Today is Friday and I have been home from our Germany trip for a little over a week, I have dropped our rig off in Charlotte to get painted with our new Wiley X paint scheme and I have spent a great Thanksgiving holiday with my family.

As you can see, things have been just a little busy, but I did finally get all of our pictures together from our Germany trip and wanted to share some of them with you. Luckily, Jeff Romack (GM Motorsports) is a great documenter/photographer and has shared all of his photos along with the ones taken with Melissa's little pink camera so I have lots to show you.

First I want to say thanks to Fred Simmonds for putting together another very successful trip. I had such an awesome time and feel so honored to be a part of such a great effort and I know everyone is already looking forward to our returning trip next year.

This year we all got to fly an A-10 Warthog simulator and it was really one of the coolest things I have ever done. I did a great job taking off and flying, however the landing was the part that Mel and I had a little issue with. Of course, they told us to hurry up and land so we did just that. How were we supposed to know how fast the ground comes at you in one of those things? Fred told me he is glad I drive better than I fly. Does this mean that he won't fly with me if I get my pilot's license?

Another highlight of my trip was the autograph session at the Eiffel Lanes Bowling Center. We did autographs for all of the troops and staff during the lunch hour and then had some spare time before heading to our next assignment. What a perfect time for a bunch of – should I say – competitive individuals to bowl a couple of games? We had a blast and when it was all said and done, I had the highest pin count of the two games and my good friends presented me with my very own autographed bowling pin. Now, how many people can say that they have a bowling pin from Germany signed by W.J., T.J., Melanie and Cory? I will display it proudly in my office right beside my world champion Wallys.

Well, I am going to close this blog and include some of our pictures for you to enjoy. Remember, if you happen to see any of our military men and women just take a moment to tell them thank you for all that they are doing for us.