Update

Justin and I spent the weekend dealing with the break-in issues. Our main goal this weekend was to get the door replaced. We purchased a new door at Home Depot on Saturday and arranged for a contractor to install it on Sunday. We also researched door hardware and purchased a new set that is supposed to be very durable and nearly impossible to kick-in. Our goal is to replace the hardware on all the exterior doors.

We also purchased a door reinforcement plate that adds extra protection against kick-ins and door hardware failure. If we had installed this before the break-in, it probably would have prevented the people from getting in. I'll try to post some photos of the new door and hardware. It looks nice.

( Photo source)

Friday evening, Justin noticed one of the slots in our knife block on the counter was empty. This wasn't extremely odd. He began looking in the sink, drawers, dishwasher, and anywhere else the knife could be. He never found it. This discovery really disturbed both of us. The people broke into our house and grabbed a knife from our kitchen. Thoughts have raced through our mind. What if someone had been at the house when this happened? What if one of us had gone home for a few minutes and discovered the robbery in progress? The thought is nauseating.

We are in contact with an alarm company and will have that installed very soon. This is something we researched shortly after purchasing the house, but decided to postpone.

It was also discovered that a bowl of change was missing from one of the bedrooms. Nothing big, but it does show they "plundered" through that bedroom in addition to going through our master bedroom.

I am so glad no one was injured and that the tv was the only thing of any value that was stolen. The door wasn't cheap to replace, but we replaced it and have made some changes to hopefully protect ourselves and our home. We also spent some time this weekend cleaning. It's hard to explain, but I feel like the house is dirty now. I wiped down anything I know they touched, but it still doesn't feel "right". I also noticed the Christmas tree was rotated. Why did they move our Christmas tree?!

We also realized we need to write down serial numbers for anything of any value in the house. This will help identify any stolen items in the event they are recovered. We're also having a hard time wanting to replace the tv. Why buy another one that could be stolen, too? Justin called several pawn shops in the area on Friday and he and I visited several on Saturday. I guess our tv is really gone.

I never imagined a simple break-in could cause us to feel this way. Our house is supposed to be our safe place, our haven, a place to relax and unwind.