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Pay For News?

mattbeckwith@mac.com — 2009-12-21T19:42:46-08:00

While I recognize that this presents a unique opportunity for bloggers, podcasters and other media junkies to share their work I think we need to help local newspapers survive. ...Now, some of her information was accurate and some of her opinions are valid... but wouldn’t you like to know that this person has an axe to grind...

My Grandmother

mattbeckwith@mac.com — 2009-12-17T21:37:35-08:00

Of course, she kept looking at me and calling me her “handsome”, a name she has called me for many years (no cracks about her eyes going bad... she can see just fine). After spending some time just talking with Mimi and going through her speech therapy excersizes, my Aunt Hope mentioned that she had started speaking Italian.

Snow in Stockton

mattbeckwith@mac.com — 2009-12-07T23:10:10-08:00

It snowed in Stockton today. Wow.

Thanksgiving Day Run Walk Against Hunger

mattbeckwith@mac.com — 2009-11-26T23:46:20-08:00

This morning, Emily and I got up early to participate in the 5th Annual Run and Walk Against Hunger, supporting the Emergency Food Bank of Stockton / San Joaquin. ...Having spent a little time with Rod during his 24 hour Rant-a-Thon a few weeks back I can tell you that the 1 hour walk / broadcast was more physically challenging!

KISS in Fresno

mattbeckwith@mac.com — 2009-11-22T21:21:28-08:00

Of course the show came with flames shooting from the stage, as well as from Gene’s mouth, fireworks, including those shot from Tommy’s guitar (one of which hit an overhead set of lights, causing one end to swing free from the rafters), Gene flying up to the top of the arena, not far from the ceiling, and huge platforms that must’ve been 3 or 4 stories tall. ...If they go back out on tour in another 13 years, the 2022 tour, I can only imagine that Gene and Paul will have replaced, or cloned, themselves.

7th Son

mattbeckwith@mac.com — 2009-11-08T00:03:03-08:00

He took to the podosphere and used the power of the internet to spread the message about his book. ...J.C. is a masterful storyteller and 7th Son is the creepiest story I have ever read.

Happy Birthday Emily

mattbeckwith@mac.com — 2009-10-24T23:30:59-07:00

Happy 16th birthday Emily! Check out the rest of the pictures here.

Stockton Marina Ribbon Cutting

mattbeckwith@mac.com — 2009-10-30T22:33:19-07:00

More dignitaries, and official representatives of other dignitaries that were not in attendence, spoke briefly before the ribbon was cut by the mayor, with the Darrahs, councilmembers and others at her side. ...We don't own a boat and don't spend much time on the delta but I'm still excited that our new marina has finally opened.

Pumpkin Pie, Anyone?

mattbeckwith@mac.com — 2009-10-30T22:14:00-07:00

Today, I got a chance to be a judge, along with Chris Kotsoglou, David Siders and David from downtown's Blackwater Cafe at the Farmers Market homemade pie contest. Thanks to the Downtown Stockton Alliance for letting me join in the fun.

One Year Later

mattbeckwith@mac.com — 2009-09-25T16:05:44-07:00

Over the nine years I spent there (over the course of 14 years), four different names hung above our door but it still just always felt like Providian. ...For those that are still looking for that next great gig, hold your head high; keep up the fight.

Stir Up Stockon

mattbeckwith@mac.com — 2009-09-27T22:21:59-07:00

We need an easier way for citizens to get up-to-date information from local government and for these citizens to have tools with which to communicate with the city. ...This is the population that may already use the web to get news and may have even visited our city’s website (provided that they remember what the URL is).

Ride For A Reason

mattbeckwith@mac.com — 2009-08-08T20:42:28-07:00

With the focus on improving the lives of those fighting Parkinson’s disease and cancer, the RFAR benefits the Davis Phinney Foundation, Livestrong, UC Davis Cancer Center and Triumph Fitness Program. ...I didn’t win anything in the raffle but it was still a lot of fun to see everyone else win great prizes.

Stockton Blogger Meet-up

mattbeckwith@mac.com — 2009-07-29T22:59:33-07:00

For a first-time event there was a good turnout: Tara Cuslidge, Kirk Barron, Ian Hill, Sean Polay, David Siders, Bill Ries-Knight, Wes Rhea, Patrick Giblin, Hilary Shepherd, John Sterni, Record Publisher Roger Coover, and others. Some I had already met while with others, it was an awesome chance to put a face and voice to the blogs and tweets.

National Beep Ball World Series Comes To Stockton

mattbeckwith@mac.com — 2009-07-27T20:29:06-07:00

Thanks to the Community Center for the Blind and Visually Impaired and the Stockton Sports Commission headed by Don Miller, the Beep Ball World Series in being played in Stockton! ...For more information on the Community Center for the Blind and Visually Impaired and the Stockton Stingrays, check out http://www.communitycenterfortheblind.org/ and read the recent article on The Record.

I Miss My Mom

mattbeckwith@mac.com — 2009-07-06T20:53:42-07:00

Starting on May 15, 2009, there have been a small number of visitors that have come to my site after searching for “”faith beckwith” stockton” in Google. ...I have no idea who is searching the web for things about Mom but it made my day to see that someone did.

Happy 4th of July

mattbeckwith@mac.com — 2009-07-04T23:22:12-07:00

Even though the city of Stockton cancelled our annual fireworks show due to the current budget crisis, there was still reason to be down at the waterfront on Independence Day. ...By the time we got there most of them had sold out of their BBQ but there were still a few remaining with plenty of chicken, ribs and brisket left.

Fathers Day

mattbeckwith@mac.com — 2009-06-21T21:05:18-07:00

Dawn and the girls let me sleep in and then made me a great full breakfast, the kind that easily makes you forget about lunch hours later. ...Dad and Missy told us that they had a mechanical bull there but we thought it was just for show.

iPhone 3.0

mattbeckwith@mac.com — 2009-06-17T19:52:47-07:00

I was really looking forward to text forwarding, typing in landscape mode and of course, finally being able to cut, copy and paste, although I must admit, I almost never use cut - I’m more of a copy-paste kind of guy. ...I was really hoping that Spotlight on the new 3.0 software would correct this flaw (since Spotlight on my desktop searches that field just fine) but sadly, it did not.

Stockton Stingrays Golf Tournament

mattbeckwith@mac.com — 2009-06-13T21:44:34-07:00

Today, Mike, Manuel, Shawn and I played in the 2nd Annual Stockton Stingrays Golf Tournament, benefiting our local Beep Baseball team. Since it was a scramble tournament, I was feeling pretty good, knowing that my teammates would help carry me.

Beverly's Graduation Party

mattbeckwith@mac.com — 2009-06-06T23:00:31-07:00

I have known Bev since she was a lil’ tike and can’t believe she’s now 18. ...I couldn’t help but comment all night on how much all of these kids had grown.

Find Your Way Video

mattbeckwith@mac.com — 2009-05-30T21:24:29-07:00

I finally got a chance to try out the video on the new T1i. Check it out here.

New Camera

mattbeckwith@mac.com — 2009-05-22T19:05:08-07:00

One of them was from Rich, a friend of mine from Colorado, saying that I should look at the new T1i which would be coming out in just a few weeks. Given that the T1i, with 15.1 mega pixels, also takes HD video with resolutions up to 1920 x 1080, I decided to delay gratification and order Canon’s newest model.

Asparagus Festival 2009

mattbeckwith@mac.com — 2009-04-25T21:05:25-07:00

We headed out Saturday late morning, just after they opened and made our way to the main stage to watch the Deep Fried Asparagus Eating competition. This is always a crowd favorite and once again, was a sanctioned International Federation of Competitive Eating event.

Makenzy's Track Meet

mattbeckwith@mac.com — 2009-04-18T21:02:19-07:00

Today was Makenzy’s first track meet, held at my old high school. She competed in the standing long jump, 100 and 400 meter races.

Earth Day at Victory Park

mattbeckwith@mac.com — 2009-04-19T21:23:38-07:00

They have some shows coming up soon in the area so I will definitely have to check them out again!

Happy Birthday Elizabeth

mattbeckwith@mac.com — 2009-04-11T21:37:40-07:00

Another cousin turns 7! Check out the other pics here.

Easter 2009

mattbeckwith@mac.com — 2009-04-12T22:02:53-07:00

Once again, we had all of the brothers and sister in the same house at the same time. Of course, that means we had the opportunity to take the same picture we took in 2007.

Party Pardee Century

mattbeckwith@mac.com — 2009-04-05T19:35:37-07:00

Near the end of the day, on the last climb, I was tempted to pop down to my little ring but alas, I persisted up the hill without it. ...Although he will tell you that he suffered (duh, we all did) through the hills he still made it to each peak and still ended the day strong!

Down, But Not Out!

mattbeckwith@mac.com — 2009-04-01T20:06:30-07:00

Someone hopped our back fence, pried open our back door and helped themselves to our G4 PowerBook, new Canon S5-IS digital camera, Zoom H2 recorder, Makenzy’s Nintendo DS, Emily’s cash, most of Dawn and Emily’s jewelry and a few other small things. ...We have started replacing some of the material things that were taken from us and even though she sometimes makes a mess while we’re away at work, our dog Sashi no longer spends the day in the garage.

Pedaling Paths Century

mattbeckwith@mac.com — 2009-02-21T21:46:25-08:00

My riding partner Mike picked me up at 7:30 and we drove out to Linden where we met up with Mike aka, “Death Ride” - a name he earned from me after riding in the Death Ride after only training for three weeks! ...I kept gawking at all of the new bikes and gear I saw and by the end of the day Mike convinced me I needed a new bike (not going to happen!).

Tour of California

mattbeckwith@mac.com — 2009-02-15T19:41:19-08:00

The girls got a chance to write chalk messages for Lance and each scored a box of yellow Livestrong chalk. ...Unlike when the race started in Stockton, we did not actually see any of the big named riders until they took off out of the gate.

I Do... Again

mattbeckwith@mac.com — 2009-02-14T23:55:00-08:00

The Stockton Thunder and KATM 103.3 had a promotion tonight where DJ Walker, a licensed minister, performed another mass wedding on the ice after the first period. ...After we were re-married we went to our seats and joined the friends and family that had come out to watch us (and a hockey game).

Why I Love Golf

mattbeckwith@mac.com — 2009-02-06T18:15:42-08:00

Having gone out to a driving range years before I could appreciate that swinging a club and controlling where the ball went was something that did not come natural to me (or most). ...It’s not a rigorous work out but playing the big course without a cart means more than 5 miles of walking, with a golf bag on my back.

LinkedIn Does Not A Network Make

mattbeckwith@mac.com — 2009-04-14T22:13:04-07:00

I have been on LinkedIn for a couple of years now and have found it to be a very helpful tool to keep track of all of the career movement out there. ...“Because you are a person I trust...” and “I'd like to add you to my professional network...” is code word for “You’re not important enough to me to take the time to write a personal note.”

There Are Jobs Out There

mattbeckwith@mac.com — 2009-01-27T23:12:35-08:00

Manager Tools has a series of podcasts and resources that teach, step-by-step, how to become a more effective job-seeker, from your resume and cover letter, working with recruiters, interview preparation and even how to accept an offer. ...When most kids were playing baseball or learning to play a musical instrument (that they would grow up hating to play and then regretting they didn't stick with) I was learning how to write a cover letter, how to follow up after an interview and how to get a job!

