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