****THIS POST IS STICKY. SCROLL DOWN FOR THE BOOK A DAY GIVEAWAYS****
Grand Prize ~ $100 gift certificate to the book store of the winner’s choice
Plus chances to win books every day until April 5th.
A sultry dream can become a real-life nightmare…
Tax consultant Charlotte Bennett isn’t the type to lose control. Until she’s seduced in a dream by a handsome, rugged man named Kieran. In her dream state, she decides to let loose, letting pleasure and desire lead the way. But she quickly discovers her “safe” night of passion has dangerous repercussions.
The lust-driven dream was in fact a magick illusion that’s left Charlotte indefinitely bound to a controlling fae named Kieran. Under his order, she must find the last piece of a powerful relic. Only Charlotte knows the location of the bosca fadbh, but the knowledge is hidden deep within her bloodline—and only wicked magick can draw it out.
Forced to work with the enticing Kieran, she finds it hard to escape their seductive chemistry. Even though he’s harboring a deadly curse, one that puts Charlotte in danger—and could make this attraction fatal…
Publisher’s Weekly about Dark Enchantment: “a sexy thrill ride…with dastardly betrayals, complex subplots, and skillful world building… Bast’s writing packs a punch, offering humorous lines even in the blackest moments….the tale weaves a sinuous spell that will leave readers eager for more.”
To celebrate the release of Dark Enchantment on April 5th, I’ll be giving away a book from my backlist every day (except weekends) until the book is officially out. I’m also giving away a $100 gift certificate!
Rules/Directions for the Book-a-Day Contests:
1.) Check back every day to see what book is being given away and who the winner was from the day before.
2.) Enter each day for a chance to win. If you win a book, you’re eligible to win again, so keep trying!
3.) All winners are responsible for checking back to see if they’ve won. They must contact me within two weeks of the announcement to collect their prize — anya(at)anyabastauthor.com
4.) All contests are open to non-U.S. entrants. I will pay to send the book overseas if you win and you don’t reside in the United States.
5.) Contests are void where prohibited.
Rules/Directions for the Grand Prize:
1.) To enter for a chance to win the book store gift certificate, read the question below and answer it in the comments. You have from today until April 6th to enter. I will announce the winners of the book store GC on April 6th.
2.) Don’t forget to check back on April 6th to see if you won! All winners must contact me within two weeks of the announcement to collect their prize.
3.) This contest is open to non-U.S. residents, BUT PLEASE NOTE that the GC must be purchased for use at a U.S. book store using U.S. currency. If you can work that out, go ahead and enter.
This post will remain sticky for the grand prize/runner-up entrants. Scroll down for the book-a-day giveaways. The book-a-day giveaways will begin on Wednesday, April 23rd. Good luck!
Question to answer to be entered for a shot at the Grand Prize:
The overall theme in Dark Enchantment goes something like this: Sometimes you find exactly what you always needed in the place (or in the person) where you least expected to find it. Life is funny that way, don’t you think? But if we keep our hearts and our minds open, sometimes fate leads us right where we need to be and we end up all the happier for it.
Have you ever had an experience like that? Have you ever ended up in a place where you didn’t want to be, yet found you were right where you should be? Or have you ended up paired with a person you really didn’t like at first, but then they ended up a good friend?
Let me know in the comments for a shot at winning one of the gift certificates!
Absolutely! My husband and I went to high school together, were in different crowds and dated different people. I wasn’t interested in him in the least. After high school, as we were both going through divorces from ironically enough our high school sweethearts, he became my best friend. I still didn’t think of him as a love interest. Let’s just say alcohol one dark night played a part in getting us together and today he’s the absolute love of my life. I can’t even imagine a better suited person for me. Fate is weird but sometimes it gives you what you need not what you think you want.
by Angela Haley March 23rd, 2011 at 10:08 amI did find myself in a situation where I was in a place where I really didn’t want to be, but that is where I needed to be in order to meet my hubby. He didn’t want to be in the place we were in either but we met while there and ahve now been together for 20 years and have a daughter together.
miztik_rose@yahoo.com
by Mary Kirkland March 23rd, 2011 at 10:09 amHey Anya,
The answer to the question for me is definitely yes.
I am with Joe just for that reason. We had known each other for years and all of a sudden we just happened to be available to go out with each as friends and we kept seeing each other and now almost 13 years later are still together.
by Renee' March 23rd, 2011 at 10:12 amHello Anya,
Oh yes, fate is funny!
by Holly Hill March 23rd, 2011 at 10:17 amI met my husband in college at a party that I went to with my boyfriend at the time. I was supossed to be with one person but found this attraction with the man who turned out to be my future husband. First, it’s crazy that fate paired me with my Mr. at a college party but also that we sparked when I was tied to another. My husband are still together after 12 years!
Love your books!!!!
Holly from
Texas
I was 17 years old injoying the teenage life. I had no plans to get in to a relationship with anyone for reasons beyond a good time. One Thursday night i was hanging out with some kids at a auction. My Friend had some dudes keys and he wanted them back. I made the comment that he looked like he could be fun for a while. A week later we were dateing. WHo knew this dude who wanted nothing more than his keys one night would end up being my soul mate. (yes i beleave in them) We have been together for 16 years, have 4 beautiful children and i life i wouldnt give up for nothing.
by Christy Mabry March 23rd, 2011 at 10:17 amabout 6 1/2 years ago i was in a really bad relationship. i escaped it and refused to date again. my friend had asked me to go out with her brother-in-law and i refused for months. i didnt really care to. but i gave in after 3 months so she would shut up. i never liked him before. but something clicked and we are now married for 2 going on 3 years, and been together 6 years. i guess fate was slapping me in the face to show me who i truely should be with. he is my heart and soul, with out him i would not survive.
by ruth cardoza March 23rd, 2011 at 10:19 amIn high school, freshman year, I was paired up with a woman I thought I would never get along with. I was bit of a shy creature, the one that everyone liked to pick on, so that made me bit of a loner.
To find out, this girl and I had a lot in common. The both of us knew, had we not been paired with, then we’d never would have tried to approach the other to know the other.
That girl and I became close friends. She had helped me through rough times in high school, picking me up when I got knocked down by the cruelities of our high school peers, helped me come into my self, and always believed in me no matter what.
We may have lost touch for a few years but we do still talk.
by Raonaid Luckwell March 23rd, 2011 at 10:19 amThat is exactly how it happened with my husband and I! My father MADE me take my brother to a boyscout event and stay to help. I remember being so upset about having to give up my Saturday morning that I didn’t even put on makeup or nice clothes! As commanded, I took my brother and stayed to help only to find my future husband waiting for me.
by Miranda March 23rd, 2011 at 10:22 amI met my husband through my brother forgetting to pay his water bill. My husband had known my brother for years and was working for the water company and paid my brother’s bill so he would not have to turn off his water. My sister in law asked me to come over and meet him when he came to pick up the money owed to him for the water bill. I was reluctant to do so since I remembered him being a skinny kid who was all arms and legs. I relented and to my surprise he had grown into a sexy hottie. 😀 We had a whirlwind courtship and have been married for 8 years.
by CrystalGB March 23rd, 2011 at 10:26 amIn my young, single days, I prefered to rent houses rather than apartments because I really didn’t want to be bothered with noise from the other tenants. However, when I had to leave one particular house, I had to choose between another house that was across town from where I normally shopped, dined, etc. And a townhouse apartment that was minutes from everything. I agonized over the decision but eventually decided to chance the townhouse.
Turned out that the owner’s brother lived across the parking lot from me and did the maintenance. Well, we became friends, then best friends, then roommates in a rental house when I realized I couldn’t handle the other tenants’ noise, and eventually fell in love and got married.
That was almost 28 years ago and he’s still my best friend. If I had rented the house instead of the townhouse, we probably would never have met.
by BevQB March 23rd, 2011 at 10:29 amIn 7th grade there was this girl that sort of hung around with me and my group of friends, but I didnt care much for her – I just sort of tolerated her presence. Flash forward to 8th grade, my friends were all in other classes and she was the only one with me, so I figured she was better than nothing. She got tired of my attitude, put me in my place, and from that moment on we became best friends.
by Devon March 23rd, 2011 at 10:33 amShe and I have now been friends for 25 years and had fate not put just the two of us in the same class, it probably would never have happened.
Or have you ended up paired with a person you really didn’t like at first, but then they ended up a good friend?
