Follow Up: Great Story About My Son and Mike Vallely
Shawshank
Posts: 1,018
Some of you may have read this thread from back in June when my son had heart surgery, and got a phone call from his hero, skateboarder Mike Vallely. http://community.pearljam.com/viewtopic.php?f=14&t=162073. Mike has been a professional skateboarder for 25 years, and has also been in some movies (Paul Blart, The Hangover, etc.), and ironically he's also good friends with Ben Harper, whom he skates with from time to time.
Anyway, without a doubt, that call my son got from him was the best thing ever, and he's always said that was the best day of his life...until this past weekend...
I've stayed in contact with Mike off and on since June, and back in late Feb. he emailed me that he was going to be taking a trip to Texas the second weekend of March. Well, me being the crazy dad I am, thought it would be a surprise of epic proportions for Owen if we just went to meet Mike and didn't tell him anything about it ahead of time. So the plan was set, and we were going to meet down in Corpus Christi, and the only people that knew about it was my wife and I.
So we get to like Wednesday before we were going to meet and Mike was skating out in El Paso with Jason Adams, and some other folks and I check the weather forecast. It was like a 90% chance of rain for the entire weekend. I couldn't believe it. Since they were coming down to skate, there was just no way it was going to happen so we were bummed tremendously. Since Owen didn't know anything about it, it wasn't that big of a deal, and we just made an alternate trip that weekend.
We still didn't tell him about it, mainly because I didn't want him thinking from that point on, every time we went on a trip we were going to meet Mike. haha So it was only a couple weeks later that I found out he was going to be coming back to Corpus on April 7th so his band could play at the Battle of Texas competition after party.
So this was going to be it. I got our hotel, checked with Mike one last time to make sure everything was still on, and we headed to Corpus. We got into town on Friday and spent all day at the beach, and then Saturday morning we got up and all of us went down to the seawall. My wife and daughter walked around while Owen and I were out skating. I got a text from Mike saying he was just going to run and get some coffee and spend some time doing a little site-seeing and that we would get together in a couple hours. So I thought that's cool, we'll go grab some lunch.
I mean going into this, all I expected was just to meet, say our hello's, take a few pics, shake hands and that would be it. I figured 10 to 15 minutes at the very most. So we went to Whataburger, because we just had to. I mean, how can you not go to a Whataburger that is 2-stories, and has an outside deck on the second floor? We ordered, and we were just waiting for our food when Mike sent me a text: "wanna grab lunch?" I was starting to type in that we just ordered ours, and my wife was like "you tell him YES!" LOL So I said, absolutely, right as they brought our food. My wife asks for to-go bags, while I figure out where we are going to meet, and we chunk our burgers into the trunk of our car.
At this point, both of my kids have this WTF?!? look on their faces, and I'm making up some story about how there's this show that's getting ready to start at the Aquarium, and we need to get there ASAP.
So we park, and start walking over to the Water Street Oyster Bar, and my wife is getting the camera ready, and my kids are wondering what the hell is going on, because they don't see an aquarium. As soon as we get close to the entrance I see Mike walk around the corner, and I turn back to look at Owen. I could see his face, and I could tell he noticed him, but I don't think it clicked. Then Mike points at him and says "hey, don't I know you?", and Owen just gets the biggest smile ever. Finally, after weeks of keeping this a surprise, finally we could tell him about how we planned that other trip, and that we had been trying to work this out.
The kid was just stunned. Walking up the stairs to our table, he was just whispering, "I can't believe this is happening". LOL
Now this is where it got really cool. Like I said, we went into this, not really expecting much, mainly because I knew Mike probably had other things going on while he was in town. However, we sat, and had lunch, and just BS'd for like an hour and a half. It seemed to get to a point where even the management of the restaurant wanted to check to make sure everything was alright. I don't know if that was a hint that we had been there too long or not.LOL
Then, since he had walked over to there from his hotel he asked if we would mind giving him a lift to Starbucks. So he hopped in the backseat with the kids, and we went to Starbucks. We all got something, and sat down while they were filling the order. Once we got our drinks we all sat there and talked for another hour and a half. I mean we talked about everything, movies, books, old skate stuff, Elephant Brand stuff, things my kids like, crazy shit both our families do, etc. etc. etc.
