Merry Christmas From LakeHaus Productions



 

 Our Christmas wish to you from LakeHaus Productions lies in this simple 6 minute video I produced with the help of some of the "little dudes" from our family and our church.

Merry Christmas and May There Be Peace on Earth.

To all of our customers, thank you for your involvement in our lives through the art of photography.

Top 10 of 2012.

At the end of the year a lot of news outlets flood us with the Top 10 _____  Fill In The Blank of Whatever year it is.

I have done this in the past and thought it would be good to look back a bit and pick out some of the LakeHaus gang's bests of 2012.

11. (Hon. Mention)  SDSU Football games with the family.  No better way to spend a Saturday in the Fall.

10. Maxim scoring his first and only goal and an assist in his last game of the hockey season last year...Brecken making it to state in wrestling and finishing in the top 12 in the state.

9. Our annual snomobile trip to the Hills with the Fasts was again cut short by weather...but those trips home on sheer ice are still frequent conversations.

8. Kolby was the first of our "younglings" to wakeboard this season...and it was her very first time.  The water was cold, but she showed her brothers who is BOSS.

7. Since this is number 7 I will take it for myself.  I turned 40, put on almost 15 pounds and had knee surgery all within a 30 day window.  The pounds are coming off again, but the age isn't.

6. The epic family vacation to the Black Hills, our first real family vacation since Kolby joined the group.  A big storm, driving all the way to Wind Cave and finding out it was closed and all the kids really wanted to do was swim and play on the water slides at the hotel.

5. Watching the water level drop...pretty sure the lake is 4 feet shallower than it was a year ago.  A little nervous that we might have to go to the Missouri next year to enjoy our boat.

4. Our new cat.  We adopted "Kisses Read More Books" as "our" cat.  She kept hanging around and let Kolby and Brecken abuse her with "love".  So we let her hang out in our garage and give her the occasional table food.  (The real reason she is still here...she mouses like a champ!)

3.  Grandma and Grandpa Decker moved back to Huron.  They have a house 2 down from ours but live on the farm and the kids love having all 4 of their Grandparents at their immediate disposal.

2.  LakeHaus Productions...thanks to our customers enjoyed a very successful year.  Stephanie has logged more hours on a computer and a phone than she gets paid for, but she keeps the thing running with a smile.

1.  4th of July.  EPIC Party week.  To me the 4th is like Christmas where you can go outside and enjoy the whole family...not just the ones who want to go outside.  Grandpa Bob hosted over 100 people at our house for his famous 4th of July Chuck Wagon Festival Breakfast.  Carson was at our house to spend time with his little cousins who adore him.  The weather was perfect, the water was calm and the fireworks didn't almost kill people this year...we have learned a bit as we have aged.  I really do enjoy the 4th as much as Christmas.  Forgive me if I put out a nativity scene next July...we can celebrate Jesus' birth twice a year, right?

That is the list....there will be more of the same in 2013 I am sure of it, sans the knee surgery and me turning 40...have a Blessed Christmas and enjoy your family this Holiday Season.

I will post a Family Christmas card in the next week or so and then take a break from the blog until after the first of the year.

Hours Of Operation

When you run your own business you quickly realize that there is no such thing as "work hours"...because every hour you are awake you are working.  For Steph this is true.  She is 80% of what is LakeHaus Productions.  (She would argue that she is 90%!)

Over the last few days her phone is always beeping, ringing or vibrating and our home phone is constantly ringing as well.  I am not complaining, business is great and she loves the energy that  revolves around what we do at LHP, but sometimes we just have to say...."OK, the next 3 hours has nothing to do with LakeHaus...or my work at the energy factory."

Last night we got done with Maxim's hockey games ( won 1 and tied 1, Maxim had an assist and a penalty) and Steph basically worked all the way home from the games in Watertown...the beauty of the iPhone...she heard from two brides asking us about doing their wedding, a couple of families that needed photos taken and a senior who procrastinated a little bit on scheduling senior pictures.  All that on a Sunday night after 7pm.

