Sunday, June 07, 2009

Walk Now For Autism: Photo Essay.

We got up at 5:30am this morning to get ready for the big day. Sunday is usually the day we lounge around in our pajamas until...uh...we get into fresh pajamas to go to bed, so the kids were a little confused as to why we were rushing around, getting them dressed and out the door, all before 8am. Max kept his cool and enjoyed the drive into the T.dot (though he does look a little bleary eyed). Cameron decided we were all nuts and caught up on her cutie sleep. Scott did not enjoy me taking his picture for my blog, but he was a good sport.
We met everyone at Timothy's at Queen and Bay for 9am. Nana and Cameron held down the fort while Scott chased Max around and I got everyone their t-shirts.
My oldest friend (we've known each other since kindergarten!), Elizabeth shows off her Team Maxwell t-shirt, while enjoying some much needed java.
Scott manages to catch Max during one of his laps of the coffee shop to show off his T-shirt. Pretty strong likeness, eh?
Elizabeth and me mugging for the camera in our Team Maxwell t-shirts.
Brandie and her boyfriend Simone joined us for the walk as well. I think they look really good in their Team Maxwell shirts! It was cold this morning, so a lot of us wore them over long sleeve shirts.
Christine brought the Team Maxwell mascot, her chihuahua "Max". And yes, that is his real name. And yes, this has been the source of many laughs in our house.
Around 9am, Cameron started to get a bit annoyed with sitting around and waiting. She thought it was time to go and register for the walk. Amazing what an effective communicating tool screaming is.
We let Max walk up to Nathan Phillips Square - he really enjoyed walking with his dad, but thought I was cramping his style with all the pictures.
My second oldest friend (we've known each other since Grade 1), Athena, brought her entire family to walk under the Team Maxwell banner. Those are some cute kids, eh?
Bumpa Dave and Grandpa Ole showing of their t-shirts.
The Team Maxwell mascot, Max, getting some love.
Omg! The walk is starting! Let's gooooooooooooo!!
Being the class act we are, Team Maxwell took a short cut out of the square and skipped the big wait to go through the "official" walk entryway. We tried to look inconspicuous as we cut in at the front of the procession.
Along the walk route there were various musical acts to keep us pumped. We also got some cheers for our t-shirts.
Some of the younger members of Team Maxwell got pooped near the end of the walk, so we cut through the Eaton Centre instead of taking the official course. Yeah, we are classy like that. Elizabeth took the opportunity to snap an official Team Maxwell photograph for us. Apparently Scott thought this was a race, so he entered the square singing the theme song to "Rocky" at the top of his lungs. Max tried not to be too embarrassed.
There were a lot of cool team t-shirts at the walk. I think ours was the best (of course), though I think next year I'll go with a colour other than white. Perhaps lime green or bright yellow will stand out more in the crowd...
Thanks to our friends, family, and faithful readers, Scott and I each raised over $1000 for the walk, which meant we were recognized in the Grand Club. We thought this was pretty cool, and we made sure to get a picture of our names in lights.

And of course, we waited too long for the official family photo. Cameron went home early with her grandparents, and by 11:15am, Max was done. Good times.
I don't think this day could have gone any better. The rain held off, the kids were really well behaved, everyone who said they were going to turn up found us, and we got to do something really positive for Max. Next year I'll start my planning a little earlier than, say, 2 weeks before the walk. But I think for 2 weeks of fundraising and planning, we did fantastic!

Stay tuned for the Mabel's Labels Camp Pack draw results and video footage of the walk. Thank you again to everyone who donated - you have officially blown my mind!

2 comments:

  1. Anonymous10:44 p.m.

    Just fantastic to see Athena, Elizabeth and Christine all there. Wow, those are some good friends.

    love,
    mb

    ReplyDelete
  2. So glad things went well. God bless you all!

    ReplyDelete