Burglarized

[Veronica]

I came home to find my back door and kitchen window open.

Of all the things they took, what bothers me most is my laptop. All the things I have done for work over the years were on it and all my cycling data. We had gotten complacent and stopped doing back ups. I hate people! Present company excluded of course.

V.

[Toni]

I am so sorry...I'm just glad you were not home.

[Bikingmomof3]

I came home to find my back door and kitchen window open.

Of all the things they took, what bothers me most is my laptop. All the things I have done for work over the years were on it and all my cycling data. We had gotten complacent and stopped doing back ups. I hate people! Present company excluded of course.

V.


Oh V! I am so sorry! Did the police take down an itemized listing of everything? What a terrible thing to have happen. (((((((V)))))))

[Trek420]

Oh V, I am so sorry. You must feel so violated to come home and see that.

are the bikes ok?? small hopefull voice that they are.

[slinkedog]

V! Oh no... how truly awful! Are you okay? I feel terrible for you and Thom!

[kelownagirl]

That sucks Veronica - violated is the right word too. :( Glad no one was hurt. I shudder at the thought of losing my computer - off to do a back up right now.

[Veronica]

They took all kinds of stuff, our passports, check book, all the checks, my wallet, all of the camera stuff, except the broken one and the lense Thom hates. They got luggage from the garage to haul it away. They took all of Thom's watches, but left all of my jewelery. They took the Sonos charger and controller, the GPS, the tiny binoculars, but not the big ones that float. They opened all my little drawers, where I keep drawers. :eek: They took the mail key.

They took my book order money and the change box that said Boat Fund. But not all the pre wrapped coins on my desk.

They went shopping at Wal Mart and Big Five. I won't walk into a Wal Mart. Too crowded for me.

I am struggling to remember that there are lots of good people in the world - many of whom have helped me. The stuff is just stuff.

I had to try to write my lesson plans for tomorrow from memory though. My plan book is on my computer. So much of my work lost. That's going to be a b"i"tch to recover from.

I'm going to spend my birthday talking to the cop and giving him a detailed list. Sunday is when he is next on duty.

It good be worse. My cat is fine. All of our bikes are fine.

But I'm afraid to go to bed. Yes, I'm usually heading to bed about now.

V.

[SadieKate]

Crud, Veronica. We've been there. We may still hold the record for Davis.

Can the house be closed up and locked now? We had two door frames broken so we couldn't even lock up the house at night while we were sleeping. It's a huge shock. Take care of yourselves.

[salsabike]

OH. Veronica, I am so sorry. That just stinks. I'm more sorry than I can express. If you think of any way we can help...don't be shy.

[suzieqtwa]

I do understand how you are feeling (VIOLATED).:mad: .............Im so sorry. Why do bad things happen to good people. I remember when our computer crashed ,and we didnt have things backed up. That Sucks!!!!!!!!! All my music gone. Im glad your kitty was OK. Ya, its only stuff ,but its your stuff ,and no one had the right to take it. KARMA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I hope you are able to get some sleep tonight.

[maillotpois]

So scary and awful. I am so sorry.

The violation of your space is the worst. The rest is stuff that you can and will replace (though the original work and effort going into computer data isn't easily replaced). It's just that feeling that someone's been in your space, your personal space, that is hard to recover from.

I'm so sorry. Take care.

[snapdragen]

That's awful V - I'm so sorry! Like salsa said, if there is anything we can do please ask!

[jobob]

Unreal. Lee & I are so sorry. What a crappy thing to have happen, and right before your birthday. Give us a shout if we can help you somehow.

[Thistle]

That's so awful. Right before your birthday and Christmas :( People just suck sometimes :mad:

I hope you get the replaceable things replaced soon, and that you do have a good birthday and Christmas despite these selfish, mindless little people. ((( Veronica )))

[Adventure Girl]

Wow. I'm really sorry to hear this! There really are no words that will make it all better. The bright side is that nobody got hurt physically, but the feeling of being victimized just sucks. Somebody else has YOUR stuff. Somebody else has been in your space. Damn! :(

[crazycanuck]

What a bunch of ********** &&&&&&&&'s.

I sure hope you can feel safe in your own home again.

Take care

c

[Velobambina]

Veronica--Sorry to hear about what happened to you and Thom. Hopefully, the cops will be able to catch these jerks.

[7rider]

Omigod. The NERVE of some people!!! :mad:
That sux majorly.
I'm just glad no one was home or hurt during the event. Stuff can be replaced. A sense of security and safety..that one will be tougher.
Best to you both. Remember....not everyone is evil. There are a lot of really good people out there. Keep the faith.

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

Poor Veronica!! That's is so nasty. I'm so sorry!!!

I do think it's good though that they didn't take any bikes. Shows you how stupid they were. Walmart??--that's where they went to shop afterwards??? :confused: Guess they were low on cigarettes and Mountain Dew.

I hope you get to feeling secure soon.

[SheFly]

So sorry, V! That's a terrible thing to have happen at any time of year, let alone just before a big birthday and Christmas. As others have said, please let us know if there is anything that we can do!