In a lot of ways we are like a family farm...there isn't a day or an hour that isn't somehow devoted to what we do.  Our parents are involved with the business, our kids help out and we have a "harvest" season.  Right now is that time.

So if you ever need us we are only a call, text, email or Facebook message away.  With all that said....we are going to go on a bit of vacation from December 23rd through January 1.  We have sessions scheduled during that time, and some customer work to do, but we will also be spending a bit more "away" time to hang with our kids and extended families. 

We will answer "immediate needs" requests, but if you have to wait a bit to get an answer back during the Christmas break please understand that we are stepping back just a bit to rest our "creative juices".

Even artists need breaks.

But until then, by all means, give us a call...we will bring you into our "family farm" with open arms.

The Prodigal Dog

We got our dog back!

She turned up at a farm north of Broadland...we figure she put on about 10 or 12 miles en route to a family's front door.

They took care of her and saw our post on Facebook...one phone call and she was in my car headed home.

She was a little dirty and scratched up, but she looked fatter than the day she got lost...they were feeding her table food.  She is going to expect it now!

The kids were excited and loved her up when they got home.

40 years and 1 day.

I am still trying to soak in the last 40 hours let alone the last 40 years I have been alive on Earth...but it happened. 

I hit 40 yesterday. 

I didn't feel any different, everyone was saying oh, your body will start to fall apart...but actually lately my knee has felt really good.  I am like 3.5 weeks post surgery and my strength is coming back.  I celebrated yesterday by going 40 minutes on the elliptical machine (yeah, no more running...at least for now) tagged on another 40 push ups to my work out.

I had to coach Maxim's hockey team last night and after practice they had a big cupcake cake in the warming room to celebrate.  Nothing better than celebrating your 40th birthday with all your best friends, who happen to be 10 and 11 year olds.

The one sad note of the last 5 days is my dog is missing.  Lilly took off on Sunday night and it was my fault.  Steph wanted to throw away some pumpkins and I thought it would be more fun to put the pumpkins in the field across from our house and let the boys shoot them with a shotgun.

I know it sounds stupid that a hunting dog is gun shy, but when our dog is at home and she hears a loud noise, she freaks out...if she is in the house she hides under a bed...if she is outside she runs.

That was 4 days ago...

I keep looking out the window expecting to see her waiting at the door.

Less Of A Limp.

For the last 4 months, anytime I have walked it was in severe pain, the worst pain was the first 100 meters or so after sitting for a long time or first thing in the morning.  I had a very noticeable limp, but every now and then something would pop in my knee and it felt "normal" for a bit.  Then sooner or later it would be back to the pain I grew to live with.

Today is my first day, post surgery, that I left the house without crutches and almost my 2nd day without any pain medication...so almost 5 full days after surgery and I feel better than I did for the last 5 months.

I will never again take for granted the ability to run, walk, kneel, etc.  I almost made it 40 years without needing knee, ankle or hip surgery so I am pretty satisfied with where my body is halfway through my life.  Now to get back in men's league hockey shape...that might take a bit more than 5 days.

Knee'd Surgery

I get to go under the "scope" tomorrow.  My knee has been a mess for a while now, and I finally found a doctor who knows what to do to fix it (not that it was that tough of a diagnosis).

The first doctor I went to messed around for 4 months and I kept telling him how bad it hurt, but he kept putting off surgery...so I trusted him.  Unfortunately it was a complete waste of time.

So after one visit to another doctor he immediately recognized that I need surgery and a week and a half later the day is upon me to get this thing fixed.

I have a tear in my meniscus, they think it is of the "bucket handle" variety...they will go in and clean it out and should be good as new by the end of the month.

So after my first doctor messed around and gave me 4 months of pain and doctor visits, 2 weeks in a straight leg brace and then another 2 of therapy...I will hopefully be completely healed in 5 weeks.

I have attached a photo of different tears and an actual video of what they will do to my knee...enjoy with popcorn.

 



Corn Palace.

