NATURE by EmilyNovember 2002
If everything was food the sun will be a lemon Trees would be broccoli Grass would be spinach Hail would be ice
What if everything was something in our house Then clouds would be pillows Wind would be our fan Our world will be full of nature
With the birth of their little girl, Chiara, Mike and Billie ushered in the first member of the newest generation. Chiara Elizabeth Bowen was born on Friday, October 11, 2002. The last time we had 5 generations represented was, ironically, when Mikey himself came into this world and Grandma Napoletano was still with us. We are all excited about our newest little baby and can't wait to see her. For those out-of-towners, stay tuned, we'll try to get some photos up real soon.
For the astute members our family - that means that Grace is now a Great-Grandmother and Mimi is a Great-Great-Grandmother! Wow... imagine that!
Okay, I have rarely used our site to air a gripe and most visitors would say that I avoid confrontation but now I would like to get on my soapbox.The anniversary of 9/11 is coming soon and there has been a lot of talk and hype about how we will mark - not celebrate - the day. The History Channel is running a special for which the advertisement says, “A year we will always mark as September to September” – very poignant and very true. The attention to this date, in my opinion, is well deserved. The plethora of e-mails I get everyday suggesting what to do on that day, however, is not. September 11, 2001 – my “day that will live in infamy”, certainly changed my perceptions, my feelings, my patriotism and so many aspects of my life. Nearly everyone I know agrees that the events of that day had a profound impact on his or her life. Since the last week in June I have received a ton of e-mails asking me to do a variety of things on September 11th, such as:
Drive with my headlights on during the day Light a candle Honk my horn at a certain time Wear all red, white and blue Carry a flag all day Sit on my porch all night Walk to work Don't buy gas 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? I would, however, like to make my own suggestions for crazy, off-the-wall things to do on this fast-approaching September 11th. Brace yourself, these are definitely radical ideas, but I am going to risk my reputation and just go for it!
Volunteer at a local senior center Hug your kids real, real tight Get to know your neighbors Buy lunch for a stranger Send your wife flowers Write your Senator Register to vote Learn CPR Okay folks, I am sure you now understand my perspective, but just in case you missed it… I’ll explain it. On 9/11/01 our nation, our way of life, was attacked by a bunch of idiots who hate America and what we stand for. I think that the best way to honor our country is to keep living life in honor of those that died protecting our lifestyle and those that perished last year. Solidarity will not be gained by everyone doing the exact same thing at the exact same thing but, in fact, just the opposite. 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. From the overpass flag-wavers and the sudden outburst of our national anthem to impatient airline passengers, that's what this country is all about. So, what ever you do... be original!
As everyone knows; every year I make a bold prediction of who's going to the Superbowl... 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!
as for my Chiefs... I still have faith in ya... just not foolish to think we're going all the way!
my prediction: 7-9
Teams to watch...PHILLY, CHICAGO, MIAMI and, yes, even the TEXANS!!!
WEEK 1WOW... what did I say... watch those TEXANS and THOSE DOLPHINS!
What about that NYJ-BUF game... crazy!
UNDEFEATED AFC WEST
Thanks Dwayne Rudd 
Losing your helmet sure helped my team!!!
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... I really want to go back.
That's right... it's been 189 days between these two pictures. 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 !!!
| Victory Park 10/13/01 |
| The First Baby Summit 04/20/02 |
Well, this one is definitely a Decko. 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.
Welcome to our site --- once again updated... a Spring Cleaning of sorts. I guess I get bored with the same ol' look and feel. Sometimes I think I am the only one that even visits this page (please, if you're out there, drop me an e-mail and let me know you actually saw this page.
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.
One of the biggest changes is the fact that I can no longer use the Publish feature in FrontPage so there will be no more forms or counters. I know that there are other ways to do them but I simply don't have the time to learn them. So, it's back to the basics.
