Now that I’ve calmed down a little (still trying to figure out how to deal with the $1000 deductible for our homeowners insurance, and worrying that they won’t give us the full value of each item), I can reflect on what has happened in the past 24 hours.

First, it’s quite possible our thieves are reading this blog. After all, my blog is the first bookmark in my browser. If you are reading this – we have your blood, dumbass, and the police are working on extracting DNA to catch you. Next time you want to rob someone, pick someone with more money who won’t miss their stuff as much. We’re too poor to simply let it go.

Next, it’s interesting to see what was left behind. Clearly they only left with what they could carry, which is why my hulking desktop computer is still here. But for once I can finally claim that being a slob has its benefits. Thanks to our incredibly messy house (which was particularly messy this week – after all, we didn’t realize we’d be having guests over to steal our stuff), they missed some valuable items.

The gorgeous necklace from Blend Creations I got for my birthday? Buried under a pile of stuffed animals in my nightstand drawer, that they rummaged through but didn’t get past the stuffed animals. The digital camera? Sitting right out in the open on our table, although flanked on all sides by clothing, papers, and other clutter, making it more obscure. My iPod? Sitting on the tray table in plain sight, right next to the window they broke to get in. But also surrounded by clutter, and so easily missed. So to all of my family, who criticize the mess we call our house, I say: See? Clutter can be a good thing! And now I’m less inclined to ever clean it up!

I also learned that either they were interrupted in their looting spree, or to thieves we have lousy taste in movies. Our DVDs are on a set of shelves, and we keep them in order. But the thieves had taken them off the shelves, and had sorted through them, but didn’t take a single one! Is our taste that bad? Surely if you’d just give Strictly Ballroom or The Princess Bride a chance, you might like them!

One of the scariest moments was when I walked in the door and wondered where the cats were. Luckily, we found all three, although Kit, who is usually the most outgoing of the three, was scared out of his fur. He’s still not quite back to normal yet.

Cordy was less than pleased with the turn of events, either. She was kept from her normal evening routine, and was. not. happy. You know, in the screaming, crying, thrashing kind of way. She wasn’t allowed to touch anything until the police dusted for fingerprints, she wasn’t allowed on the carpet due to all of the broken glass, and thanks to cables being ripped out in a hurry, the TV was not available. So no Oobi, and no playtime. Although she was perceptive to notice the hole in the window: “Owtsiiide!” “Yes, Cordy, there is now a hole to the outside.”

This has also not been a good week for other relatives as well. On Saturday, Aaron’s younger brother came home from work late at night, and was then robbed at gunpoint as he got out of his car. Not only did they steal his money, they tied him up and took him hostage in his own car for several hours. He had no cash on him, so they took him to the ATM to get money (they could only get $200 a day at the ATM), and then drove around until it was after midnight to get another $200. The things they said to him were simply surreal. He has a blog, but I can’t link to the entry because it’s protected, but trust me, it was a scary experience. I’m so glad he wasn’t hurt.

I called our insurance this morning, who took down my name and address (shouldn’t they already have that?) and said someone would get back to me in the next 24 hours. Which is the same thing they after-hours person said to Aaron last night. It’s early, but I’m already beginning to think our insurance doesn’t give a damn about helping us out.

The window is sort-of replaced. It was a double pane window, so they’ve ordered the window and put in a single pane for now. $320 for that bit of damage. Aaron’s parents came over last night and helped us clean up some of the glass, as well as helped occupy Cordy. I’m so thankful they were able to come help us.

Oh, and in cleaning up the glass we found what they used to break the window:

Yeah, you’d better believe that we’re keeping this rock. After all, it’s a damn expensive rock. Might even give it a special place of (dis)honor on the bookshelf.

Thank you all for your support. I love blogging for the community it provides, and you’ve all been a big emotional support for me. I’ve had my car broken into more than once, and while it was a pain, it wasn’t that big of a deal. This, on the other hand, has sent me into an emotional tailspin, and I’m still trying to come to terms with it all. So thank you for the kind comments you’ve left. You have no idea how much it means to me.

We were robbed.

I can’t think of any clever ways to say it right now, and I really need to vent, so it’s going to come out exactly how I’m feeling: We were fucking robbed.

Aaron came home tonight after picking up Cordy to find our house ransacked. A rock had been thrown through our living room window (in the back of the house), and they had their pick of all sorts of goodies.

