Tuesday, August 23, 2011

Violated...

I had hoped to start this week off with fun posts about my fabulous trip home.  However, life decided to throw me for one heck of a loop in my return to the island. 

It all started in Atlanta... at 5AM.  I had two stops between Atlanta and Honolulu-- one in Houston and another in Phoenix.  The lovely people in Atlanta that boarded the plane before me and the second half of the passengers decided that their belongings were more important than ours.  They demonstrated this by bringing ridiculously big carry-on items that took up all of the room in the overhead bins, leaving none for those of us unfortunate enough to be called a bit later on for seating.  I found a space just big enough for my carry-on bag that held my cameras and laptop, placed my bag in the bin, checked to make sure it would close, and took my seat.  A few moments later I noticed another passenger move my bag over to try and squeeze theirs in.  This, in turn, made my bag stick out.  Before I could get up to fix it, I saw a flight attendant hauling my bag down the aisle and toward the door.  A moment later I was contacted and told that my bag was checked all the way to Honolulu... with no questions asked about whether or not I needed anything in the bag for the 13 hours I had left on my journey.  The doors closed, and all I could do was hope that the bag with my priceless possessions holding videos and photos from my trip along with the charger for my dying phone would make it to Honolulu.

Fast forward to the next flight out of Houston.  I barely made it on time thanks to the kind people with oversized bags in Atlanta who delayed that flight's departure.  Still, I tried to remain optimistic.

The next and final flight was out of Phoenix.  The stupid airport in Phoenix.  After landing in one terminal, I had to leave the building, catch a bus to another terminal, and go through security all over again.  Oh so much fun...  Still, however, I tried to remain optimistic.  Surely things would be better when I just landed in Honolulu.

I touch down in Honolulu earlier than expected, I make my way to baggage claim, and I wait.  And I wait. And I wait.  For 45 minutes we all stood there waiting for bags that in the past have beat me to baggage claim.  Finally, bags start popping out.  I get the bag I checked originally, and I wait.  And I wait.  And I wait.  Then I realize the carry-on that had to be checked isn't coming, so I head to the counter for help.  Soon I find out that for some reason it was sent to Kona on the Big Island.  After telling them how badly I needed the bag as soon as possible, they promised to call me when it came back later in the afternoon.  I was angry, my phone was dying, but I went to find my ride.

I was overjoyed to see "my boys," but it was overshadowed by my rotten luck of the day.

Little did I know it was about to hit the rotten rock bottom.


When I get home, I unlock my front door to find the closet door ajar.  Then, I notice my sliding glass door is open and my papasan cushion on the lanai is thrown on the floor.  As I continue to look around-- in fury by this point-- I see every drawer in my house is open and has been rifled through.  Upstairs every door is open, and more drawers left half open.  Then, I notice one little travel jewelry box is gone.  It held mostly costume jewelry, but it also held an opal and diamond ring that my mom gave me for my 16th birthday. It is irreplaceable,and the sentimental value far outweighs the monetary value.  That was when I just lost it.  I sat down and cried a moment, then I called Kent.  He reminded me that I should call the police.  When I did that, I had to sit and wait for quite a little while before they arrived.

It's strange.  I never thought I would feel so violated just from someone breaking into my home, but I do.  Just knowing that someone came in, uninvited, and ran their hands through my things picking and choosing what they wanted makes my skin crawl.  And it kind of hurts my feelings.

The police came, and so did some wonderful people that Kent works with.  I had fully prepared myself to deal with all that had to be done with the police report, calling maintenance, and straightening up alone, but I didn't have to.  Even before the police arrived, some guys from Kent's work showed up to help me remember what I wouldn't and think of the things I forgot.  They even found a phone charger for me since mine was in my "lost" bag.  Wives called to check on me and see what I needed, and even though I said I was fine, a couple of good friends came and brought me dinner, ate with me, sat with me while my windows and doors were fixed, walked my dogs with me, and stayed so I could feel safe taking a shower.  My sweet neighbor even brought me milk and cookies (because we all know they can make everything feel better!).  I seriously couldn't ask for more support in such a yucky situation.  Even though I'm away from my blood family, it felt good that a family based on a brotherhood and sisterhood of sorts formed when I needed it. 

