How can this be?

Brian’s Ford F-250 diesel truck was STOLEN Tuesday night while he was on campus (between 8 AM-9:30 PM). He parks in the same lot every day and when he left the library, he came out to find his truck missing. His first thought was that it had been towed, but then realized that was foolish because there were about twenty other cars still in the parking lot. He called the police and sure enough, it was not towed, it was stolen. He said he had noticed a lot of glass in the parking lot where he parks so there must have been several car break-ins lately. He had a lot of valuables inside: his expensive sunglasses, Garmin, iPod, an extra pair of glasses, radar detector, all the tools in his tool box (most were my Dad's) in the bed, a school book from WKU, a jacket, umbrellas, all the paperwork in the glove box (he had to call my Mom to get the VIN# off the insurance docs he had at home). It is certainly a nightmare and the truck has not been found.

He paid his truck off on September 22^nd. He worked so hard to buy, maintain and pay off the truck. Talk about being sick. He only had ¼ tank of gas left, but the thieves are probably in Canada or Mexico by now. He hasn’t talked to the insurance adjuster yet – they said it would be up to three days before he receives a call. He doesn’t know what to do or how long it will take for him to receive money from the claim. He had planned on driving home for Thanksgiving because airfare is outrageous that weekend so who knows what he will do now. My Mom has to work the day after Thanksgiving so there is no way that she can make the trip to Grand Rapids. Yesterday he was really sad about it because he worked so hard for that truck and is ultra conservative with his money and now it’s gone and will probably never be found.

He doesn’t need this on his plate with school… thankfully midterms were last week and not this week.

More than likely, if they ever find his truck, it will be totaled in a ditch somewhere so he probably won’t be getting it back. Brian said there are not a lot of F-250 trucks in Grand Rapids so it would be fairly easy to spot. The police put out an alert so law enforcement was on the lookout, but no sightings yet. If the thief is an expert in stealing vehicles, I'm sure they removed his Kentucky license plate and replaced it with a different state. His KY plates would be a dead giveaway.

He doesn't have rental car coverage on his policy so the last two days he has taken a cab to and from school. He goes to the library after class every day so she can read/study in a quiet atmosphere. Campus is in the heart of downtown so he walks to get lunch, dinner and coffee, but the winters in Michigan are brutal. I hope he gets some resolve soon because he needs to focus primarily on law school, not where his truck is, how much the insurance will pay him and how he is going to get around town. Thankfully he lives with four other people, but they all have different schedules so he can't rely on anyone for a ride.

I am praying that the insurance company does not rip him off on the value of his truck. He took very good care of the interior and exterior so based on that assumption, Kelley Blue Book's value is $17,000. I am sure he will not receive that much money, but I hope he gets enough to buy a dependable car/SUV that he can pay cash for since he currently does not have a job. His job is school and unfortunately, that does not pay the bills... yet!

When it rains it freaking pours! 2010 began on the wrong foot and I have a feeling it is going to end on the wrong foot. I hate wishing time away, but I can't wait to see January 1, 2011. But, my family decided we are skipping over New Year's Day next year - my grandfather passed away on January 1st and my uncle was rushed to the ER on New Year's Day this year and passed away unexpectedly seven days later. New Year's Day has not been the best day for us yet. Here's to hoping 2011 brings nothing but happiness because we can't take much more...

Here are a few pictures of what his truck looks like, only his is Forest Green: