Hello! I feel like I once again have been absent for WAY too long! I hope all of you enjoyed a lovely and romantic Valentines Day. I spent my Valentines Day alone in Cleveland, however before I left I got myself some beautiful flowers to enjoy when I came home and I really have. 😀
Happy Valentines Day to me!
SO. I am finally able to spill the beans on what I got up to last weekend and what I was so very excited about! Before I get to that though, I have to ask, do you believe in the curse of Friday the 13th? Well, I did not. Until last weekend I might add! If you have ever flown through the Minneapolis airport, you probably are aware of what a giant mess of trams, moving walkways and endless hallways it is. It is seriously GIGANTIC. My first flight from Saskatoon arrived at 6:50 and my connecting flight was boarding at 6:45 and leaving the airport at 7:14! Because I am from Canada I did have to pick up my bag, and go through security again to recheck the bag. Of course I was chosen for extra screenings and swabs… just the usual for me. By the time I made it out of security it was after 7 p.m and I knew I had to book it. I ran, and ran, and ran until I started to have an asthma attack – something I haven’t had since I was probably in my early teens! I very rarely carry my inhaler with me, because to be honest I am very rarely running so hard that it affects me like that anymore. So I arrive at the gate, sweat pouring down my face, clutching my chest, unable to speak, wheezing heavily, and doubled over not 5 minutes late to the flights’ departure, and what do you know.. they didn’t wait for me. This was truly upsetting because I knew my client had a massive surprise proposal waiting for me the next day at noon in Cleveland and the next available flight wasn’t until the following morning and would not arrive until noon. Yup. That was the start. Now I can’t remember if it was the lotion from my travel kit or the hotel, but when I finally got things arranged for a hotel stay I piled lotion on my freshly washed face and then watched it slowly grow red and blotchy. By the next morning I looked like a teenaged boy who ate nothing but pop and pizza. I was gross. Oh yes, and did I forget to mention they sent my bag to Cleveland without me. So yeah, I really was gross. This was my Friday the 13th. It could have been worse, but it did feel like the day was a little cursed, I’m not going to lie! I FINALLY arrived in Cleveland and ta da! It was weather that made the world news Internationally… Let me tell you, after visiting Cleveland, I have to say that their weather rivaled Saskatoon’s weather BIG TIME. It was a cold that chilled you to the bone, and the blizzard was so extreme you couldn’t even see the road ahead of you. Yes, there were actual deaths that day from the weather and several cases of severe frostbite. Luckily I AM from Saskatchewan so I am used to driving in this kind of weather, but I will admit it was bad compared to what I was even used to. Not exactly the photo-shoot weather I was envisioning! After several failed attempts for whatever reason trying to use my card at the car rental place, it finally went through and I was on my way to meet up with my clients!
Welcome to Cleveland!
Now for the best part! I finally got to meet my client who had set up a wonderful plan to surprise his fiance with me and a couples session (who she thought was being photographed by a friend of his). I have to say, I was so thrilled with her reaction upon seeing me there and I then suggested that we might as well take a few photos of them in their formal clothes before their date at the Orchestra that evening! After doing a few photos of the two of them, my client gave me the signal and got down on one knee to propose. Seeing the pure happiness, joy and elation on her face was what made my whole weekend! It was one of the sweetest and most emotional moments I have ever photographed and I loved every second of it! I am so lucky to have such amazing clients who I enjoy spending time with and I felt very privileged to be a part of this very special moment in their lives. I do not feel at liberty to go into detail, but I will say that this was not a traditional proposal for this couple and the element of surprise and raw happiness that this moment created between them was so palpable it was contagious! I left with a huge grin on my face – probably the whole way to the hotel feeling so excited for them!
The sweetest moment …
I won’t get too into the other details of my continued cursed weekend but I will say I DID fall down a flight of icy steps at the hotel later that night because their parking garage elevator was not working! My legs and knee are pretty bruised but luckily no permanent damage was done and I am healing up nicely! So to wrap up my super cursed weekend, I did decide that I just HAD to go see an ACTUAL cursed and haunted house in Cleveland. It was called the Franklin Castle and was built in 1865. Numerous deaths occurred in the house and in the 70’s a room or cupboard (different resources have mixed confirmations on this), was discovered with several baby skeletons. This WAS confirmed. So I visited the house. Unfortunately because the house was decayed and I believe being restored to formal glory by it’s new owner who had put a security camera up I was unable to go inside. Standing in front of it was amazing. It really did have that dark, eerie and spectacular appeal. I stood there thinking ‘Wow, this IS a real haunted house – like something out of the movies’. It was truly an incredible sight! Now for the SUPER creepy part. When I got home I quickly posted one of my photos of Franklin Castle and continued to research and find facts on the house as my curiosity about it was growing. I did notice that there was black shadow in one of the windows that looked like a person and thought that was pretty awesome. A couple of days later I found a post in which it said that some people claimed to see a lady in black in one of the windows and believed it was the ghost of a servant girl named Rachel that died in the house. What’s strange is.. going through the other photos I took of the house, there is nothing in the window on any of the other images. I then posted one more and if you look closely in one of the bottom windows it does appear to look like tiny gravestones even though the only thing behind me was a road. So I don’t know. Do I believe in ghosts? No… but I do believe there are evil forces and spirits out there and yes, Franklin Castle did live up to every single expectation I had on seeing a haunted house. I.LOVED.IT 
Franklin Castle – Cleveland Ohio
So guys I hope you have enjoyed hearing about my Friday the 13th weekend and I truly hope yours was more blessed than mine! Despite all of this I am so happy to have met my clients and to witness such a beautiful moment! I hope you all have a wonderful weekend and keep warm out there! xoxo – M Resources Dead Ohio Forgotten Ohio Prairie Ghosts
Photography by Martine Sansoucy 