I did finally get my missing bag back, and all in it was accounted for, but the uneasy feeling I have from the break in is probably going to linger for a while.  I am pretty certain whoever did it simply saw an opportunity in a vacant house, but I still can't feel completely comfortable again.

Anyhoo... Just needed to share that story to get it off my chest and feel a little peace of mind from looking at the whole situation.  Hopefully, I can get a decent night's sleep since I've been up for over 24 hours straight.  For now I'm off to snuggle with Duke, who will alert me at the smallest sound, and try to fall back into some sort of routine tomorrow. 

7 comments:

  1. Oh, Lindsay, my heart was just breaking as I read all that you had to go through. Girl, as if it wasn't enough dealing with all the flight issues...Oh, I am so very sorry that you had to arrive home to such. I am so happy to hear that friends arrived to be with you to help you through all that needed to be done. It is hard to remember things during a situation like this so it is good they could help you deal with it all. Just breaks my heart though that you had to go through this...and, I'm so sorry to hear about the loss of those sentimental items. I had a stalker in Germany when John was deployed and felt so violated and uneasy...he lived 3 houses down, and I initially caught him peering through the bushes into our patio door! Grrr!!! Praying that these uneasy feelings will soon pass for you...Know the furry babies will help your feelings, too! :) Big hugs to you, sweet friend! We are in the midst of moving to Sandestin so I've been a little behind with things but look fwd to catching up more with you once we're settled! :)

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  2. Oh my goodness! What a horrible end to your trip! I'm so sorry that happened to you and hopefully you'll get your lost bag soon and that all that will be intact. I know that was NOT what you wanted to deal with coming off a long flight. When we flew back to Germany this last time I waited 20 minutes on Ariana's carseat at baggage before going to the customer service. They had to go hunt it (20 more mins) but thank goodness they found it because I wouldn't have even been able to leave the airport! Sometimes life throws us curveballs ;/

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  3. Oh, I'm so sorry! Yuck! My house was broken into a few years ago and it is the creepiness of it all - seeing pictures etc. So so so sorry about the ring! That is awful. I'm so glad that you have such a family there in Hawaii! What a blessing!

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  4. Wow. This is awful! I'm so glad you're alright and taken care of. Which airline were you flying? I can't believe they didn't ask you if they could check your bag. And I can't believe on top of it all, your house was broken into.

    That's what a lot of people don't know about Hawaii. It has its crime problems (like a bunch of cities do). When we flew back to Hawaii for the first time after moving, the people who bought our house had put bars over the windows. I was still young, so it looks ugly and frightening. Looking back (and hearing all the stories my parents tell me), I realize that our seemingly safe neighborhood had its strange people and drug related break ins. My mom's car was stolen out of my elementary school's parking lot when she was dropping me off at kindergarten. Paradise, right?

    I'm sorry you've had to experience this first hand. It's okay to feel violated and uncomfortable, but hopefully these feelings will subside. You have you pups and hopefully the hubs will be home soon! hugs!

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  5. i am so sorry about this! i can understand being so frustrated. Hoping you feel safe in your home again soon!

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  6. Oh my gosh!! What an awful day!!! =( Break-ins are awful. When I was still living with my parents, our house got broken into. They stole a lot of things that were irreplaceable, and our feeling of safety. I stayed with my grandparents that night because I was too freaked out...even with my parents home. It was awful...especially because it happened right after I left our house to go to work... I left at about 2pm and my brother got home around 4 to find doors open and the house completely trashed. I'm glad you have such awesome neighbors who stayed with you and brought you goodies. I know that helped a lot! I hope today is a MUCH better day for you! Hugs!

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  7. That is terrible!!! I hate that you came home to that! I had a great time at lunch :) Hopefully your routine will be back to normal soon!

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