"They're gonna put me in the movies...

They're gonna make a big star out of me"..

Age 4

Remember that old Beatles' song? Well, ever since my younger son Matthew was just a tiny tot, I've been thinking that about him! He has always been something of a ham, and loved to pose for photos and home movies. Once, when he was about four years old, he and I were watching an old clip on TV of Sammy Davis, Jr. dancing when he was a kid. Matthew ran to the noncarpeted part of the living room, saying "I can do that, I can do that! Watch, Mommy!" Those little feet stomped around like a real hoofer! Through the years, he developed a knack for getting attention without anyone realizing what he was doing. He could tell a tall tale that would have you hanging on every word, he was so believable (acting skill?). His fascination with guitars led me to believe he might become a musician someday, like his big brother Craig, who had his own "rock band" when he was in his teens.

Age 3

Matthew is many years younger than his brother and sister, and he was so adorable that he was truly spoiled by the family. 

As he got older, he still loved being the center of attention and would entertain you at the drop of a hat. Although music did not turn out to be his biggest talent, he loved to sing when riding in the car with me when he was four and five years old. I remember how he stood behind my shoulder as I drove (horrors - no seat belts or car seats in the rear in those days), belting out, "Delta Dawn". Not necessarily on key. Later, I encouraged him to try a musical instrument. I couldn't believe this is what he wanted to play (at the time).

Alas, music in any form other than the radio or stereo (or later, Wii) was not to be his path in life.

Matthew developed his love of adventure at an early age. His tricycle morphed into a bicycle, and then into his first dirt bike when he was about twelve years old. He began dirt bike racing when he was thirteen. He worked on all the neighbors' small engine vehicles as well as keeping his own family's equipment running well. Around this same time Matthew played Little League Baseball, even pitching a no-hitter game. However, he preferred motorcycles to sports.

I have to admit that, although I was never fond of his riding motorcycles, his fascination with scuba diving scared me more than anything!  I have some wonderful underwater photos he took in Grand Cayman one year. Someone took this of him and a giant Southern Stingray.*

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Matthew loved costumes of one kind or another when he was growing up, as you can tell by all of his photos. He has now graduated from this (at right) taken at Halloween during his teens:

 To his latest costume on the set of the NBC TV series "Revolution":

"And all I gotta do is act naturally"... Yep. Matthew finally found time to show up for one of their casting calls for extras. He is supposed to be a Marine Commander at Gitmo in Episode 16 (no spoken lines, but a costume!). They tried to do a second day of outdoor shooting for this episode during one of our really cold, wintry days, but had to call it off after several hours of waiting around. Matt said he enjoyed hanging out with some of the stars of the series as well as other extras that day. I don't know when or if they will re-schedule it.

Now lest you think Matthew is all about fun and adventure, those of you who know our family know that he has been a hard worker since he was a kid. Besides working on motorcycles, he worked on automobiles at garages and then dealerships after high school, soon winning accolades nationwide in contests they held for auto "technicians". One out-of-town dealership would even call him for advice when they worked on his sister's Lexus! He started the trend of having all of the technicians wearing surgical gloves while working on cars at BMW in Dallas, after sister Carajean told him that women would not want to go out with someone with dirty fingernails!

A few courses early on at Stephen F. Austin University in East Texas honed Matthew's spelling and writing skills. He has created his own website and blog for his business, and beats the heck out of me (and his big sister) in Scrabble or Word! If anyone is thinking of taking him on in those games, let me remind you that he was a Spelling Bee champion in elementary school. He's always been a big talker, even if you are often unsure if what he's relating is for real. A course of Dale Carnegie's on public speaking has paid off big in his career as well.

Using the diagnostic computers (Matthew is a self-taught computer "whiz" - my term) at the auto dealerships gave Matthew the expertise needed when he went to work for ALLDATA the year he married Amy. He was working in Austin selling Porsches at the time. They didn't want

First of Many

him to take off for his honeymoon, so he quit. After the honeymoon, he sold the ALLDATA computer software used by the diagnostic computers in auto dealerships and garages. Matthew advanced quickly, becoming regional Top Salesman of the Year more than once. He was in middle management when the economy started going downhill and the company laid off many of their employees. That is when, ever resourceful, Matthew started his own company out of his home. As luck would have it, he hadn't been in business very long when ALLDATA wanted him to promote one of their products to his customers. I'm happy to say he turned them down. Their loss. He now successfully sells more than one product to auto dealerships, among them are GPS locators for car dealers to place on their cars. You wouldn't believe how many cars are stolen when someone takes a "test drive". These locators aid the police in finding them. Also big are the re-insurance policies he sells to the same dealers. Still working out of his home, Matthew now has time for making TV movies and playing golf.  And his fingernails are always clean!

As you can tell, life has never been dull in our family since Matthew became a member. Now, as a father of two smart and talented children of his own, he is experiencing some of the exploits he put us through. Being aware of the danger in some of his early adventures, he is keeping a tighter rein on his own kids. In my defense, Matthew was never one to be stopped or even slowed down!

Before I close, one of my dearest memories of Matthew from his younger years is when he and I shared a chair while watching TV when he was about four years old. As we snuggled, he looked up at me and said, "Lovin' sure does feel good, doesn't it, Mommy?" I told him it sure does. You know what, Matthew? Loving you all these years sure has felt good - and it still does!

May each of you feel the love, and may you have peace of mind if you have a child like Matthew!

Marilyn

*I mistakenly called this a Manta Ray.