Matt Called...

I talked to Matt earlier today. Like many of you, I have been keeping up with what he and his family are up to on their vacation through his RealMattRoloff fanpage and he hadn’t posted in a while, so what’s up with that Matt Roloff? Answer: Busy, very very busy.

There isn’t one minute of the day when nothing is happening. Most of the activities are centered around family and sports. Zach has been going from one competition to another and doing phenomenal. He won several gold metals in soccer, volleyball and football. Tomorrow he will be competing in basketball. Matt said he fb too soon about the basketball and got his date wrong so he will keep us posted on the outcome when he knows it. Good luck Zach!

Matt told me that going to the LPA conference feels like going to a big family reunion. Some of the people he has known for over 40 years. It’s the same for the kids. Who wouldn’t have a blast hanging out, connecting with old friends and making new ones? Matt said this trip has been especially fun so far. Not that he was complaining before, but so many of the past conferences were entangled with production and filming commitments for episodes of Little People Big World. Matt said it was nice that he, Amy and the kids had this conference just to themselves, but...

Thursday they will hop back into the RV and will say goodbye until next year. Because they are off to other adventures. Stay tuned...

Roloff Adventures

A friend shared a quote on Facebook with me from Helen Keller who said “No pessimist ever discovered the secret of the stars, or sailed to an uncharted land, or opened a new doorway for the human spirit”. I thought, wow, the timing on that quote was incredible. I also thought that I would add “No big adventure should ever be embarked upon without a little bit of regard”.

I was thinking this because of a conversation I had with Matt yesterday afternoon. We were talking about his family’s likely return to filming “Little People Big World” and what that would mean to their lives. Returning was a big decision that has been in discussions really since before the final episode aired last December. At that time the family was somewhat spent and really couldn’t see a return happening for a very long time. They had given a huge part of their lives to the show and they really needed a breather. Sometimes you have to back away from something to get a better view of it and LPBW is no exception. With the distant perspective, it becomes clearer how valuable all of the little nook and crannies are that were overlooked at the time and how the insights and knowledge gained become even more enlightening. You also get a better road map to navigate your future adventures.

Matt mentioned a conversation he had with Molly. It was a simple conversation, just an everyday kind of chat. He was driving down his driveway heading home and Molly was on her way out of the farm to a friend’s birthday and they stopped window to window to catch up. They talked about where she was going and he told her how pretty she looked. He remarked that she was now officially a “Senior in High School” and how proud he was of her. They talked about what her final calculus grade was (A) and how she was hoping for an A+, Matt glowed at her accomplishment, and before she drove off, she said “I love you daddy”. Matt told me that he was thinking at the time that the ‘process of filming’ would sometimes get in the way of the naturalness of their conversations and that was one of the things they were considering when the family discussed the idea to move forward with doing more episodes.

This next go around has a different set of eyes and understanding on it. It took many months of negotiations to lock down the parameters to go forward and a top of the list item was a less time demanding, intrusive or constrictive agreement. That was paramount to the decision being made. Never the less, the family knows that no amount of talking, thinking or planning will totally eliminate the unknowns and that is what makes it an adventure.

To be a Reality TV personality, you have to have a very thick skin, much thicker than I have I must say. So as a friend and a person, I am in awe of each and every one of the Roloffs’. And as a fan, I am truly excited for the possibility of new shows and I’m grateful to the Roloff family if they make the decision to continue to share a little more of their lives with us. On the eve of their new adventure, I wish them all the best.

Digging up a subject...

HELP!...HELP!...Good, I was hoping to get your attention. I have a few ideas as to what I think would be interesting to write about for this blog, but I am really curious to hear what subjects you would like to know more about. Many recent questions I’ve received are regarding the dirt project. I think Matt has covered that one on his facebook, but I will do a quick summary below. Other questions I’ve received are logistic and yes or no answer type of questions, nothing to write a story around. That is why I thought I would ask you.

I don’t want to spoil anyone’s ideas so I won’t share specifics on what I was thinking, but it is along the lines of ‘digging’ up some behind the scenes intrigue on specific LPBW episodes or ‘unearthing’ some hidden facts, like what is the real deal about...?

