Meet Kacie Rene Woody.......

She might be a girl just like you or she might be just be like your 13 yr old daughter.

Except she was killed on December 3, 2002 by a man she met online who was posing as a teenage boy.

Kacie Rene Woody lived with her single father & her older brothers in Arkansas. She met lots of people online in Christian chat rooms & talked to them online. Sometimes she even gave them her phone number & chatted with them on the telephone as well.

Kacie met the wrong person online & it ended up costing her her life.

Kacie's computer was in the living room. Her father, Rick, knew she chatted in chat rooms. Rick felt the internet was harmless. He was afraid of what might happen outside the house not inside it. Rick would even look over Kacie's chat conversations. Nothing was out of line.

Kacie met 47 yr old Dave Fuller from San Diego in a yahoo chat room. He claimed he was a 17 yr old boy. Not only did Kacie chat with him, but so did her friend. They both spoke with him over the telephone too. It was stated that he did not sound 47.

Dave lied his way into Kacie's sympathetic heart. He said his aunt was in Arkansas dying. Kacie had lost her mom & was extremely sympathetic to this.

Dave never asked to meet Kacie. He never talked sexually to her. They just chatted about everyday things. School, parents, messy rooms, etc. Except these things weren't really normal for Dave since he was 47 & a child predator grooming Kacie.

On December 3, 2002, Dave showed up at Kacie's house & kidnapped her. She was home alone. Her father was at work at the police station.

Police later found Dave in a storage unit he'd rented a month before in Arkansas. They found Kacie naked, chained to the floor in the back of his van. She had been raped & shot in the head.

Dave Fuller shot himself before police could get inside the storage unit to arrest him.

Police believe that Dave traveled to Arkansas twice before actually kidnapping & killing Kacie based on credit card receipts. He was a true predator. He waited her out for the perfect timing in his head.

http://www.wiredsafety.org/wiredlearning/Einstein/kacie/

Now keep telling yourself this doesn't happen.

Keep thinking this won't happen in my small town, not to my little girl. Because that is exactly what Rick Woody thought.

The internet does not discriminate. It doesn't know small town from big town. Online predators are everywhere.

The only answer is education.

your_girl_amy@yahoo.com

Codependent People.

After a conversation I had this weekend, I felt the need to write about codependency.

10 signs of a codependent personality:

1)relationship addiction- this person has no sense of themself or feel they are of value so they must continually be in a relationship to feel that high. In other words, they are just an extension of that other person instead of being their own person.

2) Lack of boundaries- codependents have a habit of lacking emotional boundaries. They are like a chameleon. They change emotionally to fit the situation.

3)Value is placed on what people think of them- They will apologize for things they cannot control. They figure out what a person wants & give it to them.

4)The feel indispensable- they feel that people wouldn't want them around if they are not giving something.

5)What do you think- a question you will often hear from codependent people. Do not trust in own thoughts or opinions.

6)Center of Universe- codependent people are self-centered but in a different way. They bring stuff around to be their fault. They are constantly apologizing. They create drama.

7)Emotional walls- Due to a codependents need to help & take care of others, they neglect themselves. They do not have own emotions.

8)Liar- most people lie to get themselves out of trouble. They lie to others to get themselves out of uncomfortable situations or confrontations. Codependents lie to self about own feelings. It's hard for them to face true feelings.

9)Fear of abandonment- codependent needs to be involved in ever aspect of significant others life & if not they perceive it as abandonment. This is usually rooted from something in their past.

10)Control & judgement- codependent people crave control & it comes from deep seeded fear. Codependent people are very judgemental of others.

Let's use romantic relationships as an example.

When in love, you either fit or not. You do not change yourself to fit.

Codependents change themselves to fit every relationship.

I have more on codependency that I will post very very soon.

This is a heavy subject on my mind right now.

Circle the Drain

I've been planning this blog post for a month now. Thinking it over in my head. I never write out blogs posts beforehand. I always just sit down and type.

Maybe not always a smart move, but it's me.

I want to talk about the fact that I've been Scott-Free for 1 year this month.

Anyone who knows me knows exactly what I am talking about & knows what a HUGE accomplishment this is.

I was in an on again/off again relationship with a not so great for me guy for 12 years of my adult life.

It started when I was 18.

As I look back, I was so smitten.

I loved that boy with every ounce of my being. Would have gone to hell & back.

Maybe I did.

So that was the song back in the day. Yup, explained exactly how I felt. O yea, it came out on the Coyote Ugly Soundtrack. I am not saying it isn't old. I am saying I am not old.

So This guy was 24 when we officially started dating & I was 21. I spent the prior 3 yrs running from him. I must have known he was trouble, right. But I was in love from the get go.

And I still love him. I am not in love with him.

He is an alcoholic and a few other things, but I will not air that dirty laundry. I am not sure how I came to feel so responsible for him. I know that I felt we were soul mates. He never told me that. He did tell me he loved me & I believe he did....to the best of his ability. Alcoholics are manipulative. I could not see that then. They are also co-dependent. I also could not see that then. When I was 21, this relationship was fun. Then I grew up.

