<\/p>\n
Annmarie and Theodor Haerry met online. \u2018Good people are out there, and [we] couldn\u2019t have been more different in our backgrounds,\u2019 Annmarie says. \u2018South Florida brings people together.\u2019<\/p>\n
Courtesy of Annmarie Haerry<\/p>\n
Meaningful connections can happen anytime and anywhere. A late run to the gas station. A midday visit to the dog park. Maybe the quiet corner of a house party.<\/p>\n
With Valentine\u2019s Day around the corner, couples all around South Florida will be celebrating their love and, possibly, reminiscing about their own meet-cute \u2014 the term used for chance meetings in romantic comedies.<\/p>\n
But love and companionship come in different packages (and they are all great for you). So ahead of the day of romance, WLRN wanted to celebrate the moments of serendipity that bring not just partners, but also close friends together.<\/p>\n
We asked people in South Florida to share their stories of finding love or forming genuine friendships. Here is what they had to say.<\/p>\n
Going the distance<\/p>\n
Love is not a game of chance for Annmarie.<\/p>\n
The native of Jamaica had what she called her weekly \u201conline dating protocol.\u201d Every Friday, she would go to her home office, pull up her inbox and check for new messages on dating service Match.com.<\/p>\n
\u201c That\u2019s my philosophy. If you wanna meet someone, then you have to put [in] the time and effort,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
As a graduate student, part-time nurse and mother to a 13-year-old boy, Annmarie did not have much wiggle room in her schedule to wait around for \u201cMr. Right\u201d. In 2004, she hoped that came across in her dating profile, where she captioned a photo of herself with the tagline \u201cmodern girl with old fashioned ideals.\u201d<\/p>\n
She found a match in Theodor Haerry, a Florida Atlantic University professor from Switzerland. He ticked all her boxes. They had common interests such as playing tennis, traveling and going to the opera.<\/p>\n
Even still, 50 miles of South Florida traffic kept them apart. Annmarie lived in Aventura and Theodor in Boca Raton. Without the help of online dating, their paths would have never crossed.<\/p>\n
\u201c Good people are out there, and [we] couldn\u2019t have been more different in our backgrounds,\u201d she said. \u201cSouth Florida brings people together.\u201d<\/p>\n
They count themselves lucky that their values and interests aligned. They said they were honest, open-minded and committed to finding a lifelong partner.<\/p>\n
\u201c In the end, a lot of relationships go south because of money. Religion can [also] be a problem. From the beginning, everything was on the table, and it was clear where this relationship [could] go,\u201d Theodor said.<\/p>\n
Annmarie told WLRN she had no idea that Theodor\u2019s first online message would start a new chapter of her life. Two weeks of long phone calls later, the busy university students met for lunch on a sunny Saturday afternoon. They clicked immediately.<\/p>\n
\u201dI earnestly wanted to have a partner, a person in my life, so when I met Theo, I felt whole because all the stuff I was doing \u2014 I loved it. I enjoyed it, but I said this was what was missing.\u201d<\/p>\n
Annmarie and Theodor have been married for 20 years.<\/p>\n
A standing lunch invitation<\/p>\n
Robert Lyle keeps track of the small wins \u2014 like when his friend Jim climbed up the stairs without the help of his cane.<\/p>\n
Robert Lyle, left, met his friend Jim in an online support group for people who have loved ones with dementia. Courtesy of Robert Lyle <\/p>\n
Jim was recovering from a medical procedure and told Robert. It\u2019s part of their ongoing ritual of tracking what they call \u201cmicro-success\u201d No victory is too small in their friendship.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe know so much about each other, and we share our thoughts and our feelings,\u201d Robert said. \u201cIt\u2019s probably been the longest close personal friendship that I\u2019ve ever had.\u201d<\/p>\n
Parallel experiences brought the octogenarians together in South Florida.<\/p>\n
A couple of years ago, Lyle\u2019s wife started exhibiting signs of dementia, so he joined an online support group, where he met Jim.<\/p>\n
\u201c When you\u2019ve got a spouse who\u2019s got dementia, you really need support. I didn\u2019t know anything about it, didn\u2019t know how to deal with it,\u201d Robert said.<\/p>\n
Shortly after connecting, they learned that both of their wives were staying at the same memory-care facility in Boca Raton. They struck up an easy friendship that started with an invitation to lunch.<\/p>\n
\u201cAt our age, you don\u2019t find very many people to say, \u2018Hey, let\u2019s go have a drink together,\u2019 and we enjoyed each other\u2019s company,\u201d Robert said.<\/p>\n
Once a month, the pair would go to the same Mexican restaurant, sit in the same booth and just catch up. Their shared experience gave them the space to talk about their experiences without becoming too maudlin. Sometimes, they avoided the topic all together.<\/p>\n
\u201c We talked about anything because we didn\u2019t want to just talk about our wives or about dementia,\u201d Robert added. \u201cI mean, we\u2019re both dealing with that constantly, so the last thing we wanted to do was to sit and chat about what\u2019s the latest with your wife or my wife. It was the purpose of two guys getting together and being friends. And that\u2019s what counted \u2014 having a friend.\u201d<\/p>\n
Jim moved to Colorado to be closer to family. Lyle still lives in Lauderdale-By-The-Sea. It has been two years since they have met up at their usual spot, but Lyle said they text almost every day.<\/p>\n
Fateful friends<\/p>\n
It only took one cigarette to ignite more than a decade of friendship for Alejandra Hierro. That alone was enough for her to believe in fate.<\/p>\n
Alex Brener, left, and Alejandra Hierro became best friends after meeting at a birthday party in Miami. Courtesy of Alejandra Hierro <\/p>\n
A little more than 10 years ago, Hierro met her soon-to-be best friend Alex Brener at a birthday party in Miami. She saw a mysterious girl, her black attire clad in studs and leather, smoking a cigarette. She wanted to smoke, too. In a bright floral skirt and rainbow wedge, Hierro cheerfully pranced up to her asking for a hit.<\/p>\n
\u201dAlex and I are always talking about how it was just written in the stars that we met that day. We\u2019re so different, but when we talk to each other, for some reason, it just clicks,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
What Alejandra thought would be a short cigarette break turned into an hours-long conversation that lasted through the night. They look back at that first encounter fondly, joking how they thought they were too different to be friends.<\/p>\n
\u201c[Alex] said, \u2018I couldn\u2019t believe that the popular pretty girl came up to me and wanted to be my friend,\u2019 and I was like, \u2018Oh my gosh, I thought you were the cool girl that wasn\u2019t gonna wanna talk to me,\u2019 \u201d Alejandra said.<\/p>\n
Alex, who grew up with younger brothers, said she found a sister in Alejandra. And their opposite personalities made their bond stronger.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe\u2019s taught me a lot in terms of \u2014 just life in general, how to approach things, she\u2019s changed my perspective on so many situations and I think it\u2019s super important to have somebody like that in your life,\u201d Alex said.<\/p>\n
Despite their differences, they discovered they had a lot in common. They were both born in Mexico and moved to South Florida when they were young. As they barreled through their 20s, they navigated the hurdles side by side.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s almost like \u2026 we\u2019re a mirror for each other, so whenever I doubt myself, she shows me through her own courage that I shouldn\u2019t. It\u2019s that kind of friendship that always renews and reminds you that you\u2019re not alone,\u201d Alejandra said.<\/p>\n
Now, in their 30s, both women are engaged, and planning their weddings together.<\/p>\n