Alright, I’m back. After being tagged by a an extremely bizarre person for the past ten plus months, I have decided to firm up my resolve and not be intimidated by the insanity of one sick individual anymore.

To fill most of you in, a woman, (who shall remain nameless), made claims to have been involved, (hidden in the closet), during the Wonderland murders. She asserted also that many other events took place that coincidentally rang parallel to what I experienced with John Holmes. Originally, she made these claims on another message board, stirring up a small group of posters who took it upon themselves to ask me, here on this site, to help her as a fellow survivor. I was compelled, yet what I knew of her story was extremely suspicious and my instincts warned me to stay clear of her and the “demands” to help her. In time, her story grew in unbelievability as I discovered her feigning to be a sweet blogger who loves basset hounds, the Navy and anything else my mother loved and wrote about on her own personal blog site. A site that has nothing to do with anything except family. This was an absolute invasion and insult to me.

I’m here to say I’m glad I listened to my instincts. Due to some wonderful investigative journalists and private investigators, everything this woman said to anyone, (and under every name she hid behind), was documented, researched and tracked. I am pleased to say this person has been exposed as a fraud. The facts revealed that she is a severely disturbed person with a history of placing herself into crime scenes and suffering from multiple personality disorders. This Wonderland story, it turns out, was just another place she was trying to make home. My sincere thanks to those who took her on and brought the truth to light. If you wish to read more on this story, I would direct you to the new link on this blog at www.8763wonderland.com. You may also find more information on the Wonderland gang and court hearings at this site by Rodger Jacobs.

So, friends. After a long spell of not really knowing who was a visitor with true intent on this site or a false presenter, I am now donning the war cry of Londoners and the world with respect to terrorism and coming back to post here without fear. This has indeed been the strangest of times.

Peace and blessings to all.

Dawn

This evening marks the 24th anniversary since the Wonderland murders. On this night, those many years ago, it would be the last evening four of the five people would ever spend here on earth. Everything was going to be great according to John when he left to go out that night, but we all know it didn’t turn out that way. Those four people never woke to see the sunrise again. All for what? A high?

I spoke to Sharon, to let her know I love her and hope she can sleep tonight. “I’ll be fine”, she tells me. But she can never sleep on this night, so I know she’ll be anything but fine. She will always be disgusted at the way John was involved, how he played a part in murder.

Thanks to Laura who made a comment here about how important it is to remember that the Wonderland gang, although very disturbed, were people too. That not only were their lives lost, but their families have had to endure terrible pain.

To Susan Launius who was left with the terrible wreckage of tragedy, may a world full of peace and blessings be yours.

Dawn

Hello Everyone,

Just a quick note to tell you that after a long wait my friend, Val Kilmer, has officially opened his website to the public. Congratulations Val. It looks awesome!

Check it out at www.valkilmer.com, and if you are in London, go see him in The Postman Always Rings Twice. I wish I could, it has got to be great.

Take care,

Dawn

I love Sundays. Especially Sundays in spring. Nothing is better than stepping out into my garden with a cup of coffee in the morning, lounging on the canoped swing in my pajamas, and taking count of the flowers returning since I last saw them in the fall. My Clematis is going to be an explosion of purple on my back fence, and a small transplanted pink rose bush that hasn’t flowered in two years is covered with tiny buds.
The weeds are taller than usual too this year, so I slip on some flip flops and start pulling the dandilions before my daughter sees them and decides to blow wishes all over the yard. (She calls them wish fairy blossoms. Need I say more?) After pulling a few of the bigger weeds, I saunter back over to the swing and the shade for another pull of my coffee and an easy sigh at the beauty around me. “What a great day”, I think contently as I stick my toes out into a patch of warm sunlight and take in the green of the surrounding hills. It is a Sunday among nature in my small backyard, when all feels right in the world and you know, without a doubt, that it is good.

God, I love Sunday mornings in spring.

Dawn

April ended with a march on our local campus to raise awareness of Sexual Assault in our community. Everyone was encouraged to wear denim (jeans) as well, in protest of a 1999 Italian ruling where the judge claimed that because a rape victim was wearing denim, she must have aided her assailant! The women of the Italian Parliment wore denim in a unified protest of the ruling. The movement grew and every year since, during April (Sexual Assault Awareness Month), women are encouraged to wear denim in a similar act of protest against ignorant myths of violent acts.

Here I am hugging our local shelter’s volunteer coordinator in front of the sign we marched behind. “Not On Our Campus!” Afterwards, we listened to many department heads pledge their support as well as hear many victims stand up and speak out! An emotional day…..