Stephan Colbert IS comedy.

 

 

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Fall Ends....Tonight.

I know we are still in the "Fall" season, but after tonight the weather is suppose to be windy and cold, and I can't help but feel like winter will be soon knocking at the door.

Tonight was Brecken's last soccer game and they finally won.  I think they won 2 games that I missed because I was on the road, when I made it to the next 2 games they got beat pretty bad.  But tonight, they came together and won 3 - 0. 

To celebrate the win and the final game of the year, Steph and the kids drove through DQ to get food and ice cream and I went to the hockey rink for a meeting.  Couldn't help but get excited when I walked in the building and smelled the ice and felt the comfortable cold.

We have a few weeks of no sports (unless we can sneak one more round of golf in) and then the 5 month run of hockey starts.

Monday Morning Koko

There is a song that basically says daddys fall in love with their daughters because the are little versions of their mommys. Couldn't be more true...this is a picture of Little Steph.

Happy Birthday, Sweet Sally Sue

When my sister Sally turned like 30 or something I put together an elaborate music video of photos of her life...I titled it "30 Years of Sally"....or something like that, and I think my Bro-Law still brings it up as a joke every now and then, and we get a good laugh out of it.

At the time Sally and Brad still lived in Alaska and we missed seeing them...before the days of FaceTime and Skype, photos were the only way we knew what they looked like.

I backed the photos with a song by The Nixons...it is one of my all time favourite songs and completely describes the relationship Sally and I have...SO today I say, "Happy Birthday, Sister."

Enjoy the song, again or for the first time.

 



 

Here I am again,
Overwhelming feelings
A thousand miles away
From your ocean home
Part of me is near

Thoughts of what we were invade
The miles that stand between
We can't separate
Your all I hoped you'd become

Sister I see you
Dancing on the stage
Of memory
Sister I miss you

Fleeting visits pass
Still they satisfy
Reminders of the next
Overshadow goodbye
Our flames burn as one

Sister I see you
Dancing on the stage
Of memory
Sister I miss you

All I am begins with you
Thoughts of hope understood
Half of me breathes in you
Thoughts of love remain true

Here we are again saying goodbye
Still we fall asleep underneath the same sky
You're all I knew you'd become

Sister I see you
Dancing on the stage
Of memory
Sister I miss you

Entwined, you and I
Our souls speak from across the miles
Intertwined, you and I
Our blood flows from the same inside
Half of me, breathes in you
Thoughts of love remain true

I see you, I feel you
When I close my eyes
I see walking there...
I see you dancing in my mind

I am a Mac and PC

First off, HAPPY 6th BIRTHDAY TO THIS BLOG!  I can't believe it didn't die a few times already, but for some reason I keep coming back to it to write...hope you are still enjoying it.

There was a story on CNN the other day about how Microsoft as a company was the 4th most valuable company in the world, and how they tend to wait and see what Apple does and then copy it to some degree.  Which is true if you think along the lines of:

iPod = Zune

Wii = Kinnect

iPhone = Windows-based smartphones....etc.

 

There is something to be said for what Microsoft has done for the "real" work that computers do everyday...not the way I use a computer, editing photos and video, but word processing, spreadsheets, database work.  For those types of applications I am told there is no better platform than a PC, although Apples can run Microsoft application too.  So I guess I am a combination...I use Dell products to do some of my work and I use Apple products to do my more creative type work...and for all of my mobile work..iPhone/iPad.

 

So I pose the question, can I be a Mac and a PC???  Can I be a balding, tweed suit, nerd, and a v-neck tshirt, hoodie and skinny jeans slacker at the same time?  I think I am pulling it off...but lately I have been leaning towards my Apple side.  Is that the Dark Side or the Light Side of The Force?

 

 

My Life Creed.

My dad turned 67 yesterday...so maybe I am thinking about age and life a little bit this week...but this song ended up in my email in box thanks to my buddy Toby Mac.

I can honestly say this is my life goal...and my dad (and mom) gave Sally and I the example of how to attain that goal of not letting life "Slip On By".

