A NOT so ordinary day...

This afternoon, while Mike and I were at work and Oli was at school, our home was broken into. Like I said, we were not home so we are okay. Mike got a call around 3:30 this afternoon from a detective and their conversation went a little like this: 

Detective: May I speak to Mike please?

Mike: This is Mike.

Detective: Mike, I have an ipad here and a laptop and some jewelry and I'm just wondering if you have reported a recent theft of some personal items. 

Mike: No, no I haven't reported anything. But I better go home now because if you have those things, it means my house has been broken into. 

The detective sent an officer to meet him at the house and they found that our back door to our pool had been shattered. It is entirely glass so there was glass everywhere. The pieces-of-crap-who-are-too-lazy-to-get-a-job-and-buy-their-own-stuff had emptied a gym bag of Mike's and stuffed every piece of jewelry I own (except for my engagement and wedding rings--I wear those every day), some electronics and itunes gift cards into it and fled. They opened and emptied several drawers in their quest for my things. They went into our guest room and emptied drawers. They went into my daughter's room. That is the only action of theirs that puts me into a boiling rage. 

Apparently the two young men responsible for this had been going around our neighborhood this afternoon knocking on doors to see if anyone was home. One of our neighbors answered the door and when the guys didn't have a good reason for having knocked, she trusted her instinct that they did not belong and she called the police. The police showed up in the neighborhood shortly after our house was robbed, found the two guys in their van, and arrested one of them. The other, unfortunately, got away. 

Every single item of ours that they took was in that van and was returned to Mike. I can't even begin to be thankful enough for that blessing or for the neighbor who trusted her gut and made the call to the police. 

I was in a training class until 5 today so Mike was unable to reach me. I had plans to pick up Oli this evening  because Mike had another obligation and when I got ready to leave I saw that I had a text from Mike to call him when I had a chance. When I called he told me what happened. By then he already had people out fixing the glass and he was cleaning up the mess. 

I got home to find that my sweet husband had vacuumed up all of the glass and picked up all of the mess. The only thing he left out was my jewelry so I could take inventory. Funnily enough, as I was looking through my jewelry, I noticed they had taken several of our rosaries as well (at least 6. what? we're Catholic, we have a lot of rosaries). How's that for karma??? 

As I sit here writing this, my house looks like nothing bad happened at all. 

And through it all, Olivia was majorly whiney tonight and got sent to time out at least twice. Herein lies the lesson for tonight: No matter what is going on in life, your kid will keep you grounded enough not to completely lose it. While my head was spinning and I just wanted to sit on the floor and stare into space, my child needed to be cared for. That's what kept us on track tonight. That's what motivated my sweet Mike to clean up the house so quickly and so well. When we got home he said, "I didn't want Olivia to see our house or her room like that. And really I didn't want you to see it either." I nearly burst into tears. He is such a good man. 

In the Land of Parenthood, you don't get to just check out and sometimes, like tonight, that's a good thing. It keeps you grounded and from getting hysterical when you feel like you are going to lose your mind. It reminds you of the important things. 

When I picked Oli up at school I just felt so thankful that we had not been home. I really like my jewelry and this laptop but I don't love those things. What I LOVE in my life, the "things" I adore are Mike and Olivia. Taking care of Oli in the midst of tonight's chaos gave Mike and I enough glue to keep it all together. 

I don't like at all that two people with evil intentions were in my home today. I especially don't like that they went into my child's room. I feel a little sick just thinking about people doing something so mean to us. BUT this is life. Sometimes crap just happens and we have to stop and be thankful for every day--ordinary or otherwise. And, hey, at least I got a new back door for my birthday! 

I hope the little butthole the police caught enjoys his night sleeping on a cot in county jail. I hope he finds some big burly man to snuggle up with. I, however, will be going to sleep in my nice warm bed. 'Cause, you know, you get to sleep in your own bed when you don't commit class 2 felonies.