Happy Father’s Day!

This is an old photo of Jasson and his daughter Nisa from a post last month, but it’s the perfect image to celebrate Father’s Day. I grew up with a stay-at-home dad who owned an investment bank/trust company consulting business from an office in our house. Since we lived in Arkansas and all of his clients and associates were based in either New York, Chicago, or Charlotte, N.C., he didn’t really need an off-site office in Arkansas, although he had offices in those other cities. I am really lucky to have been raised by parents who put me and my brothers first.

My father has always encouraged me to follow my dreams and supported me every step of the way with my blog. Following your dreams is an important value in my family, especially for my father – one of the primary reasons we left Manhattan so he could follow his dream of owning a cattle ranch (the other being the 1993 WTC terrorist attack). Growing up I equally blamed my parents and Osama Bin Laden for forcing me to leave Greenwich Village, and was very resentful. Only in retrospect do I truly appreciate how valuable my upbringing was, and how lucky I am to have fearless parents who follow their hearts, because those skills have taken me far in life for only being 25. I’ve taken a lot of risks within the past year, from leaving my job to blog full-time to having the courage to introduce myself to new friends. I am lucky to have great parents who’ve coached me along the way!

So here’s to my father – thank you for being in my life!