Hello to the New Mr. President

mattbeckwith@mac.com — 2009-01-20T21:51:22-08:00

Perhaps it was the hype over the new administration or the prevalence of coverage on the internet but I don’t ever remember following past Presidential inaugurations as closely as I did this one. It was a very interesting day and I don’t mind admitting that I totally got caught up in the spectacle of it all.

Steve Jobs - My Opinion

mattbeckwith@mac.com — 2009-01-15T22:17:40-08:00

Ever since it was announced that he had pancreatic cancer in 2004, we have heard from analysts, critics and bloggers that have predicted the end of Apple’s market dominance if Steve Jobs were to depart. ...Steve Jobs said he will still be involved in strategy level decisions but allowing Tim Cook to run the organization will prove that exciting new things can still happen at Apple, even if Steve Jobs is only in the background.

Merry Christmas!

mattbeckwith@mac.com — 2008-12-25T12:31:08-08:00

Career Tools by Manager Tools

mattbeckwith@mac.com — 2008-12-11T19:16:50-08:00

These are challenging times in the workforce across the nation and, as many of my friends and former colleagues recently discovered, improving one’s career management and career search toolkit is essential. If you are looking for work, or will ever be looking for work, you owe it to your self to check out Career Tools.

We've Been Tagged

mattbeckwith@mac.com — 2008-12-03T20:18:39-08:00

If you’re a Flickr user, go to the sixth page of your photostream, choose the sixth photo and post to your site. ...Ironically, we used this exact same photo just two blog posts ago, after going to the Stockton Thunder opening night for the ’08-’09 season.

Stockton Thunder Goes Pink III

mattbeckwith@mac.com — 2008-11-08T23:48:43-08:00

The Thunder brought out Cameron the Super Fan, a huge favorite in Stockton, who for the first time we can remember, took the mic and spoke to the crowd. He told of how he lost his mother to cancer when he was a teenager and commended the fans for the great support of this great benefit event.

Stockton Thunder Home Opener '08

mattbeckwith@mac.com — 2008-10-19T12:22:59-07:00

The crowd was very energetic and did a lot of screaming - both at our team as well as a lot of trash talking to the Fresno squad. ...The second fight of the night came a minute or so later, just as play was resumed and was between Stockton's Milan Maslonka and Fresno's Kyle Hagel.

Joe the Plumber

mattbeckwith@mac.com — 2008-10-15T21:24:45-07:00

Although our family website is not the place to discuss our political views, I did want to comment on tonight’s final Presidential debate. ...

The Happiest Place on Earth

mattbeckwith@mac.com — 2008-10-10T22:32:59-07:00

Long before Dawn and I thought the names on our paychecks would be changing, before anyone was using the term “credit crunch” and when the Dow Jones Industrial Average was somewhere north of 12,000. ...Dawn, Emily and Makenzy were recruited a couple of times to join in the pirate’s adventure which might be one of the reasons we had more fun.

Chicago

mattbeckwith@mac.com — 2008-09-20T09:34:14-07:00

I spent the week in Chicago for work and actually had some fun as well. I got to catch a Cubs game at Wrigley Field, go to the top of the Hancock building and see the enormous Chicago skyline and have real Chicago pizza with Greg, Tonya, Nikolai and Caleb.

Back in the Day...

mattbeckwith@mac.com — 2008-10-05T08:11:39-07:00

After more than a decade, we got together this weekend with Van and his lovely wife, Christine and their adorable little boy, Evan (although the nickname “mini-Van” fits him well). ...Hanging out with Mike, Shauna, Shawn, Shane and Van (and all the kids that go along with this group) reminded us all that life is about the people we share it with.

Life's a Beach

mattbeckwith@mac.com — 2008-08-10T09:37:54-07:00

Yesterday, we finally made it back to our favorite beach - Cowell Ranch Beach in Half Moon Bay, California. ... As is usually the case, there were hardly any other people on “our beach” the entire day.

Tour de France - How'd I Do?

mattbeckwith@mac.com — 2008-07-28T05:12:44-07:00

With my first and second place finishers switched and a top 10 finish for Valverde this was my closest prediction ever! ...In my opinion, the biggest dissapointment was Mark Cavendish not finishing the race, especially after racing so well this tour!

Manager Tools Conference

mattbeckwith@mac.com — 2008-07-27T19:09:11-07:00

It was my goal to talk about the successes and challenges I’ve had in, and after, the implementation of one on ones, feedback, coaching and delegation. ...For some time I referred to Mark and Mike as being the greatest management theorists of today but, after spending more time with them I am reminded they are not theorists at all.

Why We Love Stockton

mattbeckwith@mac.com — 2008-07-20T14:44:12-07:00

Last week, in an article written by Record editor Mike Klocke’s, local residents were invited to write in with three things they liked about Stockton, along with one thing they’d like to improve. ...People from all walks of life, some (like me and my family) had no interest in hockey before, bond in a way that this city has needed for a long time.

Stockton Ports vs. Visalia Oaks

mattbeckwith@mac.com — 2008-07-16T22:35:40-07:00

Early in the game, a foul ball came flying toward our section, hit a young boy in the head, bounced and hit a woman in the head and then flew right over me. ... I couldn’t get over the fact that the ball bounced twice and still flew from about the middle of section 119, about row 5 all the way to section 118, row 10!

Hockey in Stockton?

mattbeckwith@mac.com — 2005-12-11T23:47:24-08:00

We really enjoyed going to Ports games at the old park but fell in love with the new ballpark on the waterfront. ...Well, we decided to go the second game at the arena tonight and let me tell you, we are cynics no more!

Ciao Bella

mattbeckwith@mac.com — 2008-06-12T21:52:22-07:00

The feel of the restaurant was very comfortable and given that it was blazing hot outside we were thankful that the shades were pulled down, making the place pretty dark. ...Our server did everything right, he treated our daughters like real customers, served ladies first, didn’t “auction” our food to us, engaged us in the perfect amount of small talk.

Iguana Wanna

mattbeckwith@mac.com — 2008-07-16T09:42:16-07:00

There were a few times our server didn’t know something we thought he should: not being sure if they had root beer and not being sure if the salsa had jalapenos (the couple behind us asked that one). ...The one thing that I thought was a little odd was the fact that they had cloth napkins (I like that) and plastic drinking cups (I don’t like that).

iPhone 2.0

mattbeckwith@mac.com — 2008-07-14T01:35:50-07:00

I had just won a $50 gift card from Stacey over at Pill’s Place so I decided to get an iTunes card, just in time for the opening of the App Store (and the purchase of Alan Jackson’s Good Time). ...Now, the last character is left un-masked until the next character is typed - very helpful when I fat-finger a password and forget what I’ve already typed.

Lori and Tim Visit

mattbeckwith@mac.com — 2008-07-13T21:39:10-07:00

After playing and singing Happy Birthday to everyone with a July birthday, we all sang The Boxer by Simon & Garfunkel and a couple of others. ...

Business Leadership Summit

mattbeckwith@mac.com — 2006-10-06T21:44:38-07:00

She told a story about a woman that really wanted to interview with Herb Kelleher so she sent him a bottle of Wild Turkey (purportedly his favorite) with her resume attached. ...After hearing Rudy Guliani last year, and former British Prime Minister John Major a couple of years before that, I was a little disappointed to hear that this year’s headliner would be Terry Bradshaw.

Trivia Bee!

mattbeckwith@mac.com — 2005-03-11T23:22:00-08:00

The Library and Literacy Foundation has been one of our favorite charities so this year we participated in the 14th annual Trivia Bee. ...Uh oh... none of us were around in the 1960s - so I was glad I had a couple of history buffs to join the team.

100 Things?

mattbeckwith@mac.com — 2008-07-28T21:52:25-07:00

Our first home had a separate room in the back yard, which was the whole reason I wanted to buy that house, that served as an office and studio. ...Of course, I have all of my CDs (which I haven’t touched in years) stowed away elsewhere, another collection of books, 23 Franklin Quest / Franklin Covey storage cases and other keepsakes in my bedroom.

Annual Brotherhood Camping 2008

mattbeckwith@mac.com — 2008-07-12T13:53:57-07:00

The big girls, Emily, Kaela and Maryssa, covered themselves in mud and entertained the adults while Christian spent the better part of the afternoon in the water, eventually bringing up a water-logged tree trunk that must’ve weighed 200 pounds. ...All in all, even given the extremely hot weather on the first day, it was another great year of camping, aside from smashing the LCD on my camera - good weather the rest of the trip, including blue skies, awesome bike trails and well behaved kids.

Happy 4th of July

mattbeckwith@mac.com — 2008-07-04T23:53:25-07:00

After some hackey sack and then a great dinner of hot dogs, beer brats and hot links we drove to watch the fireworks. Even though we were only a mile or so away from the Field of Dreams, the fireworks were a dud, too low to really see so we went back and blew up the arsenal we bought from the local fireworks stand earlier in the day.

Vive le Tour!

mattbeckwith@mac.com — 2008-07-02T22:59:24-07:00

In 2006 I predicted that Floyd Landis would take the final yellow jersey - which he did, until he was officially stripped of the title for the final time last week. ...Plus, with some of my favorite riders like Boonen and Mayo out for ’08, this year’s Tour de France is a tough one to call.

Happy Birthday to my iPhone

mattbeckwith@mac.com — 2008-06-29T18:05:10-07:00

Of course, everyone knows that the iPhone turned 1 today. I still love my iPhone as much as I did the day I brought it home and am proud of the fact that even though I have dropped it several times it still works fine (except that the vibe doesn’t work).

Paragary's

mattbeckwith@mac.com — 2008-06-28T10:20:05-07:00

After opening with a pinch of public criticism a few months ago, Stocktonians are asking in chorus, “Have you been to Paragary’s?”. ...It wasn’t very crowded, probably less than half the tables were occupied but we still waited a few minutes before being greeted by our server.

Extravaganza 2008

mattbeckwith@mac.com — 2008-06-24T20:24:44-07:00

I especially had a good time being scared out of my mind, not once, but twice, when Hope and then Grace snuck in my room. ... Well, Mike fell for it and hid out in our room for a minute, amazed at the prize he just fell into, until I jumped out of the darkness yelling, “did you really think we’d let you in like that!”

10,000 Miles in 5 Years

mattbeckwith@mac.com — 2008-06-19T20:27:26-07:00

For many riders I know that would not be much of a challenge, but given that I only rode 1,100 miles last year, 1,065 in 2006 and 1,800 in 2005, hitting 1,800 in half a year was going to be tough. ...You have never, not even once, complained about the time I spend on my bike and are always waiting for me to hear all about my ride, sometimes in excruciating detail.

Canyon Classic Century

mattbeckwith@mac.com — 2008-06-14T22:13:06-07:00

I'valways wanted to do this ride since it goes over one of my favorite climbs in the area - the Del Puerto Canyon, just west of I-5 in Patterson, California. ...We talked about all the normal things you talk about on a century and after I told him about my nearing my 10,000th mile in 5 years he told me that he crossed his 10,000th mile on this ride - and he also beat his goal, by two weeks, by doing it in less than two years!

