Unforgettable
Two things occurred yesterday. Eleven years ago my baby was born. My little skinny monkey with the precious smile has been a blessing to us from the start. Ninety-seven years ago, the greatest cruise liner ever built sank to the ocean floor. We managed to combine the two events into a truly unforgettable birthday.
Ask Daniel about his birthday and he is more than willing to tell you things about the date. He shares the birthday with Leonardo DaVinci. Abraham Lincoln died on April 15th. He is also quick to tell you that the Titanic sank on his birthday as well. When I heard that a local group of ghost hunters, Roswell Georgia Paranormal Investigators, was conducting an investigation in the Titanic Aquatic exhibit on the night of the 14th, I knew we had to get tickets. The exhibit is currently housed in the Georgia Aquarium. Since we are members, we could purchase discounted tickets. I was really let down when the tickets all sold before I could get some. I contacted the paranormal group to ask if there was a waiting list, and they said to watch the aquarium's website because they had been asked to do a second night. Finally, four tickets were mine!!!
When the 15th rolled around, Birthday Man bounced out of bed and asked for the "birthday necklace." This looks like a medal on a red ribbon, and the boys have worn it for as long as they can remember. I had a lunch date with him, and showed up with cupcakes for his class. Everyone loves you when you bring food! I picked up his Indiana Jones birthday cake and the fixins for supper. After school we converged on Mama's house, which is the Official Birthday Party Location. His special dinner included fried chicken, Tutter's macaroni & cheese, green beans, fried okra, Hawaiian rolls, cranberry sauce, and a veggie tray. (He called Tutter the week before and asked if she'd like to come to his party and bring macaroni and cheese!) Bobby brought sparkler candles to add to the cake. The party was fun and everyone enjoyed themselves. He opened his gifts, which included a TAPS t-shirt from the Ghost Hunters tv show. Finally it was time to head to Atlanta!
We arrived at the Georgia Aquarium and entered the Oceans Ballroom where a small group milled around waiting for the event to begin. We were the only people in the otherwise dark facility. The Titanic Exhibit was opened for us at 9:30 PM, giving us an opportunity to view the artifacts and exhibits without the crowds. At 10:30 we went to the theater for a presentation by RGPI about how investigations were done, the equipment they used, background on what other locations that housed the Titanic Aquatic had reported, and a taste of what had been previously discovered since it has been in Atlanta. Daniel had already told some of the RGPI team members that it was his birthday and showed them his TAPS shirt. One of the ladies come up to him and asked if he had brought any equipment with him. When he said he had not, she gave him her KII meter to use for the evening. Boy, he thought he was big stuff then! The group was split into three groups of about 20 people. That is when the excitement really began...
We were led into the exhibit to the rooms which held dishes and personal items that had been recovered from the wreck. It is truly astonishing what survived nearly a century on the ocean floor! There were some clothing items that had been in a leather suitcase, some letters and calling cards, and a perfume sample case. These two rooms were reported to be the most "active" locations. In the first room everyone sat on the floor while the investigators used some of their equipment and asked questions of any "entities" that might reside there. I was excited but I don't think I saw or heard anything definite there. We moved to the next room where the clothing was. There was a huge mural on the wall listing the names of everyone who was on the Titanic and their fates. We sat down and didn't have to wait long before we were surprised to hear a clock ticking faintly. It was reported from different parts of the room. A couple of people reported smelling two distinct odors: cotton candy and smelly gym socks. This was something that had been noted on the 5 previous times RGPI investigated this area. Their "sensitives" said there were two entities in this area: a little boy and a member of the crew. I told Barry to watch a particular area of the room about head-high, as I kept thinking I saw movement there. Sure enough, he did too, so we mentioned it to the investigators. They said they had a recorder placed in that corner because that had been reported before. Right before we were going to get up to change locations, everyone in the room gasped at the same time as a quick snatch of a child's voice was heard. This little boy's singing had been heard on previous investigations. We left that area and I had such a feeling of sadness for this little one who perished 97 years ago in the icy water.
The second area was in the back hallway of the Cold Water Quest. Construction is going on back there, and strange things had been reported. Though our group didn't really see or hear anything, we got the opportunity to see the preserved giant squid on loan from the Smithsonian that had only been on display for 2 days. The beluga whales swam in their darkened tank, looking like white ghosts themselves. It was fun to see these things without the crowds that are always present when the Aquarium is open.
Finally we were taken to the last part of our adventure for the evening, which was the area at the beginning of the Titanic Aquatic. We sat in the first exhibit area for a few minutes as the investigators told us more about their experiences. We began to hear an occasional bump or tap from the next room. This one had a recreation of a First Class passenger cabin as well as glass cases with money, dishes, chamber pots, and makeup that were pulled from the deep. The lights on one of the KII meters seemed to indicate that we were not alone. Barry and the boys, along with many others in the room, reported hearing a whistled tune as well as faint music. I didn't hear this, but I had a bit of a distraction. I was standing at the back of the group. Barry was just in front of me, a glass case was about a foot behind me, and two investigators (a tall man and a short lady) were behind and off to my left. The hallway with the First Class cabin was behind us. As everyone was paying attention to the lights on the KII meter in the center of the room, I felt the woman brush behind me. It startled me and I turned toward the two investigators. Not immediately seeing the female investigator, I asked the man where she was. She was sitting on the floor at his feet. I asked if she had gone behind me, and she replied that she had not. There truly was not enough room between me and the case. I told them what I felt and turned back around. A few minutes later I physically jumped as I had the sensation again of the woman behind me. Again the two investigators had not moved. Barry and a man beside him put their hands in the space behind me and remarked at how much cooler it was than the rest of the room. The investigators asked how tall I thought the person was, and I indicated a shorter person near the height of the female investigator. As we were moving from this room into the next, the male investigator told me that there is a older female entity that has been noted in the area of the First Class cabin. In the hallway where there is a recreation of Third Class bunks, there were unexplained knocks and taps in response to questions. Some were right near where we were, and there was nothing there to make those sounds. The last place we were taken is the "Iceberg" room. There is a large piece of ice you can touch to see how cold it was the night it sank. This room also has a telegraph and warning bell from the ship. During our time in there we heard the faint tinkling of a tiny bell. Barry and Aaron had the sensation there was someone behind them, amusedly watching the group. They say they heard the crackling sound of someone opening and eating peanuts.
As we left for home, Daniel told the RGPI team that this had been the coolest birthday ever!
Ask Daniel about his birthday and he is more than willing to tell you things about the date. He shares the birthday with Leonardo DaVinci. Abraham Lincoln died on April 15th. He is also quick to tell you that the Titanic sank on his birthday as well. When I heard that a local group of ghost hunters, Roswell Georgia Paranormal Investigators, was conducting an investigation in the Titanic Aquatic exhibit on the night of the 14th, I knew we had to get tickets. The exhibit is currently housed in the Georgia Aquarium. Since we are members, we could purchase discounted tickets. I was really let down when the tickets all sold before I could get some. I contacted the paranormal group to ask if there was a waiting list, and they said to watch the aquarium's website because they had been asked to do a second night. Finally, four tickets were mine!!!
When the 15th rolled around, Birthday Man bounced out of bed and asked for the "birthday necklace." This looks like a medal on a red ribbon, and the boys have worn it for as long as they can remember. I had a lunch date with him, and showed up with cupcakes for his class. Everyone loves you when you bring food! I picked up his Indiana Jones birthday cake and the fixins for supper. After school we converged on Mama's house, which is the Official Birthday Party Location. His special dinner included fried chicken, Tutter's macaroni & cheese, green beans, fried okra, Hawaiian rolls, cranberry sauce, and a veggie tray. (He called Tutter the week before and asked if she'd like to come to his party and bring macaroni and cheese!) Bobby brought sparkler candles to add to the cake. The party was fun and everyone enjoyed themselves. He opened his gifts, which included a TAPS t-shirt from the Ghost Hunters tv show. Finally it was time to head to Atlanta!
We arrived at the Georgia Aquarium and entered the Oceans Ballroom where a small group milled around waiting for the event to begin. We were the only people in the otherwise dark facility. The Titanic Exhibit was opened for us at 9:30 PM, giving us an opportunity to view the artifacts and exhibits without the crowds. At 10:30 we went to the theater for a presentation by RGPI about how investigations were done, the equipment they used, background on what other locations that housed the Titanic Aquatic had reported, and a taste of what had been previously discovered since it has been in Atlanta. Daniel had already told some of the RGPI team members that it was his birthday and showed them his TAPS shirt. One of the ladies come up to him and asked if he had brought any equipment with him. When he said he had not, she gave him her KII meter to use for the evening. Boy, he thought he was big stuff then! The group was split into three groups of about 20 people. That is when the excitement really began...
We were led into the exhibit to the rooms which held dishes and personal items that had been recovered from the wreck. It is truly astonishing what survived nearly a century on the ocean floor! There were some clothing items that had been in a leather suitcase, some letters and calling cards, and a perfume sample case. These two rooms were reported to be the most "active" locations. In the first room everyone sat on the floor while the investigators used some of their equipment and asked questions of any "entities" that might reside there. I was excited but I don't think I saw or heard anything definite there. We moved to the next room where the clothing was. There was a huge mural on the wall listing the names of everyone who was on the Titanic and their fates. We sat down and didn't have to wait long before we were surprised to hear a clock ticking faintly. It was reported from different parts of the room. A couple of people reported smelling two distinct odors: cotton candy and smelly gym socks. This was something that had been noted on the 5 previous times RGPI investigated this area. Their "sensitives" said there were two entities in this area: a little boy and a member of the crew. I told Barry to watch a particular area of the room about head-high, as I kept thinking I saw movement there. Sure enough, he did too, so we mentioned it to the investigators. They said they had a recorder placed in that corner because that had been reported before. Right before we were going to get up to change locations, everyone in the room gasped at the same time as a quick snatch of a child's voice was heard. This little boy's singing had been heard on previous investigations. We left that area and I had such a feeling of sadness for this little one who perished 97 years ago in the icy water.
The second area was in the back hallway of the Cold Water Quest. Construction is going on back there, and strange things had been reported. Though our group didn't really see or hear anything, we got the opportunity to see the preserved giant squid on loan from the Smithsonian that had only been on display for 2 days. The beluga whales swam in their darkened tank, looking like white ghosts themselves. It was fun to see these things without the crowds that are always present when the Aquarium is open.
Finally we were taken to the last part of our adventure for the evening, which was the area at the beginning of the Titanic Aquatic. We sat in the first exhibit area for a few minutes as the investigators told us more about their experiences. We began to hear an occasional bump or tap from the next room. This one had a recreation of a First Class passenger cabin as well as glass cases with money, dishes, chamber pots, and makeup that were pulled from the deep. The lights on one of the KII meters seemed to indicate that we were not alone. Barry and the boys, along with many others in the room, reported hearing a whistled tune as well as faint music. I didn't hear this, but I had a bit of a distraction. I was standing at the back of the group. Barry was just in front of me, a glass case was about a foot behind me, and two investigators (a tall man and a short lady) were behind and off to my left. The hallway with the First Class cabin was behind us. As everyone was paying attention to the lights on the KII meter in the center of the room, I felt the woman brush behind me. It startled me and I turned toward the two investigators. Not immediately seeing the female investigator, I asked the man where she was. She was sitting on the floor at his feet. I asked if she had gone behind me, and she replied that she had not. There truly was not enough room between me and the case. I told them what I felt and turned back around. A few minutes later I physically jumped as I had the sensation again of the woman behind me. Again the two investigators had not moved. Barry and a man beside him put their hands in the space behind me and remarked at how much cooler it was than the rest of the room. The investigators asked how tall I thought the person was, and I indicated a shorter person near the height of the female investigator. As we were moving from this room into the next, the male investigator told me that there is a older female entity that has been noted in the area of the First Class cabin. In the hallway where there is a recreation of Third Class bunks, there were unexplained knocks and taps in response to questions. Some were right near where we were, and there was nothing there to make those sounds. The last place we were taken is the "Iceberg" room. There is a large piece of ice you can touch to see how cold it was the night it sank. This room also has a telegraph and warning bell from the ship. During our time in there we heard the faint tinkling of a tiny bell. Barry and Aaron had the sensation there was someone behind them, amusedly watching the group. They say they heard the crackling sound of someone opening and eating peanuts.
As we left for home, Daniel told the RGPI team that this had been the coolest birthday ever!
posted by Jennifer at 10:24 PM
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