Honky Tonk Cruzers: 2011 Year in Review

Ringing in 2011 with our awesome Coltwood neighbors. That's Amy, Lori, Carol and Stephanie. I felt like I was back in Korea when they broke out the karaoke machine.

My brother Lee's graduation and commissioning ceremony in January at the Airborne and Special Operations Museum in Fayetteville, North Carolina. There was enough flair up in that piece for a dozen Bennigan's restaurants. Lee is now with the 82nd Airborne.

Unfortunately, it was time to put the old Acura out to pasture. Carol finally got a new ride in Feb. This is Big Blue. If the big smile in the front seat is any indication, Jake approves of the new purchase. We are officially a Mazda family. If you're shopping for a new car, USAA buying services is a great source to save some bucks. At a minimum, it gives you some serious leverage.

In February, Carol's brother James hosted his annual bonfire at his place in Alabama. Bonfire, fish fry and smores makes for a nice weekend. The white pieces of paper are pictures of Justin Bieber drawn by CJ and his cousins. They are not fans of the Bieb.

For Spring Break in March, we drove to Virginia to visit Alan, Danita, Joel and Jena. Who doesn't like Krispy Kreme donuts?

In April, we were back in Alabama for the Burgers and Bluegrass fundraiser at the Spirit of Hope Youth Ranch. Carol's cousin Leenie runs Spirit of Hope. Check out this link to learn more about this awesome organization: http://www.sohyr.org/

The family got to spend our first Easter in Alabama. The boys got to participate in one of the biggest family events of the year in Alabama - the Easter Egg Hunt. Big and little kids are tumbling over themselves at the start line to get to the prized money eggs.

One of our favorite things about Memphis is our church - Bellevue Baptist. CJ and Jake both enjoy the Sunday School and youth programs. Pastor Steve Gaines is amazing and tells it like it is. Here's one of the murals near Jake's Sunday School class.

Spring means it's baseball season. Play ball! I got to coach Jake and the rest of the Reds.

A couple of us in Millington flew down to Pensacola in a T-39 to conduct some detailing business and attend the Centennial of Naval Aviation (CONA) events. Many thanks to Q and VT-10!

Carol and I were living on a prayer while rocking out at the Bon Jovi concert at the FEDEX Forum in May. I gotta say, it was one of the best concerts I've ever been to. Made for some interesting people watching too. We saw an older lady that didn't notice the expiration date on her tube top. There were young ladies with their 80's hair so big they needed turn signals. Of course the mullet was out in full force. I still cranked out my physical fitness test the next morning.

Saying farewell to Team Walker. That's Lynn, Ann, Carol, Amy and Michele.

CJ put on a heck of a campaign and was elected Vice President of the Student Council at Arlington Middle School. Here's the poster that was banned by the school administration. Always the rebel.

Block party in our neighborhood.

Supporting the local AAA baseball team, the Memphis Redbirds. Try the BBQ nachos.

Here's our crew at work. That's Megan on the left, the best lawyer in the US Navy, Shrek who drives submarines and Pam, a helicopter pilot. Our job - making dreams come true.

My good friend Deke came down for a weekend in Memphis. Got some business done and snuck in the Gibson Guitar 5K run downtown. The weather didn't cooperate very well though. The rain started pouring at the start of the run and didn't let up for quite a while. It turned into one of the biggest wet t-shirt contests I've ever been to.