Conjuring Courage

I can’t remember what movie I went to the theater to see when I saw my first preview for The Conjuring, but I do remember turning to my husband with wide eyes and saying, “hellllllllll no.”  I did NOT want to see it.  Never, ever, never, ever, never. 

Why?  Well…..because we also live in a haunted old farmhouse.  We also have a creepy basement with a scary spirit, and a little boy ghost who roams the property.  We too have enlisted the help of paranormal investigators in our quest for answers.  They say art imitates life, and for us, this particular piece of art is just a little too lifelike. 

But then the reviews started coming in, and they were good.  Like really good.  Way back before I became a chicken shit when it comes to scary movies, I loved a good horror flick.  So I was intrigued. 

I did a little research into how “true” the true story that inspired The Conjuring is, and it turns out the tale has much more truth to it than other “true story” movies (I’m talking to YOU, Texas Chainsaw Massacre and The Strangers.)  I was even more intrigued.

  One of my friends went and saw it last night, and when I asked her if she though it was a bad idea for me to see, she said:

“Jenn, the only thing you don’t have in real life that was in that damn movie is a freaky ass doll.  I feel like you could just stay home!”

Ok.  Well now I’m super intrigued.  And I feel like there’s probably a 75% chance that I’m going to go see The Conjuring this weekend.  Which most likely means that I will never sleep well again.  *Clap, clap!*

Into the Light

When you live in a haunted house, you get used to certain things- strange noises, creepy feelings, etc.  Being that we've been living with "others" for a little over a year now, there's a lot that flies under the radar.  But these past couple of days, we've seen a resurgence of activity at the C Family Estate.

Last night, my 10-year-old was in the shower, and insisted that someone come sit in the bathroom with him because the lights kept flickering and it was scaring him.  The only time our lights ever flicker is when the furnace kicks on.  And I can assure you, being that it's the middle of June, we did NOT have the heat on last night.

This morning, said 10-year-old was more difficult to wake up than usual.  He said he was overly tired because he couldn't sleep.  He felt like someone was watching him all night long.

Today, I got home from work and let our chihuahua out of her crate.  Usually she comes flying out, bursting with pent up energy and the need to pee.  But when I opened the door, she cowered further into her cage, whining.  She looked terrified.  Of what, I wasn't sure.  I had to reach in and pull her out, assuring her over and over that she was okay.  As I carried her to the door to take her outside, she was shaking and whimpering the entire time.

About a half hour later, my husband and I were discussing what to make for dinner when the light in the middle room started flickering so bad, The Hubs had to turn it off altogether.

I'm not sure what's causing the increase in activity these past couple of days, but it makes me wonder.....is it somebody's birthday?  The anniversary of someone's death?  Was this the time of year that something happened here, a long time ago?  Who knows.  Not me, that's for sure.

Also, Marter Paranormal has posted their findings from the second investigation they did in March.  Here's the link to their report: Marter Investigation.

Life With Bobby

Children are exhausting.  Boys especially.  I say that with no actual knowledge of what it's like to raise daughters, because I, apparently, was only meant to have sons.  I have two of my own, and acquired two more upon marrying my husband.  So if there's one thing this mama knows, it's how to raise boys.  It shouldn't be surprising, then, that I've formed almost a motherly attachment to our little ghost boy, Bobby.  (Of course he's a boy, right?  I can't even be haunted by a cute little girl ghost, it just has to be a boy.)

While I haven't posted in a while, it's not for a lack of strange activity at The C Family Estate.  Since my last story about waking up to the sound of a little boy calling my name, several things have happened.  Most notably- we got back the results from our second paranormal investigation.

About a week prior to that, though, I walked into the bathroom to find it in complete disarray: toilet paper rolls unrolled and thrown all over, other unmentionables you might find in a woman's bathroom strewn about, towels on the floor.  Yes, my kids were home, but my kids are 14 and 10 (a.k.a. old enough to know better than to mess around like that.)  It was definitely Bobby.  Not sure what provoked the temper tantrum, but I for sure did not appreciate it.