Stockton's Gas Prices

mattbeckwith@mac.com — 2008-06-09T21:53:59-07:00

For starters, since I commute over 100 miles per day, I am trying to not drive at all on the weekend, unless I absolutely have to. ... By driving the speed limit (which often requires me to stay in the right lane) I am getting a 10% bump in my MPG.

The Grape & Lita Hope

mattbeckwith@mac.com — 2008-06-08T11:32:32-07:00

Tom, the founding member and song writer of The Grape, on guitar, Ted on bass, Ralph on drums and Jady on vocals, played for 45 minutes before taking a break. ... Lita Hope and The Grape share a drummer and Ted and Tom were kind enough to let Lita and the others play their set on their equipment.

My Hopes for iPhone 2.0

mattbeckwith@mac.com — 2008-06-08T18:00:07-07:00

Emily and I spent 20 hours in line in front of a local AT&T store and were, in fact, one of the first people in the store when they opened the doors at precisely 6:00 PM on Friday, June 29, 2007, amidst cheers and applause. ...I will not be attending WWDC but, as luck would have it, I will be in San Francisco on Monday afternoon, perhaps a trip to Stockton street will be in order.

My New Favorite Bike Shop - REI

mattbeckwith@mac.com — 2008-05-27T21:40:02-07:00

I was so happy that they actually had a few different styles, all sizes and plenty of each in stock. ... I told him that I thought they might put one of the other bike stores in town out of business.

What's all this Twitter about?

mattbeckwith@mac.com — 2008-05-26T20:51:33-07:00

Wikipedia defines Twitter as, "... a free social networking and micro-blogging service that allows users to send "updates" (or "tweets"; text-based posts, up to 140 characters long) to the Twitter website, via short message service (SMS), instant messaging, or a third-party application..." ...By sending a text message of 'track beckwith' to 40404 I get updates to my cell phone any time someone in the Twitterverse uses the word 'beckwith'.

Lodi Sunrise Century

mattbeckwith@mac.com — 2008-05-17T21:26:15-07:00

I rolled out of the parking lot at 6:10 AM and a minute or so later, the guy who parked next to me, Dave, pulled up next to me. ...On the way back home after the lunch stop we had a little bit of a head wind but it was the heat that would become debilitating.

Ride to Work

mattbeckwith@mac.com — 2008-05-15T22:29:42-07:00

Since a ride from Stockton to Pleasanton is about 65 miles on a bike, I will likely continue to only do this once a year. ...After a quick stop to say hello to Fred & Flower who were in their front yard talking to the Schwann's guy I made it home at 9:30.

News 10 Good Morning

mattbeckwith@mac.com — 2008-05-13T22:29:32-07:00

The crew at News 10 Good Morning mentioned me this morning after I sent in an e-mail about bike-to-work day.

Delta Century

mattbeckwith@mac.com — 2008-05-04T19:58:20-07:00

We jumped on their line, along with a few other riders and pushed hard for about 15 minutes at 20-22 (in a cross wind) until Mike and I got dropped like a bad habit; it was fun while it lasted. ...The added touch of the pillows and blankets on the grass at the final rest stop was a very nice touch (I believe those were from a generous local guy and not part of the club).

Asparagus Festival '08

mattbeckwith@mac.com — 2008-04-27T20:53:54-07:00

When we approached the water station Emily even suggested we slow down a little and let the group ahead of us go through and get their water. ...So, besides the 5k run, I tried deep fried asparagus for the first time, we saw some amazing frisbee dogs and met Martin Yan from Yan Can Cook!

10,000 Miles, 100 at a Time

mattbeckwith@mac.com — 2008-04-24T21:41:39-07:00

No matter where I am, when I cross each 100 miles, I take a picture and send it to Flickr. ...If you see me riding through Stockton, Lodi, Tracy, etc., and see me taking a picture while I'm riding, get my attention and say, "cheese"!

Primavera Century

mattbeckwith@mac.com — 2008-04-22T13:22:22-07:00

After the first rest stop and just as we approached the first climb at Calaveras road we saw a couple of guys riding fixed gear bikes. ...About 30 minutes before Mike and I rolled in to the Sunol rest stop I got a text message from Dan on Twitter.

Stockton Thunder game

mattbeckwith@mac.com — 2008-04-19T10:23:15-07:00

Mike and I went to game three of the ECHL playoffs last night to watch the Stockton Thunder square off against the Las Vegas Wranglers. ...The first one is the of the first goal scored of the game, the second one is one of a flying puck (not sure how well that comes across on YouTube).

Happy Birthday Sashi

mattbeckwith@mac.com — 2008-04-04T05:21:23-07:00

Well, we all went to see her and it worked... there was no way I was telling them no. ...It isn't just Sashi that is growing up fast... look at the girls!

Deal or No Deal

mattbeckwith@mac.com — 2008-03-29T23:05:33-07:00

When Mike and I found out that Deal or No Deal auditions were coming to the Sacramento area we knew exactly what we had to do. ...We did enough to get past the second round, which afforded us the opportunity to wait for another hour or so for a second round of interviews - again another 15 seconds to shine.

Happy Easter

mattbeckwith@mac.com — 2008-03-24T16:18:28-07:00

With JR, Megan and the rest of the Texas Beckwiths in town (well, in state is more like it) we had lots of opportunities for pictures. Easter turned into a three-day weekend celebration with everyone meeting at the Havens house on Friday, then our house on Saturday and then our annual Easter bash on Sunday.

A Tribute to Ty

mattbeckwith@mac.com — 2001-01-10T01:37:20-08:00

We'll miss you! Click here for the tribute.

A Tribute to Derrick Thomas

mattbeckwith@mac.com — 2000-02-11T00:35:55-08:00

January 1, 1967 - February 8, 2000 ...Click here for my tribute.

A Tribute to USA

mattbeckwith@mac.com — 2001-09-12T00:34:09-07:00

September 11, 2001 - a day that I will never forget. Click here to read my tribute.

A Tribute to Papa

mattbeckwith@mac.com — 1998-07-12T11:30:59-07:00

I was taught to play cribbage when I was very young, it was a requirement in my family that you play. ...Having served proudly in the armed forces and during two wars, he wore his pride close to his chest but was always willing to share a story.

A Tribute to my Mom

mattbeckwith@mac.com — 2000-11-10T00:24:19-08:00

As a certified employment specialist -- and owner and operator of At Your Service for the past 14 years -- she had helped thousands and thousands of people find work all over the county, state, nation and world. She had been invited as a public speaker and consultant to countless job fairs and seminars through the years and had been contracted by some of the largest employers in San Joaquin County to help prepare laid-off workers find new jobs.

Happy Birthday Makenzy

mattbeckwith@mac.com — 2008-03-09T20:40:35-07:00

Last weekend, on her actual birthday we ordered her favorite take-out (DaVinci's), rented a movie (The Last Mimzy) and had cake. ...Party number two was pizza for the family and our favorite family pizza joint where the kids (and some of the adults) quickly went through handfuls of tokens on the redemption games.

I Love Bad Grammar (When Someone Else Uses It)

mattbeckwith@mac.com — 2008-03-09T20:22:36-07:00

So, today, while walking down the Miracle Mile, I got quite the chuckle when I saw a sign in the window of a salon that had this word in it. ...While you're there, or should I say, while your their, check out the rest of the pictures posted in the Grammar Girl pool.

Happy Birthday Kelsie with Mimi and Ralph

mattbeckwith@mac.com — 2008-03-01T23:07:58-08:00

Today, we went to Vacaville to Pietro's Pizza to celebrate Kelsie's 6th birthday and to spend some time with Mimi and Ralph. ... He was in great form and seemed to really enjoy having everyone there visiting with him.

My First Solo Century

mattbeckwith@mac.com — 2008-03-08T20:04:11-08:00

I have ridden several local centuries and even joined some friends for an unorganized century or two but have never ventured out on my own for a 100 mile ride. ...This was my most productive week, 200 miles, and so far this month (8 days into it) I have more miles than any of the last 17 months.

Amanda Overmyer = Blackie Lawless Long Lost Daughter

mattbeckwith@mac.com — 2008-02-28T21:04:32-08:00

This season, we all have our own favorites but can all agree on one thing: Amanda Overmyer is the long lost daughter of W.A.S.P. front man Blackie Lawless. ...Oh, and in case you're interested, my pick for the top four are David Cook, Chikezie, Carly Smithson and Brooke White.

I'm Driving a Homer!

mattbeckwith@mac.com — 2008-02-19T21:46:05-08:00

I like the name Five Hundred and even like the fact that they re-named the car to Taurus - which is all a bit confusing if you ask me. ...Well, during a recent speech, Ford's head of global product development Derrick Kuzak likened the Five Hundred to Homer Simpson.

Recent pictures

mattbeckwith@mac.com — 2008-01-25T23:36:29-08:00

We've been a little late putting up recent pics so here they are. Junior's birthday 1/25/08

The Word of the Year...

mattbeckwith@mac.com — 2008-01-08T20:31:18-08:00

I started listening to podcasts in 2005 and in the time since I have all but given up terrestial radio. ...I've had the chance to spend some time with some of the brightest, most interesting people I have ever met, way too many to list.

Merry Christmas

mattbeckwith@mac.com — 2007-12-31T16:42:27-08:00

Oops, we've not posted in a while. ...Deal or No Deal DVD (plus on YouTube)

Happy Thanksgiving

mattbeckwith@mac.com — 2007-11-29T16:36:20-08:00

Most of us ate a lot more than we should have, but given the cornucopia of good stuff (c'mon, it's the only time of year I can use that word) we had no choice. ...The first was won by Joe (of course) and the second was taken by Ken!

Roller Derby!

mattbeckwith@mac.com — 2007-11-03T23:30:25-07:00

We joined the F&F family and went to root on Nicole and the San Joaquin Valley Vixens Roller Derby team in a bout at the Civic Auditorium. ... It took a while for Dawn and I to understand the logistics of the sport but once we did, we had a blast yelling at the players.

Thunder Goes Pink II

mattbeckwith@mac.com — 2007-11-02T23:16:02-07:00

Dawn, Makenzy, Emily and a friend went to the Stockton Thunder game tonight, a ladies night out, for the second annual Thunder Goes Pink night. This is such a great way to raise awareness and money for breast cancer.

Happy Halloween

mattbeckwith@mac.com — 2007-10-31T21:14:43-07:00

Thankfully, Mike was there to help me pass out candy to the kids because I had a hard time seeing most of them. ...I went through the drive through at In-n-Out and they noticed my Jack head in the back seat.

Shake and Bake

mattbeckwith@mac.com — 2007-10-30T20:39:18-07:00

Tonight, as we were sitting in the family room I felt some shaking. ... I was the only one in the house that felt it but we got calls from Dawn's mom and Mike saying they both felt it.

Pumpkin Carving

mattbeckwith@mac.com — 2007-10-29T21:05:59-07:00

Halloween is almost here... so what better time to cut into the gourds! Mike, Shauna, Rachel and Chris joined in the fun and brought their pumpkins over to carve as well.

Stockton Thunder home opener '07

mattbeckwith@mac.com — 2007-10-27T23:48:57-07:00

Thunder scored first near the end of the first period and followed it up with a second goal that saw a few Aces players collide into the goalie. ...It was nice to be a little closer and see some pucks go flying as well as really hearing the glass pounding, but sitting this close made it hard to see down on the other end of the ice.