So, while your here, pull up a chair and relax for a while... we have lots of pictures and a little bit of humor along with a snap shot of our life for you to see. Use the links below to get around. If you come across something that doesn't work, please be sure to let us know. Enjoy. Matt & Dawn
| Our girls are probably the single biggest reason we have a site in the first place so of course the girls have newly designed pages of their own. Also, with nephews and nieces by the dozen, pictures will always be plentiful. |
02.13.02 - Stockton, CA - Fox Theatre
It was a dream come true... George Jones live in concert. George Jones is simply the greatest crooner of all time and I had waited a long time to see The Possum. Well, I got to see him twice in 4 days !!! What a time !!! 02.13.02 - Stockton, CA - Fox TheatreAs a big fan of "true country" today was both a good day and a bad day. Waylon Jennings, one of the best voices in music, passed away today. He will be missed. Tonight, at the end of "Who's Gonna Fill Their Shoes", he added some touching comments about Waylon. It was very moving. When I saw that KAT Country DJs were there with all their glory I couldn't resist. I asked the morning show DJ why they were there if they never played his music. "Well, we only play what the record companies allow us to play." he replied. If you live in the Stockton / Modesto area, try switching to 93.9FM KEJC - they play REAL COUNTRY !!!
George was awesome !!! He said his throat was sore but he went on anyway. Here was the playlist:
Hightech Redneck
Once You've Had The Best The Race Is On
Bartender's Blues
Black Mountain Rain (Instrumental)
Choices
Sinners & Saints
A Picture Of Me Without You
I'll Give You Something To Drink About
Who's Gonna Wear Their Shoes(with a special tribute to Waylon)
One Woman Man
50,000 Names
Fire On The Mountain (Instrumental)
Tennessee Whiskey
The Man He Was
Medley of: Share My World, Window Up Above, The Grand Tour, Walk, Through This World With Me, White Lightning(INCREDIBLE!),She Thinks I Still Care
Happy Birthday (to some lady named Fran)
He Stopped Loving Her Today
Golden Ring - with Barry Smith and Sherry Copeman-Smith
Rocking Chair - with Barry Smith and Sherry Copeman-Smith
God Bless The USA - with Barry Smith and Sherry Copeman-Smith on lead vocals
02.16.02 - Kelseyville, CA - Konocti Harbor This is the greatest venue to see a performer like George. Our table was five rows back (table 79) which gave us an incredible view of the stage. Uncle Dennis was supposed to make the trip with us but had to work. Since it was impossible to sell a single ticket she gave it to a guard outside and told him to just give it away. About half way through the show a woman joined us and then switched with her husband so he could watch the end. The opening act was California Cowboys, from Vacaville. A pretty cool band. The show was almost the same exact show as in Stockton except for those that sat close enough to see him get really upset at the sound crew because of some technical problems.
Possum_021602_20b
Jones Boys Ramblin' Fever
Muscle Car Man - with Barry Smith and Sherry Copeman-Smith
The Sweetest Thing - with Sherry Copeman-Smith
Mama Used To Whoop Me With A George Jones Album (That's Why I Sing This Way) - with Barry Smith and Sherry Copeman-Smith
Don't Rock The Jukebox
The Possum The set:
Hightech Redneck
Once You've Had The Best
The Race Is On
Bartender's Blues
Black Mountain Rain (Instrumental)
Choices
Sinners & Saints
A Picture Of Me Without You
I'll Give You Something To Drink About
Who's Gonna Fill Their Shoes
One Woman Man
50,000 Names
Fire On The Mountain(Instrumental)
Tennessee Whiskey
The Man He Was
Medley of:Share My World, Window Up Above, The Grand Tour, Walk, Through This World With Me, White Lightning, She Thinks I Still Care
Happy Birthday / Happy Retirement
He Stopped Loving Her Today
Golden Ring - with Barry Smith and Sherry Copeman-Smith
I Don't Need Your Rocking Chair - with Barry Smith and Sherry Copeman-Smith
God Bless The USA - with Barry Smith and Sherry Copeman-Smith on lead vocals
Dateline 02.04.02 - StocktonOne of the proudest days of my life was when Emily called me at work to tell me that she wanted to take piano lessons. As a musician, I never wanted to force my children into music. 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. Well, enter the second proudest day of my life. Today, Emily said she wanted to play a song for me she "wrote" last night. My eyes filled with tears of joy when she played her little 4-bar gem. She even learned to make a chord... WOW !!! ... along with a great little melody. I am soooo proud of her !!!
Listen to her new song - take one
Listen to her new song - take two
Listen to her and I play our new song
| Songs were recorded from across the room, literally, with a cheap computer microphone. |
