It's a small world after all...

[LaneSig]

Little back story first. One of my best friends is a University of Florida alumni. About 10 years ago, he convinced me to go to a football game in Florida. I went and fell in love with Gator Football, the Swamp, etc. (although I'm still a proud Arkansas State University alumni and supporter). We have season tix and go to 3-4 home games a year.

So, last year, J and I are in Gainesville for a game. We go to one of the smaller off-campus spirit shops to buy t-shirts. I got in line behind a family. When they finished their purchases, I stepped forward and gave the clerk my t-shirt and debit card. The clerk looked at my card and said, "Oh, didn't your family want to pay for your shirt, too?" I was confused and was, "Huh?". They lady in the family was still next to me at the counter looking at some items. The clerk said, "Y'all have the same last name. Aren't you family?"

Now, I have a very unusual/unique last name. Seriously uncommon. I told the lady my last name and she said theirs was the same. Her husband and I started talking family histories and figured out that we were some kind of distant relations.

[AnchorAlumna]

Dear Husband is a gregarious talker, famous in our circles for his ability to talk to a tree trunk (and his willingness to do it). As a result, he knows lots and lots of people. Sure, we've lived here all our lives and of course we know lots.

He was a Scoutmaster. One of the assistant scoutmasters was always amazed at his ability to find somebody he knows almost anywhere they go.

Our twins graduated from high school, and our family vacation that year was a trip to New York City. Son and I had been on a band trip the previous year, but it would be daughter's and husband's first trip. The night before we left, DH was telling us about the previous weekend's troop canoeing trip. It was about a 2 1/2 hour drive from our town, and the assistant scoutmaster had told him, "I'll bet you won't know anyone on THIS river."

They haul the canoes to the river's edge and prepare to launch.
"Hey Mike!" floats a voice from a fisherman in the middle of the river. Yep. A friend.
Downstream they paddle. After about a hour, they pass another group in canoes. "Hey Mike!" comes from one of the canoes. Another friend.
They pull the canoes out of the stream, load up and pitch tents at the campground. "Hey Mike!" is heard across the camping area.

Next day, we arrive at the airport and are in the waiting area for our flight to Atlanta.
"Hey Mike!" It's the assistant scoutmaster and a work friend, heading off on a business trip. ASM turns to his friend and says, "This is the guy I was telling you about" and recounts the previous weekend's adventures. "New York City? Bet you won't know anybody there!"

Plane change in Atlanta, so we head across the airport and arrive at the waiting area for the next flight. "Hey Mike!" It's an old friend, heading to Africa for one of his twice-yearly visits.

Our son, the scout, just shakes his head. No way will dad know anybody in NYC. He's never even been there.

We arrive in NYC at dusk, and by the time we head to the hotel on Times Square, the place is hoppin'. We drag our luggage into the lobby and get in line.
Son turns to his dad and says, "See? Told you you wouldn't know anybody."
And across the lobby, at just the perfect time, came a call from an old fraternity brother...."Hey Mike!"

[WCsweet<3]

^^ Sounds like my fiancee. We can't go anywhere without seeing someone. We almost moved into houses next to an acquaintance 3 times and in all different parts of the city.

I have 2 1/2 stories.
We have a large number of volunteers who are at work twice a month. I had been working there for six months and had been in charge of a great group of volunteers. Since it was a pretty day, I ate lunch outside and snapped a picture of the building. I posted the picture on one of the social medias and my friend commented that her nana had been volunteering there for forever. Ended up that her nana had been volunteering under me for the last six months. I had grown up with this family until I was 10 and they moved out of town. Nana was always Nana and I had a childhood nickname that I didn't use at work. Similarly, one of my grandmother's best friends worked under me, but neither of us used the nicknames that we knew each other as. It wasn't until my mother came in to visit me that Bobbie recognized me. I hadn't seen her in about 6 or 7 years.

