Creepy: a warning to the online world

My husband participates in an online discussion board for his favorite game, Heroscape. He has developed friendships with people from the site and has invited a couple of them over to the house to play. One of the guys he invited over struck me as a bit creepy. Hubby told me he was harmless, just one of those 'weird characters' you meet sometimes. Still, I was happy I had insisted beforehand that someone we had never met was not spending the night in our home. If it was just the hubby and I, that might be different, but I will not do anything to put my daughter in possible danger.
So, it has come to our attention that this guy, let's call him UD, is possibly a child predator. One of the guys from the discussion board went out of town for a week, and came back to find that UD had made contact online with his 16 year old daughter. Apparently there were many emails, IM's, etc in which UD told the girl, among other things, he loved her and wanted to fly to her state to meet her. Asked for information on hotels. From what I understand, sex was not mentioned, but was obviously something on his mind. Why else would a 27 year old married man with 2 children solicit a 16 year old girl online? The girls father is thankfully a responsible parent who monitors his childrens online activity. When he came home, he reviewed her accounts and discovered the emails, and then went further to view her IM's and stuff. Thank God he found this out in time. The authorities have been contacted. Unfortunately, they say since nothing actually happened (ie the meeting never took place) and sex was not explicitly mentioned, that all they can do is put him on their list of possible threats and keep an eye on him. I have not seen these emails or anything myself, but we have it from good authority (a friend who is a cop, who is, ironically, on the same discussion board, and has become involved in the case) that it is definitely the work of someone wanting to solicit a child. Even the girl, upon reviewing everything, was glad that her father had found out because in hindsight she saw that it was not right. She wanted to bait UD so that the police could catch him but they did not want to use her as bait.
This totally creeps me out. This guy was in my home. My daughter had contact with him. Granted, she is 2 and this other girl is 16, but in my opinion this doesn't matter. A sexual predator was in the same room as my daughter. I am totally creeped out. I hope that he does not remember how to get to my house. I hope that the authorities find some reason to arrest him. I cannot believe that nothing can be done at this point. This man's wife is in the military and they are based a couple of hours from here. He has access to military bases and people let their guard down on base. You assume you can trust other military people. I can only assume that military children would be more likely to accept a ride or something from a stranger on a military base because you assume you can trust these people. I hope that this is an isolated incident with this guy and that nothing worse is done or has been done. I hope that noone else has to suffer the fear that this girl and her family have been subjected to.
Let this serve as a reminder to us to use caution in our dealings online. If you have children, please monitor their online activity. This is not an invasion of privacy, this is responsible parenting. Children (yes, even 16 and 17 year olds) are very impressionable. They are flattered by the attentions of an older man (or woman) and are naive enough to think that nothing bad can happen to them, that they know what they are doing. In reality, these predators know what they are doing and will do and say whatever is necessary to get what they want. And sometimes what they want is your child. Be aware and take the necessary precautions to ensure this does not happen to your family.

Oh gee, what a surprise!

So, since cd 43 just passed I figured I'd take a pg test. I know the docs said there was basically no chance I would ovulate on the Clomid based on my lab results, but a girl can still hope right? Made sure to BD on the right days just in case. Quadruple crossed my fingers. Stood on my head. Oh okay, I'm making that one up, but you get the idea. So, wanna guess the test results? Oh go on, you know you want to! Oh okay, I'll tell you..... BFN, of course! Aren't you surprised? No? Well, I guess I can't blame ya. It seems like such a waste of a perfectly good pg test when I already know the answer. But, I figured I'd better just make sure. Miracles happen sometimes right? Oh well, at least now I can drown my sorrows in some wine coolers tomorrow night. Blue Hawaiian.... mmmmmm

Grandpa

A husband, handsome and young
A father, whose praises are sung
A soldier, proud and bold
A grandfather, with a heart of gold

He was a man who made you laugh
In our family, the chief of staff
He served our country, standing tall
Greatly loved, and missed by all

Though our tears may still be shed
Better days are up ahead
Now that your soul is free
Our guardian angel, you shall be

A tribute to Michael S Baksh....

Today is the anniversary of one of the worst days in the history of our country. I'd like to tell you about one of the victims of that tragic day 5 years ago. Michael S Baksh was a 36 year old man who loved music and loved to dance. His wife and I share the same first name, Christina. Fate took him from her and their 2 young children. September 11, 2001 was his first day as an insurance executive at a company located in the World Trade Center.

I learned about the 2,996 project from my friend MamaChristy, who is also participating. I wish I knew more about Michael Baksh. The little I know tells me that he was a man who loved his family and truly enjoyed life. My heart goes out to his family anf friends. Please keep the Baksh family and all others that were victims of that tragic day in your thoughts and prayers. Feel free to share your thoughts and feelings on this tragic event in the comment section. If you happened to know Michael Baksch, please share your memories of him - I, for one, would love to know more. If you didn't know him, google his name and you will find links to many tributes.

We will never forget.

Just when you think it can't get any worse......

My grandma was admitted to the hospital tonight. She was having pain and tightness in her chest and they heard a 'tic' in her heart while she was in the ER, so they admitted her for more tests, etc. Hopefully there'll be a good dr in tomorrow, even though it is a holiday, to check her out really good. The good news is that her EKG came back okay so it wasn't a heart attack - the bad news is that it could mean that another one is coming. So, I'm basically here to ask again for everyone to please keep her in your thoughts and prayers. Thanks!

Funerals suck.... also, a tribute.....

Well, my grandpa's funeral was today. He passed away Monday night, around 9:30pm. Luckily I made it home just in time and was able to spend some time with him before he passed on. I was not poperly prepared for the situation before I arrived. I didn't realize that my grandpa was in a coma. He was lying motionless on the hospice bed and looked like he was in a deep sleep - he was even snoring, but that was the result of the fluids in his lungs. He'd lost so much weight I barely recognized him. It was hard to believe that this was the strong man I'd known all my life.
I'd like to tell you a little bit about my grandpa, so that you can know what an amazing man he was. His name was John Kujawa.... he was 82 years old when he left this world. He served in the army for 6 years and fought in WWII. I know for sure that he fought in Normandy and Germany. He was wounded twice in battle - a skull fracture, and a gun shot wound in the upper leg. When he received the gun shot wound, the 2 other men in the front line with him were killed, and he was left for dead by the rest of his unit. He pulled himself back to safety along the battle ground. Even after receiving these injuries, he still chose to reenlist for 2 more years in the army when his time was up. He received the Purple Heart, Bronze Star and numerous other awards. He was a brave man who loved his country so much that he almost gave his life for it. Even after his service, he remained an extremely patriotic man.
My grandpa was also a big family man. He loved his family and would do anything for them. Even after he became so ill, he was more concerned about everyone else being taken care of. He would always say 'don't worry about me'. Now we truly don't need to worry about him anymore. As of today, he has received a traditional Catholic burial and shall rest in peace. He will be sorely missed.
If anyone is reading this.... please pray for my grandma. Her heart is not strong and right now it is broken. The man she loved for over 66 years and was married to for over 60 has gone and she doesn't know what to do with herself. She just wants to be with him. Please pray for God to give her the strength to carry on.