In “Close Encounters of the Family Kind,” Rick Rekedal explores Steven Spielberg’s masterpiece from a new perspective, through the eyes of Roy Neary’s (Richard Dreyfuss) young son, Brad (Shawn Bishop), watching his father’s mid-life crises derail the only family he’s ever known.

Our beloved family dog Winston: 2004-2022.

Winston came to us 16 years ago. He was just about two, a stray passed from family to family in the Girl Scout troop. Vicki brought him home “for the weekend” and by that Sunday I went to the pet store and had a name tag engraved with “Winston” - put it in an envelope and gave it to our girls to open. They screamed and he was ours. Audrey was 3. Now she’s 19.

Meet Vicki and Rick Rekedal. They recently celebrated 25 years of marriage, and used their anniversary party as a way to educate their family and friends about human trafficking. Because of this they were able to raise nearly $13,000 in a single night! I had a chance to ask them a few questions, and honestly, their story is too good not to share with you. I asked them to throw in some marriage advice too *get those tissues ready*.

Two movies have taken the box office by storm in recent months. Each delivers an unflinching look at how we face the gap between parents and adult children. Is there a bridge that could bring us together, even when our own actions dismantle it? Let’s dive in.