With that, I am inviting you to comment and/or email roloffworld@gmail.com subjects you would like me to delve into and any specific questions you want me to ask about that subject. Ideas don’t just have to be centered around Matt either. Give me a good reason to poke around and get the scoop.

A little more about dirt:

In early March Intel corporation begun construction on a very large expansion of one of their Hillsboro plants. The expansion and Intel’s training and innovative education plan is what brought Presidient Obama out to Hillsboro. Here is where Matt comes in; On a large piece of property west of the Intel site (not his farm), he has constructed a dirt receiving operation where the excavated dirt from the Intel site is dumped and utilized to build up the property. Dirt can be cut throat, there is big money at stake and his is not the only drop site for the dirt, there are 2 or 3 others. Hundreds of trucks hauling dirt are all over Hillsboro (probably making some locals scratch their heads wondering). To say time is money is an understatement. It is all about timing at the dump site. It is a laborious dance of loaded trucks in and unloaded trucks out with back hoes, track hoes and loaders moving the dirt. This project would be a huge undertaking in dry summer weather, but the rain has been relentless making it much more of a challenge and has created a few dump pad and road maintenance issues that shut down the flow of trucks (and money). With all those guys working long hours, there’s been drama for sure, screaming and yelling and even a meltdown or two. It is kind of like Ax Men, but instead of logs it’s dirt. You could call it “Dirt Men” and at the end of the season, which is coming up soon, we will see which site took the most loads.

Zach Roloff in LA

Wow, I finally ran into Zach when he had a free moment this afternoon! We talked about his resent quick trip down to LA. As you probably know, Zach is a member of the Statesmen basketball team who often play to benefit CODA, but the LA event was not for charity. It was an exhibition game against a team of reality show contestants and will be featured on the May 9th episode of “WWE Tuff Enough”. When the opportunity first came up, Zach was apprehensive about participating. “I didn’t want it to be like a circus.” Zach said “I told Marty that if it is something where we’re running around under their legs, then no way.” Zach was pleased to learn that was not the intention and said he was even more relieved on Friday when they played a good solid game with no antics or shenanigans. “They had a lot of cameras, and it seemed like they were able to get a lot of positive footage. It felt like it was being focused on ‘the appreciation of your opponent’, but sometimes positive doesn’t make for good television, so hopefully they don’t spin it around and have it go all weird on us.” Zach was telling me that at one point he had the ball and then another player grabbed it to take it away. “ I think he probably thought when he took it, that I would let go, but I didn’t” Zach said “He lifted me up to his eye level and I’m hoping he doesn't drop the ball.” I said to Zach “That could have turned out bad, you could have been hurt.” He said that he was thinking that too.

The Statesmen won the game that night, but to see the details you will need to tune in and watch for yourself.

After the game Zach spent a little time with his old friend Jennifer who he hadn’t seen in over two years. She and her friend Jack live in LA and wanted to take Zach out for dinner and on a tour of the city. Zach didn’t want to stay out too late so after a quick meal and a ride down Sunset Blvd, they dropped him back at Marty’s.

The next day everyone slept in and later Zach and Marty spent the morning relaxing and talking about how fun it was to see all the guys. They talked about the game and relived every one of the highlights before Zach headed to the airport to catch his flight home.

Zach told me there are future events and game opportunities for the Statesmen basketball team that are being considered and maybe even a soccer event too. So we will have to keep our eyes peeled for that.

Before I totally wrapped up with Zach I asked him a few questions that have been emailed to me:

One was about his Previa, what happened to it? He still has the Previa, and will probably keep it for old times sake. He doesn’t drive it though, he currently drives an Outback.

The other was about what his Mom said on her Coffee chat about him having a ‘special girl’ in his life. He said that when Amy said that, he was thinking “like, Mom, why did you say that?” He has many girls that he is friends with, but does admit to one being a bit more special. She lives a few miles away and they enjoying spending time together on weekends. He said that when he ‘officially’ has a “girlfriend” he will not keep it secret. He wants everyone to know that he will facebook it himself. Until then, it’s just rumor.

The last one was about college and career. Zach is currently going to Portland Community College and will eventually transfer to a 4 year college. He is studying towards a business degree, and continues to explore career avenues that will incorporate his passion for sports. He’s also still working at Indoor Goals.


Check it out starting at the 5 minute mark.