I grew up in a musical family. Because my mother was a voice teacher, piano prodigy, and arranger, and because my father is a first tenor (who recently retired from directing his choir after 50 years), my sister and I grew up in an environment where music was always…

“No!” my mom’s voice bellowed. I immediately laughed. I couldn’t see her, but I heard the undertone of laughter in my mother’s voice. She was answering — or wasn’t — my very loud “Hey, Ma!” from another room in the house. Because we were a few weeks away from my…

“You actually trust him to babysit?” the woman asked me. Although it wasn’t my first time hearing it, the question still took me off guard. When our four children were younger, I was a stay-at-home mom. Even though our oldest children were in school, the twins had yet to reach…

I spent years trying to catch the actual “pop.” Around Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Easter, my father was known for slow-roasting turkeys in the oven. He would meticulously clean and season them, place them in a special roasting bag with seasoned celery and carrot pieces, and cook them at the…

Of all the ways to wake up, my aching face in a pool of water ranked pretty low. Unfortunately, that wasn’t something I knew until it happened. After very extensive surgery to remove four wisdom teeth, I was sent home with my parents, an appropriate and necessary amount of pain…

The houses seem so small. That’s always my first thought when I’m on a plane. Usually, if I’m flying out of my hometown, the flight path always takes us over several neighborhoods as we ascend to 30,000 feet. If I’m lucky and snag a coveted window seat, I can look…

If you’re ever having a conversation with a film enthusiast, eventually, they will mention the brilliance behind Steven Spielberg’s “Jaws.” In “Jaws,” the fictional town of Amity Island faces growing tragedy when an oversized great white shark starts terrorizing beachgoers. After an incompetent mayor refuses to close the…

“You’re bleeding!” an exasperated character usually pants out to the main character. Then, the main character will open their jacket to reveal a dark red spot on their otherwise white clothing, gasp out a determined, “I don’t have time to bleed,” and continue fighting armed henchmen. In some movies, the…

My vision board was complete! Several years ago, after purchasing an overpriced planner, I stared in triumph at the beautiful mural of New Year’s resolutions: Produce and direct two on-stage productions. Finish my screenplay. Go to the gym four days a week. Lose 30 pounds. Host a book signing. Redecorate…

Regardless of what was behind his motivation, at the 10-minute mark of the movie, we already know that a recently released convict, Danny, wants to pull off the biggest heist in Las Vegas history: robbing three casinos for $150 million. At first, Danny’s partner in crime, Rusty, deems the task…