On a gloomy Sunday evening a week or so later, I talked with Mark and Terri from Marter Paranormal about our most recent investigation.  While a lot of what they found was the same as the first time, a lot was different, too. They picked up the voice of a little boy several times, as well as the name "Bobby," seemingly in reference to him.  Several of the investigators felt as though they were being grabbed or touched, and they all felt the presences we know to exist in the house.  In addition to Bobby, who seems to roam all over inside and outside, they picked up recordings of a woman's voice, an older man's voice (the grumpy old dude in the basement) and another, younger man's voice.  There were several EVP's that referenced a man called "Father."  Where's father? and Find father! were a couple. 

Unlike the first time, the investigators found a lot of activity upstairs, where the boys' bedrooms are.  They also detected a free-standing, moving EMF field (in layman's terms, a ghost in physical form) upstairs, and when asked where it had been hiding, it said, "Bathroom." 

Much like the first time, the  investigators caught nothing on photo or video, but recorded dozens of EVPs.  I've yet to learn how to add sound bites to this site, but here are a few of  my favorites:

Two of the investigators were talking about going into the basement.  One said, "So are we going downstairs?" And the ghost woman's voice responded, "Wait."

One of the investigators was having a conversation with Bobby, and said, "If you tell me what you dressed up as for Halloween, I'll tell you what I dressed up as for Halloween."  Bobby responded, "That would be bad."

When one of the investigators (who was a part of the first investigation) was headed out to the chicken coop, he picked up the younger man's voice saying, "That man is coming again."

And my favorite...(favorite? I don't know if that's the right word, but it's the one that had the strongest effect on me- goosebumps, tears, all of it.)  While upstairs, the investigators picked up the following EVP, all in immediate succession:

Younger man's voice: "Bobby."

Little boy's voice: "Chicken."

Younger man or woman's voice, yelling: "Booooobbyyy!"

Whisper: "What happened to me?"

Little boy's voice: "Turkey."

I think it was the emotion in the recording that got to me; the voice yelling Bobby's name sounded so upset.  That, and that the recording almost seemed to be a glimpse into the life the spirits lived, rather than them reacting or responding to investigators.  Whatever it was, it stuck with me.  I'm still hearing that voice in my head, even weeks later.

The investigators now feel it's possible that there's an entire family on the property,  and are all in agreement that Bobby seems to be the strongest presence.  They want to come back sometime over the summer and do an investigation focused primarily outside.  They feel that's where the "answers" are.  So we'll see.

In addition to the paranormal investigators, we recently had an intuitive named Ang, who is a friend of a friend, come to the house.  She can sense spirits, and gave us a different perspective on what's going on in our house.  She immediately sensed Bobby's presence upon arriving, and felt like he was out on the tire swing watching us.  She felt an incredible amount of spiritual energy in the master bedroom, and used a sage smudge stick (which my teenager later mistook for a joint...which cracked me up) to try to cleanse the house and calm the spirits. 

Ang is planning a return trip at some point with a friend of hers who can sometimes see spirits.  She talked to her friend about the house, and her friend told her that she definitely sees a little boy who appears to be from the 1950's at the house.  She said he's sort of scruffy looking, and appears to be looking for something.  She thinks what he's looking for is a toy top.  Ang and her friend want to try to do a "spiritual releasement" for our non-living friends.  If I'm being honest, the idea makes me kind of sad.  I mean, nobody wants to live in a haunted house, but I've gotten used to Bobby, and the thought of him (and the others) leaving after being there for so many decades is just sad to me for some reason.  I know that's weird, but it's how I feel.  So I've been very conflicted on whether or not to attempt a spiritual releasement for Bobby and his friends (family?)...until the other night.

