Mike Rowe is in OKC tonight as part of his work promoting Oklahoma Oil & Natural Gas.
We went to an event he was at tonight, just hoping to listen to him on stage, but Alex brought him an Okie School of Adventure cap just on the off chance we got to meet him.
When we walked in the venue, I noticed a VIP only sign pointing up the stairs and figured that's where he would be and our chances of giving him the cap would be slim.
Alex was the youngest in the place by far and he sat patiently sipping his water in a room full of people with cocktails networking and visiting.
An hour goes by and I happen to look in the back corner of the room and Mike Rowe is there taking pictures with a dozen or so other people around. I point him out to Alex and he timidly but steadily walked over there with the cap in hand.
Being autistic, waiting for his turn and finding the right moment to interject himself into a conversation doesn't come easily to him. He kept looking to me for reassurance as I kept my seat 30 feet away.
Then it was his turn and he handed him the cap and whipped out a business card and the two of them chatted while I stepped in close enough to take a picture.
And with that, I thought it was over and we went back to our seats.
A couple of minutes later, an assistant comes over to us and said, "Mike has some questions about this Okie School stuff and would like you to come back".
So of course we did, this time sharing more about what we do and why we do it.
Mike took out his own phone to get pictures with Alex for himself.
Later in the evening, when Mike walked on stage, he was wearing the Okie School cap. Better still, halfway into his interview he introduced Alex to the crowd and told them Alex's story and how that fits with Mike Rowe works and Dirty Jobs and as an example of the good things he sees in Oklahoma.
After the show, Alex had dozens of people come up and want to talk to him.
The whole thing was incredible, but my favorite part was thinking how at age 3, Alex could barely speak. Now he is interacting with a famous personality and a room full of adults and doing better than me.
He has worked so hard to get this far and so many people have encouraged us along the way. Many from on TexAgs...so I just had to share this with y'all.
Thanks for being supporters and cheerleaders for my son. It means more than I could ever express.
We went to an event he was at tonight, just hoping to listen to him on stage, but Alex brought him an Okie School of Adventure cap just on the off chance we got to meet him.
When we walked in the venue, I noticed a VIP only sign pointing up the stairs and figured that's where he would be and our chances of giving him the cap would be slim.
Alex was the youngest in the place by far and he sat patiently sipping his water in a room full of people with cocktails networking and visiting.
An hour goes by and I happen to look in the back corner of the room and Mike Rowe is there taking pictures with a dozen or so other people around. I point him out to Alex and he timidly but steadily walked over there with the cap in hand.
Being autistic, waiting for his turn and finding the right moment to interject himself into a conversation doesn't come easily to him. He kept looking to me for reassurance as I kept my seat 30 feet away.
Then it was his turn and he handed him the cap and whipped out a business card and the two of them chatted while I stepped in close enough to take a picture.
And with that, I thought it was over and we went back to our seats.
A couple of minutes later, an assistant comes over to us and said, "Mike has some questions about this Okie School stuff and would like you to come back".
So of course we did, this time sharing more about what we do and why we do it.
Mike took out his own phone to get pictures with Alex for himself.
Later in the evening, when Mike walked on stage, he was wearing the Okie School cap. Better still, halfway into his interview he introduced Alex to the crowd and told them Alex's story and how that fits with Mike Rowe works and Dirty Jobs and as an example of the good things he sees in Oklahoma.
After the show, Alex had dozens of people come up and want to talk to him.
The whole thing was incredible, but my favorite part was thinking how at age 3, Alex could barely speak. Now he is interacting with a famous personality and a room full of adults and doing better than me.
He has worked so hard to get this far and so many people have encouraged us along the way. Many from on TexAgs...so I just had to share this with y'all.
Thanks for being supporters and cheerleaders for my son. It means more than I could ever express.