My 2nd husband had an affair resulting in a bouncing baby boy. 13 months later he told me about it because she was suing for child support. Another 7 years go by, and we’re divorced. The Other Woman emails me to tell me she now realizes I’m not the b*tch she thought I was, knows it was him making all the problems. We wound up best friends for about 4 years. She passed away unexpectedly on Father’s Day. It’s been almost 6 years and I miss her.
by Debbi Vice March 23rd, 2011 at 10:33 amMy job actually came about because of such a situation. A couple of years ago I was out of work and pretty much nobody was hiring so I ended up signing up at a temp agency. It was literally my first day there when an opening come up at the place I now work. It was only supposed to be a month long job but I was such a good fit for the company the ended up creating a position for me. So, without signing up for the temp agency, which I did not want to do, I would never had a chance at the job I now have simply because they weren’t actually hiring.
by Mandy B. March 23rd, 2011 at 10:33 amDidn’t have a fateful personal relationship, but did in my career. Thru college I resisted working much with computers (they were for the math nerds). When looking for a job, I tested well for the analytical & was suggested for programming classes; I resisted agian & took a different job. Two years later I did take the programming course & it made a very good paying career (until my job was outsourced & offshored). That’s more boring than your other ocmmenters, but it made me pay more attention to signs that point in a certain direction & not to resist them.
by Diane March 23rd, 2011 at 10:46 amTwice in my life I was somewhere I did not really want to be, but I was lucky enough to have two friends as a result. Being shy and keeping to myself people mostly ignored me, but I was truly blessed to have two people take a chance and draw me out… I have never had anyone closer besides my sister as these two friends.
by Colleen March 23rd, 2011 at 10:48 amEverything happens for a reason! I moved to Sacramento in 2004 to be with my boyfriend, 2 months later he breaks up with me. So I decided I’m moving back home after that. Well the Friday before I am moving I meet someone on Myspace (when it was cool), and 7 years later here we are.
by Jessica Hansen March 23rd, 2011 at 10:52 amAbsolutely! I had a good friend in high school that was friends with another girl also. I thought the other girl was snobby and rude. Then I had a falling out with my friend because she really wasn’t my friend. As it turned out, that girl that was ‘snobby and rude’ was just shy, and that friend treated her poorly too. So we comisserated about how mean she was and became really good friends. We are still friends to this day…while that other girl is a distant memory.
by Julie Gibson March 23rd, 2011 at 10:52 amNo not experienced anything like that yet. If I did I have to really think hard about it, because right now nothing is coming up in my mind. However there was a girl I didnt like at first but is such a good friend of mine now. When I need someone to talk to she is there. (all my friends are back home in The Netherlands, I am an exchange student in Michigan right now)
by Betul E. March 23rd, 2011 at 10:52 amI had a good friend in middle school who I did not get along with in elementary school. She turned out to be there to support me when a mutual friend went away and we grew really close. She helped me grow as a person.
by Stephanie McCarthy March 23rd, 2011 at 10:59 amI dated a guy a few years ago when a long-term boyfriend and I had split up and he was going through a divorce. Things didn’t work out since neither of us were really looking for something serious but we ended up being great friends. Fast forward four years. My friend tells me that he’s had feelings for me for years and that he wants to date me. Dating a friend in most cases isn’t a smart move. I’ve been there and done that before and ended up losing one of my best friends. After much consideration on my part and my kick ass friends pushing me in the right direction, I decided to give it a shot. I gotta say it was one of the best decisions I have ever made. I never looked at him as someone that I could love and now I see otherwise. He makes me incredibly happy and since he already knew me there was no awkwardness or hiding things that you don’t want the other to know. Somehow he just gets me and I’m so happy I made that leap.
by Melanie Thomas March 23rd, 2011 at 11:09 amI met my best friend in high school when we shared a Spanish class. The teacher put us together to work on an assignment, and we did not get along! My friend is a “take-charge” kind of person, and didn’t agree with all of her opinions. We finished the project with difficulty, but soon we became close friends. Almost forty years later, we still agree to disagree, but she will always be my best friend : )
by Virginia C March 23rd, 2011 at 11:15 amMy husband and I were completely different people when we met and to be honest, I blew him off for the first few weeks. Long story short, he didn’t give up on me and I ended up being lucky enough to marry him. We have three beautiful kids and have been together for over nine years and I am thankful for how everything turned out.
by Kristen Gough March 23rd, 2011 at 11:20 amMy boyfriend and I are together because of fate. When we were in highschool we had dated briefly but it didn’t really work out. We remained pretty good friends but we weren’t too close. Well my bestfriend was good friends with the both of us. Well she started dating a guy and sort of blew us off to hang out with him. Because of this it forced me and my ex to hang out with eachother more. Now flash forward 10 years and we are so happy together.
by Danielle Gorman March 23rd, 2011 at 11:20 amI had just been talking to an author, telling her I needed book 2 in the series and she tells me that book 2 isn’t printed anymore and you can only find it online or at used bookstores. I checked online and the book was going for $15-100 for a trade 6.99 paperback, crazy. So I was getting really bummed that I wasn’t going to be able to find this book, but I decided to go Half Price Books that day and I was looking through the books to C and I was hoping and hoping and then there is was. It was meant for me to have it. I still keep an eye out for more copies but no luck, that was a few months ago. I was at the right place at the right time.
by Kristina Ebert March 23rd, 2011 at 11:26 amI met one of my closest friends in highschool this way. We were in homeroom together, and at first I did not like her/did not think that we had anything in common. She persisted in trying to be my friend and wore me down, thankfully. Unfortunately, we lost touch after h.s. but I still wonder about her sometimes and hope that she is doing well.
by June M. March 23rd, 2011 at 11:28 amI remember dreading going to an event one time, but once I got there I had a great time.
by chey March 23rd, 2011 at 11:28 amWhen I first met my husband in college I couldn’t stand him. I thought he was the most arrogant man I had ever met. Once I got to know him I realized that he was just super confident and pretty much accomplished whatever he set out to do. We celebrate our 15th wedding anniversary in May.
by StacieDM March 23rd, 2011 at 11:39 amThis happens to me all the time! I’m usually so scared of trying new things, but when i do everything is awesome. I think this theme happened alot more when i was younger though, more in middle and high school. I’d be paired up with someone i thought was weird, but then once i got to know them, we ended hanging out regularly and becoming really good friends.
Taylor Z
by Taylor Z March 23rd, 2011 at 12:07 pmLovemusicgirlx94@aol.com
When I was a teenager, my family and I moved to Frankfurt, Germany. I was fourteen and very afraid of moving away from what I had always known but that time there and in England afterward really helped to define me as a person.
by Angie Malone March 23rd, 2011 at 12:10 pmJust the other day things were really bad for me. I just didn’t know what to do – so reading from my facebook account the answer was right in my face. My cousin made a comment that made me see things as it is.
by cky15 March 23rd, 2011 at 12:18 pmI have a little less stress for him. I couldn’t believe the answer was right in my face.
crazy how things are that we sometimes miss them.
Hello.
by Phillip Albright March 23rd, 2011 at 12:28 pmCan I just say I love your books..Anyway being young I don’t have a true love story like some of us on here. But In a weird way it is truest of trues lol.. When I was eleven my mom happened to move me and my older brother into a neighborhood. I always have issues meeting new people and the like, so I stayed in most of the time. Well this particular day my brother and I went outside to play. It was a school snow day, so we could bundle up and play all day if we wanted to. Well my brother and I just happened to be building a snow fort, when we noticed two girls coming down the street. I packed a snow ball and threw it at this one girl. Well oddly enough 13 years later me and that same snow ball girl are best friends. We talk everyday. Even though I have moved multiple times in the last three years, we haven’t met much in person, since then. When I lived closer we would lvisit every weekend. Since the move three years ago we have kept strong friends. So yeah had I not been thrown into that neighbor hood, and thrown a snowball at my bestfriend; I wouldn’t of had this very dear friend.
I met Honey at a graduation party
when I shared my chair with him.
He was nice but young, in fact a
contemporary of my younger brothers. We went out casually, mostly in groups or with my sibs. He asked me to marry him several times but I couldn’t see us actually
happening. It was Texas in the late
’50s/early ’60s, I’m Hispanic and older than him, there was some opposition from members of his family & some of my friends. Our
association was not looked upon
in a favorably disposed manner.
