My own mini sample:

I was a Peace Corps volunteer in eastern Ecuador, 30 kilometers from the Colombian border. There was a big Coca plantation bust an hour west of me and a bunch of Colombians arrested. I remember seeing a bus-load of them practically beaten to death by Ecuadoran police come through town. Shortly after, a fellow Peace Corps volunteer (who had become my girlfriend) was almost kidnapped by mad Colombians who believed she was CIA, and had turned them in. Long story shorter, I was removed from my site by Peace Corps "officialdom" and moved about 250 kilometers away to the provincial capital to keep me safer. Another buddy of mine as well. The girlfriend removed as well, and dead a year later in a rafting accident 500 miles away.

So shortly after our removals we were drinking beer (Mark from Tennessee) and I on the Napo river...when I see this beautiful female specimen washing clothes in the beautiful clear water on the edge of the river. Her beautiful body in that little white bikini had me mesmerized. Of course, I went over and introduced myself. That night I took her to a school dance (in Ecuador school dances are a whole village event) and I think she was smitten with me.

Didn't work out for us, but some 13 years into a failing marriage she wrote to me. She had this friend living in North Carolina (Colombiana) and asked if I would be interested in getting to know her. I got that email just at my lowest moment and so I said "sure".

25 years later and here I am with that introduced friend.

Destiny? God? Or happenstance?

Everything is written in the book, has always been my philosophy.

I have jumped through windows when the door was shut only to experience negative consequences.

Can I get a copy?

…. Sounds like a bunch of nonsense to me lol

Well we all have our free agency,
and can all choose how much we might hope for Destiney or How much of Gods intervention we may want.

free choice to ignore what gifts are placed in your path.
and also free choice to accept them

the holy spirit sure can work in some interesting ways.

I sure as heck haven't figured it out , but I am trying to look for those gifts hoping to not pass them by.

I'm sad that this is the response I get from my 14th cousin twice removed...(according to cousin Keith).

So if it was God, he killed your first girlfriend so you could meet the second one that you broke up with to later introduce you to the 4th as you were in the process of divorcing the third?

I think Savell nailed it lol.

OK, let's hear how you and Drifter got together so I can analyze that for you. LOL

LOL. Ok, here's the CliffNotes version.

I found trapperman, fell in love with trapperman and got permanently banned from trapperman all within a year's time. Met a few people then (only online) that I became friends with that are still friends today. One of those people was Danny Clifton. I was wanting to go to a national convention but was hesitant. It was a long ways away, my truck was junky, I'd be alone, etc. Danny talked me into going to the one in Goshen, IN in 2005.

Shortly before the convention Danny sprang on me that he would be camping with Drifter, who at that time, was one of those evil administrators! At that point I felt all mods/admin were bad, after just having been banned, lol. I about backed out of going altogether. He insisted Pete was cool, but I still didn't want to go anymore, lol. But in the end, I went. Met Pete and he seemed okay.

Funny side story... on the second night there, a storm was coming in. I had a small canvas tent. I was trying to get a tarp over it, and Pete came over to help me. About that time, this drunk guy from PA wandered into our camp and started blatantly hitting on me. I kept brushing him off, but he kept following me around pestering me. So Danny goes up to him, and tells him that I am married to Pete. I had hardly said a dozen words to Pete since meeting him the night before LOL. I guess Danny has ESP or something, lol.

So anyways, over the rest of the weekend Pete and I kinda hit it off, and eventually ended up moving in together within the year. Got married a couple years later. Danny was the best man and his wife Lori my maid of honor. End of story.

Aw shucks...that's a dang sweet story. I knew nothing of that. But there's my point; if not for one thing the other never happens. God, destiny or happenstance. Personally, I'm a firm happenstance believer. But that is the story of us all, in its many creative forms...but Fanny will tell you it was destiny. God leading the way.

Yotetrapper, how old were you in 2005? How old was Danny Clifton in 2005? And how old was Drifter in 2005?

Odd questions JP. Why do you ask?

Just has me wondering. When a girl says she’s talking to some guys on the internet and she’s being told to come somewhere for a sleep over, it just has me wondering what the heck.

I don’t know the ages of you 3 people. But I do know there’s quite the age gap between you and these 2 guys.

LOL a sleep over? It was a public convention, and Danny was there with his wife! I went to meet friends, geez. To answer your question, in 2005 I was 24. Pete would have been 53. Danny, heck, I dunno? Late 40s?

Wow, Angela. You married a guy twice your age?

BP......if it had been God, he wouldn't have sent you to Columbia in the first place!

Well, he was twice my age at the time, yeah, but I've been catching up, lol. He's only about 1.5x my age now.

So was that a God thing? or just some random act of vengeance that Pete, along with the rest have had to endure for this long period of time?

And congratulations, to you yote, you are a pioneer in interweb dating.

Hope that ain’t why 160s been bugging me to go fishing….
And big Sam being nice….
Sevell always complimenting me.
Swamp wanting a full body picture….
Pealer talking about our destiny together.
Kristian starting a toe competition ..

???