Lesson Learned: If it's going to further your career your dad will most likely buy it for you

For the past 3 months every time I mention to my father that I’m going to buy something he demands I wait until after the holidays. Since we’re Jewish, there’s no need for Christmas presents under the tree, so I usually hold out until January to make any purchases and bank on the huge discounts.

But yesterday our daily conversation went a little differently. I was talking to my dad about this blog and mentioned to him that I’ve been advised to start adding video to it, more specifically video of me while I’m on the road so viewers can get a better picture of my travels. When I told him I was going to wait until after the holidays to start looking for a video camera he immediately said, “Forget that, it can be an early Hanukkah present and I’ll buy it for you right now.” I was stunned, was my dad actually urging me to purchase something before December 25^th? And then it hit me like so many other dads like him he wants me as close to home as soon as possible and thinks that this blog might get me there a little bit sooner.  So, like a dad all girls hope for he’ll do just about anything to help me.

To all those daddy’s girls out there, I wouldn’t start asking for a new TV (which I could use, preferably a flat screen) or plane tickets to LA (even though I’ve got a best friend there who I haven’t seen in months) but a heads up if it’s going to further your career your dad will most likely buy it for you…lesson learned. 

Lesson Learned: Rest stops can be haunted too

I usually spend about five minutes at a rest stop, go to the bathroom, maybe pick up a snack, and I’m out of there but Tuesday night I decided to stick around for a little longer.

I was at a rest stop on I-95 in Rocky Mount, North Carolina when I bumped into Eric Bowers, he’s been an employee there for the past 5 years and filled me in on a little secret about where he works, Eric told me, “It’s haunted.”

Eric says two people have died at this specific location, one hung himself from a tree next to the parking lot and another had a heart attack. Since then, he says they’ve had a ghost problem (I do want to mention I haven’t confirmed those deaths with authorities).

While I do enjoy a good Halloween story I was going to need a few more details from Eric to believe his tale and examples is exactly what he gave me. “Sometimes at night doors open by themselves and there's nobody at the door so it's kind of spooky." Eric also told me about something that happened to him a couple of months ago, "I was standing and gazing out the window and a lady came in and I just kept standing outside, she was in there for about 15 minutes. I didn't see her come out so I went in there to look and she was gone. I thought my eyes were playing tricks on me but I knew I saw her go in.”

So maybe I didn’t completely believe him but I was a little convinced especially since this particular rest stop was smack in the middle of a dark wooded area, perfect for any good horror movie so maybe just maybe rest stops can be haunted too…lesson learned.

Lesson Learned: Sometimes a dog is all you need

My parents promised they would get me a dog when I was ten years old. So when I turned eight I asked for a puppy every single night at the dinner table, I got that dog when I turned nine. Her name was Harpo and she was a beautiful white Labrador. I remember the first night Harpo came home with me, she was crying the entire time and so was I, I even slept in her kennel with her that night.

Most dog owners think they’ve got the best pet in the world and that’s exactly how I felt, you couldn’t get better than Harpo.

At the age of 13, Harpo had developed several medical conditions including diabetes and my family was forced to put her down, we haven’t recovered since. One day I’ll get another dog, yes it will be a Lab and yes I’ll probably name it after her. So, when I met Lalla Sidbury at the Marion Shepard Cancer Center and she introduced me to her chocolate Lab Kasey I instantly knew I was going to enjoy getting to know the two of them.

Lalla was diagnosed with cancer in 2000, a couple of years later her doctor recommended she take an early retirement, that’s when her husband suggested she get a dog to help with the transition. Lalla brought Tobey into her family and says she can’t begin to explain how much he helped her during the chemotherapy process. Unfortunately a year and a half later a freak accident ruptured Tobey’s blater and Lalla was forced to put him down. However, she knew she needed a dog in her life because of the positive therapy it provided and picked Kasey to be her next pet.

Back in June Lalla and Kasey joined the animal-assisted therapy program at the Marion Shepard Cancer Center in Washington, North Carolina. At least once a week Lalla and Kasey visit with patients and cheer them up after their chemotherapy treatments. Kasey licks their hands, paws at their feet, even jumps up on their beds to say hello while Lalla talks to the patients about everything from the weather to her success with battling cancer. It's an interesting sight to see, a patient wrapped in tubes and a chocolate lab wagging it's tail bedside patiently waiting for his next treat.

Lalla says Kasey gets to love on them and they get to love on him back because sometimes a dog is all you need…lesson learned.

For more on the pet therapy program at Marion Shepard Cancer Center head to: http://www.marionlshepardcancercenter.org/pettherapy.htm

Lesson Learned: Your ATM card will not always work in Canada so bring cash

I’ve been to Niagara Falls twice now, once to the American side, once to the Canadian side and let me tell you the U.S. got robbed. The view on the Canadian side is absolutely breathtaking, maybe because it’s more of a full frontal view but unfortunately the two don’t even compare. If you decide to make the trip it’s definitely worth crossing the border for. 

So, I’m at Niagara Falls, smitten by the view, high off the fresh air, and ready to continue my road trip…next stop Toronto.  

Problem 1: Our ATM cards wouldn't work when we try to pay for parking at the falls.

So, we scrounged up a couple of dollars we still had and barely made it out of the lot.

Problem 2: The highway to Toronto became a tollway and we needed Canadian money to pay but our ATM cards wouldn't work at two gas stations nor an ATM at Wal-Mart.

That’s when the cashier told me American ATM cards don’t usually work in Canadian ATMs. I’ve traveled all over the world and have never had this problem before. So, while my boyfriend tried to figure out a route to Toronto without going on the tollway I tried to think of a way to get us some cash (By the way it's 10pm).

Plan A: Go into a fast food restaurant and ask someone if I could pay for their meal with my credit card (not ATM card) in return for the cash.

