Thursday

On Thursday morning Justin and I woke up to find the trunk open on my car. Upon further investigation, Justin noticed that nearly everything in my console was gone and everything in my glove compartment had been gone through. Lovely way to start the day, yes?

First I checked with my bank to make sure no money had been stolen or used -- it hadn't. Then we contacted the police. Within 10 minutes, we had 3 police cars in our driveway. (It's nice to have such efficient service!)

Unfortunately, Justin had either forgotten to lock my car and/or hit the unlock button unknowingly from inside the house creating the perfect "crime of opportunity". Also, unfortunately, I am a very forgetful person, and I had shopping cards (i.e. Kroger), gift cards (such as the ones received from our wedding), a little bit of cash (in case of an emergency), my license (You don't know how many times I've driven off without one!), Health insurance card (Justin put it with my ID), and debit card in my console. Of course the thief, not having time to go through and pick out what s/he wanted, took all of these things. As well as a switch for Justin's truck and a motormount for my car.

I'd like to say I've learned my lesson, but it really was random of me to have giftcards and car parts in my car. I had no intention of having my health insurance card with my ID until Justin put it there. I'm also really, really picky about locking my car. I double/triple check every time.

Anyway, the point is not whether or not I lock my car or what exactly I keep in it. The point is that now I find myself afraid. I'm not afraid of what has been done. The thief can keep the gift cards, my license has been reported, my credit frozen, and my bank accounts blocked. I'm just afraid of the thief coming back again. I'm afraid of someone thinking that the car was an easy target so why not try the house!

In over 10 years, I have never had a problem with what I keep in my car. I do not keep what I have out and visible. I regularly clean out my car. In fact, I get embarrassed easily when my car is a mess (i.e. not vacuumed, trash in the car from children, mud on the seats, fingerprints on the glass).

But it also makes me feel uneasy that my husband is forgetful and does not always think to lock my car. It makes me almost afraid to go anywhere with him in it... that maybe he will forget to lock it again.

I know I shouldn't blame him for my things being stolen. I knew the risk of keeping things in the car. I took the chance knowing how forgetful I am. That is my fault. I just hate that a decision was made (or not made) that made it easy for someone to break in to my car (possibly encouraging future break-ins in the future).

This break-in has truly had a negative effect on me making me want to move. There is no garage for me to safely secure my car in. I feel like even seeing my car outside the house is enough to encourage the thief to come back for more. I wonder if moving the car even closer to the house provides more protection? Would having a camera as well as a motion sensor light scare a thief? Do we need to get to know our neighbors better? Would that even matter at 2AM in the morning? And what did I hear at 2AM in the morning? Was that the person going through my car? Were they going through anything else? Was it an animal? Would it have stopped the person if I had turned on the light rather than not wanting to wake up my not-sleeping husband? Is there anything I could have done? Anything that I should do in the future?

Last night we slept with the lights on in the front room... just because. I felt like someone walking by the house may not know if we are awake or asleep and decide it wasn't worth the risk. I don't know if that is logical or a waste of energy. And the thing is... I really hope I never find out.

I'm hoping as the days go by, I can begin to feel more comfortable again. I'm hoping my husband has learned his lesson. I'm hoping we can take whatever measures we need to make the house more secure.

I think the thing I am most saddened by is the fact that we lost wedding gifts that our friends and family gave us. I feel like we have wasted their time and money rather than doing as I intended... helping it to go as far as possible using coupons to get great deals. That and the loss of security I once had.

Justin says the 'quick fix' may have deterred the thief from stealing something more valuable or attempting to break into our house. I hope s/he enjoys their wedding gift cards and car parts. I guess whatever makes a person happy is fine by me...

By the way, as a side note, Macy's was absolutely awesome when I called to explain that my giftcards had been stolen. They offered to send us a complimentary $25 giftcard which I accepted happily! So Macy's... I <3 you! Thank you for being awesome!