Wishing you peace and calm....

SheFly

[sbctwin]

Been there...twice. Our home has been totally ransacked twice. Each time, they totally wrecked the inside of the house. Police said they are looking for guns, drugs and money....known of which we have. They opened every drawer and emptied it. They through all our clothes on the floor. The file cabinet contents scattered everywhere. They took phones, crucifixes, TV's, dishes, sewing machine, pottery, paintings, jewelry...the most ridiculously small things, even a fireproof safe....but thankfully, my pets were ok. It was a mess. After the first time, we put bars on certain windows...after the second time, we had an alarm system installed. I feel much better with the alarm system. It saved us when our house was broken into for a third time. The thieves only made out with a small radio. The alarm was sounding when the police arrived. No robbers, but the house wasn't ransacked. I can empathize with you...I am so sorry this has happened to you.:( We now keep important papers/passports at a safety deposit box at a bank. We keep a detailed list of serial numbers in the safety deposit box. I carry what little jewelry I have now with me everywhere, so I still don't feel "very safe". It has been 2.5 yrs since the third breakin, 6 years since the last major incident...I still don't feel altogether "safe".

[indysteel]

Veronica, that is just awful. I was burglarized when I was in college, and the thought of people walking around my house like that bothered me for a long time. I'm glad no one was hurt and that the cats are okay. I have cats, too, and they're the main reason that I have an alarm on my house.

Be sure to take steps to protect yourself from identity theft since they have your passports. You might check with the credit bureaus about putting an alert on your credit report.

Hang in there,

Kate

[Veronica]

Thanks you guys. I am not going to let this make me afraid. This is my house.

They took so much paperwork. That worries me. I slept fitfully. The cat spent much time on my chest. She's deaf so she probably slept through the whole thing.

People around the corner had their dog poisoned so they could be burglarized last week. It's morbid, but I'm glad we lost our dog to natural causes.

Sh"i"t happens. But they ransacked a closet and unearthed my nutcracker that I couldn't find. And I found the DMV bill that had fallen behind my desk.

Something bad will happen to them - they'll die a nasty death from drugs or get shot in a turf war - a painful stomach wound. And we're going to live into our nineties, riding our bikes, being madly in love until we die.

So we move forward.

V.

[Bad JuJu]

Oh that just sucks. Especially now.

When I was in college, my apartment was robbed while my roommate and I were away on a break between semesters. They broke a window to get in and only took some silver dollars, a cooler, and a radio--left bikes, stereo, jewelry. Must've been kids, and not very bright kids at that. Still, it was frightening, and we never felt quite safe there again.

I'm hoping for a good outcome for you from this--sending positive thoughts in your direction.

[Nanci]

V, I am so sorry. It took me at least a year to get over when someone just _tried_ to get into our house. I felt so helpless- but didn't feel like doing the one thing that the cops said would do the most to prevent a reoccurance- get a dog. But I did put sticks in the windows to hold them down, get automatic outdoor lights so it's not dark out there, get a motion sensor for both sides of the house so if someone approaches it- a doorbell goes off- and you can hear it outside- so they would hopefully think it was alerting someone at home. I used to leave a radio on all the time that you could hear from the back door. I got alarms (motion sensors) inside that we set every time we leave. I told both neighbors about it, and we all watch out for each other's houses. I put a human target dummy in the bedroom window that is shot to cr*p so they know there is a shotgun user in the home. I have lights that go off and on at reasonable times- and we have one or two or even three spare vehicles parked in the yard at any one time. I especially think the squad car is a good deterrent. I started carrying my laptop with me, and all my little cameras and iPods and all that every time I left my house.

But still- it takes a while for the fear and feeling of violation to go away even a little, and they didn't even get _in_ my house. I am so sorry for you...

Nanci

[Pedal Wench]

So sorry, V.

[Tater]

Aww, V.! Sorry this happened to you and Thom. But you are right, karma will catch up to them for what they did and I hope it really bites them in the a$$. Keeping you and T. in my thoughts...

[Triskeliongirl]

Something bad will happen to them - they'll die a nasty death from drugs or get shot in a turf war - a painful stomach wound. And we're going to live into our nineties, riding our bikes, being madly in love until we die.

So we move forward.

V.

This is exactly the attitude you have to have. I remember how violated I felt when my precious custom bike with custom orthopoedic crank set was stolen. All I could think of it was gonna give someone hip pain to ride the bike with the dropped pedal, but they probably just pulled off my $1700 custom crank set and threw it in a trash dumpster. But, as you said life goes on. Be glad no one was physically hurt, and they didn't take (or damage) the bikes. As for computer stuff, you can't go back but when you get a new computer, buy two external hard drives, one that you keep at work and one at home, and a neat little program called InSync that lets you keep them all synced together. That way you have backups in two locations, since other **** can happen too like fires, or even just bad unrecoverable disk crashes. I lock my bikes inside my house to a weight bench just in case. A LBS here was broken into last weekend, and they took off with the owners custom $15,000bike! When I first saw your message all I could think about was Legolos, but I am glad to hear that she is safe. But I do agree with the poster that with the nature of what they took my biggest concern would be identity theft, so I would consult with someone that knows a lot about that. Again, so sooory that this happened to you.:mad: :mad: :mad:

[Trekhawk]

Oh no V thats terrible news. Glad to hear that you and Thom are safe and sound and that the pets are fine.

