A day later than planned but that’s ok, right?  We at least have an excuse, it was Rob’s birthday yesterday so we started the day by sitting at the DMV/Tag Agency to renew someone’s driver’s license and license plate.  That place is always interesting.  The people watching and conversations are hilarious.  Actually the day started off with what could have been a paranormal experience.  I touched briefly on it on Facebook yesterday but I wanted to share a little more what we’ve seen and heard since moving into the house.

We moved into the house a few years ago and nothing seemed to happen right away.  I am probably the first to experience anything and it happened one morning.  Rob used to work the night shift so he was never home in the mornings before I left for work.  It was one of those mornings that I kept hitting the snooze alarm (I had no desire to get up apparently…lol) then I heard clear as day someone clearing their throat.  As Rob said yesterday, maybe they were tired of my alarm going off.  It definitely came from our bedroom as we sleep with the door closed.  I really expected to open my eyes and see Rob standing there.  It was that loud and clear and close sounding.  I got up at that point.  I wasn’t scared, just startled since I wasn’t expecting it.  I even went out into the living room and our kids weren’t out of bed yet either.  I verbally said thank you and went about my day never thinking twice about. 

Every once in a while since then, our youngest seems to hear most of what goes on.  He’s told us he hears footsteps in his room.  One night he did call me in asking if I was in there.  Thankfully he’s never been too freaked out about it.  He has been home alone and called me in the middle of the day to tell me he hears walking behind him while he’s sitting on the couch.  He said neither dog reacted negatively to this.  He said they were both lying next to him so it wasn’t them walking around.  Our youngest dog doesn’t like going into his room though.  It takes some coaching to get her to go in and even then, she doesn’t stay long.  She also likes to start growling and barking for what seems to be no reason.  With this she could be seeing something outside, who knows.  

Our oldest son has had maybe a couple of experiences but the most prominent one was a year or so ago.  He has an older television set in his room and on the top he has a few things sitting on it.  Particularly an empty Monster can.  I don’t know why, it’s there.  I gave up trying to figure out teenagers.  This can has been sitting up there forever so that’s why this was a little surprising.  He was sitting in his room one day and the thing fell off.  I asked him if he had the fan blowing or if he thought it was the a/c kicking on but he doesn’t think so.  It’s interesting because the a/c vent and fan would actually blow the can towards the wall and back of the tv but the can actually fell forward.  He has since put it back on the tv and it hasn’t moved since. 

We keep batting around the idea of doing an investigation in the house.  We just need to get the kids out and figure out how to keep the dogs quiet enough to do some EVP sessions.  We may do that soon.  It would be great practice plus a chance to really test all of the equipment.  I’m pretty sure I just convinced myself that it’s a fantastic idea.  J    

That’s all I have today.  I hope everyone has a great weekend.  As usual, if you have any suggestions of blogs you want to see or any investigation spots, please let us know.  Happy Friday!

~Jamie~

I promise, the picture to the left will make sense in just a few sentences   :)  We don't really have a lot to update this week.  We have just been busy scouring around looking for potential investigation sites.  Going to be sending out a couple more letters of interest later this week.  So of course this causes me to beg...don't forget to pass on your ideas.  They do not necessarily have to be in Orlando.  We are more than happy to take a weekend trip if need be.  

This weekend we were honored to participate in a golf tournament for the Wounded Warrior Project.  Our group of friends were asked to bring our awesome party skills to the 7th hole of the course.  I really don't know who had more fun, us or those who participated in the tournament itself.  It really was a great experience.  I am batting around the idea of participating in the 8K later this year in Jacksonville.  It's a great organization and we love what their mission is.  If you want to help or see local events, please visit www.woundedwarriorproject.org.  Now you know what the picture was all about.  :)

That's all I have for today.  Keep checking back later this week for an update.  The goal is to update the blog every Thursday so I'll be brainstorming all week.  If you can think of anything you'd like to see in one of the updates, please comment below or let us know via Facebook or Twitter.  Stay dry my Orlando friends!

~Jamie~

I promise I won't make this list quite as long but I still feel these 'rules' are very important.

DON'T:  This may be a harsh one to start with but I'm going to do it anyway.  Don't whisper ESPECIALLY during an EVP session.  When communicating, you should use your regular speaking voice.  If you whisper, it could come across as muffled on the recording device and be mistaken for something else.  It's easy to want to whisper when you're sitting in the dark but try to get past that.  I think one of the funniest things I remember when I was with my previous group was when we were reviewing an EVP session and one of the members whispered something.  The other team member said "no whispering" to which she whispered "sorry."  It was laughable but the plus side is they acknowledged it was them whispering so there was no mistake in that instance.  Just don't whisper.

DO:  Tie back long hair.  I have ridiculously curly hair so I can only imagine what a loose strand would look like in a photograph.  My suggestion is either put on a baseball hat or invest in some fun hair ties or headbands.  Just keep that hair back.  

DON'T:  I'm not a fan of provoking so I say don't dare a spirit to show itself.  You can ask it to, but don't 'demand' it.  Saying things like "come at me" or "what, are you scared?" is just asking for trouble.  

DO:  Keep communication handy.  This includes cell phones (on silent of course because even the vibration setting will emit a noise) and walkie talkies.  You want to be able to get in touch with the command center or other teammates if the need arises.  Command center will need communication to announce rotations and wrap up.  