After two years, he finally got a
positive answer from me and we
were married. To shorten this long
story a bit, we will celebrate our
50th anniversary next month! We
have been blessed with a great
life and a wonderful family!
Pat Cochran
by Pat Cochran March 23rd, 2011 at 12:50 pmIt has happened to me. I sometimes think how fortunate or maybe it was a coincidence that I decided to take a seat at the back of a class and met one of my best friend’s in college. I also met a great work through work when we were interviewed on the same day.
by Jane March 23rd, 2011 at 12:58 pmI found myself in a job that had become more headache and ulcer making by the minute. But it was exactly where I was meant to be. My husband and I were trying to adopt a baby, which is very long and difficult task. By the grace of God, the company I worked for had an office in Houston, who had a temp worker that had a niece who had a baby (4 weeks old) and was thinking about adoption…4 days later I flew to Houston and met the birth mother and baby girl. My daughter and I flew home that night. The break down was like this:
10/21 heard about possible adoption
10/24 held baby and brought her home
12/22 Judge makes adoption final.
I have always told my daughter she was God’s special blessing to me and the best Christmas present I ever had or will ever receive!
My daughter is now 21 1/2. January 17,2010 she presented my with my grandson… God is good, any yes I believe every cloud has a silver lining!
by Kimberley Coover March 23rd, 2011 at 1:05 pm😀 😀
yes I did went to a bar to meet up with guy but ended up with his friend whom I married less than a year later was married for over 26 years
by Dalane March 23rd, 2011 at 1:05 pmOh gosh… reading everyone’s story makes me smile. Life is crappy sometimes, but the majority of the time it is the best. But I do believe in those moments. I am on my second divorce right now and it is not fun. I do not wish this on anyone. But through this.. I am finding strenght where I never thought I would find it… But life in general has been that way to me. It has taught me to own up and take charge of my life and myself. Thanks for this awsome chance!
by Cecile March 23rd, 2011 at 1:23 pmOne of my first classes in college was a seminar class with a group of students that I’d be with for the next four years. I try not to keep to those first meeting impressions but kept one about this girl. She just seemed so stuck up and too perfect. Two years later we we partners in a lab and clicked instantly. She turned out to be a very friendly, open, giving person who helped me out when all my other friends were either too busy or didn’t want to help out. We spent a lot of time together that following year which just cemented our friendship. We don’t talk much anymore but I know that if I needed something, she’d try her hardest to help out and so would I if she asked it of me.
by Ashley L March 23rd, 2011 at 1:28 pmI can’t even think of any experience such as those described above; I met my husband at a country western bar, we danced, exchanged phone numbers and I thought that would be the end of it. A week later he calls and that was it for us; almost 32 years and 2 children later, we still live a happy life.
by Diane Sadler March 23rd, 2011 at 1:42 pmMe and my best friend from high school hated each other when we first met when we were 11.She was the prissy girly-girl that never did anything wrong and I was the troublemaker that didn’t take crap from anyone. We lived on the same street and when we ran into each other she used to always snicker at us and we’d always make fun of them.One day our other friends weren’t around and some other kids can by and were picking on her.I went over and stood up for her.We started to hang out here and there and eventually we became inseparable. We were complete opposites but somehow our friendship grew.
by elaing8 March 23rd, 2011 at 2:23 pmI believe! I usually go a certain way when I’m going to a f riends house out in the country and this time I decided to go the long way. I turned the corner and I saw a little white kitten sitting in the middle of the road. I stopped and picked him up and he was at death’s door. I took him to the vet and now 6 years later he is still with me and makes me very happy every day.
by Lisa Diel March 23rd, 2011 at 2:35 pmI was asked to move to a different branch of my work which i really didn’t want to do but I had to. I met my now best friend there, she is my book buddy, my mum buddy and always good for sarcasm!
by Carlyn McKechnie March 23rd, 2011 at 2:37 pmI can’t think of any experiences like other people have had and in fact feel I’m a little bit in the opposite situation – I’m NOT in the right place right now! Maybe in a few years I’ll look back and have a new perspective 🙂
smaccall @ comcast.net
by Sarah M March 23rd, 2011 at 2:46 pmSorry I can’t think of anything like that happening in my life. 🙁 But I enjoyed reading everyones stories.
by SheilaF March 23rd, 2011 at 2:56 pmOne of my very best friends falls into the category of “never thought that would happen..” I knew her for a long time, but we weren’t friends, just friendly. Then our children made fast friends. The rest is a BFF story.
by Janet H March 23rd, 2011 at 3:03 pmI have been in a place were I though I didn’t want to be. # months pregnant and the “donor” decided he no longer wanted me or the baby. It was very hard. I didn’t know what to do or where to turn. The entire pregnancy was extremely emotional and and utterly terrifying. BUT! as it turns out, when my cute little gal was only 7 days old, I was asked on a date…He’s now my husband and the bestest daddy a little girl could ask for! The world works in mysterious ways! Thanks to the “terd” I was free and single to find the love of my life!
by Kate N. (Yzhabella) March 23rd, 2011 at 3:14 pmI’ve always said that everything happens for a reason. I’ve been in several situations where timing has been everything. It may not always be for the positive, but it’s always worked out for the best 😉
by Gail S March 23rd, 2011 at 3:17 pmI did meet my husband through friends when I was working at a local department store, never imagined that I would spend more than half my life with him-we’ve been married 31 years and we’ve know each other for 36 yrs. Unbelieveable, right :question: 😆
Sure have! It was almost ten years ago. I really wasn’t in the mood for another boyfriend, just wanted a nice girls night out. That’s where I met this guy with the dumbest pick up line ever. “I’ve been watching you” I rolled my eyes and was about to walk away, when he said he could prove it to me. turned he was watching me and he had what I wasn’t looking for at that time, but we have been happily married for 9 years. I miss him so much, but only another 9 days and he will return from Iraq 😀
by Heidi March 23rd, 2011 at 3:18 pmDefinitely 🙂
by Ali March 23rd, 2011 at 3:36 pmWhen I first met my bff, I actually thought she was going to steal my other friend from me. I was extremely shy, so I didn’t want to lose my current friend… instead, she and I became very close and more than ten years later, we’re still great friends even though we’re states apart 🙂
I was living in a big city and I was so lonely. I went on the internet to get social interactions. There was a man who msg.ed me from my hometown(I had never met him) W e got to chatting and we chatted almost non-stop for about 2 months.
by leanne March 23rd, 2011 at 3:38 pmHe asked if we could meet and I agreed. He drove 5 hours to meet me and I swear it was love at 1st sight. A month after we moved in together, 9 months after that we had a son and have been together 7 years . We are more in love then ever and our relationship only gets better with every year that goes by.
So Yeah a bad situation turned into destiny for me 😀
Ach, hard one but here it goes.
Give or take May 2002 i made quite possibly the biggest midtake of my life…. announced I wanted a divorce, went through everything, ended up with who i thought was a great man. married him, moved away where of course I found out he was a dirt bag (functioning alcholic etc). After having to send one of my sons back to his dad because he simply could not get along with the above un-named jerk I had finally had enough and moved out on my own. Enter James…. quite possibly the most perfect man on earth. he was much younger than me, fun and whorshipped the ground I walked on. We worked together, lived together and played together. In Febuary 2007 he got a cold, it turned into broncitis so we put him on antibiotics. On March 5th 2007, he passed away, in my arms in our home. Turned out he had AML, very lethal, almost impossible to detect, especially in someone so young. My life was turned upside down. After quite some time and alot of therapy with some amazing friends, I learned to live on and was doing ok with my younger son who saw james as a father. Unfortunately being a single mom who could only work part time it was too difficult to support us so I came back home…. to the man I divorced several years earlier. he opened his home to me yet again where in a very short time we reconnected and am now engaged. Somehow I managed to go full circle….. my first husband never moved on, he was convinced I would come back 🙂 wonderful man.
by Kelly Mcquay March 23rd, 2011 at 3:42 pmOk, guts spilled… and now I feel sick to my stomach. No matter how happy i am, I will always miss my James.