From there we made one last stop, at Walgreens of all places.LOL I asked Owen, did you ever think you'd be shopping with Mike V. at Walgreens?LOL
On the way back, we stopped and took some more pictures, and just BS'd around a little. Before we knew it, Mike had been with us for nearly 4 hours. So we took him back to his hotel, and my wife and daughter said their goodbyes, but since Owen and I were going to the competition up on the USS Lexington we knew we'd see him again up there.
So we went up to the Lexington at about 5pm, and they had some damn good skating going on. Mike showed up with the rest of his band so they could play a couple songs, before heading over to the after party at the House of Rock. We hung out a bit after the competition, and watched Mike's band Saints of Low. I thought they were damn good, and I would have said that even if I didn't know Mike. I don't know, they just sounded really good, and very tight for such a new group. He dedicated the last song to Owen, and when it was over, we said our goodbyes.
It was just an awesome freaking weekend, and one of the coolest experiences of my life. Not so much just for meeting Mike (don't get me wrong that was awesome), but just knowing what it meant to my son and being able to witness that. I guess that's what happens when you have kids, you stop thinking about what is cool for yourself so much, and start wanting to do things for them. It wasn't until yesterday that I was thinking about it on the drive home...holy shit, I just hung out with the guy who blew my freaking mind in Public Domain 24 years ago when I first watched it.
Here are some pics...
Hey, don't I know you?
Like I said, the kid was stunned at first.
They finally shake hands
Owen still can't believe it
After lunch Mike hopped in the backseat with the kids for a roadtrip to Starbucks and Walgreens. haha
We hung out at Starbucks and talked about everything, including a mandatory movie list that Mike assigned Owen to watch.
After Walgreens we stopped and took more pics. It was a weird spot where people were just sitting in their cars, so my wife and I had to swap out and take pictures of each other in the group, since no one else was outside.
I think my daughter was just as excited as Owen.
Owen said nothing's better than a headlock from Mike Vallely. LOL
Mike started to draw a crowd as he walked past us on the flight deck of the Lexington.
Mike took this awesome picture of Owen on the Lexington.
Here's a picture of him, taking the pic above. Just thought that was pretty cool.
And a badass show by The Saints of Low wrapped up an amazing day.
So that was pretty much it. Just wanted to share with you guys here. I'm definitely a believer that things work out for a reason, and this trip here was probably so much more laid back than the original visit would have been, so I'm glad it got rained out initially. This was beyond what we would have ever expected, and can't thank Mike enough for making the time for us.
Anyway, without a doubt, that call my son got from him was the best thing ever, and he's always said that was the best day of his life...until this past weekend...
I've stayed in contact with Mike off and on since June, and back in late Feb. he emailed me that he was going to be taking a trip to Texas the second weekend of March. Well, me being the crazy dad I am, thought it would be a surprise of epic proportions for Owen if we just went to meet Mike and didn't tell him anything about it ahead of time. So the plan was set, and we were going to meet down in Corpus Christi, and the only people that knew about it was my wife and I.
So we get to like Wednesday before we were going to meet and Mike was skating out in El Paso with Jason Adams, and some other folks and I check the weather forecast. It was like a 90% chance of rain for the entire weekend. I couldn't believe it. Since they were coming down to skate, there was just no way it was going to happen so we were bummed tremendously. Since Owen didn't know anything about it, it wasn't that big of a deal, and we just made an alternate trip that weekend.
We still didn't tell him about it, mainly because I didn't want him thinking from that point on, every time we went on a trip we were going to meet Mike. haha So it was only a couple weeks later that I found out he was going to be coming back to Corpus on April 7th so his band could play at the Battle of Texas competition after party.
So this was going to be it. I got our hotel, checked with Mike one last time to make sure everything was still on, and we headed to Corpus. We got into town on Friday and spent all day at the beach, and then Saturday morning we got up and all of us went down to the seawall. My wife and daughter walked around while Owen and I were out skating. I got a text from Mike saying he was just going to run and get some coffee and spend some time doing a little site-seeing and that we would get together in a couple hours. So I thought that's cool, we'll go grab some lunch.
I mean going into this, all I expected was just to meet, say our hello's, take a few pics, shake hands and that would be it. I figured 10 to 15 minutes at the very most. So we went to Whataburger, because we just had to. I mean, how can you not go to a Whataburger that is 2-stories, and has an outside deck on the second floor? We ordered, and we were just waiting for our food when Mike sent me a text: "wanna grab lunch?" I was starting to type in that we just ordered ours, and my wife was like "you tell him YES!" LOL So I said, absolutely, right as they brought our food. My wife asks for to-go bags, while I figure out where we are going to meet, and we chunk our burgers into the trunk of our car.
