Memories, money and happiness: What my dad has taught me

He’s my chef, travel buddy and podcast co-host. This one’s for you, Dad.

I’m back with another column. This time, it’s a personal one.

Today, I’m writing about the bond between me and my dad, and why it means so much to me.

Unlike my debut column, which focused on money, this one is about something deeper: family, gratitude and cherished memories.

I hope you’ll take a moment to read about the role my dad has played not just in my life, but in the journey of Money Talks too.

So, without further ado, here are eight moments that capture the special bond I share with my dad.

🌞 The 5 a.m Club

My dad started doing the 5 a.m. club after he read a book about it and got motivated. The book talks about the 20-20-20 formula: 20 minutes of exercise, 20 minutes of reading and 20 minutes of meditation/writing in a journal.

Some people think it’s weird that me and my dad wake up so early, but with everything, there’s a good reason for it. My dad likes to say “health is wealth.”

And I really appreciate my dad for teaching me that.

🛣️ Traveling

My dad and I travel a lot. We’ve been to Oklahoma, Florida, Virginia and Minnesota. I’ve been going to Oklahoma for eight years now. We always have fun with friends and family there. We go to the pool, play golf, watch the sunset and just enjoy spending time together.

When we went to Florida, I got to go to Disney World! I went on six or seven rides, had a funnel cake, met a woman named Parker and ate Mickey waffles — they were awesome!

In Virginia, I played with a friend, went to the beach, ate some French toast (but it wasn’t as good as my dad’s) and had lots of fun.

In Minnesota, I saw a Vikings game, visited the Mall of America, rode a few roller coasters and spent time at the pool.

Traveling is something I already love, and I’m excited to see more places in the future.

👩🏾‍🍳 Baking/cooking

Baking and cooking are helping me learn how to make my own food when I’m older and don’t have someone to cook for me. The food tastes so good, but I still want to get as good as my dad, especially because his French toast is amazing!

I love baking because there are so many fun things you can do with it, like having a bake-off with my cousins or doing a cooking competition.

🙋🏽‍♀️ 2,000 Questions About Me

It’s a book that my dad and I use together. It has 2,000 questions, and we take turns asking each other three at a time. One question was, “Name three things about where you live that you find most beautiful.”

I like doing the questions because it is fun to find random ones to ask my dad, or just go in order. It’s even more fun in the car because it makes the time go by faster.

👫🏾 Walks together

During summer, my dad and I go on walks. We walk the same path every time, and the route kind of makes the shape of the state of Oklahoma.

Sometimes we have money talks. Other times, we just talk about random things.

We mostly have money talks — and they’re mostly about investing.

One of my favorite pictures, our shadow picture, came from one of those walks. I think it’s really cool.

📚 Daddy-daughter days books

They are books we have been doing since 2017. I help by taking photos and designing the covers. We’ve made a bunch of books, so I can remember things like going to the strawberry farm or the Chicago White Sox game.

Some years we don’t do them, so sometimes we do two to three in one year. I still have every single book.

It’s like a collection of memories.

🎧 The Money Talks podcast

I love our podcast! I’ve been on it since I was 9 years old.

Now we’re on episode 15. The podcast has taught me a lot — not using filler words such as “like,” “literally” and “actually.” I also learned not to smack my tongue, not to be too dramatic and to speak up more.

It’s really fun, and I like getting to talk on the podcast because later I can listen to it like a memory audiobook.

🏌🏽‍♀️Golf & bowling

There are two more things I want to get better at than my dad:

💜 Bowling: I like bowling, but honestly, I’m pretty bad at it. My dad is really good, so I’m going to keep practicing until I’m better than him.

💜 Golf: My dad is great at golf too. Me? I usually putt way too hard, and the ball flies right past the hole. But I’m really glad he taught me how to play. Now I know the basics and can play a little.

Thank you, Dad, for all the fun, the lessons, the laughs and the memories we’ve made together.

From walks and talks to road trips, cooking and our podcast, everything we do means so much to me.

You’re not just my dad. You’re my teacher, teammate and traveling buddy.

Happy Father’s Day!

I love you. 🫶🏾