I woke up in the middle of the night to the strangest smell.  It took me a few minutes to place it, but as I was trying to figure out what it was, it grew stronger and stronger.  It smelled like rabbit food- dehydrated vegetables, hay, alfalfa.  The smell became overpowering.  I got up out of bed, turned on the flashlight on my phone, and started frantically searching my bedroom for the source of the smell.  I woke up The Hubs, who smelled nothing and went back to sleep.  I couldn't stand it.  I went into the bathroom to escape the smell, and as I was standing in front of the sink running cold water over my hands, I heard a very loud ripping/splashing sound.  It sounded like someone ripping wallpaper from the wall or splashing an entire bucket of water on the floor.  It scared me.  I ran back to my rabbit cage...er, bedroom...because I didn't want to be alone.  The smell that had driven me from it in the first place seemed to be dissipating, thankfully. 

I climbed back into bed, taking several deep breaths to try to calm myself.  And then I started thinking...maybe the whole "spiritual releasement" thing isn't such a bad idea afterall.  Bobby deserves some peace.  And, quite honestly, so do I.

Say My Name

If you find yourself living in a haunted house, you have two choices: either run for the hills or find a way to deal.  In this house, we deal.  Or, at least, we try to.  I think I do a pretty good job at it, but every once in a while....something gets me.

Last night- well, this morning, really (around 4 am) I definitely got "got."  Big time.  I was kind of awake and kind of asleep, dreaming about something that I don't quite remember.  What I do remember is that I was fighting with someone, maybe a coworker or a friend (arguing fighting, not lightsaber fighting or anything) and I was really stressed out.  

And then, clear as day, right next to my head, I heard, "Jenn."  It was a little boy's voice.  And it was real.  I sat straight up, fully expecting someone (Bobby) to be standing beside my bed.  I thought I saw a shadow on the wall, but that easily could have been my imagination.  The voice, however- the voice was not my imagination.  I heard it.  I know I did.  

I sat in bed, my heart racing, one shaky hand on my husband's arm in case I needed to pierce his skin with my razor sharp nails to wake him up in a hurry.  I tried to convince myself that it wasn't real, that I had dreamed it.  But I didn't.  It was real.

As you might remember, a similar thing happened to me once before.  I woke up to the sound of a woman's voice saying, "Karen."  What happened last night/this morning was very much the same, but also very different.  The voice was different.  It was definitely, distinctly a little boy's voice.  And he wasn't telling me his name, he was calling mine.  (Insert goosebumps here.)

The worst part was, as I sat there staring into the darkness, looking and listening, I realized something.  I had to pee.  Like, really, really had to pee.  But the bathroom, as we all know, is Bobby's favorite hangout.  What if his plan was to wake me up by saying my name, hoping that it would result in me going into the bathroom?  What if he was trying to lure me in there for something?  I couldn't go.  I couldn't fall victim to his plan.  

But what if he needed something?  He is just a little boy, after all.  And I am the mom of the house.  Maybe?  I don't know.  What I do know is that I got very little sleep last night.  And that I might, quite possibly, have a bladder infection now...

Damn It, Bobby!

Whether it's accurate or not, pretty much everyone has taken to calling our little ghost boy Bobby.  And we're pretty sure that his favorite place to hang out, besides outside on the tire swing, is in the downstairs bathroom.  Which makes him the likely culprit of the mess I found in the shower this morning. 

I live in a house full of boys, so it's safe to say that I'm the only daily bather in the C Family Estate.  So when I stepped into the shower this morning, it was the first time anyone had taken one since the previous morning when I took one before work.  I know this for a fact.  I also know that my kids, who are 14 and 10, know better than to mess with my stuff.  Because I will cut them.  (Not really.  But don't tell them that.)

Yet, as I attempted to enjoy the steamy goodness of my morning shower today, something caught my eye. A big glob of my pink, girly shampoo on the shower wall.  And more on the built in shelving.  And even more on the top of the shower stall, where I usually set my shampoo.  It was everywhere.  Both my shampoo and conditioner bottles were almost completely empty, their contents smeared and splattered all over the shower walls.  I spent more time cleaning the shower than I did actually showering.  And now I'm out of hair product.  And all I have to say about it is this:

Blessed Be

I don't want to jinx myself here, but I just have to say....things have been really, really quiet at home since the paranormal investigators visited us again a couple weeks ago.  My overactive imagination has a theory as to why.  My theory is that the spirits in my house finally did what they needed to do- shared what they needed to share and said what they needed to say.  Whatever it was that was making them so crazy....they handled it, the results of which will turn up in the evidence the investigators are still reviewing.