Ooh…that’s a good question Anya! I actually didn’t like my hubby when I first met him. He annoyed me to no end. Since we had the same group of friends I was forced to be around him a lot. One night he kissed me and it was as if the frog turned into the prince. We began dating and are now married with two handsome boys.
by Cindy L March 23rd, 2011 at 3:47 pmMy husband and I went to school together, 2yrs apart, although we never met until years later when I started dating one of his closest friends. We double dated with other people and when our relationships fell apart we became friends and somehow, along the wa we fell in love. We have now been together for over 10 years and have 3 beautiful children. We upset a lot of people by getting together but I wouldn’t change it for the world, we knew what we felt was worth it and we proved everyone wrong who said we wouldn’t last 6 months. He’s my best friend and the person I want to grow old with. Everyday is an adventure and he continually makes me smile.
Had you told me 12 years ago this is where I’d be, I would have laughed at you but here I am. He makes me a stronger person and I thank God everyday for bringing him into my life… as unconventional as his methods may be 🙂
by Michelle McMichael March 23rd, 2011 at 3:52 pmHI ANYA, MY YES! I WAS GOING ON VACATION TO BARBADOS WHEN I MET MY DH. NEVER LEFT. LOL WE HAVE A DAUGHTER NAMED GLYNNES AND LIVE ON GLENDALE DR IN GLEN CARBON. HOW WEIRD IS THAT?
by Linda B March 23rd, 2011 at 4:07 pmI always thought I didn’t want to have children. They made me uncomfortable. 🙁 But it wasn’t until I had my own that I found true fulfillment. What an unexpected surprise. 😀
by Rosalie Lario March 23rd, 2011 at 4:10 pmAfter my daughter was born, I moved back to California. My ex had picked out an apartment I could afford. We drove up & my heart sank. I hated it. It’s one of those feelings you get when you just KNOW you’ve done the wrong thing.
About a month later a family moved in across the courtyard. The mother & I became friends as we were roughly the same age. She kept my daughter when I went to work. Her son is exactly 1 year old than my daughter….born on same date a year apart.
That was 19 years ago now & even though we aren’t in the same state we still make each other giggle like kids…we have both laughed so hard at each other we have pee’d our pants. We understand each other without words needing to be spoken.
She truly is the best friend I ever had!
by Kimberly Flood March 23rd, 2011 at 4:40 pmFirst, congrats on the upcoming book release! Now, the question. I worked hard to get my dream career. I got the job offer on a Tuesday and then found out that Thursday that I was pregnant. I had always planned to work after I had kids. The day that I was schedule to call my boss and figure out the end date for my maternity leave I looked at my son in his bouncy seat. And then it hit me! Those big red feet with those marvelous little toes were mine to care for. When my boss answered the call I told him I quit. I have never regretted it. I loved my career. It made me feel really good and useful. But being a stay at home parent is the perfect fit for me.
by Jen B. March 23rd, 2011 at 5:14 pmAfter my mom passed away when I was 17 a friend of the family sort of adopted me as her lilttle sis. She tried every way she could to set me with one of her brothers. I said no especially since it was her older brother she was trying to set me up with. she was 10 yrs older so that was out of the question but she finally invited her baby bro to her house at the same time. And we’ll be married 25 yrs this may with two boys of our own. I’m still closer to that sis of his that most of his family lol.
by Pamk March 23rd, 2011 at 5:57 pmI really didn’t want to take on a second job, but I did. I met my husband there and it was the best thing that ever happen to me.
Then there is my best friend Kim. I couldn’t stand her and did not want to work with her. We were paired up as a team at work….that was 10 years ago. We had alot in common come to find out and I could’t picture my life without her. I’m forever grateful that my partner didn’t come to work that day and I got partnered up with Kim. I made a best friend for life.
by Lisa F. March 23rd, 2011 at 6:40 pmYes I understand that comepletely I grew up in a rural area related to almost everyone and thosefamilies I wasnt related to my family had known for generations.I always wanted to live there and have my kids grow up there like I did .My husband got a promotion offer and I didnt want to move hated that more than anything however I went along with it (that whole till death do you part and all) and discovered a whole new life and a career that is perfect for me .I wouldnt trade that for anything now .
by wanda flanagan March 23rd, 2011 at 6:57 pmWhen applying to college, I picked five schools, only one of which was in my home state. It was my last choice, yet it was the one I ended up in. I thought it’d be too big for my taste, with 40,000 undergrad students. Yet, now I’m in my junior year and i have made great friends and realized where i want my education to take me. The grad school here is now at the top of my list for next years application.
by Erika March 23rd, 2011 at 8:39 pmUnfortunately where I didn’t want to me was just that. Nothing wonderful came from it. I wish otherwise. Perhaps in another life I will find that special happenstance.
by Mary Preston March 23rd, 2011 at 8:42 pmNo nothing like that has ever happened to me.maybe someday.one can hope.
by Stacey Smith March 23rd, 2011 at 9:45 pmsasluvbooks(at)yahoo(dot)com
Back in high school, I absolutely hated my school. Everything about it. I couldn’t stand the other students, despised the teachers and couldn’t find solace in the library (not nearly enough books). But then, my second year there, I met Wiggly (that’s really what we called him). He was the English teacher who taught me so much about writing, life. Because of him, I actually graduated high school, and am now putting myself through college to become a journalist.
by Casey H March 23rd, 2011 at 10:22 pmThe overall theme in Dark Enchantment goes something like this: Sometimes you find exactly what you always needed in the place (or in the person) where you least expected to find it. Life is funny that way, don’t you think? But if we keep our hearts and our minds open, sometimes fate leads us right where we need to be and we end up all the happier for it.
Have you ever had an experience like that? Have you ever ended up in a place where you didn’t want to be, yet found you were right where you should be? Or have you ended up paired with a person you really didn’t like at first, but then they ended up a good friend?
Well for me I do believe in such incidents occurring in real life and how sometimes they out to be the most fantastic thing that could ever happen to a person.
Unfortunately for me though I don’t think that such incident has ever happen to me, at least not that I can remember at the moment.
I’ve read so many intriguing comments though, comments about someone met their significant other because they were in the right place at the right time; I know that that doesn’t always happen to everyone, but I sort of hope that it might happen to me someday!
Be it meeting the person I’m supposed to be with, or if I happen to find something/someplace/or someone that will help me make dreams come true.
by Gabrielle J. March 23rd, 2011 at 10:34 pmHi Anya!
by Ashley A March 23rd, 2011 at 11:30 pmI have had that experience. Actually its kinda funny. I met a guy on an online dating site, and at first I thought that we had nothing in common. I was sure of it infact, but I gave him a call anyway….well to make a long story short, we have been together for almost 4 years now and just got engaged on Valentine’s Day!!
Turns out we had more in common than I thought!! 😀
For the GP GC: the closest I can come to that is I planned to study abroad in Florence, Italy what I hadn’t planned on was the overwhelming feeling of home like I was back where I belonged. I remember being on the train leaving Florence at the end of my stay heading to England. I remember looking out the window as the city was getting farther and farther away and feeling like I was leaving a piece of me there. Its been 10 years and to this day I still have a yearning to return and find that piece of home that I left. I have not felt that feeling since. Oh and it didn’t hurt that I had some of the best times of my life there!! Not to mention the men. 🙂 Don’t know if that was what you were looking for but is the best example I can think of at 3am.
by amanda Pizzolanti March 24th, 2011 at 3:00 amI met my husband about 34 yrs ago when I went out to a dance club with friends. It had been one of those nights where I really didnt want to go out but was talked into going anyway. I do think fate had a hand in us meeting and we have been together ever since.
by Julie Parrish March 24th, 2011 at 5:24 amI want to leave a comment so I get a chance to win a book, but I’m sorry to say I have not had this happen to me (yet?)
by Michelle March 24th, 2011 at 5:32 amWhile I have ended up in situations where I did not want to be, I have not at this point had anything really wonderful come from it.