Sending huge hugs your way.

[GLC1968]

Wow, V...that totally sucks. I'm so sorry!

I hope you regain your home 'peace' again soon. :)

[aka_kim]

How awful, I'm so sorry. The violation of your home and privacy is bad enough, but the identity theft with the loss of credit cars, passports, etc. makes it even worse. Take care.

[bambu101]

So sorry to hear this. We have had this happen several times, and it is very creepy knowing that some slimeball went through my underwear drawer!

Hope you regain peace in your lives soon.

[eclectic]

I am so sorry to hear this has happened to you. {{{{hug}}}}

I am with all others re the ID theft - take all precautions you can

I can't even imagine the horror of this happening. I don't even know of anyone around here who has ever been burglarized.

And someone mentioned about a neighbor's dog being poisoned before the house was robbed. - I always thought I would be a little safer because of my dog, - got me to rethinking that one.

Prayers that you get this mess sorted out as easily as possible - such an emotional and time drainer. {{{{{hug again}}}}}}

[massbikebabe]

V

I am so sorry for all of your losses. My bro is a cop and he says to watch e-bay, your lap top and other things may show up there. We got ADT after we got nailed...came home to find the poor dog cowering under the bed when we got hit...it's just awful.




kaye

[Blueberry]

Veronica-

Let me add my sympathies! You must feel so violated. I do hope that you can regain a sense of peace in your home.

In terms of recovering your stuff, it is probably also a good idea to check local pawn shows and (especially) any flea markets this weekend. The scum that do this kind of thing generally don't hang onto it very long.

Good luck to you (and I'm very glad your bikes weren't stolen and your kitty wasn't hurt).

Carrie Anne

[HappyAnika]

I'm so sorry this happened. Glad to hear everyone is safe and unhurt. Take care of yourselves.

[Triskeliongirl]

First things first. Here is how you report your passport stolen:
http://www.state.gov/r/pa/prs/ps/2004/32273.htm

I don't know if you can do similar things for you SS#, etc. but please look into this. My brother in law had someone steal his name and SS# and every year his taxes are a nightmare since this other fellows income is reported as my brother in laws.

Did you have online banking account passwords recorded in the stolen documents. If so, you need to change them ASAP. Even if not I would change them since these guys have enough personal info. to change them themselves. Besides practicing common sense, I would really consult with someone that knows about identity theft.

[colby]

That really sucks, V. Glad you and Thom are safe. Hopefully you can shake the feeling of being violated and get things back together soon. :(

[Melody]

V, I haven't been on the forums in a long while, but this is one of the first threads I saw. :( I'm so sorry you had to go through this. Having your private space violated is tough. :(

Mel

[doc]

How awful. How scary! I hope you recover your laptop. I hope Karma catches up to those creeps soon.

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

Something bad will happen to them - ....And we're going to live into our nineties, riding our bikes, being madly in love until we die.


Veronica, you could not have said it better. Who is the luckier/happier one in the big picture? :)

[Bike Goddess]

Veronica- I too am just so appalled, but not surprised. This kind of activity seems common these days- they probably watched your house for a few days to see your patterns as it sounds like they spent a lot of time looking around once they got in.

As you know, the worst part of this is the identity theft part. Lesson plans can be reinvented- you're a creative teacher so I know you can!!! Aren't you glad winter vacation is coming up?

Let us know if we can do anything for you- especailly those of us who live nearby.

I'm sorry about Thom's personal effects- that's a real bummer.

I too have been through this, but not quite to the extent you have. I too am glad no one was hurt and that your cat (and piano) are okay.

[bikerchick68]

:mad: I'm angry for you! Unbelievable. I have only had my cars broken into and that was bad enough...

please DO notify SS Admin about the theft... they may need a copy of the police report... also notify the DMV, all your credit card companies (not just the ones stolen!) and any other agencies for whom they took acct numbers (banks, electric co etc.) Then you may want to sign up with a credit reporting agency and get monthly reports for the next year or so... keep a close eye on it so that your credit is not wrecked by these losers...

what a colossal hassle. :(

[Deanna]

Veronica - I can only imagine the pit that opened in your stomach. My DH and I have experienced theft, but nothing on this scale. What an awful thing to have happen, and during one of the already most stressful times of the year. My sympathies to you.

[bouncybouncy]

:mad: i do hope they get their karma!!!

so sorry & good luck in getting back to normal....

[Deanna]

Oh, I forgot to add--keep your eyes on eBay and craigslist. When Doug's bike was stolen from our garage it took about 3 months of vigilant checking, but it eventually appeared and we got it back.