Who Am I?

The ubiquitous "About Me Page" where I am supposed to tell you a bit about myself.

Let's start off with acting and performing.

I have always loved performing.   The theatre is my first love and the reason I moved from my hometown of Redmond, Oregon (not Redmond, Washington which is the home of Microsoft) to New York City to be on Broadway.

The theatre is my drug of choice.    There is nothing quite like the feeling of being on a stage in front of an audience.

Although the more television and film work I do the more I am enjoying them as well.  It really is all about telling the story no matter what the medium.

I enjoy playing strong independent women who are more often than not a bit offbeat in someway.

Some of the other things I love.

My Cats

I have always had cats in my life.  In fact, my Mother used to tell people that my first word was not "Mommy" or "Daddy" but "Kitty".   Our cat at the time was Fluffy.

Right now I have my two girls. Pictured on the right.

Freya is on the chair and Chloe is on the floor.   They are 4 years old and full of fun and snuggles.

Nature in all her profound beauty

I grew up in Central Oregon and could see seven snow-capped mountains from my living room window.

I am especially fond of waterfalls, the ocean, oak trees, sunrises and sunsets.

When the weather is nice I can often be found in one of New York City's lovely parks.   Mostly Riverside Park or Central Park.

 

I am also very fond of:

Reading: especially books on Spirituality, History, and Mythology as well as Fantasy and some Science Fiction.

Genealogy, Space Exploration, The History of the British Isles and whatever strikes my fancy at the moment.

So now let me tell you about how this love affair with performing got started.

I was the ripe old age of seven, in fact, it was my seventh Birthday, August 24th and my Mother and Father and I were in Las Vegas, Nevada.

So how it all went down:

My mother knew Red Skelton from her days as a singer with a dance band.   When we arrived she reached out and told him that we were in town and that it was my Birthday.  He graciously invited us to his Dinner Show that night at the Sands Hotel on the famous Las Vegas Strip.  At some point during the performance, he stopped his regular show and invited me as a “special guest” to join him on stage.   When I got to the stage he asked someone to bring me a glass of milk.  After the milk arrived he announced that it was my birthday and then had the audience join him in singing “Happy Birthday” to me.  He then offered a toast and talked to me for a few minutes.

He must have noticed that I was really enjoying being on stage with him so he let me stay and be a part of his show for his next skit.    He then sent me on my merry way with an admonishment that milk was powerful stuff and not to get too drunk on it.

That was my first time literally in the Spotlight and I remember liking it – A LOT!  I liked seeing all of those smiling faces looking at me up on that stage.

You know - it still feels the same, every time I am on a stage to this day.