MY MANY STORIES AND ENCOUNTERS First off I want to tell you about an incident that happened to me Dec. 11, 1989. My mother and I had just gotten back from a store to buy me some Roper boots as an early Christmas present. When we pulled up in the driveway I had the overwhelming need to go to my Granny's house (my mother's mother). I insisted and my mother said "No, its too late, we will go tomorrow." Well tomorrow came and my sister picked me up at school saying that Granny was in the hospital. She died in the ambulance on the way. I never saw her again. I still smell and feel her. I named my oldest daughter after her. I know she is still here with me, watching over my family. In the summer of 1991 I was in Salt Lake City visiting a childhood friend. We had grown up together and she had moved a little over a year earlier to Utah. I had been there for a few days and one night we got hungry so we decided to head to the kitchen which was on the same floor as the bedrooms (it was a split level home). We got the usual in the kitchen, ya know, french fries, chips, cokes, etc. We went back to her room and there on her bed was her dead grandfather!! Just sitting there smiling at us, we screamed and ran across the hall to her parents room and jumped in bed with them. We were 15 at the time but we were still scared. We stayed in bed with them for a few minutes and they went back to her room to check things out with us. Now keep in mind, when we saw him we threw the food and cokes (OPEN COKES) everywhere. I still had grease from the fries on my feet from trampling on them. When we got back to the doorway of her room the food was nicely on the bed, no crumbs, no mess in the doorway. BUT I STILL HAD THE GREASE ON MY FOOT!!! Try explaining that one to me. I have always been terrified yet intrigued of the other world. I know there is one and I don't pretend to understand it. I can only assume it is our loved ones coming back to comfort us in times of need or souls with unfinished business. The house we now live in was built in 1928, it is a small 2 bedroom, 1 bath job. Small but nice for a family of 2 kids, 2 dogs and a mommy and daddy. When you first walk in the front door you are in the living room, straight ahead of the living room is the dining room and to the left of it is the kitchen. When you are in the living room, if you take 2 steps forward there is a hallway to your right, in the hall immediately to your right is mine and my husband's room, to your front left (still in the hall) is the bathroom and to your left is the girls room. Get the picture?? Well on the wall opposite the hall door is the couch. My place on the couch can see directly into the bathroom. Every once in a while you can see a shadow out of the corner of your eye but when you look directly there's nothing there. I think it is the former owner of the home. She died 3 months before we moved in here in 1999. She was 106!!!!! when she passed on. I'll call her Mrs. Smith. When Mrs. Smith was alive her room is what is now our daughter's room, the one just to the left of you when you are in the hall. My husband and I have always felt kinda creepy in there and it's always either really really hot or really really cold. I don't think she would ever do anything to scare or hurt us. In fact, I think she protects us. One night I was just going to sleep, I sleep with A LOT of pillows, one under my feet, under my stomach, one under my arm, etc. I adopted this while I was pregnant with our 2 year old as I was bloated and sick most of the pregnancy. All of a sudden I felt someone there, assuming it was my 4 year old I looked beside me where she usually goes when she has a bad dream and there was a "thing" there. It was about 2 and a half to 3 feet tall, a smaller version of "Cousin It" with red eyes, just looking at me. I closed my eyes and it was gone. I didn't tell hubby about this the next day, just figuring it was my imagination or lack of sleep. The next night our 4 year old woke up screaming, I mean screaming at the top of her lungs. We went to her and she was shaking worse than I had ever seen her before and was white as a ghost. I comforted her and cuddled with her and asked her what her dream was about. She didn't want to tell me. Then she looked down the hall into our room and said "Oh that Robbie."(the dog) I looked down the hall and didn't see him, then as I was turning back to her I saw him go into our room from the living room, she saw this too and looked harder, then she told me what she was seeing. It was the same "thing" I saw the night before. I don't talk about stuff like this in front of either one of my girls and I hadn't told my husband about seeing it. She finally fell asleep and I was shaking getting into bed. I told him what she had seen and them told him about my experience. We haven't seen it since. Thank God!!! My last story (for now, lol) happened in Austin, TX at a historic hotel. The Driskill was built in the 1880's and the architecture will take your breath away. My husband and I go to Austin as often as we can and go down on 6th street to the bars and such. Austin has such a rich history. I have been a lot of places in my 26 years but this is the most fun and most beautiful town I have seen. We have been there several times but had never been in the Driskill so we decided on a walk on night to see if we could go in and look around. The bell boy said we could and opened the door. The cold air conditioning was wonderful. (If you have ever been in Austin you know how hot and humid it can get there.) We went in and gawked at what we saw. I'm not sure how many stories this building is but the first floor is AWESOME!! We walked down the marble walk way and on either side there is carpeting and chairs and couches. For people to just sit and chat. Every Inaugural Governor's Ball since the Driskill was built have been held in this building. On the walls next to the couches and such are paintings, trying to capture the parties and times the Driskill has seen. I was standing there staring at a painting when I felt a cold draft. Thinking it was the air conditioning I didn't think anything of it. All of a sudden I hear this soft voice and laughing. There is a bar in there so I thought it was from there. Then there she was, standing to the right of me. She was blonde, about 5'6 with a strapless black ball gown on. It wasn't as fancy as you would think but still. She said "hello" to me and I noticed she was holding a drink. I said hello back and Donny asked who I was talking to. Immediately I knew what he meant. I looked closer at her and she looked like you or me. But I knew she was a ghost. I started shaking and told him she was there. She didn't really talk to me, I mean, her lips were moving but there wasn't anything coming out of them but it was like she was talking to my brain, if that makes any sense. She told me her name was Julie and that the paintings didn't capture the real feel of the festivities they were supposed to be portraying. We walked on and went up a small flight of steps, only about 6 or 7. That was as far as the man at the desk would let us go seeing as how they didn't want any of the guests to be bothered. This was cool with us. The bar was up this little staircase but we didn't go into it. Just stood there on the landing looking and talking about what I had just seen. Then when we turned to go back down the steps she was there again. Only this time she was talking and laughing with a man from that time. Julie made me feel that she was from the turn of the century and she wasn't from money but was comfortable and she DID fit in here. This man was about 6'0, older, about 45-50, with graying hair, black tuxedo, slender, goatee. She was talking to him and giving me the impression he was "wanting" something from her that night that she didn't want to give him (if you get my point). As Donny (hubby) and I were walking back down the little flight of stairs she was still talking to this man and told me I really should have "Dr. Miller" check out my knee. I don't have the best knees in the world and my right one pops with every down step I take when I am descending stairs. SHE HEARD MY KNEE POPPING!!!!!!! She waved goodbye to me and went on about her business. And Donny and I got out of there as soon as we could. He doesn't drink but I do on occasion. I had a STIFF drink when we left the Driskill Hotel that night. I hope to find out more about Julie and this Dr. Miller someday. If you could help me in any way please email me. Contact me here: donnyhunt77@hotmail.com Submitted From: Kristen D. Hunt, TX, USA