The Alzheimer's Walk

Daylight Saving's Time in Fall is my favorite because you 'Fall Back' and gain an our of sleep that night.  I was so looking forward to that extra hour after knowing I was going to have a late night Bartending at Bar Lubitsch, but didn't know I was going to be there until 4 am (real time, before the change) and by the time I got home and got to bed it was 5 am.  Ugh.

Walking for Alzheimer's with a Mass of People!

For some reason, waking up at 6:45 am on Sunday morning was easy.  Neil and Jamie met me at my place and we all drove to Century City together where the Alzheimer's Walk was happening!  After we got parked, we all registered, got our wristbands and I picked up my Walk T-Shirt because I had raised over $100.  I actually reached my goal $250 through help of family and friends and I was so happy to raise the money and create awareness for Alzheimer's.  Then we picked up our Flowers, which signified if we lost someone to Alzheimer's, cared or supported someone with Alzheimer's, or wanted to create awareness, and we took a Team Photo together!  Go Tiny One's!  Then we grabbed some snacks and coffee and walked to the stage to listen to some of the speeches by celebrities before we made our way to the Start Line.

Jamie had hiked 8 miles the day before when she was in Catalina, Neil needs to have surgery on his MCL, and I really enjoy my Sunday Walk, so I don't think any of us really planned on running but once the Walk got started, that all got thrown to the wind as our competitive spirits came alive and we all took off to get ahead of the pack.  Neil decided to run the whole 5k and actually ended up 'Winning' even though it was a close race with a 19-year old kid who did his darndest, but Neil prevailed.  Jamie and I walked and ran the 5k, as we chatted about our weekend and made it to the Finish Line just a few minutes after Neil.  My only frustration was that the course they had mapped out had you going back and forth, and with all the people walking at different paces, you were crossing people and it was kind of confusing.  One of the greatest things about the race was how supportive all the Volunteers were, when you were walking by one, they would clap and cheer you on, and they offered water as well.  I handed out Hi-Fives along the way and was very excited to be doing my first ever Charity Walk!  The Finish Line was the coolest with the biggest cheers, and there were actually Cheerleaders there, and people congratulating you.

Team Tiny One's

After the Walk we stopped at McDonald's for Breakfast and enjoyed eating some fast food after knowing we got in a good work-out!  But the best part of the whole experience, was knowing that we helped a cause and created awareness about Alzheimer's and the Association and hopefully made a difference in someone's life!  

*Thank you to Jamie and Neil for Walking with me, your support means so much to me, and I had a blast 'Running' with you!  Thank you also to my Mom and Dad, Linda & Dave Opitz, Katie Schamberger, Jeff Walker, Thi Nguyen, JJ & John Long, Karen Girard, and Jamie Boalbey for donating to my Team!*

This one was for you Grandma...love you always! ~ Your Tiny One