I try to grab every moment with my family...even if it meant cuddling up on the couch with a 10 year old and watching George Of The Jungle at 5 AM this morning...just because he was awake for the day.



First Day Of Pre-K

Steph dropped a bomb on me yesterday...she said it was the last day that Kolby would ever have as a non-school attending little girl.  So they played in the yard, coloring on the inside of the box that the new 85 gallon hot water heater came in.  Steph put off some LakeHaus work and spent that last day of Kolby's summer enjoying each other.

That is the great thing about owning your own business...you set the hours...if you need to play with your kids in the middle of the day you do it, and then you work when they go to bed.

Soon enough they will be gone...we never miss an opportunity to just "be" with our kids.  Even when we work sometimes they are involved.  I will never take one thing for granted as far as time spent with my family...nor will I ever put any self imposed "deadline" in front of them.  I think about how my dad STILL makes time for me if I need some time with him, and he is always there.  Steph and I will always be that kind of parent and someday grandparent.

Sometimes those little moments create some of the biggest memories, like last night...(NOTICE THIS SECTION INCLUDES BRAGGING)...So last night I walked in the door to put the finishing touches to the hot water heater that was installed earlier in the day and Kolby asked me to help her "read" this book.  She had Brecken's reading book from school on the table and she had it open to a story.  I think it went like this:

The rat had a bat.
The rat had a hat.
Bad rat.
That is not your hat....and on and on like that.

So I sat down to humor her 3 year old reading desire.  She said she was having trouble with the first word "the".  I told her it was a sight word and you couldn't sound it out...and once she got that down, she sounded out and read the entire section.

She is barely 3.5 and basically reading at a 1st grade level...I was astounded.  That 10 minutes spent with her will be remembered for a long time....and so will this picture.

Fair Week = Goodbye Summer

It is fair week in Huron and that means our family will be going in a lot of different directions for the next 7 or 8 days.

The kids have school, which I think starts too early, Kolby has her first preschool open house, LakeHaus has a booth for the week and I have my energy factory duties on the Freedom Stage.

The LakeHaus booth has changed locations...ironically we took over the old booth that I had for NWE.  We decided to shake things up a bit and changed our sponsorship and it saved the company $800...but in turn I knew there was an opening at the Expo Building and Steph and I decided to move LakeHaus' booth over there, and now it cost me $800 personally!  But well worth it.

It has been a busy 3 months of travel, weddings, seniors, family photos and a LOT of boat time, and I am ready for a slow down after the fair.  This week is hectic and stressful, but I love the fair, and I hate the fair.  It means the end of summer.  Monday I will be super depressed and will feel like listening to this song while saying, "Goodbye Summer"...I like this version better. Sorry Don Henley.

Self Portrait

Sometimes I take pictures of me, for me and by me.  I put on a helmet camera and pulled this still image from video of last night's wakeboard session...I love the sun, the water flying all over the place and the angle of the horizon.

Cameras have a cool way of stopping chaos and making it look graceful...

Summer Vacation LHP Style

Just a little GoPro video compilation that I threw together in about 10 minutes, but it shows some of the stuff we accomplished this summer.

(The song is probably better than the video and it is my theme song until November 20th!)

First Car

We were headed home from our family vacation a couple weeks ago and got to talking about our first cars.  So we asked the boys what kind of car they want when they can drive.

Of course Brecken said he wants a Jeep Wrangler with big tires.  I might just buy his car a few years before he can drive so I can enjoy it.  When we asked Maxim what he wanted for a first car he said, "You guys already know, I want a camper that you can drive!"

We laughed for several miles on that one and we decided that he would get a VW Vanagon...and if you know Maxim you know that it would fit his personality perfectly.

If you don't know what a Vanagon is, think "campervan"...Greatful Dead stickers all over it, vagabond rock climbers and mountain bikers live in them.  A buddy of mine had a Vanagon Westfalia for years and the family camped out of it and he loved that thing.

