The One Where We Met Billy the Exterminator

Am I the only one with a three year old whose hero is a leather clad, raccoon wrangling, braided facial hear having, southern pest control specialist?

As it turns out, apparently not.

I found this out firsthand today when we met the one, the only, BILLY THE EXTERMINATOR!

Get pumped.


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It all started Friday while I was at work and got a text from Josh telling me he just found out Billy the Exterminator was coming to the Cleveland Autorama on Sunday for one day only.

Wes loves Billy the Exterminator. He's watched every episode of the show and can even recite the title sequence word for word (ahhh snakes!) (also, hello, parents of the year over here.)

He tried to get me to dress up as Billy for halloween. He loves him.

Unfortunately, as I mentioned above Billy was appearing at the Cleveland A-u-t-o-r-a-m-a. Not exactly our cup of tea. Plus it costs like $15 a person to get in, plus $8 more for parking.

Uhhhhh...yeah. About that... (We decided to pass.)

But then Saturday morning as we're walking to breakfast, like some kind of miniature reality tv seuthsayer, the kid looks up at us and says this...

"You what show I love? Billy the sterminator (that's how he pronounces it). I really wish I could meet him in person".

I kid you frickin not.  OUT OF NOWHERE.

Josh and I both looked at each other with these confused slash suspicious looks like, did you say something to him? I know I didn't! No? What...the...hell...???

So then we had to go.

(My first thought upon deciding this was, What exactly does one wear to an autorama to meet BTE? I mentally reviewed my wardrobe as we were walking and found it alarmingly lacking in the studded cowboy hat/leather duster department.)

But we had to go. And when the universe is telling you, you need to meet Billy the Exterminator, it tells you loud and clear. Because would you believe just as we were walking in lamenting over the cost of parking and are we really paying money to go to this thing right now?... some random good samaritan just walks right up to us and offers to give us two free tickets for the show. It was serendipitous.

We hear you, Universe. We hear you!

We hadn't told Wes that Billy was going to be there. We'd just said that there was something cool inside that he had to see. This was his face when he saw him...

smitten.

so then we waited in this line...

blerg.

and finally, after much anticipation, met the man himself.

Of course when it came down to it, Wes got star struck and made us carry him up. So we all got a group photo. Wouldja look at us! Jealous?

but Wes was the only one who got a personally addressed autograph...

and an ice cream cone...

and got to sit in a Ferrari... (by the way, the horn works.)

So pretty much, best day ever to be Wes.

So thanks, universe.


This was not a day any of us will soon be forgetting.


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