But I did get the chance to review the new book Dark Enchantment and I will say this….I was blown away with it and had a hard time putting it down. I can only imagine that it is going to hit the best seller list!!!
by Dianna Fryer March 24th, 2011 at 6:49 am:grin:my was when my aunt died and she came back with in couple of day to say dont
by desiree March 24th, 2011 at 6:51 amworry and then you be ok she and i were the
best friends
I don’t have the HEA stories I’ve been reading but I do believe that everything happens for a reason. I am divorced twice and remain friends with both exes. And ended up with 7 beautiful children who now have their own families.I look at things that don’t go right as my life experiences and move on. I really enjoyed reading all these stories. I’m also looking forward to reading Dark Enchantment also. 🙂
by Carol L March 24th, 2011 at 7:10 amCarol L
Lucky4750@aol.com
Well I guess I’m there right now. I’m a grandmother of 3 and I’m helping them raise there children and I’m now helping the people, my neighbors, with their lives. They are in their later 80’s and I go over and do her hair care, I’m a beautician also, and cut his. The price of a haircut or perm or really any hair care has gone very high. It’s the least I can do for them. Lisa D.
by Lisa Diel March 24th, 2011 at 7:59 amI’ve been in a relationship for a little over a year now with a man that is the exact opposite of what I thought I was looking for. He’s loud, brash, politically incorrect, among other things. When I met him, I thought at best I’d go on a few dates and have a few laughs. But I discovered he’s also funny, romantic, supportive and a big teddy bear. Never judge a book by it’s cover (at least don;’t reply on JUST the cover)!
by Amy T March 24th, 2011 at 8:28 amI have to say that I have met quite a few new people by being somewhere I didn’t necessarily want to be, but the instance that sticks out the most wasn’t being able to say hello to someone new, but rather say goodbye to someone well-loved.
by Carla H March 24th, 2011 at 9:53 amMy family (extended) decided it wanted to do a family vacation. At that time I had 2 young little boys. My father decided that he wanted to take 2 weeks and drive down the east coast seeing whatever interested us. My husband was unable to get that time off of work, so I set out with a 1 year old, a 3 year old, a 14 year old, a 15 year old and my parents. Half way through the trip we stopped to visit additional family members and during a water activity, my father was accidentally hit and died. I have to say that even though I complained about the trip and how tiring it was, looking back I wouldn’t trade that time with my family for anything. I was able to spend quality time with my father during what was his last days. My children were able to bond with him and to this day I always think twice about complaining about doing or being somewhere I don’t necessarily want to be.
I like this question. I got pregnant on my 21st birthday, worked though most of my last year of college pregnant, while I worked 40 hrs a week to make sure I’d have insurance for the baby. I graduated, we moved to a bigger place closer to my parents, and it was feasible for me to keep working where I was. Just as I found a new job, we found out I was pregnant again. My husband and I went into business for ourselves, and never looked back. It’s been 8 years now, and I love what I do. I especially love that we were both there for all of both our girls’ “first” moments.
by Stephanie N March 24th, 2011 at 10:03 amI guess that can be true about how things happen to change your life.
by cky15 March 24th, 2011 at 10:58 amI thought that if I can just have an attraction to someone that I would not normally go out with can walk away.
But It has been over 20 years and we still are in contact with each other.
The worst place I was in during my life was after my divorce. I started going on “coffee dates” just to keep my family and friends quiet. I was on the latest date (which included lunch) and the guy got broccoli wedged between his teeth. Even worse he made a move for a goodbye kiss. Yeah. Goodbye was right. I decided no more dates.
My friends weren’t happy that I didn’t have any more bad date stories for them so they set me up on a blind date. After much reluctance I went. I am very glad I did. It seems the guy was also in the same position and just went on the date to shut his friends up.
We hit it off immediately. We have been married 11 years and have two beautiful daughters. If he and I hadn’t been fed up with the dating scene we might never have gone out on that “last” blind date and found one another. Out of misery comes happiness!
by Lulu March 24th, 2011 at 1:42 pmIt’s funny you don’t realize how often this happens until you really think about it.
For me it’s the little things throughout the days. Until something monumental comes along you notice all of the things that had to fall into place to get you to the place you wanted to be. Where you had to go through something crappy to get to the good.
by Rae M. March 24th, 2011 at 2:02 pmWouldn’t it be nice if we could see how the good is going to come about while still in the midst of the crappy. Now, that would really be great!
Maybe this qualifies- When I was in college (I went to UMD) there was a crazy amount of kids from Long Island attending. I thought they were the most obnoxious people I’d ever encountered, and swore I would avoid them for the rest of my life….long story short- my husband is from Long Island.
by Bethany C. March 24th, 2011 at 4:42 pmYes, I have had an experience like that.
The experience was job-related and, at the time, it seemed like it was a losing situation for me.
However, after some deep thinking, it turned out to be for the best.
Everything still isn’t roses at the moment, but the blooms are coming in. 🙂
by Yvonne B. March 24th, 2011 at 10:27 pmMy younger brother wasn’t allowed to go to the movies by himself. Neither was his best friend. My mom begged me to take the two boys to the movies. Unbeknownst to me, the two boys invited the best friend’s older brother, just home from Viet Nam and done with the Coast Guard, to come along. I found out about the big brother when we got to the bus stop. I hated him on sight. He had a beard and his hair looked as if he had combed it with an egg beater. After the movies, he asked me for a date and I told him bluntly that I didn’t date hippies.
by Kathy March 25th, 2011 at 4:26 amTwo weeks’ later he came to my house, clean- shaven, trimmed hair and oh my, isn’t he cute, I thought, without all that facial hair? Two months later we were engaged to be married, Forty years and two kids and one granddaughter later, he’s still cute and clean shaven. He does, however, have a pony-tail. Hey, marriage is a compromise, right?
Anya,
I have the perfect story for you! When I was 7, my dad died. This left my mom a widow at the age of 27 with a 7 & 11 year old daughter. She remarried and we started to move. We moved every four years until I finished high school. We then moved 2 days after I graduated. Events in our lives caused us to move yet again. We moved to where I am living now with my oldest sister. My mom has since remarried and moved away. I am still here. I never wanted to be anywhere but “home” but all the moving we did, all the obstacles that we overcame (trust me, there were a lot of them) brought me here. This is where I met my husband of now almost 14 years. This is where my wonderful children were born. Sometimes life takes us to places we don’t want to be but fate makes sure we are meant to be there. Thank you for this!!
by Mindy fangedmom March 25th, 2011 at 8:23 amAnya-
by Laura P March 25th, 2011 at 9:51 amMy whole adult life has been a case of “wow, I didn’t think it was suppose to happen like this but well know how to make the most of this situation now.Then whatever I did on accident usually ended up better then if I had done things that way I had planned to live my life! The quickest example I have is when I thought I had my life ideas settled on going to the Army to get my Registered Nurses license and get paid to see the world while helping out my country- God decided that my husband and I where to become parents… of TWINS! This would not seem like such a big deal for some but I have no history of multiple births in my family, I was taking birth control pills, and the year I became pregnant with twins was the same year that both my husband and I had our grandmothers pass on (the second grandma died roughly 2 weeks before I knew I found out that I was pregnant)! The twins had probably saved our lives along with making my marriage stronger (since I told my husband that he cant go into the Army if I cant due to not wanting to be raising a family alone with him probably being out in some war situation). By having twins- my husband had to help me out because two hands can only hold one baby at a time and I had a really bad case of postpartem depression to add to the situation! This is just one of the multiple events in my life that have been “accidentally” worked in my favor in the end!
absoultly! shes my best friend now, but in high school we absolutly couldn’t stand each other. don’t know if it was just cause we never talked or anything, but i ran into her one time after high school and we started talking and haven’t stopped since. we do everything together. i think it drives her boyfriend nuts sometimes lol cause i’m always there or shes always with me.
by Sabrina March 25th, 2011 at 10:12 pmI guess it would be easier said from my husbands point of view he had had a crush on me before I even knew he existed. He dated a girl I went to school with and said it was love at first sight when he saw me at one of the school dances, and ironically years later a mutual friend introduced us to each other officially and we have now been together for 13 wonderful yrs and we have a beautiful daughter together her name is Schadoh.
by Anna Dase March 25th, 2011 at 11:40 pmI would have to say no personally, but my life isn’t over yet!
by Tamara Shurling March 26th, 2011 at 7:03 amWay back in college, at first I HATED my roommate. We fought and I always f elt like we would rip eachothers hair out. Well over time that changed, and I think we really bonded one night when I found out that my ex betrayed me. Now we are really great friends!
by Becky Jean March 27th, 2011 at 8:39 amMy cousin, Betty Ann and I enjoyed each other’s company when we were children. My parents died and she moved away and we didn’t see each other for abour 40 years.
by Rebecca Booth March 27th, 2011 at 9:39 amThen, I saw her in Walmart not long ago, where she had moved back home. Now, we are closer than we were as kids. What a great reunion!
Thanks!