Maxim would look soooo cool climbing out of a Vanagon, and when the family would go climbing or on vacation, we would take Maxim's Vanagon.

So in 4 years if you see a Vanagon for sale let us know...we are thinking lime green for the color!

The Good of EVEL.

Growing up my friends and I didn't have the XGames stars, in fact, my generation invented the action sports athlete...but we were around to witness the pioneer of Action Sports.  Evel Knievel was the Original Gangster of jumping motorcycles, and crashing them for that matter.  I kind of remember watching him on TV jump over different things, but if you were a daredevil kid you wanted to be Evel.

Evel grew up in the Rocky Mountain town of Butte, MT, and for the last 11 years the city has celebrated the legacy of Evel with a 3 day party in Uptown Butte.

I was in town for the festivities and snapped a few photos of the FMX show with my iPhone.  Evel would be proud of the new generation of daredevils...they took what he started to another level.

Feature Yard

Stephanie won the Lake Byron Development Association's Feature Yard Award!

She works hard to make it look as perfect as possible and after 6 years of living here we finally have it somewhat under control!

Congrats Babe, I am proud of you!

Ken Block - Gymkhana 5

I think I have posted all of the Gymkhana videos out here, if you haven't seen the new one, crank up your speakers and buckle in for 10 minutes of creativity with a car and the streets of SAN FRAN!

The Amazing Popcorn Man

I am not sure what his special powers are, but this no-shirted, camo shorts wearing super hero fights crime at the Henry Doorley Zoo in Omaha.  I am pretty sure this is the only place in the world anyone has ever seen this obscure crime fighter.

I don't know where he gets his desire for attention, but he goes about it in a way that makes his dad smile...he walked around like this for at least an hour on a 98 degree day.

My Dad Is Growing Up.

When my dad and I used to do project type work together it always included some sort of verbal confrontation...not the kind you see on American Choppers or anything like that, but just one idea being better than the other (usually mine) and the other person not accepting the reality of the fact.

Well, my dad has been a super big help on an extension of our deck that we have been building over the past 3 days and last night we kind of finished the "big" work of the build and he made the comment that "we didn't even fight while we were building this".

It is amazing to think that about 10 hours of working together resulted in a completed project and no hard feelings.  I am so proud of the way my dad has grown up over the past 5 or 10 years, he is really starting to become a great person.  All those years of me pouring my youthful knowledge into him has paid off.

I am sure he is thing the exact same thing....oppositely of course.

My Intern...

When I was at KSFY TV I had an intern who was later hired by the station.  James "Jimmy Jam" Searls came to us as a skinny college kid with a ton of heart and the desire to succeed in the industry.  He spent some time in the Sioux Falls and Sioux City markets and in Des Moines...now for the last 2 years he has been one of the main sports photogs at the Baltimore FOX station.  He shoots the Ravens, Orioles, and every D1 college in a tri-state region.

By TV industry terms he has outdone all of us that trained him...he has awards from everywhere and he is still in his 20's...for a few more months!

I am proud to say I had a small part of his life and career, he got nothing in life handed to him, he earned everything every step of the way, and his path is still bright.

The picture below shows James and I at Camden Yards in Baltimore.  He finished up with Ravens Training Camp early and came to the ballpark to join me.  If I look like a proud father here...well, that's what I felt like.  When a kid earns his way to the top you have to be proud of him.

Great to see you, pal.  Maybe this is the year you get to go to the Super Bowl???

Lincoln Memorial

My favorite spot in D.C.

Had to check on my old friend Abe today.

Waiting For Grass.

I planted grass seed 13 days ago...and there are some little sproutlets taking off, but I really thought the area would be a little more grass-developed by now.  So I start Googling "how long does it take grass seed to germinate", and I get all sorts of random answers, but most say I am in the window now where the whole thing should sprout off.

It kind of reminded me of taking care of your children, you "water" them and "water" them and get their seed bed and dirt all perfect and they continue to do things their own way on their own time.  You just have to wait for them to come around.

