different parts of my life.
My mom worked for my FIL when I was little for a few months. She was filling in for his assistant who was one of our neighbors. We figured it out when H and I started dating.
Post by CheshireGrin on Jun 16, 2014 18:53:10 GMT -5
Here's one of my favorite "small world" stories.
My mom was a school nurse, and good friends with the secretary at the school. We'll call her Mrs. Smith (except IRL she had a fairly unusual last name).
My brother gets a job at a big supermarket, working in the produce section (he was in high school). He gets to be friends with a coworker named Carlos. One day, my brother and Carlos are talking, and Carlos says, "Hey, my fiancee works for Big International Corporation X, and she met someone with your last name." My brother says, "Oh yeah, that's my dad! Wow, small world. What's your fiancee's name?" Carlos says Jane Smith. My brother is like, "Uh, Smith is a fairly unusual last name. My mom works at Elementary School with a Mrs. Smith." And Carlos is like, "Oh yeah, that's her mother!"
For full context, all of this is happening on the outskirts of New York City, so we're not talking small town relationships here, LOL.
I went to a small high school in northern VA (like 200 people total). I was eating lunch in St Thomas and a girl in the grade below me happened to be passing by the patio and stopped to chat. I saw a sibling set at the airport in Ft Lauderdale. DH and I went to Richmond years ago for our anniversary, randomly decided to stop at Ruby Tuesdays for that huuuuuge desert they used to have and our waitress was on the JV volleyball team when I was playing varsity.
Post by Stingyshark on Jun 16, 2014 19:36:28 GMT -5
A girl I recently became friends went to my high school (before I got there) and then graduated from H's high school a year before him.. It's weird because h & I didn't go to hs in the se county, and we currently don't live in either one of those counties.
Post by themysteriouswife on Jun 16, 2014 20:03:08 GMT -5
I almost forgot. H's sister went to elementary school with my cousin. My FIL has a picture of my cousin and SIL hanging in his office. We didn't meet until I was 14. We were at a lot of the same events growing up and never knew it.
Post by themysteriouswife on Jun 16, 2014 20:12:10 GMT -5
Reading these keep reminding me of other stories.
When we moved to GA I called a local agent to get insurance quotes. I gave my old address and my maiden name. The woman on the phone was all "oh I lived in Smalltown, TN! Do you know John Maiden name?" It was my dad. He was her family mechanic.
Post by birdistheword on Jun 16, 2014 20:20:07 GMT -5
I got a call from a vendor the other day, who ended up being the student teacher I had in my senior computer class in high school (who I remembered, because we were all OBSESSED with him).
There is an MLer who is FB friends with one of my IRL friends. I happened upon this randomly, and have not asked either one about the connection, lol.
A daycare mom graduated with DH's cousin. Weird because it's in this tiny town in Northern MN in the middle of nowhere. I randomly found out when talking to her about where she graduated.