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| One thing I'm NOT thankful for is the lack of a good turkey ghost photo! |
1. My extensive library of both paranormal books AND local history...has saved me so much time and money by being able to do a lot of preliminary research at home, on my own schedule.
2. My mom and my boyfriend, Aaron, who I can always count on to watch Luke when I have an investigation or event to attend.
3. Ancestry.com. Again, a great resource that allows me to do so much preliminary research at home. It is well worth the subscription price.
4. The opportunity to investigate the Whipple Company Store, a very historic and very haunted location that allows only a few select groups in each year. The entire group walked away with and awe and reverence for the building, as well as some excellent evidence!
5. The James Casto Local History room at the Cabell County Library. This is another great resource we have right in our community, and I've literally spent hours upon hours there this year.
6. The research staff at the above-mentioned library, lol. They're always willing to lend a hand when the microfiche machine goes on the fritz!
7. My team, HPIR! I honestly could not ask to investigate with a better group of people. Everyone is dedicated, serious, and willing to work hard at everything we do. We also have a blast together, and I count each and every member as some of my closest friends.
8. I especially am grateful for HPIR founder, Melissa, who took me on as a member over 6 years ago, and has allowed me to explore and hone my interests in history through my position as Historic Research Manager, and as a tour guide.
9. I'm grateful to everyone who comes out to our tours! HPIR has established a hugely successful tour business and will continue to develop new and exciting opportunities for the community. We couldn't have done it without all the support.
10. Along those same lines, I want to thank our host of volunteers who help us portray characters, act as back guides and/or security, and who let us enter their homes and discuss their history. I'd like to thank everyone who gives us stories and information, and allows us to come into their locations to investigate, continually giving us new material for our tours. We love our volunteers!
11. I'm thankful that HPIR has been able to take on an active role in assisting with Team Toni events. While the circumstances of the organization are tragic, this is an excellent cause to get behind, and I'm proud to support it in anyway I can.
12. I'm thankful to all the other teams out there who have supported us and stood by us. There are some awesome teams out there, and their dedication and professionalism in this field makes all the not-so-good teams out there seem obsolete. I'd like to especially make a shout out to Chandal and Nicky of NVSO who are there when we need them!
13. Our clients, each and every one of them. These people let us into their homes and businesses, and give us a trust that cannot be bought. We love you all and will always be there when you need us!
14. The opportunity to work for television, despite my fear of actually appearing on camera in person. It was a wonderful experience, and pushed me to expand my own research techniques in ways that paid off immensely. I learned a lot about how certain types of shows are produced, and while its left me a tad jaded, its not an experience I'd trade in for anything.
15. Even though it sounds cheesy, I'm thankful that we live in an era where people interested in this field can share ideas and information without (a lot) of ridicule, lol. This field is still a long way away from acceptance as a legitimate science, but there is a general acceptance from the public that cannot be beat. Even if someone thinks its silly, 9 times out of 10 they've got a story about an experience they can't explain...and if you ask in the right way, they're more than happy to share it with you.
16. I'm thankful for the amount of information available for those interested in this field. There are wonderful free resources for the Kindle, wonderful FREE documentaries found in many places, and many wonderful books and websites that are accessible to all. This is one field where you can NEVER stop learning new things, no matter what. Take advantage of the large network of resources available.
17. The area where I live. It is filled with plenty of haunted history!
18. All of my FaceBook page fans. I love sharing little things that I don't necessarily want to blog about, but its also a great way to keep track of new entries for Theresa's Haunted History.
19. The fact that out of 100s of investigations, we've never really encountered anything that I'd personally classify as really negative or dangerous.
20. The WVGhosts website. Although its gone pretty stagnant this year, its still one of my number one resources for local ghost-lore.
21. Not having to work at a job I hate from sun-up to sundown anymore! This year has been excellent to my mental AND physical health, and has allowed me to take a more active role in my paranormal research. Not to mention, I've had much more time with my son...who is also my future ghost hunter.
22. Lastly, but certainly not least...I am so thankful to everyone reading this blog right now! Fans of this blog are the reason why I keep doing what I'm doing, which is trying to provide the most accurate and complete resources for alleged haunted locations in our area. I've also tried to really expand the site to attract people from outside the area with book reviews, photo analysis, and articles. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoy writing it. This is for you guys!
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