NAMI Walk 2019

 tagged japanese chin / nami by (updated 1989 days ago)

On Saturday we had the annual NAMI walk. NAMI stands for the National Alliance on Mental Illness, and I am on the board of directors for the local chapter, as well as volunteering for our chapter to give talks and lead support groups. Every Saturday my NAMI friends meet for bagels, even!

It was a very chilly morning! Brad was asked to be the event photographer, which meant we had to be there at 8AM! It was only 45 degrees at that time. I ended up wearing my red coat, Brad wore his red coat, and Hestia wore her red coat! We were all matching!

It was good to see all my NAMI friends, including those I hadn’t seen in a while. There were lots of dogs there, and over 300 people! My friend Betsey raised the most money, at $3000, and NAMI Piedmont Tri-County raised over $64,000 total through the walk! So it was very successful.

I walked with my friend Dan O (not Dan A who I hang out with with our friend Doc). We had a really good time talking, but got tired quickly so we took a shortcut back. This put us at the head of the pack, so we just pretended that we walked really fast he he he! (There weren’t racing prizes or anything…)

After the walk was over, I got to hang out with my friend Sarah. She is newer to town and to NAMI, but I’ve liked her from the moment I met her. We had a good time talking, and I didn’t want to stop hanging out!

After the walk, we headed up to Brad’s aunt Nancy and cousin Tamara’s house to pick up kombucha. We hung out for a while and had a really really really good conversation. I am so glad we live near Brad’s family! They are all such nice cool people!

Here is a link to all the 73 pictures Brad kept (out of 800+ that he took!), and below the link are my favorite pictures. Of course my favorite pictures are the ones including us! I am wearing yellow and black Hufflepuff leggings and a black shirt underneath my red coat. Hestia is a small black and white Japanese Chin with a smushed face wearing a red parka with a fur lined hood. Brad is wearing a grey and red blanket, his red coat, and a beige fedora style hat.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/Zvvjfkv5fUhkqK9v5

Veronica kneeling down with Hestia in front of her, both looking at the camera. They are next to a rock with two signs propped up on it. The sign on the left says "Stomp out the stigma" and the one on the right has a profile of a head with a multicolored brain and says "We are speaking out to change attitudes toward mental illness".
Veronica kneeling down with Hestia in front of her, both looking at the camera. They are next to a rock with two signs propped up on it. The sign on the left says “Stomp out the stigma” and the one on the right has a profile of a head with a multicolored brain and says “We are speaking out to change attitudes toward mental illness”.
Hestia sits in the grass, littered lightly with leaves. She looks slightly off camera.
Hestia sits in the grass, littered lightly with leaves. She looks slightly off camera.
Veronica with Hestia holds Dan's hand from arms length apart, and Betsey smiles in the middle.
Veronica with Hestia holds Dan’s hand from arms length apart, and Betsey smiles in the middle.
Dan, Betsey, Veronica, and Hestia look at the camera and smile. Dan and Betsey are wearing NAMI walk for 1 in 4 t-shirts.
Dan, Betsey, Veronica, and Hestia look at the camera and smile. Dan and Betsey are wearing NAMI walk for 1 in 4 t-shirts.
Veronica laughs at something Dan just said, Brad likes taking pictures of me laughing :)
Veronica laughs at something Dan just said, Brad likes taking pictures of me laughing 🙂
Veronica with Hestia on the left of a sign, and Brad on the right of the sign. The sign is propped up against a large rock and reads "You wouldn't say, 'It's just cancer, get over it...'"
Veronica with Hestia on the left of a sign, and Brad on the right of the sign. The sign is propped up against a large rock and reads “You wouldn’t say, ‘It’s just cancer, get over it…'”
A shot of the crowd including many people dressed in ordinary colors. Veronica and Hestia stand out in the middle of the picture in their red attire, and look at the camera.
A shot of the crowd including many people dressed in ordinary colors. Veronica and Hestia stand out in the middle of the picture in their red attire, and look at the camera.
The crowd, including Veronica and Hestia, laughs and claps at something being said in the speeches before the walk.
The crowd, including Veronica and Hestia, laughs and claps at something being said in the speeches before the walk.
Brad took this crowd shot from his monopod, holding the camera way up in the air! There are lots and lots of people there!
Brad took this crowd shot from his monopod, holding the camera way up in the air! There are lots and lots of people there!
A group of walkers crosses a footbridge. At the rear of the picture are Veronica with Hestia and Dan.
A group of walkers crosses a footbridge. At the rear of the picture are Veronica with Hestia and Dan.

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