Back when I was 18 my friend wanted to go out to the club. I didn’t really feel like going but she didn’t have anyone else to go with. So we went to a friends of her boyfriends house to get ready and while I was there I wound up meeting the man who would be my future husband. 🙂 10 years later and we are still together. There have been many trials but we hav fought through them all 🙂
Kelly
by Kelly Thrash March 27th, 2011 at 11:17 amkittykelly28 @ hotmail.com
Yes. The first day of senior year I was sitting in the row my friends and I normally sit in. I was miserable (I’d already been told my outfit wasn’t that great and my hair was a disaster by two of my friends) and just wanted to go to class. One of my friends made a snide comment about a new girl in front of us, about her lack of hair.
Without thought I said out loud ‘But I think her hair looks cool’. The girl in question turned and said thanks for complimenting her rainbow colored braid (she had a thin braid only, the rest of her hair was buzzed off). I was so scared, my friends were already mad at me I didn’t want them to get madder, that I stammered out a ‘you’re welcome’. Later the girl was in my co-op class and she said it took some guts to talk to her since most people dont’ see beyond the biker boots, leather jacket and crazy hair.
We’ve been good friends ever since and she’s one of the few things I dont’ regret about High School.
by Lexie C. March 27th, 2011 at 11:27 amMy ex-husband and I worked together for a couple of years before we went out for the first time. I didn’t like him at first, thought he was a “stoner” and didn’t have a clue about the real world. Over the following years he really grew up and then we got together. We split after 21 years together 🙁 and have an absolutely wonderful daughter who makes it all worthwhile, even if sometimes it seems I should have listened to my first instincts.
by Denise Boyd March 27th, 2011 at 11:37 amI’d love to win…and yes, I have ended up in a place I didn’t think would work (or wouldn’t have been my top choice) and ended up being right for me. I always wanted to go to a certain graduate school where my mentor taught. I never got an interview there, but got into another school that turned out to be the best school for me, because they are so caring and laid back and willing to really help their students.
by Beth Warren March 27th, 2011 at 11:38 amNo, I don’t feel that has happened to me (yet). If it does happen, I hope it’s a posivite one.
by Dina March 27th, 2011 at 11:48 amI met a woman, at work, a number of years ago that I didn’t particularly care for. I don’t even remember what it was that just sit right; we were polite, but didn’t socialize. Several years later we met again and have become really good friends. I’m really glad it has worked out that way!
by Karen C March 27th, 2011 at 11:48 amThat happened to my boyfriend when he took me to a concert that he didn’t want to go to.We met one of our favorite guitarist outside of the club.He ended up joining my boyfriends band. They had really needed a player for a long time so it was perfect timing and meant to be.
by Crystal March 27th, 2011 at 11:51 amHmm… I saw this question when you first posted it but couldn’t think of anything… now I guess the first thing that comes to mind is where I went to undergrad – I always knew I’d be going to law school… so I figured something that was a good lead into that was political science. I told my parents if they bought a new house I’d go to OSU. So they did, and I did :X
by Limecello March 27th, 2011 at 11:56 amAnd it turned out OSU’s PoliSci department is ranked like 4th internationally (and top 10? in the nation)… at least at the time… So that was nice 😉
Hello
by Lisa Wucherpfennig March 27th, 2011 at 11:57 amFate has brought me to a place I never thought to be. I never thought to meet a man I would consider marrying. Yet I let a girlfriend talk me into going on an online dating site. I was on it over ayear and met some men that were only 1 date. When I had considered giving up Andy emailed me we went back and fourth for 6 months before meeting. I never thought I could love someone this much. He’s on dialysis and I am going through lots of tests for heart problems. Somehow these difficulties bring us closer. We don’t see each other every week because of his or my problems but it makes our time together better. Now I can’t imagine my life without him in it.
I can’t really think of a situation that fits, but your question is a definition of serendipity (which is my favorite concept). Finding something while looking for something else. It’s a wonderful concept!
by Ann G March 27th, 2011 at 12:13 pmI’m sad to say that I really haven’t found myself in either situation. I’m a fairly intuitive person, so my first impressions are usually the ones that stick. I might try to like a person for someone else’s sake but, inevitably, my first impression pans out.
by Margay March 27th, 2011 at 12:42 pmHonestly it’s my husband. I would never have thought we’d get together. I had always dated blue collar guys even though I was a white collar (engineer) worker. One day when he was visiting our plant he cornered me outside the ladies room and asked me out. Him being a top corporate exec I was dumbfounded and thought it was a business lunch he was asking me to attend. Boy was I surprised when he picked me up the next day. We were married 6 months later :).
by Viki S. March 27th, 2011 at 12:55 pmI wonder..hard question. Well, ok when I first saw a picture of my boyfriend I was not impressed, he looked angry. But then I met him and he was so sweet and gorgeus 😀
by blodeuedd March 27th, 2011 at 1:11 pmMy husband and I were living far away from all of our family and friends. I was a first time mom and severely over my head, not even having babysat before. I was introduced to a woman who had just experienced the same situation that I was going through. She pitched in with helpful hints, books, cooked meals and we have been there for each other ever since.
by Little Lamb Lost March 27th, 2011 at 1:35 pmYes, after I retired from a job of 22 years, I worked part-time at the library. I made several new friends, one of whom I have lunch every week even though I don’t work there anymore.
by Wilma Frana March 27th, 2011 at 1:44 pmOH YES! I worked with a lady who had been telling me she had the PERFECT man for me. For 2 years I heard this daily. Finally, to shut her up, I agreed to go on a blind date with her nephew. 6 months and 1 week later we were married. This year will be 18 years with the love of my life.
by Sandra Dendy March 27th, 2011 at 2:01 pmWhen I met Mike I was currently in a serious relationship that was going downhill fast. Mike asked me to dance while I was waiting for X who had recently been less and less dependable. I throughly enjoyed the dance and the talk with Mike but regretfully had to turn him down when he asked for my number. Fast forward a couple of months. Out again with friends but single and free when who comes up to ask me out but Mike again. We went to a movie and out to eat. Turns out he was in the exact same business as X so as I was already use to the late nites and often missed appointments, I was less than pleased to realize that I had let myself in for more of the same. Luckily Mike was able to convince me to give him a shot and 30+ years we still are together.
by Lisa Richards March 27th, 2011 at 2:19 pmHi, Anya…
by Cat March 27th, 2011 at 2:53 pmI had a very negative feeling about on-line dating, yet I felt the need to join a site. It led to a 4 1/2 year relationship. Unfortunately, he was not who he portrayed himself as, but that is okay; it was a learning opportunity and I am happier now than I have been in a very long time. If all goes well, the angels have led me to my next relationship, and it is certainly not someone I would have chosen, although he has all the qualities I have been asking for in a man.
I did not want to go to my first staff party at my new job. I went, anyway. We had a limo ride and as soon at the driver spoke…it familiar…..it felt like home. I didn’t even see his face. When he opened the door to let us out, I put my hand out and he took it. It was a powerful hold….our eyes. Two months later, I saw him again, at a pub. We talked and have been together since. Things like this happen in real life too. We have been together for 7 years and we act like we just fell in love. I am very, very, glad I went to the staff party and the pub, as well. :blush:
by Doreen Riopel March 27th, 2011 at 3:07 pmA year after my daughter was born I lost my job, I found a job but had to move an 1 1/2 hours away from my family. At the job, I was introduced to a man who went to the same college I did. It turns out he was in a fraternity and knew some of my sorority sisters. Meeting him gave me the courage to get out of a awful relationship. We will be married 10 years this year and we are extremely happy. It even turned out that our college sweethearts ended up marrying each other. We had so many chances to have met but I think we met when it was truly the right time.
by JoAnna B March 27th, 2011 at 4:19 pmI had twin boys delivered at 26 weeks and my one son died 6 days later. About 2 months later while visiting my son in the NICU, the doctor asked me to speak with another mom who had just gone through the same experience but with twin girls. I realized then that my pain was something that I had shared with other parents and I was able to provide some support for someone who needed it then.
Liz
by Liz Semkiu March 27th, 2011 at 4:33 pmWhen I worked in fast food as a supervisor, I met an assistant manager from another location, who began joining our “breakfast group” after we closed our restaurant every night. We got along pretty well, until my manager and I got transferred to the location where this man worked. Neither my manager nor I could work with this man. I talked to our district manager, encouraging him to transfer, promote, or fire this assistant manager. He wouldn’t – we had to work things out. He must have known what he was doing – we got engaged 5 months later, and have now been married over 22 years. Love works in mysterious ways, and the fates have a sense of humor!
by Carol Guth March 27th, 2011 at 4:54 pmWell, like most of the people who have posted, my right place was in meeting The Love of My Life.