We’re still trying to figure out what was taken, but here’s the short list:

– Aaron’s laptop computer
– My BRAND-NEW-BOUGHT-FOR-BLOGHER laptop that arrived less than a week ago
– All of the peripherals for both laptops
– A laptop bag, to carry out the laptops, of course
– Our PlayStation 2, which also doubled as our DVD player
– All of the PS2 games we owned (don’t really care about those)
– Several pieces of jewelry

Before you say it, yes, I know we’re lucky that we weren’t home, and we’re all safe. We’re very blessed in that regard. But with our financial problems this month, this is the last thing I wanted to deal with. We have no money at the moment, and I get paid Friday, but it’s not much. Aaron’s first paycheck doesn’t come until Aug. 4. I have been eBaying things around the house to make a little extra money. (OK, and to just get them out of our house, too.)

My new laptop was going to be featured tomorrow in the blog. I was going to tell you all how wonderful it was, and how it will help me blog better than my clunky, ancient desktop computer (which the thieves didn’t take). It was faster, had awesome software, and was so lightweight. I was preparing it for Blogher – loading up music to listen to, pictures of Cordy to show everyone, and anything I might need for blogging the conference. It had a media card reader to make photo transfer from my digital camera easier. It cost a lot, but my mom was helping me out with it, since she knew I really wanted to blog at the conference. I haven’t even mailed the rebates in yet. But now I have a huge credit card bill for a product I don’t even have use of, and don’t get to take to Blogher.

The jewelry taken hasn’t been fully inventoried yet. We think they stole my engagement ring, which is a very sad thought. They also took my sapphire and pearl ring. My mother and I each received one during Christmas 2004 – Cordy’s first Christmas. The pearl is my mother’s and my birthstone, and the sapphire is Cordy’s and my grandmother’s birthstone. Both rings had sentimental meaning to me, far beyond their costs.

Aaron’s laptop had a lot of files that will be difficult to replace. Including the completed novel he wrote last year (we do still have one paper copy), and the novel he was working on recently.

I can’t stop crying this evening. I feel so angry, but I also feel naked and vulnerable. These thieves not only took away expensive stuff, but they took away any feelings of security I had. I don’t feel safe in my own house now. The window is being replaced as we speak, but I don’t know if I’ll even be able to sleep tonight. I’m too scared they will come back.

It is just stuff. It can be replaced, and we do have insurance. But we also have a large deductible that we will have to get past first. Which means even if it is all replaced, we’ll still be at least $1000 behind where we currently are, which is still behind where we need to be. $1000 – that’s a monthly mortgage payment. The credit cards are pretty high right now, so we can’t finance any replacement items on those.

I’m sick at the thought of some asshole breaking into our house and going through our stuff. They were in all of the rooms of our house. They even went into Cordy’s room and knocked books off her bookshelf and went through all of her things. Who the hell robs from a baby? I feel so weirded out that this person or these people went though all of our things. They went through my nightstand, with all of my personal belongings. They went through my desk, with receipts and all sorts of materials to steal personal identity information from. It’s possible they stole a credit card, too. I’m still looking for it.

I nearly decided that I wasn’t going to Blogher. Our house is in shambles, our life on hold while we try to figure out what’s missing and what these people have taken from our lives. I’m terrified of leaving Aaron and Cordy in the house, afraid these delinquents will come back and hurt them. How can I party now? But the flight was paid for months ago, and I know I can’t let the thieves take away dreams I’ve had of meeting everyone as well.

So I will still be going to Blogher. But I will have no laptop with me to blog the experience. And I’ll be calling home more often than I had planned, to make sure everyone is alright.

Damn, damn, damn. This just isn’t how it was supposed to work out. And I can’t stop crying.

Update: I just realized that our video camera is gone as well. Along with all of the video we’ve shot of Cordy. I can deal with not having the video camera, but I wish they would have left me the tapes instead of the battery charger.

Going to BlogHer this weekend means leaving my precious daughter behind for a few days, but I’m realizing there is a golden lining to this: it will be the first time I’ll be walking around this week NOT covered in baby snot.

Cordy has a cold right now. That means snot pouring out of her nose, which she always wants to graciously share with me.

What is it about kids and snot?

You could have the most anti-social child, who doesn’t even like to be touched and never hugs, but once you put on your good clothes to go to work? Suddenly that child turns into a loving, hugging snot monster who wants nothing more than to bury her mucus covered face into your freshly pressed white blouse. Oh, and rub her head back and forth on the blouse, too, to provide maximum coverage of the slime trail. People will think a slug crawled across you in your sleep. But she’s being affectionate, so how can you push your sticky, germ-ridden child away?