DON'T:  When heading to an investigation, don't spray on that fancy perfume or body spray.  Even if others on your team know you have it on, teams after you could mistake it for evidence after you've left the room.  Just keep it simple and use deodorant only.  Please, for the sake of those around you, don't forget the deodorant.  

DO: HAVE FUN!  I can't stress this one enough.  Yes there are rules to follow and yes I said no horseplay but still have fun.  This is a hobby and while you want to get the information and evidence, you have to remember this should be a fun hobby to have.  Having fun and creating a positive environment could entice the spirits to come around.  Who wants to hang around a negative Nelly all night?  I know I don't.

Well guys, this is just an idea of what I think basic rules should be.  The list really could probably go on and on and on but I don't want to bore you to tears.  Too late?  Darn it.  :P  Thank you for hanging in there.  As always, please let us know of any investigation ideas in the Central Florida area (doesn't have to be strictly Orlando) and let us know of anything you'd like to see blogged.  The more information out there, the better this field will be.  Also, any groups looking for a joint investigation, we are open to that as well.  We would love to meet new people in the field.

I hope everyone has a great Thursday evening and remember, the weekend is just right around the corner.  :) 

~Jamie~

Just a quick little Sunday morning update...we're on Twitter!  Follow us at https://twitter.com/OTownParanormal or click on the button at the top of the page.  

Enjoy your day!

One of the suggestions we received for a blog posting was a Do's and Don'ts of an investigation.  We thought this was a great way to start so here we go.  

First off, let me say these are just our opinions of simple rules for investigating.  I feel a lot of these should be common sense and not anything new.  

DO:  Always be safe.  Never put yourself or any member of the team in danger.  If for whatever reason you feel uncomfortable or in any kind of dangerous situation, fall back and regroup.  

DON'T:  Never scream, yell or run away if startled.  Instead, calmly tell your group that you need to go back to the command center to collect yourself.  If you don't want to admit you are scared (Rob would NEVER admit it though I'd know, oh yes, I'd know), just make an excuse to get back, saying you need to upload pictures, listen to an EVP or get new batteries.  Anything but run.  

DO:  Stay with your group.  Always.  Even if you think you see or hear something away from your assigned team, make sure they come with you.  Anything you experience could be discounted if you are alone.  This goes with needing to go back to the command center to check those pictures (see above), get the team to go with you.  

DON'T:  When doing an investigation, there is no smoking, drinking alcohol or any mind altering substances.  Smoke from cigarettes could be mistaken for some form of manifestation.  I don't think I need to expand on the drinking and drugs part, do I?  I didn't think so. 

DO:  Make sure to check all equipment before the investigation.  This includes making sure batteries are charged the day before, fresh batteries for the non-chargeable equipment, lenses are cleaned and you have everything packed up.  There would be nothing worse than getting to the site and you find you are missing that pesky voice recorder.  A checklist would be a great way to get ready for an investigation.  

DON'T:  There should be no horseplay during an investigation.  I'm not saying don't have fun, but know the time and place.  Respect should be given to the site, the client and any potential spirits still inhabiting the area.    Extra respect should be given in locations such as cemeteries, battlefields, hospitals, etc.  

DO:  Respect your team members, clients and their ideas and theories.  Even if you don't agree, listen to what they have to say.  You never know, their theory could be right.

DON'T:  This is a no brainer, don't lie.  This includes not exaggerating what you experienced.  Keep to the facts and nothing more.

DO:  Log, log, and log some more.  Keep notes of things that happen.  This includes coughs, sneezes and throat clearing so later during the review, there is no second guessing that noise in the distance.  A good idea is to be sure to have a watch so you can record the time for the log for these occurrences.

I think we'll stop with a "DO" for now.  Stay tuned for a part 2 in a couple of days.  Like I said earlier, these are our opinions of what 'rules' should be for an investigation.  OTP, as do most other groups, have a protocol list that is handed out to members to follow.  The protocol are basic, easy to follow and common sense rules.  

      Hey, everyone!  I'm Rob, co-founder and equipment specialist from OTP.   Jamie left me in charge of some aspects of web design so I decided to hijack the blog and write a little something.

      Jamie and I are going to try and update the blog and the site more often to bring fresh new looks into OTP.  We are also working diligently to find areas to investigate and share with other investigators.  Our goal is to network with other investigation teams (local or otherwise) to share information, investigation techniques and points of view of paranormal activity.  I'm excited to see new visits to our site so that we can collaborate with more experienced investigation teams and help new teams start up to get into the field.  The paranormal field is fun, exciting, and rewarding.  It can be a little scary at first, but as long as precautions are taken and there are set ground rules for investigations, everyone involved should be perfectly safe.  

      We are going to be blogging about equipment, its uses and what is needed for a successful investigation.  We will also talk about our opinion of the "do's and don'ts" list of investigations.  There are a ton of things we want to talk about and we have several opinions on paranormal activity and investigations that we will be sharing in the days and week to come.  I hope you all will share in our blog and hit us up on our Facebook or go to the contact us section of our webpage and drop us a line.  

      Jame will be doing most of the blogging but I'll be right behind her telling her what to write and then she can ignore it.  So, from time to time, I'll try to hijack the blog and write whatever I want!  See you all soon!  Good hunting!

--Rob       

We are getting lots of ideas on paper on what to do next.  Just keep checking back as we should have something new on here soon.  

As always, please give us any investigation ideas, blog ideas or anything you'd like to see on our site.  

Don't forget to like us on Facebook!

Thank you so much for following us and we will see you soon!  

~Jamie~