Coincidence...?

I'm a firm believer that coincidences aren't real. Those weird, "random" encounters and connections have to happen for some sort of reason. Right?

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I spent this last weekend in Vegas, visiting my dad who has been stationed there on a work assignment for the past 2 months. As you can imagine, it was a rather low-key trip by Vegas standards, but it was a good time nonetheless.

On my last night, we decided to see a Cirque du Soleil show (Ká, which I highly recommend if you're into that sorta thing) and the weirdest thing happened when we left the theater.

We were walking out of the MGM hotel, and made a quick pit stop at the restroom. I was in the midst of catching up on a couple texts I received while in the show, and learned that one of my pledge sisters was engaged. My dad came out of the restroom and the second after I told him what I had just learned, I heard someone scream my name. I whipped around and saw one of my best friend's mom waving at me with a smile from ear to ear.

She told me that she was contemplating whether or not it was me that she saw (in her defense my hair is a few shades darker than the last time she saw me) and my mention of the girl who got engaged confirmed that it was in fact me.

Sure, it's not the craziest thing that could happen, but when you think about it, of all nights to be in Vegas at the same time as someone you know, of all casinos on the Strip, of all places within the casino, and of all moments for me to be there right when they were, is just crazy to me.

But the craziest part is that's literally like the 7th time that's happened to me.

I have the weirdest and most random encounters with people that I know from as far back as I can remember.

I remember in 4th grade, my family was at the Seattle airport, waiting to board our flight to Hawaii over Spring Break, when sure enough out of the bathroom that we happened to be huddled next to, walks Meredyth, my best friend. She was about to board a flight to go back to MN, and our paths crossed at that very corner of the international airport.

But that's not all.

When I studied abroad in Spain two years ago (tear) I had moments like this almost everywhere I went. I felt like everyone I met I knew either through someone or from something.

I was in the Museum of the Statue of David (whatever it was called...sorry Elaine..) in Florence, Italy (where I was simply traveling) and I crossed paths with a middle school teacher of mine that amazingly remembered me, almost 10 years later. Like WHAT. Florence, Italy?! So weird.

And then there was the time I met a group of guys from 30 minutes away from where I grew up in MN that played basketball with a bunch of my high school guy friends -also in Florence, Italy.

Crazy.

Which leads me to my next crazy thought - six degrees of separation. It's real.

I could go on and on with the weird and crazy connections I've made with people over the years. The more places I travel to and move to, the crazier the connections.

I wouldn't be sitting where I am right now if it weren't for those connections falling into place.

If I hadn't dated a guy in high school who's sister went to KU who was in the sorority that I was in where I met one of my pledge sisters who's cousin works at my company who is now my boss in LA. Insane.

It definitely makes any situation that makes you wary a little more comforting knowing that you're exactly where you're supposed to be, wherever that is.

So could all those situations and connections and seemingly random run-ins be a coincidence?

There's just no way.