Leopard Arrives!

mattbeckwith@mac.com — 2007-10-26T21:48:00-07:00

It's no secret that Apple retail stores are sales powerhouses (see Apple Stores Now More Profitable Than Tiffany's Per Square Foot) and anyone at an OS launch day can easily see why. ...I mean, the iPhone is cool because it is a phone and it has the look and feel of Mac OS X... but Leopard is Mac OS X!

Happy Birthday Emily

mattbeckwith@mac.com — 2007-10-24T22:38:59-07:00

We are starting to feel like we might be getting close, someday, to, actually, perhaps, getting (gulp) old. ...Tickets to see Gwen Stefani... rock on!

Pumpkin Maze

mattbeckwith@mac.com — 2007-10-20T21:41:37-07:00

Dawn, Melissa, Emily, Shauna, Maryssa and Makenzy got out in just about 20 minutes while it took the rest of us just under an hour to find our way out. ... There were also three "bridges" which let us see over the top of the 20 acre field (not that it helped much as all I saw was corn!).

Great new restaurant in Stockton

mattbeckwith@mac.com — 2007-10-13T23:18:22-07:00

Gone are the days of Shannons, the Hatch Cover, Bella Vista, the original (and we would argue, better) Cancun, even Red Robin couldn't last in Stockton. ...Cibo di Vino had a great selection of wines and Dawn and I each enjoyed a "flight of three" sampler.

Happy birthday Angelo

mattbeckwith@mac.com — 2007-10-14T16:52:15-07:00

We had a great time at Micke's Grove park in Lodi. Chris, Joe and I got robbed playing football, but that's cool... we'll get 'em next time!

Podcast and New Media Expo 2007

mattbeckwith@mac.com — 2007-09-29T23:42:58-07:00

It was great to meet Dan and Cj from Love Long and Prosper, Steve and Dawn from For What It's Worth, Matt and Amy from the Redboy Podcast, Rob and Tina from Learning to Fly Together and Barely from Barely Podcasting. ...Today, we met Chuck and Kreg from Technorama (and others), Doug Welch from Career Opportunies (and others), Shelly Brisbane from Shelly's Podcast, Rob Walsh from Podcast411 and Today in iPhone, Ken Ray from Mac OS Ken, Tee Morris from Billibub Baddings and Podcasting for Dummies, Adam Raimer from Mad Town Aces, Don McAllister from ScreenCastsOnline, Aaron from the Big Show, Charles Cadenhead from Mostly News and Desperate Husbands, and a bunch of others.

Go Giants

mattbeckwith@mac.com — 2007-09-22T23:40:05-07:00

Tonight, we took Fred and Daniel to AT&T Park to watch the San Francisco Giants beat up on the Cincinnati Reds. It was a great game that went by very fast, with very little base hits and no scores until the 8th inning when Durham hit a single with the bases loaded, sending two Giants to home plate.

Bring it on...

mattbeckwith@mac.com — 2007-09-08T21:14:53-07:00

Makenzy is playing on a bigger field this year with the U9 girls Diamond Queens under the direction of coaches April and Raymond. ...Emily's playing forward on the U14 girls Tidal Wave with coaches Robert, Scott and Dave.

New pictures uploaded

mattbeckwith@mac.com — 2007-09-06T22:38:04-07:00

After trying out the new Mac Gallery with iPhoto '08 I have determined that I still prefer Flickr. So, check out our recent pics.

Six Flags Discovery Kingdom

mattbeckwith@mac.com — 2007-08-11T23:32:52-07:00

Yesterday we spent the day at Marine World... ... Perfect weather, but a little crowded.

Goodbye Auntie

mattbeckwith@mac.com — 2007-08-01T22:25:20-07:00

I have so many memories of Auntie Kelly and will find a way to share some of them here soon. I will always look back at her last few years with great love and admiration of her strength and devotion to her family.

Happy Anniversary

mattbeckwith@mac.com — 2007-07-29T09:39:20-07:00

We also watched a local punk-turned-bluegrass band, Lonesome Valley Shiners, perform a couple of songs as participants in the Music in the Square. ... Right before they went on, a volunteer downtown guide gave the band 5 minutes to start playing or they'd have to leave.

The Beckwith family gets Simpsonized!

mattbeckwith@mac.com — 2007-07-28T13:02:26-07:00

If you're like us (well, most of us) and love the Simpsons, then you have to check out the Simpsonizeme site. ...Check out the rest of our Simpsons pictures here.

Holland Update #4

mattbeckwith@mac.com — 2007-07-28T11:58:43-07:00

Although Emily's team played exceptionally well and shut of their first four opponents, a couple of crushing defeats at the hands of Denmark and Sweden kicked her team out of the championship matches. ...Keep an eye on our podcast as I'm sure our next episode will feature a lot of her stories.

Family Dinner

mattbeckwith@mac.com — 2007-07-23T22:47:36-07:00

Nothing says late July in this family quite like the annual Family Dinner a la Havens style. The weather was perfect, the pool was perfect, the food was, well, the food is always grubbin'!.

Holland Update #3

mattbeckwith@mac.com — 2007-07-24T21:19:33-07:00

For the first few days her and her team worked on drills and had practices that lasted up to 4 hours - in less than California weather. The games started today and Emily's team won their first two games, both 2-0, against Holland and England.

Holland Update #2

mattbeckwith@mac.com — 2007-07-20T11:43:02-07:00

Emily's flight was delayed leaving San Francisco and didn't arrive in Amsterdam until just before 4 am Pacific Time. ... She's hoping to get to bed soon since she is meeting the rest of the team at 7 am tomorrow.

Holland or Bust!

mattbeckwith@mac.com — 2007-07-19T23:23:37-07:00

Emily left San Francisco today for Holland where, along with the other People to People Sports Ambassadors, will participate in the Youth Friendship Games. Emily's plane lands in Amsterdam in just a couple of hours and will be shuttled off to the village where all the other athletes will be meeting, well, soccer players anyway since they went out a day earlier than the other athletes.

Happy 4th of July

mattbeckwith@mac.com — 2007-07-05T04:23:06-07:00

No worries though... that's why we had super soakers for the kids. Sure, a pool would be better but the Havens were out of town.

iDay - the iPhone Launch!

mattbeckwith@mac.com — 2007-07-01T15:29:23-07:00

I have never found a device that did a good job of syncing my life (e-mail, calendar, contacts, etc.) and have been stuck with a Razr for the last 18 months, waiting for the iPhone. ...Although it could have been due to the plethora of blogs, podcasts and the Apple videos about the iPhone before it was released, I had no problems whatsoever setting up or using the device.

iPhone anyone?

mattbeckwith@mac.com — 2007-06-29T02:00:24-07:00

Yes, it's 2:00 am and Emily and I are camping out in front of the AT&T store to get the iPhone (for me... not her). We are 5th in line so I am all but certain that the greatest-phone-since-the-invention-of-the-phone will soon be mine.

Airport WiFi... You Get What You Pay For

mattbeckwith@mac.com — 2007-06-21T16:01:57-07:00

While I was waiting for my flight in Sacramento I took a screen shot of the speed test I ran. ...Now in Dallas, with a little bit of time on my hand, I figured I'd spend the $10 to get online.

A Witness to History

mattbeckwith@mac.com — 2007-06-20T23:45:10-07:00

Needless to say, I was the only one in our group of 25 or so that didn't know Sammy Sosa had 599 career home runs and that tonight, in Arlington, against his former team, he could do what only four other ball players have ever done: hit 600 home runs. ...It was a crazy scene with just as many Cubs fans and Rangers fans and police officers everywhere - for protection of anyone that might catch the lucky prize.

Is American Airlines Running Vista?

mattbeckwith@mac.com — 2007-06-18T08:29:14-07:00

So, all of the passengers de-planed (I love this term), retrieved luggage (shouldn't it be de-checked luggage) and got in line at the AA ticket counter to re-book another flight. ...I was the only one left who was not traveling any further than DFW so she plucked me from the line, much to the disgruntlement of the others, and took me right up to the counter and got me checked in for the 11:30 am departure.

Wii Finally Got One!

mattbeckwith@mac.com — 2007-06-06T22:27:59-07:00

Even though we have never owned a video game console we have wanted a Nintendo Wii from the first time we saw our young nephew play with his. ... We all had a lot of fun creating our Mii's (even though Mak was a little perturbed that Nintendo didn't really offer her shade of red hair).

Weird Al Concert

mattbeckwith@mac.com — 2007-06-15T23:49:37-07:00

The odd thing was that I didn't realize (or remember) that he was playing our local fair this year... a little ironic since I just posted the Weird Al is a Geek entry. ...Medley: Couch Potato / Do I Creep You Out / I'm In Love With The Skipper / Headline News / Confessions, Part 3 / A Complicated Song / EBay / Bedrock Anthem / Ode to a Superhero / Pretty Fly for a Rabbi / Trapped in the Drive Thru / Radio Time / Gump / Eat It

Weird Al is a Geek!

mattbeckwith@mac.com — 2007-06-07T22:24:43-07:00

As I was listening to some Weird Al recently it struck me that, in addition to being a big polka guy, Weird Al is quite the geek, a proud geek I bet. ...It's All About The Pentiums - even though it's not really "all about the Pentiums" anymore, he really showed his geek side in this one

Bring on Summer!

mattbeckwith@mac.com — 2007-06-01T15:50:12-07:00

Emily and Makenzy enjoyed their last day of school today. While Mak will be attending the same school next year, Emily and her friends said goodbye to junior high school and began the countdown to high school.

iPod meme

mattbeckwith@mac.com — 2007-06-01T16:46:49-07:00

Although I don't usually participate these types of blog-tags but when I read Karen's post, The Music of my Life Meme, on PediaScribe yesterday it looked too fun to resist. ...Use the song title as the answer to the question even if it doesn't make sense.

Family Dinner

mattbeckwith@mac.com — 2007-05-19T19:52:00-07:00

Looks like we're back on the Family Dinner routine. We all met in Sacramento for dinner last Saturday and had a great time.

Grand Opening of Pizza Go Here...

mattbeckwith@mac.com — 2007-05-13T01:17:34-07:00

Matt said, "The name, Pizza Go Here, came from a famous slip-up my Mom uttered years ago so we thought it fitting to make our announcement on Mother's Day." ...If you have no idea what a podcast is or need help subscribing, send an e-mail to help@pizzagohere.com or call the Pizza Go Here listener line at 206-309-1631.

Nickel Creek Farewell For Now

mattbeckwith@mac.com — 2007-04-29T08:36:36-07:00

...

Asparagus Festival

mattbeckwith@mac.com — 2007-04-29T08:35:51-07:00

Watching the competitive eating event was pretty cool... even though they were eating deep fried asparagus! ...

The Grape

mattbeckwith@mac.com — 2007-04-21T22:07:24-07:00

After a long vacation, The Grape (the band that brought you the matt-beckwith-dot-com theme song) was back on the road for their one night world tour. Tom, Ralph, Ted and Jady rocked the Blackwater Cafe with songs like "Crackheads Crossing the Street", "Hearts and Wounds" and "My Old Neighborhood".

JR & Megan

mattbeckwith@mac.com — 2007-04-14T23:26:44-07:00

Before heading back out to Texas, JR, Megan, Wynter and Audrey came over and hung out with us, Mike & Shauna and Shawn. JR and Mike... showin' the love!

