St. Valentine's Day Massacre

Right here in Illinois, we are facing our own nightmare.

I can remember back to Virginia Tech, Columbine ..... the awful school shooting tragedies that deeply touched many, but it never hit so close to home.

This time it's a university practically in our own backyard.

A young man opened fire on a lecture hall at Northern Illinois University, and as of this posting, there are 6 confirmed dead (including the gunman).

This is just a couple weeks after several women were murdered, shot execution style inside a Lane Bryant store. News reports call that a "robbery gone bad", but I would be willing to put money on it that it turns up that the gunman had a connection to someone in that store. Who on Earth would rob a woman's clothing store when they first open?? And if you were only robbing it -- why would you line them up in the back room and shoot them all that way???

The only difference between these two local tragedies is that the gunman from Lane Bryant is still at large. The NIU gunman took his own life.

This is a sick, sick world. There is more and more violence every day. Why is there so much hate? What makes someone think they have the right to take another person's life? I just don't understand....and I guess I never will.

Rough Day Ahead

All fun and kidding aside for a moment.



I just placed an order with a florist to have an arrangement sent to the funeral home for Katrina's father. The obituary is in today's paper and visitation is tomorrow evening.

Since reading it online, I've been in sorts and not able to think clearly. I couldn't even remember my zip code when I was placing the order.

Tomorrow is going to be a rough day. I don't handle seeing others upset very well, so I imagine there will be many tears tomorrow.

Life is so unfair

I'm sure you all recall my post about my friend Katrina's friend, Dana, being murdered not too long ago, right?

Well, with deep and utter sadness that I write this ... Katrina's father passed away this morning.

All was normal this morning, and I was busy with the normal Monday routine at work when my cell phone bleeped that I had a text message. I flip open my phone and see that it's from Katrina, and I'm thinking she's just going to be sending a Monday Morning greeting. Until I open it and read these simple words:

"My dad died this a.m."

How can I just send a text message back to that? I immediately called her back, the tears already springing to my eyes and when I heard her voice, I lost it. The tears fell quickly, I could no longer hold them back. My heart was breaking apart for her, and I still feel an ache, knowing just what she must be going through right now.

I thought back to how unfair I thought it was that my husband at almost 30 lost his mother. How much more unfair that my good friend lost her father when she was just 28? I'm pretty sure her folks are younger than mine - maybe not by a tremendous amount, but my folks are not quite 60 yet. There's still a couple years until the big 6-0.

I feel helpless....like I should be doing something more for her. I told her how sorry I was, and that if she needed anything, to call me. I guess that's all I can do at this point, while she grieves with her family and helps to make the arrangements.

My heart is hurting.

Monsters

Do you ever wonder just how it's possible that there can be such monsters in this world??

How can someone else feel they are so important, so mighty, that they can deem someone else's life not worthy .... and take it?

I called my friend, Katrina on Monday to check in and see how she's doing and how her newest little pumpkin is growing (she has a 2 month old baby boy). She didn't sound right, and tells me that she's been in a daze; that I might have heard on the news; her friend Dana was murdered over the weekend.

WHAT?!? I had never had the pleasure of meeting her; knew her from Katrina speaking of her, saw her at Katrina and her husband's wedding reception (Dana was a bridesmaid), and saw her picture in Katrina's friends list on myspace.

I've gotten more information from the story than has been in the news - since she's close the family and they have the access to the complete story before the media gets ahold of it (if they manage to).

It's disturbing to know that a friend of my friend was murdered. No, the death doesn't ultimately affect me -- but it does in such a way because my friend is grieving.

25 years old .... a life full of potential, cut short

Rest in Peace, Dana Mangi

Two Monsters, 6 Lives

The monsters I speak of are Christopher Vaughn and Bobby Cutts, Jr. Two men all over the recent nationwide news .... names that are now known from coast to coast.

Christopher Vaughn, arrested for the murders of his wife, and their three children. Bobby Cutts, arrested for the murder of his girlfriend and unborn daughter.

These two stories sucked me in, and I waited for new developments, more information; surfing the web and watching the news. I prayed for Jessie Davis and her unborn baby girl, hoping upon hope that she'd be found alive and well.

Much to my dismay, just hours after learning that Christopher Vaughn had been arrested for the murders of his family, we found that Jessie's body had been recovered.

Why these stories pulled at heartstrings? The Vaughn family was from a suburban Chicago town, not far from me. When something of this magnitude happens this close to home, it sticks with you. And when a young woman, pregnant with her second child disappears, with the awful reality looming that foul play was involved, it hits you. She was my age, and a mother at that. I can't imagine there being many women out there that this didn't hit home to.

Imagine, these lives .... all taken by someone they loved, and thought loved them in return.

Christopher Vaughn, shooting his family in cold blood, and moreso, from what I've read, those children were each shot twice, yet his wife, only once. Why? As if it weren't enough to murder the family, inflicting more gunshot wounds to those that were the most innocent. Children....all under the age of 13.

It sickens me, upsets me and makes me fear the future. Do we know who we can trust? When stories like this come to light, how do we really know we can trust those that are closest to us?

My heart breaks for the families and loved ones these 6 lives have left behind. For the grandparents of the Vaughn children, and for their family and friends and those of Kimberly Vaughn's. For the family and friends of Jessie Davis, and most importantly, for the 2 year old little boy, Blake that she leaves behind.

May you all find peace and comfort.

Rest in Peace:
Kimberly Vaughn
Abigayle Vaughn
Cassandra Vaughn
Blake Vaughn

Jessie Davis
Chloe

And may those responsible for their deaths rot in hell.

Saying Goodbye

Yesterday was rough. By the time we got home, I was completely drained. I came down with a cold this weekend, so that added to the fact that I was mentally dealing with the loss of Mike's mom....well, it took every ounce of energy right out of my body.

I'm glad that day is over. Walking into the funeral home, I had this sudden, overwhelming urge to turn and run. It was like a mini panic attack, and I felt like I was going to hurl at the same time. It's like it hit me -- we lost a PARENT.

Not a great-grandparent, or a grandparent, or a great aunt or uncle .... it was a P A R E N T. It made me think about my folks, and just how torn up I'll be when I lose them. God, I pray that doesn't happen for a long, long time.

But it's tough. His mom was 48. My mother is just weeks from turning 58. Everyone says, "Oh, they're not old!" ..... Well, no, they aren't, really. But when you just attended the funeral services for your husband's mother that didn't reach her fiftieth birthday yet, it's a bit harder to digest. Since my folks hit 55, I've cringed at every birthday that they've gotten closer to 60.

It's depressing to think about, and moreso depressing to sit here and blog about it. Someone, slap me!!!

(sigh)

I was just laying out my son's clothes for tomorrow, and was feeling rather depressed about the whole thing. In just 3 months time I've laid out his dress pants, shirt and tie twice. I hope I don't have to do this again anytime soon.

So many losses, so little time

Mike's mom passed away yesterday. His cell phone rang just before 6:30 in the morning, and he groggily answered. He didn't need to say a word .... I just knew what the phone call was about.

We spent the morning and afternoon and in Kenosha helping to make the arrangements. The services will be Sunday afternoon.

It's amazing how long she held on and fought. We got the news that she broke her neck almost 3 weeks ago. She was just 48 years old.

I'm haivng a hard time coming to terms that my husband - who won't be 30 until April - already lost his mother.

He's really had a lot of losses within his family. His grandmother passed away in September 2004. Just this past October, he lost his grandfather. And now, his mother. Of course, we lost my grams in October 2005 as well.

It really does suck getting older.