Friday, April 24, 2009

A Doozey of a Week

I've had a heck of a week, friends.

The project I've been working on is wrapping up (thank God) but there have been many, many loose ends to take care of. I've been a ball of stress and my poor husband has been on the receiving end of my stress more than a few times this week. He's a good sport and I love him for trying to make me laugh when my stress is through the roof (even though I don't always feel like laughing in the moment). Midweek, he told me that he didn't see me taking very good care of myself in the midst of all this craziness. He knows I love the outdoors and he knows I am refreshed after spending time outside, so he suggested I try to let go of some responsibility for an hour or so and go for a hike or a walk or a bike ride.

The weather here has been awesome this week (though there are still a few patches of snow left from last weekend's storm) and I decided he was right. I made a plan to meet my friend, Leslie, on Thursday morning at a nearby trailhead after we dropped our kiddos off at school. 

We had a GREAT walk and kept within our time parameters, and I was very thankful for the exercise and conversation. We got back to our cars and she looked over and said, "Hey, Mer, what's wrong with your van window?"

OH. MY. GOSH.

MY WINDOW WAS SHATTERED.

I immediately ran over and realized that my purse was gone. 

And the freaking out began.

I called the police (though it was slightly comical that I could SEE the police station from the trailhead). While I waited for an officer to arrive, I looked around to see if someone had perhaps grabbed my purse and ditched it after fishing out my wallet. Remember my cute, red Vera Bradley bag? Yeah, that's the one that was stolen and if it had been tossed, it would have been easy to spot on the piles of snow. 

No purse. 

I quickly did a mental inventory of what was in my purse. 

My wallet--driver's license, credit card, debit cards, NO cash
My coupons
Some gift cards (Starbucks and the teahouse--boo hoo!)
My house keys

Wait! My house keys??? Now I was really freaking out. I looked in the van for my garage opener, and thank goodness it wasn't taken. Nor was my camera that was in between my seats. If you happen to know the project I'm working on, you know how amazing it was that my camera wasn't in my purse!

I called John and he got to work canceling all my bank cards.

Now...just so you know...I didn't leave my purse in plain sight. I can't even believe I brought it with me, but for some reason I did. I tried to hide it behind the passenger seat, and I thought I did a decent job. Evidently not. Also, this was a BRAZEN act that happened in broad daylight at a busy trailhead in a heavy traffic area. It's not remote in the least. CRAZY.

The policeman got there, fingerprinted everything, then wrote up his report. I told him I was skittish about going home because my keys had been in my purse. He followed me home, searched the house with me, and then sat me down and talked me through the steps I needed to take next.

About this time I realized that my iPod was also in my purse. The iPod that John bought for me and that I'd only had for 45 days. It slowly sunk in that it was GONE. I nearly cried. Okay, I did cry. Because it made me sad AND mad.

John arrived shortly after the officer left and sent me to Home Depot to buy a new deadbolt and door locks, which it turns out is actually quite challenging to do without your wallet and ID. 

It was about this time that I glanced in the mirror and realized that I needed to put some lipstick on. A nanosecond later, I realized that every single tube of lipstick I own (except the gaudy hot pink one) was in my purse. GONE. Arghhhhh...

While John vacuumed all the glass out of my van and changed the locks, I spent a great deal of time on the phone with my insurance company and the glass company. Thankfully, I found a guy who was able to put in a new window yesterday afternoon.

The bottom line, friends, is that I learned an expensive lesson about leaving my purse in the car.

$100 - glass deductible for new van window.

$  50 - new door locks. Peace of mind, however, is priceless.

$  21 - new CO driver's license. I was in and out of the DMV in five minutes today--a small miracle.

$  15 - new lipsticks at Ulta! I even had a coupon at home.

I still need to buy a new wallet, but I'm gonna have to wait awhile to replace my iPod and purse. My kids were awesome though. Each of them offered me their iPod. How sweet is that?

Anyway, it's been a week I'm happy to see end. I'm wiped out emotionally and physically. I'm still very angry too. I didn't really need the hassle or the expense of all this. Especially this week. But what can you do?

I sure hope you guys have all had a better and less stressful week. If you leave your purse in your car--regardless of whether it's locked or not--please think twice. Trust me, it's not worth the headache. 

40 comments:

Liz Almond said...

Wow! So sorry to read about this!
I hope next week is much better for you!

Becca~CapturingSimpleJoys said...

Oh. My. Goodness!! You poor thing! That is a very stressful week. As I was reading and came to the part about your husband sending you out and then you meeting a friend for a walk I was thinking "what a happy ending to a bad week" Not so huh? You'll have to keep us updated on if they ever find out who did it and also the new purse and ipod you choose:)

Hope your weekend is relaxing!