I was working in a gas station, that I did NOT want to work at! I wanted a ‘real’, better job! But it was a time similar to this in our country, when jobs were hard to find and the economy wasn’t doing so well. One day in walked this tall, dark hair gorgeous man driving this ‘souped up’ Firebird. Mmmmmmm……. 😉
We met in May and married in August. Yep, three months!! That was 30 years ago this year! August 1981. We have a beautiful 20 1/2 year old daughter(nope, we didn’t have to marry because I was pregnant, like most of his family thought!! :smile:) And we have a handsome 17 year old son! He is my best friend and the love of my life….STILL!! That gas station was the best place for me! 😀
by Kim S. March 27th, 2011 at 4:55 pmMy friend Wayla and I met in college. We talked to each other the first days of a class but we were not friends until we came to realize we study the same way when it came to exams so we came study partners for the class. We have been friends since 2000 and her move to Lousianna and my decision to stay in Michigan with my family. We still keep in touch through e-mail.
by Karen Locke March 27th, 2011 at 5:22 pmIt seems to be one of those things that effects everything in my life from the decisions I make to the place I’m in. I’ve learned not to question it and go with the flow.
by Theresa N March 27th, 2011 at 6:30 pmI have been around people I didn’t think i’d get on with but then we become friends and the other way around.Of course when it comes to men it happens all the time
by katie March 27th, 2011 at 6:43 pmI would have to say my husband when I first meet him is not someone I ever thought I would marry…we actually were friends and then roommates first and then when we went our separate ways did I realize that I loved him…he of course knew it all along. I do believe us becoming friends first has strengthened our relationship
by Kelsey O March 27th, 2011 at 7:00 pmI have the story at goodreads but i guess I’ll copy and paste.
Yeah i do believe i feel this way, even on most days. It’s like when something is lost, a piece of a puzzle for example, and you look everywhere and that piece is missing. Your mind makes you miss the one object which has insured the loss of a piece of yourself, hidden and yet in plain sight. Emptiness is upon you and whenever you believe all is gone, an answer is found.
What i think fits the question is this: I was around 11, shy and rather depreased child with no friends. My life was on the verge of hopelessness with nobody believeing in me. Still in my years from then I will remember whose hand gave me a choice, a choice of a lifetime. A teacher who I had always thought as somewhat mean and evil, with no life out of torching children, gave me a life. She actually gave me a chance to express my true feelings through my art work and other things. A canvas of thoughts opening, like how the sunrise on a new day brights with colors even when the rain clouds loom in the sky. This teacher even with her strictness and unlikely personallity gave me hope, hope that maybe life is not just a thing to truge on through, but something to enjoy along the way with others.
I hope that was inspiring enough! =^.^= kitty~
by Kimberly Brown March 27th, 2011 at 9:16 pmI had this happen to me when i was 25 i was home visiting my little sister after being out of state for the last 6 years. My husband was army at the time and we spent a lot of time moving around the different bases that he was stationed. I was in the grocery store with my sister buying groceries for a dinner that i was cooking for everyone. i stopped at the magazine stand and reached for one of those gossip rags something to help me sleep at night when my hand collided with another womans. I looked up into this ladies face. and BAM it was my best friend from Jr. High and high school we lost touch after graduation. this girl i had lost touch with. i missed her so much. i seriously felt broken without her in my life and there she was. make a long story short we talk everyday. I’m thankful that she is in my life again and the past 7 years have been awesome
by Kimberly Anderson March 28th, 2011 at 1:20 amyes well many years ago i was supposed to go to vanier college with a friend but she ended going to dawson so i went to vanier anyway. there i met a boy who i became friends with and through him i got a job at a place where his mother worked. once at that place i met another boy who became my husband and still is after 35 years!! so if i hadn’t stayed at vanier and gone to dawson with my friend i would never have met my husband!!
by sonia eynolds March 28th, 2011 at 3:05 amIn high school I was sent everywhere, along with a guy friend, to represent the school. He was nice, smart, but totally engrossed in sports & school. Not at all my type. Senior year I told him he blew it by not dating me for the last four years, and he said he knew it. Stayed friends in college, through my engagement and subsequent breakup. He finally asked me out end of sophomore year. 37 years, two daughters, and two grandchildren later, we’re still married and crazy for each other!
by Karen Krack March 28th, 2011 at 7:40 amHey Anya,
Yes I have found myself in a similar situation before. My hubby and I were really good friends for a long time and every time something bad happened we would always end up going to one another for help and one day we ended up saying to eachother “maybe we should give us a try?” Well we did and 13 yrs later we are happily married 🙂 Something just kept pushing us together!
by Leagh C March 28th, 2011 at 10:01 amTwo and a half years ago I was forced to resign from a good job; the economy had tanked and I couldn’t find new work. Within about a week, one of my cats–a sweet, rescued Persian who’d been through a great deal already–became very ill, requiring round-the clock care/tube feeding, and frequent vet hospital visits. Because I was home 24-7 that month, I was able to care for him during the last phase of his life, and extend his time with us a little. If I’d been working, I don’t see how it would have been possible. Being unemployed during that time was a blessing in disguise.
by Cindy A March 28th, 2011 at 10:15 am“Have you ever ended up in a place where you didn’t want to be, yet found you were right where you should be?” OMG I’ve certainly been there! I ended up driving my Mother to a job interview..Not a place I wanted to be… For some reason I can’t fathom, Management asked me to come in with her.. Unheard of right…but that was the ‘80’s for you. During the interview while my Mother was being questioned, the man threw a few questions in my direction…and I absentmindedly answered… my mind was totally elsewhere… like in my car with my friends.. Shopping…anywhere but there. Anyway, a week later a call came to the house and it was the company calling. I asked him to hold while I got my Mother on the line and he said “Actually, your mother is over qualified.. I wanted to offer you the position if you’re interested?”. I ended up in the International Department ..long story short I was dating an Army brat who was in Germany at the time.. my now best friend who I met and worked there at the time was trying in the worst way to get me interested in the Comptroller of the company and I was committed and running away in every direction but HIS and NOT interested.. He caught me..eventually ..and now I’ve known him for 26 years… and we have been happily married for 19 of those years.
by Nancy M March 28th, 2011 at 10:22 amI met a guy at his cousins house. It was dark, dusty and full of people smoking. Just horrible! I decided to leave, he came after me….
We went someplace, had a cup of tea and our intended date. It was one of the best conversations ever. We didn’t work out, that’s ok, his life was to different from mineanyway. But the talk was enlightning and something I really needed.
This was 5 years ago but occasionally I still think of our meeting as meant to be.
by Kirsten March 28th, 2011 at 10:23 amYes, I have been there, many times…
by Heidi Shafer-Wilson March 28th, 2011 at 11:14 amSix years ago I finally was watching my youngest daughter , (I have three, )graduate from high school and that summer she would be heading off to college..I did it, I managed to get them out of school and living on their own. It was now time for Mom to start doing something she wanted to do. I was going to start writing again, get that book finally published and do some traveling.. I was thrilled.. Don’t get me wrong I loved being Mom and doing all for my kids but I was really looking for that time.
So what happens, in all the joy of having the house to ourselves again, God has a twisted sense of humor sometimes…He decides it now time for that extra baby we wanted oh say 16 years ago.. So now I have one leaving and we are redoing the nursery for the new one who turned out to be that boy we didn’t have the first time around..