Went to a funeral today. What a sad thing. A friend, a gentle soul, passed away last Thursday. The chapel was packed, and not a dry eye in the house when a guitar solo played “Tears in Heaven”, by Eric Clapton. A biker with the name “Deacon” sewn on his leather vest presided over the service, but only after his sister got up to read a letter she had written to the little brother she lost and tell him how heartbroken she was that he could never overcome his addiction. “Not a mean bone in his body”, people shared at the end of the service, and “He always told you he loved you, even if you didn’t feel like anyone cared”. A sweet, kind man in his forties who battled with drugs and alcohol…and lost.

Some came drunk or loaded, but most didn’t. They came clean and sober, taking in the full impact of where drugs and alcohol can lead them if they didn’t take it seriously. I couldn’t help thinking about John and the lives lost at the Wonderland house…not to mention a few others that were close to me and died after those years in LA. It is real, it is never pretty and it is always permanent.

I know my friend tried his best all the way up to the end. It was just too tough for him. I remember his eyes. Deep inside I always saw how hard he tried to stay clean. I hope he doesn’t have to struggle anymore. I hope he is at peace.

Blessings,
Dawn

AND…Sexual Assault Awareness Month

Hello to everyone!

I have recently returned from good old “HOLLYWOOD” and wow the weather was beautiful. Not like the winter-like snow/hail/wind that we have been getting in my town. Only one draw back really….the traffic! Yikes.

I wanted to quickly let you all know that I have been catching up with all your posts and really appreciate all your comments. I will have to take some time to back track and answer as many as I can. I am blown away with all of your posts and I apologize if I miss any.

Also, I want to remind you to wear a teal ribbon in support of Sexual Assault Awareness Month!

I will post more soon….promise.

Blessings,

Dawn

I have been brainstorming with the staff and volunteers at my local Domestic Violence – Sexual Assault Shelter for ideas to bring to the table for April’s Sexual Assault Awareness Month. The ribbons will be teal, there will be a parade, there may even be t-shirts….but we want more.

So, I propose to you dear readers…to you who know the pain, know someone close in pain, or simply have compassion for the injustice and want to put your voice out there for those who have had theirs stolen…HELP! Post you ideas, thoughts, poems, expressions from the heart, whatever you think might help. Post them here, and I will pass them along. You never know. You might be on to something big!

Blessing,

Dawn

“When the power of love overcomes the love of power the world will know
peace.” Jimi Hendrix

Dear All,

This poem is among the inspirational writings I keep close to me at all times. I have been meaning to post it, but have been busy with other things. Thanks to Charlotte for reminding me about posting this beautiful poem.

Blessings,

Dawn

ANYWAY….by Mother Teresa

People are often unreasonable, illogical and self-centered;
Forgive them anyway.

If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives;
Be kind anyway.

If you are successful, you will win some false friends and some genuine enemies;
Succeed anyway.

If you are honest and sincere, people may deceive you;
Be honest and sincere anyway.

What you spend years building, someone could destroy overnight;
Build anyway.

If you find serenity and happiness, some may be jealous;
Be happy anyway.

The good you do today, will often be forgotten tomorrow;
Do good anyway.

Give the world the best you have, and it may never be enough;
Give the world your best anyway.

You see, in the final analysis, it is between you and God;
It was never between you and them anyway.

After major surgery, our Chihuahua, Tinkerbelle, recuperates at home. With stitches down her belly and a nearly toothless grin, my daughter can’t resist giving her the love she needs to heal by setting her up comfortably on her favorite quilt.

I have always had Chihuahuas. After Thor, (my first that John and Sharon Holmes gave me), there has been Spike and today, my eleven year old girl, Tinkerbelle. “I’m afraid her tongue will hang out on the side from now on,” the vet tells me. I don’t care. It makes her more endearing to me, which is almost impossible seeing I have unlimited love for her and these tiny-large creatures called Chihuahuas.

Thor saved my life…many times over. The horrors that surrounded me back in the days of “John” were magnified 100 fold in his little eyes, yet he stood brave and resilient, ever faithful and ever protective of me. This may sound trite or silly to some, but in the world of hopelessness that I was in, Thor, a tiny Chihuahua, was responsible for giving me that one reason, that one connection to love that gave me the strength to get up again. Forever in my heart as an angel in disguise, I continue to honor Thor by taking care of our Tinkerbelle. Who, by the way, has the AKC registered name of “Thor’s Fairy Princess – Tinkerbelle”