Amber said...

Oh, Mer. I'm so sorry. I leave my purse in my car ALL THE TIME. You've made me think twice about that, for sure!!

And your Vera Bradley? *sniff*

Relax this weekend. You more than deserve it.

Jennifer said...

Mer........I left you a message on FB, but wanted to give you a blog hug from Florida. Sister, I feel your pain, really do.

Hugs to you......

Becky said...

I am so sorry, Mer. Talk about an emotional roller coaster ride. You do have some sweet, thoughtful kids and husband too!

lisa@littlesliceoflife said...

I'm so sorry, Mer. I leave my purse in the car all the time. I'm sad about the Vera bag and the iPod but I'm especially sorry about the lipstick...it's so hard to find the right one!

What in the world kind of project are you working on?!

Carpool Queen said...

I leave my purse in the car all the time. Because I hate to carry it if I'm just running in.

Crud.

But like you, I never have cash in it.

Moriah @ Please Pass the Salt said...

Oh Mer and Oh Minnie. I'm so sorry. Do you keep your house keys on a different ring than your van key? I would be sure to lose one or the other (as we...ahem... know).

Maybe we should set up a Mer purse/ipod fund. :)

-M

Holly said...

OH Mer! I knew something was wrong...I just did. I have been praying for you, friend.

In our little town, too...

And this - "I was in and out of the DMV in five minutes today--a small miracle."--is a huge miracle. I have waited for a few hours there before.

I'm praying they find your things. And I'm praying for you.

Much Love,
Holly

Tiffani said...

I just can't imagine the range of emotions you feel...I would be just.plain.sick. too.

Crazily enough mostly over the bag and ipod. I guess b/c I know, for me, those things have to come in gift form or I don't get them...so, I would be very sad over that!

Perspective is certainly key and I pray that the Enemy will not whisper lies and cause you any anxiety and that your joy will be full!

Enjoy your weekend!

Lisa said...

I am so sorry, how terrible. I would lose it over the Vera Bradley purse and swear I would hunt the guy down!

Don't let the enemy play mind games with you.

Lisa Q

Christi @ Writing the Waves said...

That's horrible Meredith!

I heard a story last week about a thief here in town breaking into someones car, using the GPS that they found in the car to locate "home", driving to the owner's home, using the garage door opener to get into the garage...to the door that EVERYONE leaves unlocked into the house, and then robbing the house as well!!

It is just a shame that we have to be so cautious! I also ALWAYS leave my purse in my car!

Glad that you were at least able to contact all of your credit/debit card companies, etc., before the guy had time to do any additional damage.

Hope you get your stuff back!

Diane@Diane's Place said...

I knew the bare bones of the situation from your updates on Twitter and Facebook. Sorry you were a victim and hope there are no more repercussions from it.

Have a good weekend if you can. :o)

Love and hugs,

Diane

Gretchen said...

I know "they" say that it's just things which were stolen. But a part of your faith in humanity was dinged pretty hard. So was your sense of security and safety. I'm so sorry this happened. So sweet about your kids and groovy about the new lipstick. (((HUGS)))

Puva said...

That's really sweet of your kids (:

Sorry to hear about what happened. I hope it'll never happen again!

Trish said...

Oh man. I am so sorry! i hate the feeling of violation that comes with knowing that someone out there has all your stuff.........

the good news is that it is just stuff!

My husband had his I-pod stolen today out of his coat pocket. His coat was hanging in HIS office at work......frustrating.

Hope your weekend goes better!

Unknown said...

Reading the details of that dreaded day makes me sad and mad for you!

I am glad its over though, and as a result, I won't be leaving my purse in the van anytime soon (I do this ALL the time, hidden of course).

Joanne : The Simple Wife said...

Oh Mer,

The same thing recently happened to a friend in the parking lot at my kids' school. I have ALWAYS left my purse (and keys!) locked in my car and just used the number pad to unlock it. No more.

Five minutes for the DMV? Miracle indeed.

So glad the police followed you home to search and make sure you were safe.

Praying for a peaceful Saturday for you.

So much love,
Joanne

P.S. You know you're a blogger when you stop in the midst of a crises to take a picture! :)

Anonymous said...

I'm so sorry to hear about that. The same thing happened to my mom about 2 years ago. It is a sickening feeling. I do hope everything gets taken care of smoothly.

*carrie* said...

Mer,

Yuk! So sorry to hear this. Reminded me of this post I read a year ago: http://rocksinmydryer.typepad.com/shannon/2008/04/works-for-me-pu.html

Thanks for your recent e-mail. I appreciate you sharing those ideas and am allowing them to percolate. =)

Tracey said...