Maxim turns 10 on June 17th and I finally am seeing some real "grass growing" in his responsibility level.  Chores are sometimes done without asking, he is taking responsibilities with his brother and sister.  In fact, last night we were about a 3/4 mile from the house visiting a neighbor and the 2 boys wanted to walk home...which would take them on a busy country oil road for more than half of the trip...I looked at Maxim who has biked and run on that road and we let them go...funny how sometimes letting things go, makes them grow even more.

I guess I have to just give the grass seed some more time, but if it isn't full on growing by Sunday I might have to "spank" some life into it.

Ft. Sisseton's Mascot

Last weekend Maxim, Brecken and I went to Fort Sisseton Days with my dad and his chuck wagon, which I found out is named "Sweet Sally Sue"...more on that later.

Last year Brecken went with dad and he raved about how much fun he had for a year, so I thought Maxim and I had better go this year. (Steph also had a garage sale last weekend so I wanted to get out of town.)

It is a lot like a Renaissance Festival for Cowboys and 1880's lovers.  We spent the weekend living out of a chuck wagon, cooking off the open fire and eating dessert right out of dutch ovens.  It was interesting to actually "live" the life the settlers in this are probably lived, but I'll take my pillow-top bed over the floor of a chuck wagon any day.

Maxim and Brecken played pretty hard, and for the first time as a parent I kind of just let the boys go and didn't parent them, I didn't tell them to "be careful" or when to eat or not to get too far away.  I let them go.  In our world of "bad people" that is tough to do, you always worry that your child is going to get stolen and end up on a milk carton somewhere.  But I have faith in God to protect my kids and so I let them roam the FORT.

Maxim being the less socially-needy of my 2 boys would come back to camp to check in and check out every 2 hours or so.  He would do what all 1880's prairie-bound boys would do...read another Star Wars book or play his Nintendo DS until the battery drained.  (at one point he actually went 28 hours with out some sort of electronic device and didn't complain)

Brecken on the other hand has become a sort of celebrity at Ft. Sisseton.  He is dressed in cowboy gear the entire time and he is gone the entire time.  He lives off of food he begs from other people, candy, the occasional portion of grilled meat and endless bottles of water.  Otherwise it is 90 mph play time.  Cowboys and Indians, good guy vs. bad guy, and just running all over the place.   Fort Sisseton is a gem of South Dakota and if you have never been there it is well worth the trip.  I want to go back sometime when the festival is not going on and just soak in the history of the area...it is beautiful, I even kicked myself for not bringing along a fishing pole...yeah, me wishing I had a fishing pole.

Here are some images of the weekend.

Happy 35th BDay Star Wars

Today marks the 35th anniversary of the original release of Star Wars: A New Hope, you know the one where Luke blows up the Death Star for the first time and Han Solo fights an entire army of Stormtroopers.  We will celebrate the event tonight with a viewing of the original film...POPCORN AND COSTUMES ARE MANDATORY.

You see at our house Star Wars is a spoken and unspoken language.  I found Star Wars from my childhood friends Wayne and Jason and my cousin Brent...they were totally into the movie that I hadn't seen yet.  To tell you the truth I don't recall the first time I ever saw the original movie, I don't think I saw it in a theatre, I think it was on TV just prior to the release of "Empire"...but I remember seeing Empire and when you are 7 and see a movie like that, it changes your view on fantasy, and creativity and what the world has to offer.

Some 20 years later Maxim entered the world and one of the first movies he fell in love with, after the whole Finding Nemo thing was Star Wars.  He was mesmerized, as I still am when I am watching anything that has the SW franchise sticker on it.

Now Steph is a fan of the movie and the cartoon series, Brecken likes to call people "Wookies", and Kolby is our Yoda.  We have lightsaber fights with anything resembling a sword, we have more action figures than Barbies and we even have nights where Maxim puts in a movie and we just watch the battle scenes.  "Fight Night!"

So if you ever hear Steph tell me, "I love you."  and I just cooly answer, "I know."...you will know I am not being a jerk, I am pretending to be as SMOOTH as Han.

