robbed

I'm sure everyone has used the expression "I was robbed!" I know I have....when shooting basketballs and it ALMOST made it in, but not quite, or when Mike just BARELY beats me at Monopoly, or any other game. Well, this is no longer just an expression around our house.

We Literally were ROBBED!!!

It happened on Tuesday, before Thanksgiving. I was out shopping and running my all important errands that needed to be done before we left for St. George. ( You know...get a new pedicure, buy a cute swimsuit, etc.) :) Well, I was at Macys shopping when Mike called on his way home from school. We were just chatting when all of a sudden he mentioned that I had left the garage door open.

"No...I certainly did not leave the garage door open." I said. Then he said .....well, I better not write on here what he ACTUALLY said...but let me know in very strong words that all his tools in the garage, as well as camping, hiking, rock climbing and sports equipment were missing as well. Oh...and they also took his framed poster of Bob Marley. Go figure.

Well, thats not the worst of it. I thought it was my fault, because I assumed I actually HAD left the garage door open. but when Mike went inside, he was in for the shock of his life!

Everything was gone!

Okay...not everything. The couches were there, my curio cabinet was there, and my big huge tv was there. (it takes about 4 grown men to left that darn thing. I almost wish they HAD stolen it so I wouldn't have to move it again.)

but everything else. They took our DVD players, my COX DVR cable receiver, Mikes surround sound speakers and receiver, our laptop computer and my desktop, all the wireless internet stuff, phones, about 150 DVDs, oh...and my toaster! go figure!

It was scary to come home and see your house in shambles. It was really like what you see on TV. All the dresser doors had been opened and over-turned. there were clothes and papers everywhere! In all the rooms everything had been rummaged through, dumped out, and picked over. We called the police and waited over NINE HOURS for them to show up. That was the worst part. We couldn't do ANYTHING until they came. My house was a complete disaster and I couldn't do a thing about it. all Day long.

They took tons more stuff. I have some before and after pics I will post later. but on a brighter note....it could have been so much worse.

No one was home. Which is probably why they robbed us in the first place. But you never know. I'm just glad I wasn't home to find out if they would have tried it anyway. Also, they didn't do any damage to my home. A couple of people in my ward have been broken into, and they did MAJOR vandalism. You know, spray painted walls, smashed tvs and furniture and walls with baseball bats, basically desgtroyed anything they could get their hands on. I'm glad that didn't happen to us. I'm sure we were hit by some pros...because they got in, took what they wanted, and got out. They even brought wire cutters to cut through all the computer and electronic cords. That way they didn't have to waste time unhooking everything.

The most annoying thing they stole were all our duffel bags! I realized its so they can throw all your stuff in them and carry it out easily. That made it pretty hard to pack for Thanksgiving vacation. Ironically, they even stole my Primary bag with the CTR label emblazoned on the front. That made me laugh. I guess no one ever taught them what CTR stands for!! :)

the robbers broke through a kitchen window and just let themselves in. thanks to Marlee (my nicest dog in the universe) who let them just walk right in, and was probably THRILLED to have a few new "friends" visiting her.

anyway, we boarded up the window and changed all the locks before we left. We also had to cancel all our credit cards. They didn't steal any cards, but they went through our files that had all our bank account statements and credit card statements. I hope they weren't smart enough to write down the account numbers...but I'm not taking any chances.

Now that we're home, I had to call the insurance agent, call glass people to come fix the window, call COX to get a new DVR (that they are charging me $500 for. Thanks COX), and put a fraud alert on our credit reports and social security numbers. Its just no fun to get robbed. oh, I also called a company about a state of the art alarm system. :) Maybe a little too late, but hopefully the thiefs won't come back.

On a happier note, we had a wonderful Thanksgiving with the family in St. George. Mike and I even braved the Sale crowds early Friday morning to try and replace some of what we lost. We were waiting in line in the Best Buy parking lot by 4AM, and we managed to get a good deal on a new laptop. I also bought ANOTHER new photoshop, as the one Mike got me for my birthday was stolen. so atleast now that we have a computer again, I can blog and do some scrapbooking.

anyway...that is the drama at the Romer household this week. It certainly seems that Drama never ends around here. I will post pics later, but for now, I just don't have the heart. They are so sad! Its a strange thing feeling like a stranger in your own home. But for now, everyone is safe, and the things we lost can be replaced. thanks to everyone for your kind words and prayers! we love you!