You've seen scary movies.  That's how it works, right?  Ghosts act all crazy because they have some message to pass along from beyond the grave, and once they do that, they go peacefully into the light.  Right?  We shall see.

Another possible reason for the calm in our casa is a little simpler, but equally Hollywood.  Unlike during the first investigation, one of the investigators blessed our house this time, as well as The Hubs and myself.  (Turns out, he was an ordained minister.)  He also left a blessed candle that he used during the investigation burning on our dining room table.

I lamented over that candle so much during the four days it took to burn itself out.  I HATED leaving it burning during the day while we were gone.  I would leave it in the kitchen sink with just the slightest trickle of water running, just to be safe.  The investigator/minister said it would help to calm the spirits, maybe even "draw them into the light."

And I have to admit....our house has been calm.  Probably calmer than it's ever been.  (As I type this, I'm knocking on wood.)  Is it weird that I'm a little sad about the idea that our spirits might have left us?  Still waiting on the results from the investigation.....STAY TUNED....

The blessed candle on day two of its four day life.

The Morning After

It's the morning after our second paranormal investigation.  Okay, so it's more like mid-afternoon now, but I'm still in my pajamas, so it's still morning to me.  I've been trying all day to put my thoughts into words, but they've been so scrambled until now.

You might think that I shouldn't be surprised by anything that happens at my house anymore.  You might think that I should be "used to" our ghosts by now.  And you might even think that us allowing the house to be investigated again was completely frivolous.  So let me explain.

The initial investigation last fall was just that- an initial investigation, the purpose of which is to establish whether or not there is activity at a certain location.  We got that established pretty quickly the first time around- within the first half hour.  Subsequent investigations delve into the whos, the whys, and the wheres; and those are the questions that have been driving me crazy.

So last night, we shipped the kids and the dogs off for the evening, went out to dinner, and then came home to get ready for the ghost hunters.  While the house has to be as empty as possible, I did invite one friend over during the investigation- just about the only friend I have that I knew for sure wouldn't get scared and freak out.  Don't get me wrong, she got scared- she just didn't freak out.

The Hubs and I getting ready for the ghost hunters to arrive.

My biggest misstep of the evening was my plan to livestream a video chat during the investigation.  I was able to get the video feed up and running, but there was no sound.  The harder I tried to fix it, the worse it got.  Video started going in and out, then cut out altogether.  Then the internet itself started acting up.  If I didn't know better, I'd say our ghost friends didn't want to be broadcast to the world.

It was just as well, though.  It was dark, we had to be quiet, and a lot of what happened wouldn't have translated well over webcam.  Unlike the first investigation, there was no radio station crew this time.  Unlike the first investigation, where we had three teams of investigators, there was only one, Marter Paranormal.  There were six people- three who were here for the first investigation, and three whom I'd never met.  They arrived around 8 pm and started bringing in cases full of equipment.

One of the new investigators, as it turns out, is also an ordained priest.  So before the investigation started, he performed a sort of ritual just outside the back door.  He lit a candle to be "the light," a symbol of the Lord that is meant to attract spirits.  He poured a glass of rum and lit a cigar as gifts for the spirits from their "former lives," almost as a reward for cooperating during the investigation.  He left a glass of water out for the spirits to quench their thirst.  (I guess I never realized spirits got thirsty.)  And he left a strange looking tiki/voodoo head statue, for what reason I honestly don't know.  The items sat outside for the duration of the investigation.

A strange ritual....

Cameras and static detectors and motion detectors and all sorts of Ghostbusters-looking devices were placed methodically around the house.  And then the investigation began.  Joe, the investigator that picked up the voice of the little boy in the chicken coop during the first investigation, was anxious to get back outside.  Three investigators started in the master bedroom, where several EVPs were recorded last time.  The other two started upstairs.  Because we weren't broadcasting live over the radio or the internet, The Hubs, my friend and I decided to get a little liquored up to calm our nerves.  It definitely added a fun element to an already crazy evening.