The Dangling Carrot Of Dirt.

You have seen the cartoon where a donkey's rider holds a carrot in front of the donkey to get him to move...Maxim has actually done this to Brecken (yes while riding him) with a donut.  Well, earlier this spring Stephanie put a carrot in front of me.

The problem is there is a lot of dirt in the way.

I have been building a retaining wall for a couple years now and slowly adding dirt, and slowly doing work, but this spring the deal was made (truth be told there wasn't much dealing) that the boat doesn't come out of storage until the 1st tier of the retaining wall is back filled and landscaped.  Well, Steph's uncle delivered the dirt last night (THANKS KENROY!!!) and I will learn how to shovel dirt again tonight.

You may ask why don't you just get a Bobcat and spread it around????  Well, the 1st tier is blocked in by our deck and the lake and a hill, so the only "Bob"-cat I could get back there is my dad and a wheelbarrow.

So tonight I begin Shovelpalloza.  If you are bored and want a good workout come on over any night this week and I will get you a shovel.

MY GOAL IS TO HAVE MY BOAT IN THE WATER ON SUNDAY...We will see how that goes.

Crooked Arrows.

I will probably have to wait to see this on DVD because it won't come to the Huron market, but looking forward to seeing it.

Downhill...URBAN STYLE.

Cooper Timm

This is a post to celebrate the next generation of talent in Huron.  Cooper Timm is a kid I know from hockey, who also has mad skills with a guitar and vocal range.  Love it Coop, keep it up and if you ever want to jam with an old guy my drum kit is always there to back you up!

Enjoy.

The Pot Of Gold At The End Of The Rainbow.

This was the scene when I left the office today. Double rainbow that ended right at the building...It reminded me of another photo that I took like this...but it was at Fast Farms.

The photographer in me notices the things like the quality of photos...the one of the Fast farm was taken in 2009 with a BlackBerry Storm...the one today with the iPhone 4s.  Someday I am going to do a photo shoot with only my iPhone...I think you would be amazed at the sharpness of it.

Montana...No Vacancy

I shot this photo on a bluebird day last week as I was on another of my tours of the Big Sky Country.  I really love Montana...it is like South Dakota with mountains.

This reminded me of one of those photos you see at a Hampton Inn and you always wonder where that picture was taken.

Catching You UP...

Wow, has all this happened?

Grandpa Bob = Retired
Maxim = Hockey team won last 3 games of season and he scored and had 2 assists that weekend
Kolby = 3 year old
Brecken = qualified for state wrestling tourney next weekend
Steph = married to me for 14 years
Weather = tempting me to go wakeboarding on Sunday...anybody want to un-winterize their boat.
LakeHaus Productions = shot over 70,000 images in last 12 months

Kony 2012

KONY 2012 from INVISIBLE CHILDREN on Vimeo.

Stephanie Decker

For some of you that read this but don't know....Stephanie Decker was my Steph's maiden name.  I changed her into a Glanzer and she hasn't looked back, but I would say that if there was a tornado bearing down on our home, she would do exactly the same thing as this Stephanie Decker did.

My Stephanie is a hero like that as well.  Oh yeah, Happy Anniversary to my best friend and wife of 14 years.  Next year we will be on a big trip to celebrate...this year she gets to go to a Region wrestling tournament over the weekend.

Is there another Tom Glanzer??? 3 that I know of.  One is a guy my age who lives on a colony in SD, one lives in Howard, S.D. and was a good athlete in high school and the other lives in Austria.  I am friends with 2 of the 3 on Facebook...I am pretty sure the other one dosen't have a Facebook account.  I'll leave that to you to figure out which one isn't online.

Below is the other Stephanie Decker's story...

The Kids In Their Uniforms...

Day 45.

OK I admit it...I turn 40 this year, and I'm promising myself that I'm going in more in shape than I went into my 30's.