I AM SO SORRY ABOUT THE PURSE! Having all that stuff gone is such a pain.

Jackie said...

Mer, I am SO sorry. That just plain stinks - one thing after another - thank God the week is only so long and you can start fresh on Monday.

I remember coming out of my house one morning to find my car gone, stolen from where it was parked at the front of my house. I had such a horrible, angry, sickened feeling, so I totally empathize with you.

Rest this weekend if you can - hugs!

Lisa said...

Mer,
I am so sorry -- what an awful experience. I would have reacted much the same. The upside -- if you think about it -- is that you were not physically hurt. It could have been worse.

Michele said...

I am so sorry this happened to you! I will learn a lesson for sure from your experience! Why do people have to be so mean?!?!

JenB said...

Oh girl, I am so sorry and I feel your pain. Last Oct, same thing happened to me, AT CHURCH!! It was a huge pain getting everything cancelled (check book stolen too!) I really scaled down my purse after that.

Cathy said...

Ugh. Ugh. and double UGH.

That just SUCKS.

Hope your weekend is 100 times better!!!

Kelly @ Love Well said...

I've been saying little prayers for you ever since I saw this "update" on FB.

I rarely leave my purse in the car, because my purse is also known as The Diaper Bag, and since the baby is with me, the diaper bag is with me.

But I'm curious: What should you have done with your purse? You're supposed to have your driver's license, minimum, and it makes sense to have a credit card at all times. Plus keys. Plus a cell phone. You don't want to carry all that on the hike. So what do the experts recommend?

Melissa Stover said...

that sounds awful! i hate you had to deal with that.

Lori Motl said...

I am so sorry, Mer! That stinks! I leave my purse in the car a lot, too. I know it's such a pain to replace everything. I hope he gets caught.

And how sweet are your kids! You may not have a purse, but you have awesome kids!

Elizabeth said...

I'm so sad for you, and on top of all the other stress just makes it worse. I agree with someone above that we need to start an iPod/purse fund for you. I even have an iPod to spare if you want to borrow it!

Michele said...

Meredith I know exactly what you are going through. Been there. Done that. I was able to find my purse and everything in it and my wallet (they just took out my major credit cards). Mine happened in my driveway.. . . at night. .. and, I live in a nice neighborhood. There has been a string of these things going on around here. My purse was really special to me, and as we walked around our subdivision . . .we found it. I do understand your pain, and, again, I'm so very, very sorry.

Guess what? I never, ever, ever, never, never leave my purse in my car now.

Sitesx6 said...

Oh man!!!

I'm so sorry about this.....so much for the nice, relaxing trail walk you were trying to take.

I admit (and have learned from your event) that I ALWAYS put my purse behind the passanger seat in an effort to hide it. I will NEVER to that again. I'll leave it at home or take it in with me.

Stupid criminals!!!!! That was awesome of the police man to follow you home and go inside with you....how creepy!!!!!!

Stuff like this just makes me SOOO ANGRY! I'm so sorry it happened to you.

Kelly in Michigan

Gina said...

I would have cried A LOT!
Man, what a crappy way to relax.
I leave my purse in my car often, but we drive a $1000 car (or the free one) and there is so much kid junk in there that it doesn't look like it is worth the bother...

Ali said...

I'm so sorry! When my hubby and I were newlyweds and had just returned from our honeymoon we had our Jeep broken into and we lost several wedding gifts, most of our music CD's, and tons of other stuff! So frustrating! My heart is sad for you I know you must feel violated and frustrated!

~ Ali

His Girl said...

oh amiga! that's beyond rotten! so so so sorry!!!! what a total bummer.

(is there any chance your car ins. will cover the ipod? or, if your hubby bought the ipod with a credit card, it may be covered by buyer's protection?)



praying.

Nina Diane said...

yuck.....so sorry that happened to you. It's such a pain but also just makes you downright mad that people can be so mean!
hope this is a better week....

Anonymous said...

I am so sorry this happened! Glad you got a relaxing day on Sunday! Love reading your blog!

Laurie

Shanda said...

I am truly sorry that you had to go through all of that! It is a good reminder for all of us.

Praying that in some way - even if it is very small and WAY down the road; that you will be able to look back and see the hand of God at work in all of this.

Praising God that no one was harmed; that John can change locks; that you got to see the compassionate side of your children rise to the occasion; and that your camera was there!!

Hope all went well with your large project!

Michelle@Life with Three said...

Oh, Meredith. I was so sorry to read this! It served as a good reminder for me, though. I have a horrible habit of leaving my purse in the car (strangely enough, hidden behind the passenger seat -- imagine that!). You're right. I just shouldn't do it.

Rachel said...

I'm so sorry! I hope everything is getting resolved by now.