The lights are off, the drinks are poured, and the investigation is underway.  This is a shot of the master bedroom with the door closed while investigators were inside.

Unlike the first investigation, during which we had the opportunity to listen to EVPs and review evidence on the spot, the investigators were pretty tight lipped about what they found.  It's the company's policy to review all evidence before reporting any of their findings, which usually takes about three weeks.  But we were able to catch little bits and pieces of what was going on here and there.

One investigator claimed to have had an entire conversation with a little boy in the master bedroom, who he called Bobby (not sure if it was because of the story I told them about Bobby, or if the spirit somehow confirmed for the investigators that that was his name.)  Joe was able to obtain several "pieces of evidence" in the chicken coop again.  And it sounded as though a team of investigators caught something on video in the master bedroom while talking to "Bobby," although I have no clue what.

One of the pieces of equipment the investigators brought this time that they didn't have last time was an EMF detector along with a short wave radio, the idea being that if they were able to pick up a freestanding EMF, or electro magnetic field, (essentially a spirit in physical form), they could use the short wave radio to pick up its frequency, and the spirit could communicate with them through that. One of the investigators was using the equipment upstairs, and we were able to hear him talking to "something" and that something talking back.  It was reaaallly creepy.  We later found out that after investigating upstairs for a short while, he detected a freestanding EMF and began talking to it.  When he asked it where it had been hiding all night, it said "bathroom."

Pictures were taken, notes were written down, data was collected.  We drank our margaritas and beer, sneaked around and listened outside of closed doors, and tried in vain to pick up any information we could from the conversations the investigators had amongst themselves.  It was a crazy, scary, fun night.  Unlike anything else.

We ain't 'fraid of no ghosts!

Probably the strangest thing that happened all night was when the entire team of investigators was upstairs.  I'm not sure what happened, but SOMETHING happened.  And the upstairs became the focus of the investigation, which was a bit unexpected because the upstairs turned up no evidence at all during the first investigation.  They turned the lights on, were videotaping, and one investigator started reading "Where The Wild Things Are" out loud.  Why?  Your guess is as good as mine.  But I can't wait to find out.

While most of the investigators were packing up and getting ready to leave, the ghost hunter/minister (who is also a Navy veteran and an avid biker) went downstairs to talk to the "grumpy old man" everyone had been referring to all night.  He came back up after a few minutes and announced that the old man isn't grumpy, he just wants me to clean up the basement.  (Which....not happening.  Even if our basement weren't haunted, it's still scary and gross and I never go down there.)

Before the investigators left, the minister blessed the house, blessed The Hubs and me, and then brought in the candle that had been sitting outside all night.  It's still burning, and will continue to burn for several days.  It is meant to be comforting to the spirits and to help protect our home.

The night following the first investigation was awful.  I didn't sleep and kept hearing noises and kept feeling like things were touching me.  I woke up the following morning violently ill, and was sick the whole day.  I was so worried about it happening again this time, I almost didn't sleep at home last night.

But I was too tired to leave.  So I drank a tall glass of water, took a couple ibuprofen and took one of my anti-anxiety pills (yes, they're prescribed....I don't self medicate) that has the added bonus of making me sleepy.  I left all the lights on, turned on the TV, and fell asleep on the couch.  (Our living room is part of the addition, not part of the original house.  So I've convinced myself that it's less haunted than the rest of the house.)

Until I fell asleep, I heard noises.  Lots of them.  But once I fell asleep, I slept HARD.  And I woke up with a headache, but that's it.  I suspect the headache was more because of the tequila than anything else.  I spent the majority of the day home alone.  I wasn't scared.  Nothing happened.  Okay....that's not entirely true.  Maybe the doorbell rang around 3:00 and maybe there was no one at the door when I went to check.  But that's it.

So now we wait.  For how long?  About three weeks, according to the investigators.  Sit tight, all.  I know I will.