At this point, both of my kids have this WTF?!? look on their faces, and I'm making up some story about how there's this show that's getting ready to start at the Aquarium, and we need to get there ASAP.
So we park, and start walking over to the Water Street Oyster Bar, and my wife is getting the camera ready, and my kids are wondering what the hell is going on, because they don't see an aquarium. As soon as we get close to the entrance I see Mike walk around the corner, and I turn back to look at Owen. I could see his face, and I could tell he noticed him, but I don't think it clicked. Then Mike points at him and says "hey, don't I know you?", and Owen just gets the biggest smile ever. Finally, after weeks of keeping this a surprise, finally we could tell him about how we planned that other trip, and that we had been trying to work this out.
The kid was just stunned. Walking up the stairs to our table, he was just whispering, "I can't believe this is happening". LOL
Now this is where it got really cool. Like I said, we went into this, not really expecting much, mainly because I knew Mike probably had other things going on while he was in town. However, we sat, and had lunch, and just BS'd for like an hour and a half. It seemed to get to a point where even the management of the restaurant wanted to check to make sure everything was alright. I don't know if that was a hint that we had been there too long or not.LOL
Then, since he had walked over to there from his hotel he asked if we would mind giving him a lift to Starbucks. So he hopped in the backseat with the kids, and we went to Starbucks. We all got something, and sat down while they were filling the order. Once we got our drinks we all sat there and talked for another hour and a half. I mean we talked about everything, movies, books, old skate stuff, Elephant Brand stuff, things my kids like, crazy shit both our families do, etc. etc. etc.
From there we made one last stop, at Walgreens of all places.LOL I asked Owen, did you ever think you'd be shopping with Mike V. at Walgreens?LOL
On the way back, we stopped and took some more pictures, and just BS'd around a little. Before we knew it, Mike had been with us for nearly 4 hours. So we took him back to his hotel, and my wife and daughter said their goodbyes, but since Owen and I were going to the competition up on the USS Lexington we knew we'd see him again up there.
So we went up to the Lexington at about 5pm, and they had some damn good skating going on. Mike showed up with the rest of his band so they could play a couple songs, before heading over to the after party at the House of Rock. We hung out a bit after the competition, and watched Mike's band Saints of Low. I thought they were damn good, and I would have said that even if I didn't know Mike. I don't know, they just sounded really good, and very tight for such a new group. He dedicated the last song to Owen, and when it was over, we said our goodbyes.
It was just an awesome freaking weekend, and one of the coolest experiences of my life. Not so much just for meeting Mike (don't get me wrong that was awesome), but just knowing what it meant to my son and being able to witness that. I guess that's what happens when you have kids, you stop thinking about what is cool for yourself so much, and start wanting to do things for them. It wasn't until yesterday that I was thinking about it on the drive home...holy shit, I just hung out with the guy who blew my freaking mind in Public Domain 24 years ago when I first watched it.
Here are some pics...
Hey, don't I know you?
Like I said, the kid was stunned at first.
They finally shake hands
Owen still can't believe it
After lunch Mike hopped in the backseat with the kids for a roadtrip to Starbucks and Walgreens. haha
We hung out at Starbucks and talked about everything, including a mandatory movie list that Mike assigned Owen to watch.
After Walgreens we stopped and took more pics. It was a weird spot where people were just sitting in their cars, so my wife and I had to swap out and take pictures of each other in the group, since no one else was outside.
I think my daughter was just as excited as Owen.
Owen said nothing's better than a headlock from Mike Vallely. LOL
Mike started to draw a crowd as he walked past us on the flight deck of the Lexington.
Mike took this awesome picture of Owen on the Lexington.
Here's a picture of him, taking the pic above. Just thought that was pretty cool.
And a badass show by The Saints of Low wrapped up an amazing day.
So that was pretty much it. Just wanted to share with you guys here. I'm definitely a believer that things work out for a reason, and this trip here was probably so much more laid back than the original visit would have been, so I'm glad it got rained out initially. This was beyond what we would have ever expected, and can't thank Mike enough for making the time for us.
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Comments
Wishing continued good health to your son.
I need more.
Nothing seems to satisfy.
I said, I dont want it.
I just need it.
To breathe, to feel, to know Im alive.
Thanks for sharing!
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EV Solo: 6/16/11 Boston, 6/18/11 Hartford,
Ya, pretty sure I would have been 1 and done. Haha
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