Plan B: Do the exact same thing at a gas station.

Fortunately, we criss-crossed our way into Toronto without having to ask for handouts and made it to our hotel.  When we told the concierge about our dilemma he confirmed what the Wal-Mart employee had already explained to us. Just as I was about to ask him if he could charge our credit card extra for the room so we could get some cash back in return he told us the hotel had prepared for this very situation and installed a special ATM that accepted American cards. THANK GOD!

My dads always told me never to travel without $100 in cash, I guess I better start listening to his advice because my ATM card won’t always be my ticket home…lesson learned. 

However, some have experienced a whole lot worse in Canada, take a look at this video. 

Lesson Learned: It's never too late to jump in the ring, literally

I’ll be honest I’ve never been much of a wrestling fan but when you meet someone like Ric Flair it’s hard not to get excited especially when there are hundreds of his fans surrounding you screaming his signature wooooo, try it, it’s fun to say out loud.

I got to shake the world heavyweight champion’s hand at the North Carolina Sea Food Festival in Morehead City. Ric’s teamed up with the North Carolina Lottery and is coming out with a new scratch off card, yes wooooo could be somewhere in the tickets name but WrestleMania fans will most likely be more interested in the $100,000 top prize. He was at the festival to promote the ticket and of course meet and greet some fans.

So why is the Nature Boy so interested in the lottery?  He says for the kids and that was good enough for me.

Flair has definitely got some flare and charmed me into wanting to attend his out of retirement debut in November; too bad it’s in Australia. Yes, he’ll be heading back in the ring to face off against the one and only Hulk Hogan. The first time he’ll compete since a big loss to Shawn Michaels. But the champs got about 36 years of experience under his belt and looked like he could crush me with 2 fingers even at the age of 60.

But Mr. Flair’s muscular physique isn’t the only reason why I would bet in his favor, he’s the type of man I could never really see retire because he’s so passionate about the sport and has this admirable desire to constantly impress his fans. Which made me think, if and when you find something you absolutely love to do, it’s never too late to jump in the ring, literally…lesson learned. 

Lesson Learned: You never really know who is buying you that drink

I was casually enjoying a Miller Light on the deck of a bar in Morehead City, North Carolina overlooking the ocean on what happened to be the night of a full moon when she attacked.

She was an approximately 5 Ft. 115 lbs slightly intoxicated brunette and her targets were sitting right next to me. At the top of her lungs she screamed at a girl sharing a drink with another guy “I JUST WANT YOU TO KNOW THE GUY YOU’RE TALKING TO BEATS HIS GIRLFRIENDS.” Because that’s all I caught word for word, I’ll paraphrase what happened next. The miniature girl continued shrieking that her best friend has a fat lip and a black and blue eye. This guy's date was stunned into shock and the only thing she managed to get out, “I met him 10 minutes ago,” Then the brunette turned her attention on the guy and challenged him to slap her, dared him to touch her in front of more than 100 witnesses. 

Somehow the brunette’s friends managed to drag her away and then my ears really perked up. Would this girl stick around to finish her drink with an alleged girlfriend beater? Well, not only did she stay but once asking and hearing the story of why he admittedly slapped his ex (just once) she said, “It sounded like she deserved it.” That was my cue to leave.   

On my way back to the hotel room I started to think about all those times I’d happily accepted free beverages from total strangers and it’s true you never really know who is buying you that drink…lesson learned. 

Lesson Learned: Sometimes you don't have to look very far for love

I met Patricia and Robert Winnie at the Lenoir County Fair in North Carolina. Patricia runs the Wacky Shack and Robert is in charge of the kiddy rides even though he told me he can manage just about every ride at the carnival and that’s exactly where these two lovebirds met.

Over a year ago Patricia says she spotted Robert and although it wasn’t love at first sight she confessed, “I thought he was cute” and decided to pursue her carnie co-worker.

Like so many women have done before her, Patricia lured him in with food. Robert says she marched over everyday with two mini Butter Fingers and a Pepsi, quickly gave them to him, and backed away without a word. Cupid must have been hungry too because it worked.

Robert and Patricia have been married for over 11 months and have settled down in Kinston, North Carolina. Although they’ve given up traveling with the fair, every time the carnival comes to town they pitch in to help and rekindle that first flame.

But they aren’t the only ones taking a romantic spin on the Ferris Wheel these days, Patricia’s daughter also works with the carnival and tells me she too has fallen in love with someone who works at the fair, which means a bit of a family tradition is forming for the Winnies.

On my ride home that night I had to smirk at the Winnie’s love story.  Could it be that easy? Two Butter Fingers, a Pepsi, and the notion, sometimes you don’t have to look very far for love….lesson learned.

Why I got started:

My name is Natalie Kaplan and I’m a News Anchor/Reporter in Greenville, North Carolina. A couple of days ago, I was at the grocery store when a middle aged man walked by me, turned to his wife and said, “Hey, that’s the girl always smiling on the news.” He’s right, I’ve usually got a huge grin plastered across my face.

I’ve been in the media industry for a little over three years now so I still get excited when I’m live at the scene of a warehouse fire, covering a chemical spill, or bomb threat at a high school. But while the live element is invigorating it’s not why I love my job.

Everyday I wake up in the morning and I have no idea who I’m going to meet that afternoon. I’m a people person and that’s exactly what I do sometimes, tell people’s stories. While on the road (not just for my job but because of my lifestyle, I’m a traveling addict who will pack up and go anywhere at anytime) I am constantly meeting different types of people who have incredible stories to tell and that’s one of the keepsakes I usually return home with, a lesson learned. This is my chance to introduce you to some of those individuals and share some of the lessons they have bestowed upon me. This is my chance to take you on the road with me…