Do Something Different and Go Ghost Hunting

A wheelchair in the facility.

As some of you readers might remember from The List, going on a ghost hunt is included. Well, last night, myself, Mandy, Allen, Katie, Joel and my husband went on one. A friend of mine at work would go on ghost hunts in his spare time and he told me about a creepy, abandoned nursing home, which was a favorite location of his.
   Quick, I made the plans with my friends to check this one off of the list. And if you have any interest in the paranormal (I watch the hunting shows, but I honestly do not know if I believe), then I suggest you do the same. If you do, be sure to check out state laws on trespassing. I made sure that no laws were broken in our escapade. And, if you find a spot, go check it out! It costs nothing and it is certainly something different for you to do! Not to mention fun!

Joel journeying into the depths of the darkness!

   It was not exactly what I expected. I was expecting something straight out of Hollywood - creaks, groans, mirrors, etc. What we saw was much more mundane. We did not receive any thrills (except for a spider that crawled out from under a Thanksgiving doll I was poking with my foot). And I was very proud of myself for keeping my overactive imagination in check. Of course, since there were so many people with me, it was not difficult to do. I guarantee that if I had been alone, I would have ran away screaming!
   Now, picture it. Completely dark, dirty and filthy, smelly and rather hot. The couches were still in the common area. There was a walker and a wheel chair left behind. Numerous Christmas decorations by the abandoned piano. The office was littered with leftover papers. A closet had clothing belonging to an old man just hanging in there. The beds were in hallways and in the rooms - some with mattresses still on them and some missing mattresses.

Tony and Joel checking out what was behind a counter

   There was a beauty salon for residents to get haircuts - the chair and the dryer still sitting there, waiting for someone to take a seat. Some serving trays were still in the kitchen. Throw in the standard disrepair of an abandoned building - holes in the ceiling, insulation on the floor, broken windows, the smell of feces and mold - and it definitely had a creepy feel to it.
   Our shoes crunched on a variety of debris as we made our way through the kitchen, through the common area and into a portion of the facility that housed the mental patients (you know, for that added creep factor). Mandy was dutifully using an EVP app she downloaded on her phone. She tiptoed her way through the place, whispering. Katie was into trying stuff out - walkers, pianos, wheelchairs, beds. Allen, Tony (my husband) and Joel were intent on checking everything out. Tony took his time and the other two went through a little quickly. Me? I was video taping and checking stuff out while trying to keep my eyes open for things that go bump in the night.

Selfie time! (Left to right) Katie and myself

   My heart rate picked up slightly the second time I entered the office. The first time, it smelled like everything else. The second time, there was a sickly sweet scent in the air. And I frantically asked Allen what was causing that. He calmly pointed out a bottle of air freshener that was open. He had mixed the contents a little bit, causing the scent to float after I had left the room the first time.
   After about an hour and a half of wandering through the facility and just having fun goofing around, we called it a night without getting any proof of life beyond the grave. But, we had such a good time that we are going to repeat the experience! It's cheap. It's exciting. It's different from the standard party or movie outing. And it's something to experience!
   NOTE: A video of questionable activity will be uploaded and another one of a more humorous nature (as soon as I get them video broken into smaller clips).