The other is with my fiancee. We've been together 4 years and are still finding times where we "met" before we actually met. Some of this is just greek life where we were at the same events, but don't remember each other. I didn't know him in college so I have little recollection of them, but there are pictures of us at the same lectures with one of us sitting directly behind one another. The one that really stands out was about a year before we started dating. I had been invited to watch the Oregon vs Boise State game (ugh) with a friend. There were only five of us there; me, my boyfriend at the time, my friend, and two guys who I didn't know. The two guys were my fiancee and one of his best friends. It took us two or three months to figure it out, not even our friend remembered us meeting before. Direct quotes: "Wait you watched that game with Rachel?" "You were that other girl!?!" "You were one of those guys?!?"

[ScarlettRed]

My daughter, Grayson was studying abroad last semester. She had met a guy named " Dave" before she left last fall. They had a LLLLOOONNNGGG distance relationship during last semester. He was telling his mother about her one day. She said Grayson's "Last" name, I did a DDD rec for a "Last" name girl at UGA. Well it turned out it was for Grayson's biological sister at another SEC school. The reason she did the rec, her co- worker, my husband asked her to do it. Grayson and "Dave" dated for a few months after she came home and broke up. His mom and my husband still work together.

I'll summarize; Grayson and Dave go to the same college. They met last fall, but decided not to date because she was studying abroad this past spring. They spent many hours communicating over the phone/ skype, etc. Dave tells his mother about Grayson. His mother says, "Grayson Lastname, I did a rec for a girl named Lastname a few years back for UGA." Girl Lastname is Grayson's older biological sister. She did not join DDD, nor does she attend UGA. (But another SEC school) My husband actually found out from the mom( his co- worker) that Grayson and her son were having long distance phone chats. Dave's mom has a different last name than Dave so we did not make any connection between the two.
Hope that clarifies it!

[Sciencewoman]

Originally Posted by ScarlettRed

My daughter, Grayson was studying abroad last semester. She had met a guy named " Dave" before she left last fall. They had a LLLLOOONNNGGG distance relationship during last semester. He was telling his mother about her one day. She said Grayson's "Last" name, I did a DDD rec for a "Last" name girl at UGA. Well it turned out it was for Grayson's biological sister at another SEC school. The reason she did the rec, her co- worker, my husband asked her to do it. Grayson and "Dave" dated for a few months after she came home and broke up. His mom and my husband still work together.

I'll summarize; Grayson and Dave go to the same college. They met last fall, but decided not to date because she was studying abroad this past spring. They spent many hours communicating over the phone/ skype, etc. Dave tells his mother about Grayson. His mother says, "Grayson Lastname, I did a rec for a girl named Lastname a few years back for UGA." Girl Lastname is Grayson's older biological sister. She did not join DDD, nor does she attend UGA. (But another SEC school) My husband actually found out from the mom( his co- worker) that Grayson and her son were having long distance phone chats. Dave's mom has a different last name than Dave so we did not make any connection between the two.
Hope that clarifies it!

Isn't Grayson's older biological sister your older daughter? Why did the co-worker write a UGA rec for her, if she went to another school? I think I'm confused by some of the extraneous information, but I'm compelled to figure it out! It's like one of those brainteaser scenarios!

Bottom line seems to be that your daughter Grayson and your husband's co-worker's son met at college and started dating. Co-worker also happened to have been asked by your husband to write a rec for Grayson's older sister in the past.

[Sciencewoman]

^^^ I've read this several times and I'm confused. Your husband works with Dave's mom, and asked her to do a DDD rec for someone with your same last name, and the girl joined DDD, which is also your daughter's sorority? So, I'm assuming your family already knew this girl with the same last name? Or, did she write the rec for your daughter? Then, Grayson and Dave started dating?

[KSUViolet06]

I grew up in San Diego (like most of my childhood and summers.)

I came to KSU and joined Sigma.

During COR, I met a PNM who was a Navy brat and mentioned that she had lived in San Diego also (SD has a huge military presence with the bases in the area.)

I asked what area of SD she'd lived in. It was MY neighborhood.

I asked what street, and she tells me the street in that neighborhood that she used to live on.

Then she tells me we're roughly the same age, she's 2 years younger.

It turns out that we lived 2 STREETS apart for like 3 years and NEVER met.

She ended up being my Little Sis!

[ScarlettRed]

^^^
Dave's mom was confused it wasn't for UGA, but for SEC another U. Grayson's older sister is my daughter, but I did want to confuse daughter # 1 with daughter # 2. Apparently I did, sorry.