SO there is my time where something happened I din’t really want to but you go with it and I wouldn’t give him up for nothing…Being an older mother has been wonder and stressing at times…and its been great to hve that little boy. He has been a blessing in my life..He even calmed his Daddy down some too. He was always very stressed with 3 girls in the house but he not with the boy, go figure… :confused:
I was told by a psychic that I would moved to FL and I laughed because it was the last place I would ever have lived. Three years later my husband and I moved to FL, where I spent twenty of the best years.
by Joan Richard March 28th, 2011 at 1:32 pmI have had that kind of situation before. It was highly weird. I told myself that I would never work for Wal-mart, but it caused me to meet the man of my dreams. We didn’t work together, but he was a regular customer who always ended up coming to me for help. Now, we are getting married next January.
by Christina Walsh March 28th, 2011 at 1:48 pmabsolutely, there was this super quiet girl in my 7th grade class and i didnt know her very well and it was kind of hard to talk to her, and since i didn’t know much people either, we became really close and still have been
by minhchieu tran March 28th, 2011 at 3:25 pmI met a girl in one of my classes last year and my first impression of her was a crazy, obnoxious party girl but we started talking and she’s now a close friend of mine!
by Jeanette Juan March 28th, 2011 at 7:45 pmI was with a group that worked with disablied people and I meant the ownwer of the stable and she is my best friend . She was what I needed at the time and she saved my life with her friendship’
horseunicornkey@aol.com
by Patricia K March 28th, 2011 at 7:49 pmI met my hubs at. A young age when the fact that he is two years younger than me really made a difference to me so he. Waited for me to grow up and relised he was the one meant for me and im so glad he that such faith in me to wait
by jennifer mathis March 28th, 2011 at 8:43 pmGreat topic Anya as well as theme for the series :).
I have ended up stuck in a place I didn’t want to be but then found out if I hadn’t been I could have been in a terrible accident.
I have been paired with people for work etc I thought I wouldn’t mesh well only to find out things turned out he opposite.
It’s amazin how life works out that way sometimes.
pams00 @ aol.com
by Pam S (pams00) March 28th, 2011 at 9:03 pmI couldn’t stand two girl’s from high school when I first met them. But they ended up becoming my dearest friends, and 30 years later, we still talk at least once a month by phone, and even more often by email, and they have loved and supported me through some crazy ass moments. They always make me laugh, and I’ve loved having them in my life.
caity_mack at yahoo dot com
by Cathy MacDonald March 29th, 2011 at 12:20 pmWhile on a trip to California years ago I was asked to stop and say ‘Hi’ to someone who owned a bar for a good friend of mine. I really didn’t care to stop in a strange place by myself, but did it for my friend and met a fella who became a good friend of mine for over 40 years now. Although we live far apart and each have our own families now we have kept in touch all this time and enjoy knowing how each other is doing and having a few laughs when we talk to each other.
by Shari C March 29th, 2011 at 12:48 pmMy sister Anna and I did not get along as young girls. There came a time we needed to ether work together or kill each other. Since that time Anna has been an incredible part of my coping network and are great friends.
by Sarah Ulfers March 29th, 2011 at 5:55 pmWhen I was younger I used to take dance. We started out as a whole class but slowly, others started dropping out until it was just me and one other girl. The girl and I never really talked, and I never in a million years thought we would hit it off. But we did. We turned out group dance into a duet and kicked serious butt at the competitions. And along the way, became best friends. As we still are to this day 🙂
by Chelsea B. March 30th, 2011 at 1:37 pmThis year I decided to take a ceremaics class. I don’t really talk much to any body in my class. Then one day my teacher moved these two guys to my table (Derek and Caleb) they seemed like jerks at first, but we became friends and they inspired me to write a novel. So yeah I have been somewhere that I don’t care for and two things came out of it 😉
by Sam Swartz March 30th, 2011 at 2:55 pmI think this is totally true! It’s good to have a plan, but it’s also good to kind of go with the flow, because you never know what life has in store for you.
I’m looking for a new job now, and I hate it when interviewers ask where you see yourself in 5 years, because you just don’t know what opportunities may come your way.
Congrats on the new book!
by Booklover1335 March 30th, 2011 at 5:21 pmMy husband and I meet when we were both 11 years old. I didn’t think about him as boyfriend material, because he never talked, until we were both 18. We were really good friends and took classes together at college. It took me some time to realize that romance and love may not look like how I thought it would. It was more a slow seduction than a sweep-me-off-my-feet romance. Here we are 13 years and 2 kids later, something to be said for romance in unexpected places:)
by Joylyn March 31st, 2011 at 6:00 pmI moved to a new town and was feeling really lonely and wondered if my move was a mistake. I made a friend finally and she invited me over for a picnic. Her husbands best friend (my soon to be husband) told me I needed to find myself a real man. For the next six months we fought like cats and dogs whenever we seen each other at our friends house. When our friends finally had enough they called each of us up and said that the other wanted to get together to play cards. My answer was all we do is fight are you sure? My friend assured me that he wanted to spend more time with me. We didn’t fight that night and have been married 15 years now.
by Sabrina Rautio April 1st, 2011 at 5:52 amI’ve met wonderful friends who I never would’ve thought would be fantastic if it hadn’t been for a chance assignment that went really well. I think it’s true that most things happen for a darn good reason.
by Biki April 1st, 2011 at 11:47 amI’ve had the experience where when I met someone I didn’t like them at first but when I got to know her she turned out to be my best friend. When we got to know each other better there wasn’t anything she wouldn’t do for me. We would run around after work, on our days off. When I was broke she would by me some food. I changed jobs and we didn’t spend as much time with each other and it was one of the saddest days of my life last year when my sister called and told me that she had died. For the next couple of days every time I would think of her all I would do is cry. I still miss her so much and think about calling her before I remember that she’s not here anymore.
by sherry strode April 2nd, 2011 at 9:44 amOh yes, it’s fate or whatever one wants to call it, but it did happened, to ME too. I like to think it’s preordained or fate that I made a move about 10 yrs ago to the most unlikely place and at the worst time possible that no one in her/his right mind would do. But I did it, and to most unlikely place, out in the stick, knew no one nor the place I moved to. Then, things started to happen to me, I mean things “out of this world”, you would know what I meant by this. And I ended up found the family I didn’t know I’d had all this time, it’s the happiest memory I have so far and the happiest time I can ever remember. It’s just like everything was geared up for that event to happen, no rational explanation could justify the move and everything that led up to it. It’s out of this world experience, truly heaven!! 😀 😛
by J.J. April 2nd, 2011 at 3:59 pmOh, definately.
by Kate C April 3rd, 2011 at 4:43 pmMy best friend and i met after my parents separated. I absolutely didn’t want to be in the state I was in, let alone the school gym next to this loudmouthed, bossy girl. But we got to talking, became fast friends, and i couldn’t ask for a better friend. 😀
I’ve def had one of these experiences. I met my ex (we were together for 9 years and are still good friends) like that. I was in college, had worked late and almost didn’t go to a party. I went, and when I walked in him and another guy were talking to 2 of my sorority sisters. I went up to say hi to the girls, and ended up going back to his place to another party. We were together almost everyday after that…for those 9 years ;).
by kyatty2007 April 4th, 2011 at 6:07 amYes! One of my closest friends is someone I didn’t think I’d like being around the first time I met her. I thought, “Geez, we have absolutely nothing in common.” But I turned out to be completely wrong, and now we can talk about almost anything. I guess people are like books – you shouldn’t judge them by their cover!
by Lesley D April 4th, 2011 at 8:52 amI had just recently moved into a new apartment complex in a new town. Hadn’t wanted to move but my prior landlord was raising the rent, so I moved closer to where my mom was. I was a single mom with a three year old. Still hadn’t really made any friends there after a couple months. Then all of us living there had to move into the apartments that had been remodeled recent so that our current ones could be done. The lady who was moving into the one next to my new one, one of her relatives that was helping, well…
by Beth C. April 4th, 2011 at 10:33 amWithin a year, he and I had a daughter. 😀
I lost him to cancer almost 12 years later, but it was the best twelve years of my life. Missed him a lot last summer when our first grandchild was born.
actually i find that this happens alot to me. i am a very shy person and i am uncomfortable around new people or large groups so i usually don’t want to be in them. however i have also had some of the best relationships and made some of my best friends by forcing myself to open up to these types of experiences and to focuse on and appreciate them for the opportunities they are and the joy they can bring to my life .
by tammy ramey April 4th, 2011 at 11:30 amI had a blog for a long time that I reviewed bands on. It was fairly popular for the local Texas bands and I did really well as far as pulling in hits and comments. I had one person post in the comments who took several things I said out of context, made rash generalizations about me and proceeded to be a great big butt head on my blog. I politely rebuffed what he was saying, pointing to the factual evidence of what was really going on. Eventually it got personal and I stopped paying attention to this person. A month goes by and we happen to meet up at a concert and I’m never one to be considered shy! This person and I had a very long, sit down ‘come to Jesus’ conversation. We were best friends for years after that, and there I was ready to hate the guy!
by Cid April 4th, 2011 at 3:21 pm