Even if you’re not wearing good clothes, you could have just stepped out of the shower, and this sick child will take time away from her coloring and TV watching to come over, grab your bare arm and wipe her nose on it. (And then go right back to watching TV and coloring, of course.)

And baby snot doesn’t come out without a full washing. Which means you’re left scurrying for another shirt and using baby wipes to clean off your arm. But the child will be sure to at least tag your pants before you get out the door. You know, a little something to remember her by. Is the beginning of marking her territory?

She doesn’t work alone, however. If you should have a cat or dog, you can bet that the child is working in conjunction with the pet. Pet hair is magnetically attracted to work clothes, and when combined with baby snot forms a glue-like substance that even Goo-Gone struggles with. As the child wipes her snot on you, she sends a signal to the pet to quickly come jump on you as well. Now you’re leaving the house covered in snot and pet hair.

Maybe it’s easier to keep all of the good clothes in the car and change when at work? Nah, then she’s just figure out some way to sneeze on my hair.

PS – Izzy asked to interview me for BlogMe and I couldn’t say no to a second interview. Click over to Izzy’s and check it out!

PPS – Last time I’m going to say anything about my hair, I promise. I feel better about it now, because I followed an old rule I remembered about hair: if the cut is bad, dye the hell out of it. Now I like it more.

Friday: We found the most awesome (and F-R-E-E-!) water play park. We’ll be coming back to this place. A lot.

Saturday: We went to a BBQ in the middle of nowhere Ohio. Good food, good friends, and lots of space for Cordy to run.

Today: The day after hair cut picture. This is not going to be wash ‘n wear hair. Ah well, it’ll grow out. In the meantime, you’ll find me in Kristen’s room at BlogHer getting my hair done. If we do each other’s makeup also, I’ll really feel like I’m back in college in the dorms.

Lady, I clearly didn’t inherit your hair. Mine looks good. Now go do some stylin’.

With less than a week before BlogHer, I knew I needed a haircut and an eyebrow wax. So today Aaron agreed to solo duty with Cordy while I went to the mall.

First, I’m cheap. I’m not quite so cheap as to go to Fantastic Sam’s for a haircut, but I didn’t feel like shelling out the money for a frou-frou salon. The mall salon is usually good enough for me. Second, changing my hair usually makes me nervous. I always worry that the stylist will screw it up, and a bad haircut will make me self-conscious until it grows out.

Today the mall salon was packed, but they were able to fit me in. I should have backed out when the first available stylist was ready. Her previous customer had a haircut that I thought looked awful. But I was armed with pictures and descriptive words of what I wanted. I explained that I wanted a little length off, and I wanted my long layers cut back in. I told her my hair is heavy, so I like layers to keep it from being flat. I said no bangs, and it has to be easy to care for. I’m a wash ‘n go kind of girl.

She started cutting, and I relaxed. She seemed to understand what I was saying, and I also had beautiful pictures of hair models showing off shaggy yet stylish cuts.

Soon I started to worry. She was taking hair up near the crown of my head and cutting it awfully short. I had asked for layers no shorter than my nose. But I assumed she knew what she was doing, so tried to relax again.

When she was done, I was slightly shocked. I had the same cut as the previous customer. I looked like an 80’s punk rock girl. I know the 80’s are back in fashion, but my hair looks like it could be on someone opening for Joan Jett.

Because I can never get up the nerve to say I don’t like my hair, I paid and left without a single criticism. After all, she spent so much time working on my hair! And she’s the one trained in hair fashion, so maybe she knows something I don’t? Maybe this is the haircut every woman is going for now? I simply can’t ever complain about a haircut. Besides, I really don’t want someone who controls scissors near my hair after I’ve complained about their talents.

I also had mentioned more than once that I am a mother to a toddler and have no time for upkeep on my hair. I told her I rarely did more than brush it after a shower. So why did she take 15 minutes putting no less than 5 different styling gels, sprays, and pomades in my hair?

So now I have bad hair for BlogHer, and I’m just depressed about it. The shape is all wrong, and I worry that it will require a larger upkeep than I’m willing to invest. I’m going to try washing it tonight to see how it looks without all the styling gunk in it. Maybe it won’t look too bad.

I’m going to be brave and show you now what it looks like. That way I’ll be easy to spot at BlogHer – I’ll be the one with the 80’s rocker hairdo. Please try not to laugh, at least while I’m in earshot.

Before:

After: