Paranormal or Overactive Imagination?

The home we've lived in the past 4 years was built in 1901. It has pocket doors, stained glass windows, crown moulding around the doors and windows, and porches in the front and back. It is a very charming cottage. The best of both Victorian style and modern convenience.

I've been intrigued with the paranormal world for the past 9 years or so. I watch a lot of Ghost Hunters, and Ghost Adventures. The idea that my house may have a friendly ghost is something that I've joked about. I like the IDEA that there's a ghost, but I don't want to know for SURE.

From the first day we moved in 4 years ago, strange things have happened. They may be easily explainable to your average skeptic, or they may be paranormal.....YOU decide.

Here are the goings on I have experienced, followed by my skeptical explanations in parentheses:

• An upstairs window was open, we were downstairs. Suddenly, we heard a loud crash. The window had been slammed shut. (It's an old house and an old window. The support ropes to the window are broken.)

• I've heard what sounds like footsteps coming from downstairs when everyone is asleep upstairs. It sounded like shoes walking on our kitchen tile. I even got out of bed to investigate if there was someone in my house, but there was no one there. (Old houses make noise as they settle.)

Those things are more easily explained, but here are some others that have happened more recently, and more frequently. As a side note, I have been watching a lot more ghost television shows, particularly late at night, so it's possible I'm just scaring myself.

• As I was drifting off to sleep, I heard a loud crash coming from downstairs, and then a male voice loudly exclaim, "Ooh, OUCH, Oh!!!" It was as if someone had tripped on something and stubbed their toe. It scared the pants off me enough that I thought I should rouse my husband from sleep to see if he had heard it too, but I was SO tired. By the time I woke myself enough to wake Mr. Wright, the noise was gone, and it was completely silent. (Perhaps I dreamt it, as I was very tired, and just falling asleep.)

• Another time, I was drifting off to sleep, and had my arm draped across Mr. Wright's chest. I started to feel as if someone was touching my arm, and then letting go, touching, and then releasing. I knew it wasn't Mr. Wright because I could feel where his other two hands were. "Somebody keeps touching my arm, and it's not you!" I said to him. "That's it, you're not watching any more ghost shows late at night!" he replied. (Again, I was in that not-quite-awake, yet not-quite-asleep state.)

• Our upstairs floors creak whenever anyone steps in certain spots. In the middle of the night, I heard the floor creak as if someone was walking around our bedroom. Our bedroom floor has carpet, so traditional footsteps would be muffled. I usually hear this sound if my daughter gets out of bed to use the bathroom. I opened my eyes to see if Spitfire was going downstairs to use the bathroom, but she wasn't there. We do have a dog, and he sometimes gets up at night, but since he only weighs 11 lbs, he's not heavy enough to make the floor creak. This sound had some weight behind it. (Perhaps this is the house settling, perhaps it was my sleep-induced state, perhaps my dog IS heavy enough to make the floor creak.)

• For some reason, I woke myself and opened my eyes. I could see a blue mist swirling right above my face. I screamed (which woke Mr. Wright) and tried to push it away with my hand. Mr. Wright hugged me until I could go back to sleep. I know it was very dark, so how I was able to see a blue mist in the dark is beyond me, but it was also light enough in my room to be able to make out the ceiling and surrounding features of my room. (This could have been a nightmare. It also could have been those floaties you see when you close your eyes, however, when you close your eyes, all you see is black with flashes of color. I could distinctly see the features of my room. This also seemed to move in a spiral pattern down toward my face, rather than moving from side to side.)

Those are my experiences....What do YOU think?

Paranormal Activity?

Happy Halloween!