Once I had a child, this relationship wasn't so ok anymore. I still participated in it though. Especially that summer, but I'm not going to get into all the gory details.

Now onto the next song.

And that just about sums up how I feel now.

And I credit life coaching for helping me walk away a year ago. I did it in steps.

I am now able to allow new guys into my life and actually contemplate new relationships where before that wouldn't have even entered my mind.

Imagine 12 years of maybe going on a couple of dates with a guy but not really committing yourself to them because you were committed to a guy who was more committed to alcohol than you. Not fun. He once was dating 2 other girls at the same time as me & I discovered it. I quit talking to him for a week before he showed up on my porch & weaseled his way back in.

I can see it all quite clearly....NOW.

Do you know why I write all this? Because I want you, my readers to realize I am a real person. I have been through crap just like you. Maybe you and I have been in similar situations. I can relate to what you are going through.

I am this girl. I have been there, done that. I want to help you get to where you want to be. I had someone help me get away. Sometimes it's too hard to do it on your own.

Is today my lucky day?

It is my birthday.

I'm turning 29 today....shhhhh

I did a guest post about life coaching on PhitZones blog & he posted it today of all days!!

Awesome, right!

Here it is http://bit.ly/bEdLSj

Then I am listed as a top story on the reneeporsia Daily!

So it has to be my lucky day, right??

http://paper.li/reneeporsia

Reiki.....what??

So 2 days ago I got some Reiki on.

And now you are saying you did what Amy??

Let me give you some background.

I met a wonderful person on Facebook, Jess is her name.

Here is her profile.

http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1065445915

She does Reiki. Friend her. She's pretty great.

Now according to wikipedia the definition of reiki is a spiritual practice developed in 1922 by Japanese Buddhist Mikao Usui. It uses a technique commonly called palm healing as a form of complementary and alternative medicine and is sometimes classified as oriental medicine by some professional bodies. Through the use of this technique, practitioners believe that they are transferring healing energy in the form of ki through the palms.

And here is my experience with it.

Jess told me to go lay down somewhere where it was quiet. No distractions. I

turned the computer volume down and the cell phone to silent.

Went to the bedroom and laid on the bed.

At times I felt some heaviness. Like it was coming down on me. I had no clue

how long to lay there. Usually Reiki is done in person, I believe, but Jess does it

long distance too. I felt at peace. I laid there for a good 15 minutes after she

was done. I almost fell asleep.

Afterwards when I got up, Jess said she could tell I was emotionally drained,

which I am.

She also asked about my heart. I've recently had a broken heart. she did not

know this.

She said she felt a heavy heart.

She told me I may feel emotional & I said I was already emotional so it would

just blend.

However the next morning, which was yesterday, I was just plum exhausted.

When I returned home from dropping my daughter off from school I fell back

asleep and slept until after 11am. Jess said that my body was doing what it

needed to do.

I think Reiki is awesome!

I think everyone should experience this.

Believe a little.

Reflections

August marked an important anniversary for me. It has been 1 year since my life crisis that catapulted me into life coaching & the life I am now living.

Most people around me know nothing about this life crisis.

Last August while my daughter was in Florida without me, I suddenly & violently almost, realized I was incredibly unhappy.

And I did not know what to do about it.

I didn't know how to fix it, what I wanted to do instead of what I was doing, or where to go from there. I couldn't stop crying. Then came the drinking. I was drunk a lot of nights while my daughter was gone. I am not afraid to admit it or tell you all about it. I was lost. Did not know what to do. I just knew I was unhappy & I wanted it to change.

I quickly found life coaching and new it was for me.

Coaching has helped me to have another anniversary that I will be celebrating in September. Don't worry, I will blog about it too.

Through life coaching, I have learned how to be a better person. I have remained positive for the most part throughout this past year. I know that sometimes you have to take a step back & evaluate situations & decide whether or not it's even worth your time & energy. I used to waste a lot of energy.

Now I am creating a program to train life coaches myself. I am so grateful for life coaching & how it has changed my life. I want to give back & help others.

Characteristics of an Internet Child Predator

I am going to list some characteristics of a child predator, but it's important to remember that they do not all meet these characteristics. There are always those predators who are outside the box that experts have identified.

-The average child predator is male & over the age of 25.

-he could be considered the guy down the street who kept to himself.

-the loner type, very few friends, & typically not married.

-most often has limited social skills, but a propensity to engage in conversation with an adolescent or child.

-tends to become shy with adults of his own age.

-seeks out jobs that allow him to work around children.

Child predators come from all walks of life, some are rich, some are poor, some are educated and some are not.

They usually have a sexually abusive or violent background.

Child predators usually see nothing wrong with their behavior.

They will target numerous children at a time.

They will take their time to groom their victims & their words are very thought out.

Once trust is built, blackmail & guilt are often used to get the child to succumb to their demands.

As a parent, you need to create open dialogue with your child & set clear rules regarding the computer & internet usage.

Watch what they are doing online, but do it openly.

Set trust between you and your child.

Be honest & tell them what can happen.

If you have any questions at all, please feel free to contact me.

your_girl_amy@yahoo.com