Nearing a Milestone

Hi all,

Just thought I'd let you know we are nearing a milestone. We are quickly approaching the 1 millionth page view and almost 500,000 unique visitors. The numbers are amazing and I can't thank all of you enough for your support over the years.

In celebration of the 1,000,000 page view milestone, I wanted to do something nice. I have a few ideas but I'd love to hear your suggestions as well.

Leave a comment and let me know what you'd like.

JT

P.S. At the current visitor rate, we should hit 1,000,000 by the weekend.

European Trip Report

Hopefully things were pretty normal while I was gone. I just returned from a 20 day vacation to Europe and had a blast. My wife and I visited Paris, Venice, Florence, and Rome. One great thing about our visit to Paris is that we were there for the Bastille Day ceremonies.

We actually got up early and made it out to the parade route. The highlight for me was the fly-over of nearly 100 aircraft and helicopters. :)

I put together a brief video for family and friends. I figured I'd post it here for some of you to enjoy. My life is pretty busy these days with travel (both business and pleasure). Next week I'll be in California again and then over in Birmingham Alabama. I've spent more time away from home that at home over the last three months.

Thanks again to all of you that visit the site. None of this would be possible without you.

Off to Seattle and Vancouver

Hey all, quick note. I'm off for an anniversary trip with my wife. We'll be heading from Florida to Seattle WA. I have two aviation related things to do there. I'm going to visit the cool aviation museum and tour the Boeing facility. Woohoo. After Seattle we are heading up to Vancouver BC.

It's my first time in the Northwest area so I'm really looking forward to it. I'll be back May 3rd. Have a great week.

Personal Update

Hey all,

Wanted to give you an update. My wife and I bought our first house and we are moving in this weekend. I'm going to be away until next Tues (assuming we get everything set-up by Monday night). My Internet connection will be cut tomorrow night so I'm offline until next week.

Catch up with you then,

JT

Inauguration Day 2009

Jan 20th, 2009: Inauguration Day

As I grow older and hopefully wiser, my appreciation for the American system of government deepens. Today we swear in a new President chosen by the citizens of this great Country.

This week I reread the Declaration of Independence. In a world that was once dominated by unelected tyrants, the words of the second paragraph are devastating and profound.

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.

— That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, — That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness.

Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed.

I believe it is the hope of every person to be free from tyrannical governments and to pursue their lives in peace and prosperity. I pray that others are inspired by these great words and that those enslaved by dictators and tyrants will rise up and cast off their shackles.

Trip to New York City

Hey all,

Hope you had a great Christmas and New Years. I celebrated the New Year with a trip to New York City. I thought you might like to see a few pictures from the trip. We stayed at the Crowne Plaza in Times Square and had a blast. The temperatures were consistently in the low teens and the windchill was near 0 degrees F.

We rang in the New Year in Times Square with thousands of other people. What a crazy time but it was amazing.

In picture #1 you're seeing Central Park in Manhattan from our vantage point 70 stories up on Rockefeller Center. In picture #2 you're seeing Times Square. In picture #3 you're seeing me and my wife in Rockefeller Center.

Lots of great times and great food. Here's to a great 2009!

Happy New Year 2009!

It's New Year's Eve and I'm in Times Square (New York City). I figured that you have to do this at least once in your life. It's my goal this year to a better person and I'm working on a specific action plan to make that a reality (I might share more about that later).

Each new year brings the hope of a new life and a new direction. Challenge yourself to be more than you are today. Challenge yourself to love your wife and family more. Go beyond the ordinary life and grab life by the throat. Make the most of your talents and be a blessing to others.

Make 2009 the best year of your life.

Merry Christmas 2008!

I want to wish you and your family a very merry Christmas. It's my hope you're surrounded by loved ones and that you know the true joy that comes from the one called "Emmanuel" (God with us).

Merry Christmas!!!

P.S. Try not to eat too much.
P.S.S. I hope Santa brings you a new Widescreen Monitor!

Happy Thanksgiving

It's an American holiday, but still I wish all my friends here a Happy Thanksgiving. Even the least among us can find something in life to be thankful to God for. I wish you and your families the best.

Thanks for making this blog what it is. I'm definitely thankful for all of you.

JT

Leaving For London and Paris

Hi all,

Here's a quick admin update. My wife and I are leaving for our first anniversary trip. We are heading to London and then to Paris. I won't be back until Sunday May 4th. During my absence Pieter has agreed to cover the site and post some wallpapers.

We'll be flying Continental airlines in a Boeing 777-ER. Nice plane. We'll also be taking the Eurostar train from London to Paris. That train does something like 200 mph! I'm really excited and I'm grateful for a wonderful first year of marriage.

Have a great week.

Posters Available Through Zazzle

Thanks to many of you for your site survey feedback. I've taken your comments and implemented some changes. One of the big items you asked for was the ability to purchase posters. I've partnered with Zazzle to start creating posters of the most popular images on the site.

Please check out the Zazzle sidebar widget and let me know your thoughts. For those of you that do purchase a poster, let me know. I'll gladly post your testimonial here!

Over the next weeks I will continue to add products.

SPECIAL OFFER: If you want a particular photo here made into a product (t-shirt, cup, etc.) just let me know and I'll create it for you and send you a link.

P.S. My Zazzle account is named "greatdesigns".

Important Survey

I need your help. Would you please take a few minutes and fill out this brief survey? I'm always looking for ways to make the site better and since you are the most important part of what's happening here, I need to hear from you.

Free Widescreen Wallpapers Site Survey

P. S. Don't worry if the fields look small, they'll hold as much as you want to type.
P. S. S. I'm doing this through Google Docs and their online form feature.

Last Minute Christmas Idea: Amazon Gift Card

If you're in trouble and need a last minute gift for someone, I suggest you head over to Amazon.com and get a gift certificate (just follow that link above).

This year our family is traveling to California for Christmas. Instead of trying to bring all our gifts with us, we just bought them through Amazon and had them shipped out to CA for free.

While I'm out in CA, Pieter will be covering and posting great wallpapers. I wish everyone a wonderful holiday season and many blessings for you and your family.

JT

Black Friday Deals

Christmas is coming and Friday Nov 23 (otherwise known as "Black Friday") is the biggest day for great deals on stuff for the year. I got a notice from Amazon.com that they are having some incredible specials. Check out their Black Friday specials page. These deals are typically only available for one day, so get over there.

I don't know what you're looking for this year, but I'm interested in upgrading my DSLR. Enjoy!

Happy Thanksgiving

Today in the United States it's Thanksgiving. It's a time to reflect and be thankful to God for all the blessings we enjoy. I want to express my thanks to all of you who visit the blog. Without you, this blog would be meaningless. I wish you and your families all the best in life.

Today, be sure and tell someone you love them.

JT

Call For Guest Blogger

UPDATE: Great news. Pieter Vroman volunteered to help out. Thanks Pieter!

Hey everyone,

I'm going out of town starting this Wednesday Nov 7th through Monday Nov 12th. I'm going to be in Las Vegas with the wife and also attending the 2007 Nellis AFB airshow (I hope to get a few decent pictures!).

During my time out, I'd really like it if one of you would guest blog here. Here are the requirements:

1. Love aviation photography
2. Able to use Photoshop (or similar) to crop and enhance public domain images
3. Able to post daily from Nov 7th - Nov 12th.

Please write me at widescreenwallpapers@hotmail.com and let me know if you meet the requirements and are available.

JT