Manager Tools conference

mattbeckwith@mac.com — 2007-04-17T14:45:29-07:00

I have been listening to M-T for a year and a half or so and am very excited to be here for this event. ...Mark and Mike took us through the details of the management trinity and spent countless hours allowing the 100 attendees to pick their brains.

Mostly Trivial

mattbeckwith@mac.com — 2007-04-11T18:49:52-07:00

After doing some research on the penny-farthing bike I bought recently, I decided to pitch some trivia questions to the show. I was driving home from work, listening to podcasts, and Mostly Trivial started to play.

Happy Easter

mattbeckwith@mac.com — 2007-04-09T21:17:26-07:00

With JR and his family making the trek from Texas, Tony and his coming down from The Property and Lance even showing up, we had a great Easter at the house. ... Ken, Lance, Tony, Mike, Me, JR and Missy... all in the same place... that doesn't happen too often.

Party Pardee

mattbeckwith@mac.com — 2007-04-07T18:10:57-07:00

Even though there were times he wanted to take the SAG wagon back to the car, he didn't give up (the Chariot's of Fire theme song would be appropriate here) and kept pounding away at the climbs! ...At the end of the ride Spencer found his way in front of me and Mike so it looked like he pulled us the whole way.

Rachel's birthday party

mattbeckwith@mac.com — 2007-03-24T23:19:13-07:00

Who knew a birthday party at a toy store could be so cool. ...Check out the pics here.

Christian's birthday party

mattbeckwith@mac.com — 2007-03-31T23:01:28-07:00

After everyone devoured cake and ice cream and Christian opened up his gifts (and counted his loot) Ken and I went and picked up the boneshaker / penny-farthing. Mike and I had tried, unsuccessfully, to ride it a few weeks before but Ken was sure he could do it on the first try.

Pink Pathers on the prowl!

mattbeckwith@mac.com — 2007-03-31T14:56:50-07:00

Opening ceremonies for the Stockton Girls Softball Association were held today. Our girls, the Pink Panthers, looked really good for the first game of the season.

Guess what?!?!?

mattbeckwith@mac.com — 2007-04-01T00:10:22-07:00

After Dawn's mornings started getting tougher we thought we would find out for sure. ...After a trip to the doctor we discovered that she was farther along than we originally thought.

Naughty Nicks auction

mattbeckwith@mac.com — 2007-03-26T21:59:10-07:00

We got there early in the morning, registered, got our bidder numbers and made it in to the building to inspect the hundreds of items that would be sold before heading back outside to wait for the auctioneer to begin. ...I was lamenting with a good friend recently (one with whom I spent a lot of time with at Naughty Nicks) and he reminded me, "...the memories of the past places that I hung out as a teen are not nearly as precious and memorable or valuable as the people that graced my time and being then...".

San Francisco trip

mattbeckwith@mac.com — 2007-03-16T11:33:56-07:00

And, just as she planned, we had lunch at the Rain Forest Cafe and then hung out at Pier 39 and Fisherman's Wharf. ... One of the performers, Marcus Raymond, did some pretty cool tricks like escaping from a straightjacket and solving a rubik cube in less than 1 minute (after a kid from the audience scrambled it up real good).

Road trip to Hornbrook

mattbeckwith@mac.com — 2007-03-13T21:52:26-07:00

Even though spring is creeping up on us we were still a little nervous planning a trip up there this early in the year. ...Christina took some great pics of The Property in December and January when it was snowing and asked me to publish them (it would take her weeks to do it over dial-up).

Thunder videos

mattbeckwith@mac.com — 2007-03-03T23:25:05-08:00

It was a sell out game so we were lucky to get nose bleed seats, well, some may consider them nose bleed but there aren't any bad seats in the arena. ...Jeff Lang (Thunder) dukes it out with Greg Stewart (Cyclones) - from KW's seat in section 209.

The Tour of California rolls through Stockton

mattbeckwith@mac.com — 2007-02-21T22:20:25-08:00

In its second year, the Tour of California rolled through Stockton for stage three, starting downtown, on the waterfront and ending in San Jose. ...With Center Street closed between Fremont and Weber, the area in front of the waterfront was filled with the greats like Hincapie, Leipheimer, Haedo, Basso, Rasmussen and O'Grady.

The Gass visit

mattbeckwith@mac.com — 2007-02-17T22:14:53-08:00

Jim, Natalie and the girls made it up to Stockton this weekend so what better way to party than to rock out at Fred's house! ...Jim, Fred and I rocked out for a while (although I don't think we ever made it through an entire song) and even got some help by 15 year old Chris who was playing a great 5-string bass.

Emily's going to Holland!

mattbeckwith@mac.com — 2007-02-04T21:17:33-08:00

Emily got the word today that she was accepted into the People to People Sports Ambassador Program and will be heading off to play soccer at the Youth Friendship games in Holland this summer! Way to go Emily!

To Mimi's

mattbeckwith@mac.com — 2007-02-03T23:00:19-08:00

Today, we went to see Mimi & Ralph. Check out the pictures here.

Happy birthday Junior!

mattbeckwith@mac.com — 2007-01-24T22:37:15-08:00

Happy birthday Junior... another one turns 5! Check out the pics here.

Snow time!

mattbeckwith@mac.com — 2007-01-21T19:15:00-08:00

We had a great cabin and the weather was awesome - clear skies and no wind (until Sunday). There was also a great area for the kids to go tubin' and for me to get a few runs on the snowboard.

Movin' on up...

mattbeckwith@mac.com — 2007-01-19T09:04:50-08:00

While Cwissy stays back to settle things in Stockton, Twon and the kids have busted out of dodge in favor of the gorgeous, wide-open land up north. There goes the neighborhood... as the Deckos start moving in to "The Property"... just wait for the first brotherhood party... we can't wait!

Goodbye Mr. Serna

mattbeckwith@mac.com — 2007-01-19T09:22:48-08:00

Some of our greatest memories of Jim come from the several recent Extravaganzas that we attended (especially the "in case of emergency, break glass" shirt he wore back in 2004 - I have no idea why that stands out to me but it does). Jim, and his family, were also so very gracious to my family after losing my Mom and Ty and I will always be grateful for that.

Snowin' in Fort Worth?

mattbeckwith@mac.com — 2007-01-17T20:47:43-08:00

Talk about a chilly winter... it's even snowin' in Fort Worth, Texas... check out the great pictures Megan sent! Stay warm you guys... and drive safe!

Warriors vs. Heat

mattbeckwith@mac.com — 2007-01-13T08:57:09-08:00

Dawn, Emily and I went to see the Golden State Warriors take on the Miami Heat (playing without Shaq). ... Since I don't really follow the NBA I didn't really care who won (the Heat burned the Warriors 118-96).

Macworld San Francisco

mattbeckwith@mac.com — 2007-01-12T06:10:07-08:00

We had an absolute blast at the expo and afterward at the Mac Podcasters meet up. ...He is a true Mac fan and it was great to talk to him about his thoughts on the iPhone.

Should auld acquaintance be forgot...

mattbeckwith@mac.com — 2007-01-01T19:22:01-08:00

We all rang in the new year at F&F's (although not as much confetti as the last couple of years). ... And by "we" I mean a lot of people except for me ate the shrimp and crab; I picked around it to the saugages, potatoes and pearl onions.

Macworld is almost here

mattbeckwith@mac.com — 2007-01-06T22:11:15-08:00

We have all been inundated with rumors of the iPhone and an early release of Leopard; iTV seems to be a no-brainer, as does a re-vamped iLife / iWork. ...4. iTV will be the grandest announcement at the event as it will contain many more features than we were led to believe.

oops

mattbeckwith@mac.com — 2007-01-06T17:02:10-08:00

I made a mistake with the comments and accidently deleted a lot of them. If you've commented on our site lately and your comment is gone, sorry about that.

"... and they did neither."

mattbeckwith@mac.com — 2006-12-31T17:13:34-08:00

"The Broncos needed to win or tie today to get to the playoffs... and they did neither!" - TV announcer said at the end of the Denver / SF game! ...First, they must beat Jacksonville and then hope Pittsburgh could pull out an upset against Ocho-Cinco and the Bengals (Cincinnati went in as 6 point favorites)... and then the Niners have to upset the Broncos (10.5 underdogs).

Christmas time

mattbeckwith@mac.com — 2006-12-25T22:46:53-08:00

Joe taught us, once again, that he is really the only one that can kick field goals with any consistency. ... It was also great to have Kelly and Dennis with us both days (Happy Birthday Kelly).

Music Choice goof

mattbeckwith@mac.com — 2006-12-24T14:25:11-08:00

We usually listen to the 80's, New Country or Arena Rock channels (I listen to the Bluegrass channel but only when there's no one else in the room). ... As I walked by the TV singing "Restless and Wild" by Accept I noticed the band picture changed... and instead of showing Udo and the boys, it flashed a different quartet.

Happy Birthday Dawn, Shauna & Megen

mattbeckwith@mac.com — 2006-12-02T23:52:20-08:00

This month, the three wives turned a combined 112 years old... ... We had a little get-together at Mike & Shauna's (thanks bro).

Merry Christmas

mattbeckwith@mac.com — 2006-12-24T12:52:10-08:00

Merry Christmas from the Beckwith Family - Matt, Dawn, Emily, Makenzy and Sashi!

Times, they are a changin'

mattbeckwith@mac.com — 2006-12-08T12:38:05-08:00

I bought my last album (Animalize by KISS) and my first cassette tape (Not of this Earth by Joe Satriani) at Tower Records... we spent many a Friday and Saturday nights at Hammer Skate and there's no telling how much money we wasted playing 9-ball and snooker at Naughty Nicks... and now they are no more. Hammer Skate announced its closure earlier this year and now sits vacant waiting for (I assume) it's demolition before it becomes a new Walgreens (no word on if the Walgreens that sits one mile down Hammer Lane will close in favor of this location or if Walgreens is employing the Stabucks, put-one-on-every-corner, method).

Emo

mattbeckwith@mac.com — 2006-12-01T12:05:21-08:00

I would like to point out that the Internet has a history of taking things which are innocent or random, and photoshopping them or otherwise transforming them into something meant to be funny and famous, but ultimately is simply hurtful to the person it's focussed on. There's also just the point that this is potentially a very easy way for people who know your daughter as well as a large number of people you don't know simply finding their way to these photos and your blog, which, if it were me, would be rather troubling.

Christmas Tree, Oh Christmas Tree

mattbeckwith@mac.com — 2006-12-24T12:03:50-08:00

Once again, we made our way out to Forest Creek Christmas Trees in Galt to cut down our Christmas tree. Check out pics here.

Thunder loses first home game this season

mattbeckwith@mac.com — 2006-11-24T22:21:38-08:00

The Stockton Thunder lost their first home game this season when the Alaska Aces scored a late third period goal to tie the game and eventually beat us in the first shutout. There was not a single fight in the whole game so I put up a goal instead.

Happy Thanksgiving

mattbeckwith@mac.com — 2006-11-23T23:16:23-08:00

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone out there (well, except this unlucky bird). ...Thanks to Larry Johnson and the Chiefs... even though I only got to watch the last 2 minutes on TV... it was a great game... now we're tied for second place... bring on the playoffs!

