Visual Consumption

What looks like pretty desktop patterns/pictures but is actually a visual representation of the amount of material consumption in America? Chris Jordan's latest series of art work.

(This one depicts 11,000 jet trails, equal to the number of commercial flights in the US every eight hours. Go to the website to see the close-up view, along with many others).

Lucky Number 13

Yesterday was my 13th anniversary being wed to the most wonderful woman God could have paired me with. To celebrate, we left the kids at Grandma and Grandpa Bird's house in Pella while we escaped for a night to the Stone Mansion in Oskaloosa. We enjoyed shopping together, eating together, walking together, and just being together.

It was so needed for LeAnn and me to get "us" time in the middle of all this busy-ness and impending separation due to my Czech trip. It was also wonderful to get 9 hours of sleep after many nights of 4-6! Yesterday was simply a great day.

I am so thankful for my wife and for my marriage. After Christ, LeAnn is the best thing to ever happen to me. Being married to her makes me feel like the luckiest man in the world!