Podcasts?

mattbeckwith@mac.com — 2006-11-22T19:48:15-08:00

Pew Internet & American Life Project released it's study on podcast downloading today, 12% of internet users have downloaded a podcast, but only 1% do so on a typical day (check out the study results here). ...There are those that are produced professionally (or excerpted from radio shows) and then there are the rest: the mutlitude of 'casts that are done in living rooms and basements in Anytown, USA.

Don't Pay OJ

mattbeckwith@mac.com — 2006-11-17T22:02:46-08:00

How in the world this guy can go on like he has, without butting a bullet in his head is beyond me. Perhaps his new book, "If I Did It", and interview are his way of getting on with his life.

Congrats Emily and The Grapes of Wrath

mattbeckwith@mac.com — 2006-11-17T20:46:59-08:00

Emily and The Grapes of Wrath took 3rd place in the U14G tournament last weekend. ... Emily switched from playing defense to playing offense and had a fantastic year at left forward.

Happy Birthday Mike!

mattbeckwith@mac.com — 2006-11-11T23:04:33-08:00

Man you're old! check out the pictures here

The best part about Vegas!

mattbeckwith@mac.com — 2006-11-10T18:24:47-08:00

After donating some cash Caesars and the Bellagio... I figured it would be best if I just spent some time in the Elton John store... well some time... and some more cash!

Oakland Faders

mattbeckwith@mac.com — 2006-11-07T06:19:39-08:00

I love Monday Night Football... and I love to see the Raiders get shut out on national TV. ...But let's get real here for a second... don't blame Walter (isn't he the 5th string QB)... blame the line and blame Shell!

Kayne West, John Kerry and Faith Hill

mattbeckwith@mac.com — 2006-11-07T10:54:26-08:00

As we watched the announcement of the female vocalist of the year (I already knew it was Carrie Underwood because I cheated and looked online) it was very clear that Faith Hill blew up when her name wasn't called for the award. ...If so, I would have liked to see a good ol' fashioned cat fight on TV... at least then there wouldn't be a debate about how she really felt.

Happy Halloween

mattbeckwith@mac.com — 2006-10-31T21:29:02-08:00

Mak, Dad and Emo Dad, Fiona and Shrek

Pumpkin time

mattbeckwith@mac.com — 2006-10-29T22:26:42-08:00

Can you guess who did which pumpkin? Check out the pics.

Stockton Thunder!

mattbeckwith@mac.com — 2006-10-28T23:53:31-07:00

Trust me when I say that hockey is meant to watched live; so many people have the same comment after watching their first game: "I could never get into hockey on TV... but this is awesome!" ...The Long Beach Ice Dogs scored an early first goal but the Thunder tied it up before the end of the first period (click here for the video from the first goal scored at home this season).

Hopes & Prayers now on YouTube

mattbeckwith@mac.com — 2006-10-04T16:59:43-07:00

Jason wrote the song, played all of the instruments and sang lead vocals; Rich and Tish sang background vocals and I got to put the whole thing together. I have always thought this was the coolest song I ever worked on... in fact, it is so cool, it needed a video.

Back from Texas

mattbeckwith@mac.com — 2006-09-16T22:14:34-07:00

I got a chance to visit with Bubba and Megan and the girls last week... what a blast. ... I also took a few videos... check them out here.

Old home movies

mattbeckwith@mac.com — 2006-09-04T20:28:32-07:00

Now, this is a total coincidence that I happened across this shot but the next time someone asks the bros where we learned to do the crazy things we do we can say we learned it from Ma. ...The quality on these old home movies isn't all that great but wow... how cool is it to see Papa, Mimi, Ma, Grace, Hope and KW from 45 years ago!

Happy birthday KC

mattbeckwith@mac.com — 2006-09-02T20:18:42-07:00

I got a beep on my pager, yes, I said pager, from KW saying that the baby was finally on her way. ...What better way to say Happy Birthday then to head to the Havens house to go swimming!

The 1 Mile Challenge

mattbeckwith@mac.com — 2006-08-26T20:52:04-07:00

Although I have ridden thousands of miles on a bicycle over the past few years, and don't even bat an eye lash at doing a hundred miles in a day, I have long thought that running was out of the question. ...Here is a shot as we end the first of three laps and this is pretty much the way the whole run went... me trailing Emily and looking as if I might just die!

New archives added

mattbeckwith@mac.com — 2006-08-23T22:15:10-07:00

In case you didn't notice, we are busy adding archives from the past several years. Some of our entries from mattbeckwith.com, pizzagohere.com, familyisforever.com and even our old AOL webpages might show up.

What's new

mattbeckwith@mac.com — 2004-01-30T23:10:54-08:00

Welcome back to mattbeckwith.com - we redecorated... again... pretty much the same content... but we will try to post more pictures and keep the site up-to-date.....enjoy ...that is our family show... we all watch it together... cheering on the good ones and laughing at the bad ones. we are very civil to each other... that is, until voting starts... then we can get mean and nasty. during season 1 we always had one unified vote... one family, one vote... we had to agree on one vote... last year we could never agree so now everyone gets their own vote.

Back from AZ

mattbeckwith@mac.com — 2004-02-04T22:09:48-08:00

we are finally back from arizona. uncle joey's passing is what got us there, but whatever the reason, it was great to see everyone. when we told everyone we would be driving to arizona they said we were senseless and we should fly... add to it that we would be taking jack and rita along with us and i heard the same thing from everyone, "six people in the van is crazy... two of them being your in-laws is INSANE!" well... it was a lot of fun... driving 1,500 miles with your in-laws may sound difficult... but we passed the time by horsin' around and even singing "99 bottles of beer" (the greatest drinking song of all time!!! - thanks tom, for keeping me in check)

2003-04 NFL POOL results

mattbeckwith@mac.com — 2004-02-03T12:08:45-08:00

i just realized that I didn't publish the ending results for our football pool... good job jim... .632 kicks butt! i had a horrible finish... oh well... looks like you win the season tickets to the stockton cacks games!

Rodney Carrington

mattbeckwith@mac.com — 2004-02-18T22:08:03-08:00

well, we finally got to see rodney! ... me, dawn, jr, tim, jen, grace, dale, fred, flower, joe, and mike. . . and rodney!

MHP's

mattbeckwith@mac.com — 2004-02-21T22:07:24-08:00

With 3 wins in a row they are excited and are looking forward to the tourneys coming up next weekend [2/27/04 - tourney has been postponed :-( ]. Emily has moved to the goalie slot along with Jordan and Taylor and is doing great (1 goal allowed in 2 games... and it was a penalty shot!).

5 Generations

mattbeckwith@mac.com — 2002-10-11T21:59:42-07:00

The last time we had 5 generations represented was, ironically, when Mikey himself came into this world and Grandma Napoletano was still with us. ...For the astute members our family - that means that Grace is now a Great-Grandmother and Mimi is a Great-Great-Grandmother!

Kenny Chesney & Tim McGraw

mattbeckwith@mac.com — 2001-06-29T22:54:56-07:00

His show opened with the Elton John classic "Tiny Dancer" which he started singing in the middle of the audience on a barstool and then made his way to the stage walking through a sea of crazed fans. ... During "Don't Take The Girl" the screen in the back was showing the words to the song so everyone could sing with him (as if there was anyone there that DIDN'T know the words!)

Extravaganza 2001

mattbeckwith@mac.com — 2001-06-28T21:54:29-07:00

The weekend was chocked full of partying, drinking and karaoke with undeniably the greatest performance of "Devil..." done by Joe and The Gang ever! There was an unusually bad version of "You Don't Bring Me Flowers Anymore" done by two nameless people that was thankfully ended before the end of the song.

2 Bros... 2 Weddings

mattbeckwith@mac.com — 2001-09-01T21:52:06-07:00

As matrimony draws closer for two of the Brothers I want to take this opportunity to wish the best to both and good luck for my two new sisters-in-law; one of which was quoted as saying, "When I met your brother I knew he was Mr. Right, I just didn't know his first name was 'Always' " - I can't say which one said it but for anyone that knows my bros, it's easy to figure out.

The Baby Boom has officially begun

mattbeckwith@mac.com — 2001-12-01T21:50:44-08:00

Thier little bundle of joy was born today, a girl. Well, Jim, you were practically the last one to have kids... it's about time.

Possum

mattbeckwith@mac.com — 2002-02-18T22:47:37-08:00

Share My World, Window Up Above, The Grand Tour, Walk, Through This World With Me, White Lightning (INCREDIBLE!), She Thinks I Still Care  ...Mama Used To Whoop Me With A George Jones Album (That's Why I Sing This Way) - with Barry Smith and Sherry Copeman-Smith 

We're back...

mattbeckwith@mac.com — 2002-04-01T21:44:47-08:00

For return visitors, most of the content is still the same; you can still find pictures, pictures and more pictures, find out what we're up to as well as browse some original MP3s and videos. If your name is Matt Beckwith and you have found my page after asking the age-old question, "hmmm, I wonder if that domain is taken", or you know another Matt Beckwith, you can still visit the "More Matt Beckwiths than you can shake a stick at" page.

Welcome Baby Elizabeth Dawn

mattbeckwith@mac.com — 2002-04-15T21:43:48-07:00

Congrats to Christina and Tony... and Kaela; you finally have your bundle of joy. check back in a few more days as I'm sure the other brothers will put up their own pics as well.

Wow, what a difference 189 days makes

mattbeckwith@mac.com — 2002-04-20T22:42:20-07:00

The four little ones (lil' wood, K-Jo, Raich and Lizzy) made for some great shots at Jim's birthday party. Everyone showed up to have fun at the good old fashioned party, complete with Bobbin' For Apples (GIANNA ROCKED), a Three Legged Race, Balloon Toss (Bret & Jim were awesome) and an Egg Race, but it was obvious that these beautiful babies stole the show !!!

Camping May 2002

mattbeckwith@mac.com — 2002-05-13T21:41:07-07:00

We spent the weekend at Bothe Napa Valley State Park. Beautiful views, hiking, peace and solitude... no pager, no cell phone, capped off with trips to Old Faithful and the Petrified Forest...

Remembering 9/11

mattbeckwith@mac.com — 2002-09-11T22:37:45-07:00

I am not suggesting that any of these things are crazy; I think a lot of us are searching for a way to commemorate 9/11 – after all, we Americans sure are infatuated with dates, aren’t we? ...Well, to commemorate that horrible Tuesday last year I would like to take this opportunity to say that in the last year I have seen some great examples of patriotism and have seen some genuine jack-asses.

NFL 2002

mattbeckwith@mac.com — 2002-09-07T23:35:13-07:00

I have never been right so I don't mind saying that my prediction for this year is: ...sorry Ken and Joe, your Raiders just aint gonna do it this year... 9-7, but choke in the playoffs!

Nature - Emily Beckwith

mattbeckwith@mac.com — 2002-11-01T21:31:23-08:00

What if everything was something in our house ...Our world will be full of nature

The cousins from the right coast

mattbeckwith@mac.com — 2003-04-13T23:28:32-07:00

What a great Family Dinner. It was great to see some of the east coast clan.

Finally unpacked!

mattbeckwith@mac.com — 2003-04-20T23:27:12-07:00

Thanks to the movin' Dawgs - Mike, JR, Twon, KW, Fred, Bob and Jammin' Jerry D for all of your help! ...Dawn has been busy in the new pad re-arranging things and making our house our home.

Play us a song, you're the piano man

mattbeckwith@mac.com — 2002-01-12T23:24:33-08:00

It was so exciting for me when she said she wanted to learn some of my music. She has a good ear because I only told her that one song started in B-flat and she figured out the rest.

Welcome K2

mattbeckwith@mac.com — 2002-01-24T23:22:05-08:00

There was 18 7/8 inches of tape used to get from the top of his little head to edge of his big toes. ...Pictures can be found at the parent's site (http://kennyhavens.com/babynews/) along with a couple of pictures on our site.

100 grand

mattbeckwith@mac.com — 2002-01-30T23:19:30-08:00

Well, anyone that knows me knows that I take my camera with me almost everywhere. So, today, as I approached the top of the Altamont Pass, I couldn't pass on the opportunity to click a shot when my '98 Chevy truck hit 100,000 miles.

Who's going to win

mattbeckwith@mac.com — 2002-02-01T23:18:57-08:00

Well, there's one big reason to watch: to find out what the heck this MLIFE thing is all about... great hype! I'll be watching... who knows... maybe it's a new multi-level marketing, pyramid-scheme cult that is going to take over the world !!!

Emily on piano

mattbeckwith@mac.com — 2002-02-04T23:17:53-08:00

One of the proudest days of my life was when Emily called me at work to tell me that she wanted to take piano lessons. ... Both of my daughters are true music lovers and from a very young age I could always tell that they would grow up to play an instrument.

Christmas picture

mattbeckwith@mac.com — 2004-12-20T23:15:38-08:00

Merry Christmas from the Beckwith Family

Riding with Emily

mattbeckwith@mac.com — 2004-05-30T23:12:36-07:00

Emily had no problem taking a 15 mile jaunt with me to her grandparents house... 3 pm on a day that hit 97 degrees.... pretty impressive! She's already talkin' about doin' Centuries with her dear ol' Dad... hmmmmm... perhaps a tandem someday!

Folsom - American River trail

mattbeckwith@mac.com — 2004-03-06T21:10:26-08:00

Since I heard there was flooding in the Discovery Park area I decided to start from Folsom. This is one of the coolest rides in the area... no cars... a lot of other bikes, which I will take over cars anyday!

First climb

mattbeckwith@mac.com — 2003-09-06T23:44:16-07:00

We met at Chuck's pad in Newman and took off on a 45 mile trek to the beautiful Diablo Grande Golf Course. Being new to cycling this was my first taste of terrain (up 'til this point I had only been on flat land).

Livermore loop

mattbeckwith@mac.com — 2003-10-11T21:08:06-07:00

From Livermore we headed north through Collier Canyon to Danville and then came face to face with the Devil himself... that's right sports fans... ... We made the climb to the ranger station (half way up) with no stops (easy feat for Chuck but not for me and Bill).

Diablo

mattbeckwith@mac.com — 2004-03-20T21:06:34-08:00

I felt very good today but was bummed to see Chuck resting on the side of the road with only a couple of miles to the summit. ... When I passed him he just yelled at me to keep going and to catch back up with him on the descent (thanks, Coach!).

Delta Century 2004

mattbeckwith@mac.com — 2004-05-02T23:08:26-07:00

I pulled up to the parking lot at the Mondavi Woodbridge winery at 6:00 am (noticing that the first vehicle in the parking lot was Chuck's), threw my jersey on and headed to the registration tables. ...After riding 80 miles a few weeks prior I was feeling pretty good at this point and knew I was near completion of one of my first year's goals.

Lodi Sunrise Century 2004

mattbeckwith@mac.com — 2004-05-22T21:04:36-07:00

At one point there was a nasty dust cloud from a farmer plowing a field... visibility was cut to a maybe a hundred feet so I slowed down to cut through when there were no cars nearby. Finally making it to the last rest stop in Linden I rested a full 10 minutes or so and then waited to find others that were leaving at the same time so I could draft.

Sierra Century 2004

mattbeckwith@mac.com — 2004-06-05T22:00:42-07:00

Toward the end of that bypass climb I was already regretting not taking Slug Gulch... and then I caught a flat... first one in over 500 miles... ...I knew something was up if he was just minutes behind me... well I was right, he did Slug Gulch plus the extra 20+ miles (the Challenge - the Double Metric)... that guy is incredible!

Climb day

mattbeckwith@mac.com — 2004-06-19T23:02:53-07:00

With plenty of shade, never a car in sight, some long but gradual climbing and just enough flat spots makes this one of my favorite places to climb.... not to mention the killer descent on the south side! ...Near the end, we faced the other side of Kirker Pass... it was very hot but we got to the top and then FLEW down into Pittsburgh!

Del Puerto Canyon ride

mattbeckwith@mac.com — 2004-06-12T21:00:54-07:00

I did tell him that my big fear kept flashing before my eyes.... we get to the store and it's closed (for the record, it was 10 am and the store didn't open until 11!!!! ...I got up that damn climb partly because of Chuck's tantalizing account of all the wonderful food and drink that awaited us at the store... gatorade a plenty... powerbars... clifbars... rice crispy treats... cold water... it's a cyclist's heaven.

Patterson to Livermore ride

mattbeckwith@mac.com — 2004-07-03T18:11:44-07:00

The first order of the day was to get over the famed Del Puerto Canyon (after I went back and did the first .75 miles twice because I FORGOT MY WATER BOTTLES) [see 6-12-04 and 9-20-03] which I finally did without a rest! ...He was able to save his frame and nose piece but he would have to ride the rest of the day without any eye protection because the lens was demolished!

Stockton to Tracy ride

mattbeckwith@mac.com — 2004-07-17T20:57:25-07:00

I kept promising a rest stop at mile 20 or mile 30 but as we rolled through the twentieth mile with not a damn thing in site other than dirt and road I realized it was 25 or 30. ...I kept falling off the pace on Kassoon and Union and Bill and Chuck were gracious enough to allow me to catch up (mostly because they didn't know the way back).

The newest member of the family

mattbeckwith@mac.com — 2004-06-06T20:53:31-07:00

Well... the girls saw this dog at the adoption event and fell in love. When they took me to see her I told them that I would just look but that we wouldn't be getting a puppy that day.

Pizza go where?

mattbeckwith@mac.com — 2004-06-16T19:52:14-07:00

Pizza go here is a famous quote uttered by my Mom, at Dante's Pizza, many years ago... you know... sometimes what you mean to say and what you actually say are two different things... well, that's what happened. ...Dawn and I have been talking about changing domain names but we just couldn't come up with a name that stood out above the rest... then, a few nights ago... it hit Dawn... just as she was going to bed... she came running into the Outback...

You have just logged on...

mattbeckwith@mac.com — 2004-06-22T20:51:13-07:00

The day we moved from mattbeckwith.com and into our new place - pizzagohere.com - I got a call from Tom (from The Grape) saying that the band would be recording the mattbeckwith.com theme song!!! ... Dawn and I have known Tom for many years... since the Shakey's Late Night times... oh, so many eons ago... and he has always been a big fan of the site... but to give us a theme song????

Extravaganza 2004

mattbeckwith@mac.com — 2004-06-26T23:48:22-07:00

Special thanks to our FNGs... such good sports and remember, you can only be FNG once... so, here's to next year! Want to see pictures... sorry, those have been classified... if you were there then you will receive a link soon.

Vive le Tour

mattbeckwith@mac.com — 2004-07-03T22:49:09-07:00

The Tour is back... and Lance is looking great... 5th overall with the team TT up tomorrow. Look out Tyler and Jan...

Congrats Lance

mattbeckwith@mac.com — 2004-07-23T14:48:48-07:00

Congrats USPS and Lance!!!!

The Grape in The Outback

mattbeckwith@mac.com — 2004-08-07T22:46:41-07:00

Once we were ready for the final mix down and listening one last time to make sure it was good Ralph started making some strange half harmonica and half scat sounds... that was it!!! ...I have been asked by the band not to publish this new song on the 'net so you'll have to wait for the new CD to hear it.

Happy Birthday Maria

mattbeckwith@mac.com — 2005-06-18T21:49:55-07:00

Everyone assembled at Pam & Tom's house about six o'clock and then when we were all ready, Cwissy made the call to Maria to tell her that someone had broken into her Mom's house... and to make it worse... the dogs were missing. ... She burst through the door expecting to start a burglary investigation but instead heard the screams of "SURPRISE!"  

Happy Father's Day

mattbeckwith@mac.com — 2005-06-19T21:14:59-07:00

Dawn and the girls made me and Grandpa Jack a great breakfast and then Dawn mowed the front yard (I still did the back yard). ... We all practiced our drives and chip shots in his back yard and had a great time.

4th of July

mattbeckwith@mac.com — 2005-07-04T23:25:38-07:00

We promised him that we would teach him how to get up and stay up and he was determined to do it! ... That poor guy... he was more patient than anyone of us would have been... especially with all of us yelling out directions and advice to him.

ABC '05

mattbeckwith@mac.com — 2005-07-07T19:22:56-07:00

This year we headed for the cool air and tall trees of Pinecrest... just a few miles from the Dodge Ridge Ski Resort. ... We headed up a mile or so (and over 2,000 feet) while mostly carrying the bikes and then bolted downhill on the double track (and very bumpy) trails.

Happy Birthday Mimi

mattbeckwith@mac.com — 2005-07-23T22:11:13-07:00

Great time was had by all. Click here for pictures.  

Emily's new bike

mattbeckwith@mac.com — 2005-07-30T16:28:25-07:00

Well, she got one step closer this weekend when we picked up her first road bike... a sweet looking red Specialized Dolce. ... She is still proud to be part of the Sprocket Rockets (click here to visit the Sprocket Rocket's web site)  

Emily's longest ride

mattbeckwith@mac.com — 2005-08-07T18:18:40-07:00

After having her new bike for only a week Emily decided it was time to go on a longer ride. ... By the time we got home she had completed her longest ride to date.... 36 miles... she was tired but did very well.  

Happy birthday Megan & John and Kathleen wedding

mattbeckwith@mac.com — 2005-08-07T21:31:44-07:00

8-7-05 Megan's birthday BBQ and John & Kathleen wedding   Congrats to John and Kathleen... pictures here --> click me  

Girls United - game 1

mattbeckwith@mac.com — 2005-08-20T19:29:26-07:00

Mak's third season of soccer is under way. Her and the rest of Girls United looked really strong on this first game.

Let's ride!

mattbeckwith@mac.com — 2005-04-01T05:56:34-08:00

Here are some up coming centuries on my calendar... ... 5/24/05 - Ride to work... ok, so it's a week late but I rode from Stockton to Pleasanton and then back to Stockton after work... wow!

The Grape visits The Outback

mattbeckwith@mac.com — 2005-04-18T21:55:35-07:00

What's new? We were lucky enough to have The Grape over recently... we had planned on recording two songs but we were only able to finish, "Where Would You Go" - check out the video page!  

Go Ports!

mattbeckwith@mac.com — 2005-04-29T22:43:29-07:00

Wow.... what a killer ballpark! ... Emily even got a baseball from one of the pitchers (she had to buy him a hot dog first but still a good deal).  

To the beach

mattbeckwith@mac.com — 2005-05-14T06:42:37-07:00

We spent the day at Cowell Ranch beach in Half Moon Bay. ... Also check out pics from 2002 at the beach 4/7/02 and 6/15/02.

Swimmin' and sport at the Havens House

mattbeckwith@mac.com — 2005-05-29T23:41:33-07:00

Bruce and KW kicked our tails (again) in doubles ping pong. Bruce... the STOTM... read Slammin' fo' Dummies... and schooled me and Mik.

Ridin' with Emily

mattbeckwith@mac.com — 2005-05-30T22:05:49-07:00

Emily and I headed out to Paradise Point... what a hot ride.  ... I decided to change it for her but gave her pointers along the way.  

Audrey Lily Anne

mattbeckwith@mac.com — 2005-05-31T22:04:58-07:00

Congrats JR, Megan and Wynter. Your new little addition is adorable.  

The Sierra Century

mattbeckwith@mac.com — 2005-06-04T22:03:53-07:00

After some more moderate climbing Pete and I finally reached the bottom of the famous Slug Gulch... with almost 20 more miles in our legs than we should have had thanks to that rogue arrow. ... They truly make the day a great one with their attention to detail (having Advil and sunblock at the lunch stop, getting the applause at the top of Slug Gulch, and not having to make my own sandwiches at the rest stop).  

California to Utah to California

mattbeckwith@mac.com — 2005-06-05T23:02:40-07:00

So, when Mike asked if I wanted to catch a 6 am flight to Salt Lake City and then help him drive a UHaul back to Stockton I couldn't pass it up! ... Driving through the salt flats of Utah we drove past this.... what the heck is this??!?!?!?  

Lori & Tim in California

mattbeckwith@mac.com — 2005-06-11T22:01:48-07:00

It was very nice to see Lori and her boy today. They could not have picked a better weekend to have Tim's bday party... the weather was perfect for swimming.

Goodbye Party for Frank & Lee

mattbeckwith@mac.com — 2005-08-28T20:58:14-07:00

Goodbye Party for Frank & Lee / Dinner & Swimming at the Costa's - pics here    

KC's birthday

mattbeckwith@mac.com — 2005-08-31T21:56:59-07:00

I can't believe our little niece has turned the sweet 16. ... KC got a new camera (and I blew the surprise a little early by giving her a memory card) so I am sure that she will be sharing some pics soon! 

Stockton Jaguars - Roseville Invitational

mattbeckwith@mac.com — 2005-09-04T20:55:38-07:00

The STOCKTON JAGUARS took second place in the Girls U12 category for this weekend's tournament (the first tourney of the year for the girls... and the first games at all). ... After winning the first game 5-1 and blanking the second team 3-0 the JAGUARS tied their third opponent of the weekend but had enough points to get to play in the championship game today.

Disneyland vacation

mattbeckwith@mac.com — 2005-09-24T19:54:28-07:00

We finally took the girls to Disneyland! What an amazing trip... now we know why it is called the happiest place on earth.

Corn Maze

mattbeckwith@mac.com — 2005-10-15T23:41:11-07:00

It aint Halloween season until the families go to the Corn Maze! This year was as fun as always but they made the maze to simple.

Happy birthday Emily

mattbeckwith@mac.com — 2005-10-24T22:52:08-07:00

HAPPY BIRTHDAY EMILY   Pictures here.  

Happy Halloween

mattbeckwith@mac.com — 2005-10-31T21:45:33-08:00

HAPPY HALLOWEEN   ...Check out pictures here.

Go Jaguars!

mattbeckwith@mac.com — 2005-11-19T21:05:47-08:00

These girls, some of who have played together for many years, played very well this year and we are looking forward to some tough soccer in December and January. ... We may be biased but Dawn and I think that this team has the best group of girls in our league.  

Happy Thanksgiving

mattbeckwith@mac.com — 2005-11-24T23:34:54-08:00

Some of the boys went over to the high school and tried to prove who could kick the longest field goal, even though none of us had any real experience kicking a football.   ...Some of the cousins... wow... these girls are getting older and older! 

Pics

mattbeckwith@mac.com — 2005-11-26T09:30:24-08:00

Anyway, we're back... with over 800 new pictures and videos. Three birthday parties... two holidays... tons of soccer and even some cool pool shots and field goal attempts.

Jaguars Tourney - Galt

mattbeckwith@mac.com — 2005-12-03T18:29:36-08:00

Sadly, they lost all three games... but they are now hungry for revenge... especially since they lost to Turlock and Modesto... two teams they had never lost to this year! More tourneys in January in Pleasanton... and they are itchin' to get back to where there were before... 2nd place in the Roseville Tournament and 1st in the Stockton Tournament.  

Happy birthday Dawn and Shauna.

mattbeckwith@mac.com — 2005-12-13T22:28:36-08:00

Happy birthday Dawn and Shauna... who says husbands can't put together a last minute party for our wives. ... Pics are here... cool to see Shane, Wendy, Shawn, Maria and kids.... well, it's nice to see everyone... you know what I mean!  

I know! It's been a while

mattbeckwith@mac.com — 2006-01-07T21:15:41-08:00

and nothin' says Christmas like new babies... there's plenty of pics of Audrey... since she just loves having a camera in front of her... she's such happy baby... probably because she is always thinking about her favorite uncle (Matt) and aunt (Dawn).   ...Also... what's Christmas without a kid in a box... here's another niece, 'lizabeth, fitting nicely in a box that Santa brought.  

Earbuds can make you go deaf?

mattbeckwith@mac.com — 2006-03-02T19:58:11-08:00

I have read a few stories online about how my iPod earbuds can cause me to lose my hearing. ... Somewhere I came across 20-30 minutes per day as an acceptable amount of time to use earbuds, 3-4 days per week.

Howdy all!

mattbeckwith@mac.com — 2006-03-12T04:18:03-08:00

We were in the process of updating the site... hadn't decided which program is better. iWeb is really cool but the structure is difficult and there are only a handful of themes. RapidWeaver has been the tool of choice ever since I stopped doing it on a pc and will continue to be my favorite on the mac.

And all I have to is... act naturally

mattbeckwith@mac.com — 2006-03-25T10:21:00-08:00

Today is Sir Elton's birthday (and Aretha Franklin's and Danika Patrick's)... which means I will listen to Elton music for most of the day. I can't bring up my taste in music without mentioning that I am also a huge honky-tonk and classic country fan (the Possum reigns!)

Emily's piano recital

mattbeckwith@mac.com — 2006-03-25T23:10:37-08:00

She played her piece very well. Click here for the video.

Play Ball?

mattbeckwith@mac.com — 2006-04-02T12:19:51-07:00

Today was supposed to be Mak's opening day of softball but with all of the rain lately it was a no-go. We went through opening day ceremonies and all of the teams were introduced one-by-one.

Happy Easter, Happy Birthday, Reeb Bros

mattbeckwith@mac.com — 2006-04-17T23:22:00-07:00

We also celebrated Audrey's birthday since she will be in Texas for her birthday. ... UHaul's leaving Merced in one week and this is probably the last party at the Decko's house... at least this one (the next one's up there) Reeb bros!

Emily and GarageBand

mattbeckwith@mac.com — 2006-04-23T19:43:38-07:00

She played all of the parts here and then we changed the arrangement a little (click here)... Here's a piano only song she's working on, Raincoat Rag... this one is so cool... her "flair" on this song is cool (click here).

Weekend pics

mattbeckwith@mac.com — 2006-04-23T19:52:55-07:00

Packin' JR. Seressa's birthday

Soccer, Softball and Football

mattbeckwith@mac.com — 2006-05-16T22:17:29-07:00

In one day... can it be done???? ...Stockton Lightning VIDEOZ:

Videos from KW's

mattbeckwith@mac.com — 2006-07-04T22:22:19-07:00

http://beckwithweb.com/vdz/2006-07-02_KWs/

The Tech

mattbeckwith@mac.com — 2006-08-20T20:55:56-07:00

It was such a challenge to follow a single ball all the way through the high tech maze of ramps, pulleys and loops. There was a lot of incredible things to do and see and an easy place to get lost for a few hours.

Soccer season is upon us...

mattbeckwith@mac.com — 2006-08-20T20:46:47-07:00

Both of the girls started soccer again this weekend, Emily is playing in her 8th year and is playing in the rec league this season (so no traveling for us) on the Grapes of Wrath team. ...This is Mak's 4th season playing soccer and is playing on the Blue Angels who lost a close one (2-1)... game 1 pics.

Almost caught up!

mattbeckwith@mac.com — 2006-08-19T02:05:16-07:00

With the start of Emily's and Makenzy's soccer season set to begin in less than 6 hours I have finally got most of the recent pics posted. I used a couple of different formats... let me know which you prefer.

No more cast

mattbeckwith@mac.com — 2006-08-03T20:50:08-07:00

Finally, no more cast for Emily. Trying to get a picture of this kid is like trying to get the Loch Ness Monster on film but trust us... the cast is gone and her arm has healed well.

The Fresh Maker

mattbeckwith@mac.com — 2006-08-18T22:09:04-07:00

We ran into Mike and the kids at Target looking for Mentos... you know the ones, the Fresh-Maker! He said that if you put some in a two liter bottle of diet coke you will get a soda rocket!

Landis will win!

mattbeckwith@mac.com — 2006-06-30T22:55:53-07:00

Landis portera le jaune à fin Juillet. My original picks were, Basso, Vino, Landis but based on the dismissal of Basso I made a last minute change to:

Answer to the gas prices question

mattbeckwith@mac.com — 2006-07-01T21:22:45-07:00

I left the original alt text on that file! That picture was taken in Arlington, Texas in December 2001.

The Class of 2020

mattbeckwith@mac.com — 2006-07-01T23:05:59-07:00

I came across some pictures of Junior when he was very, very little and it reminded me of these pictures. Here are the mothers of, and the kids from 2020.

Emily's arm

mattbeckwith@mac.com — 2006-07-08T02:54:27-07:00

After the doc tries to set the bone he puts a cast on and then takes another xray... only to show that the bone didn't move at all! ...Unfortunately, the timing means she is going to miss out on some swimming, basketball and cycling but all in all, she's doing very well.

Half a TB!

mattbeckwith@mac.com — 2006-06-11T23:00:36-07:00

It's hard to believe that the first computer we owned as a family had a 2 GB hard drive (the same size, ironically, as the card in our digital camera) and there weren't a lot of others with a hard drive that big! ...The new hard drive has also given me the chance to re-organize all of our photos (Dawn's going through all of our photo albums and boxes of pictures).

Old videos

mattbeckwith@mac.com — 2006-05-22T22:37:12-07:00

What is there to do now that 24 is over and that AI will picks it winner (Taylor) on Wednesday? Well, hopefully, we can finish converting all of our old home movies from VHS, 8MM and even some old film format, to DV.

Slowly but surely

mattbeckwith@mac.com — 2006-05-06T10:47:44-07:00

Pictures, pages and videos are queued up and ready for the move. Pics from the Stockton Lightning game and the Brad Paisley, Sara Evans, Josh Turner concert are also up (go to 'pics' link).

Welcome...

mattbeckwith@mac.com — 2006-05-13T16:21:27-07:00

... to the new Beckwith website... beckwithweb.com. We still have our home of the past several years, mattbeckwith.com but we will be moving all of our 35,000 or so files to our new site.