Somewhere along the line in my early 30's I bumped up to about 230 lbs...I remember my college hockey weight was 185...so in about 10 years I put on about 50 lbs...most of it in about the 4 years after Maxim was born, and most of it in the cage area.  (MY GUT)

For the last 4 years or so I have been in OK shape, but this year is different, I actually wrote down my goals, I have about 15 or so for the year of 2012, and so far I am still on track to make a lot of them.

One of them was to finish a cycle of P90X.  I have started it 2 other times.  Last February Steph and I made it to day 37 and then went on a snowmobiling trip and never got back on the program.  I was in great shape at that time and kick myself for losing everything I built up.  The other time I got 15 days into and got sick, and then started running.

Last summer I ran about 4 miles every day, and was feeling great about that, but I wanted something more this year...so I started my 1st cycle of P90X in early January.  I have only missed about 3 days total, and made up for them on other days.

I am starting to see nice results, but have to start laying off the cookies and candy at midnight and need to stop eating all my mom's Oreo's.

No I'm not posting any before and after pictures yet.  We will see how satisfied I am with day 90 and then maybe I'll put some out here.  Just a warning, the Day 1 pictures are not pretty.  Think really white body that is not toned...like Phil Mickleson without a shirt on...that's what I felt like...now I am somewhere in between........Day 46 here I come.

3 Wins To End The Season.

Maxim's hockey team wrapped up the season today in Aberdeen.  We played 3 teams that we have had problems will all year long, and we beat all 3 of them.  I knew we could do it and they boys believed in themselves as well.

They played to their potential, and have a good feeling in their hearts as they go into the off season.

Here are a few photos from the day.

Maxim Glanzer #19 Right Wing - Huron All Stars centers the puck out of the corner.

Maxim #19 celebrates his goal against Mitchell...#10 is Carson Duba.  Carson took the initial shot and Maxim was right there to shoot in the rebound.  Mason McDonald is just to Maxim's right.

Below is the ode to our hockey mom! 

What Kind Of Camera Should I Get?

Since Steph and I have a photography studio I get asked a lot what is the best camera.  The answer is it depends.  For my professional work I shoot on a Nikon, but that is what I have always shot on since college, so it is what I am comfortable with.

If you want to be an awesome hockey mom and capture 800 frames during every game, get a DSLR.  You are going to spend about $1,500 by the time it is all done.  Also, get a couple of good lenses a longer one and one for general use.  I suggest Nikon and Cannon models.

If you are looking for something to go in a purse or a bag, get a good point and shoot.  Steph and I call it our "grab camera".  Which means you grab that one and it is all you need.  I don't have to lug around my full photo kit and worry about kids stepping on it, or sitting on it or having it get jacked out of the car.  Our "grab cam" is a Canon SX30 IS.  It shoots great 1080 video and takes a great picture.  All of our video of Brecken wrestling is shot with this camera. 

The biggest thing I will tell you to spend money on is "IS" which stands for Image Stabilization or "VR" Vibration Reduction.  It will cost more, but it is WORTH it.

Here is a good blog about the subject of point and shoot vs. DSLR.  I think the main thing about shooting good pictures is shooting a lot of them to get comfortable with your camera, and experimenting with the settings.  Oh yeah, that little book that comes with the camera....read that thing too.

Moment of Strength.

If you follow sports a little bit you probably know the story of Texas Rangers star Josh Hamilton.  Well, Josh is in the news again, but not for anything that happened on the field.  Read this story...then come back and read the rest of this blog.

So the title of the story was "Moment of Weakness".  Well that moment of weakness has turned into an amazing MOMENT OF STRENGTH.  Josh has shown every "superstar" who fell, exactly how to address their problem, mishap, brush with the law or any bad behavior and take care of it in a minute.

Tell the truth, admit you fall short every now and again move on.  Don't blame someone else, skirt around the truth and let the media tear you up for a week...just man-up and shoulder the blame.

I remember reading about Kobe Bryant when he had his little problem in Colorado, and you can throw Ben Rothlisberger in the same sentence.  I lost all respect for them in the way they handled the media and still have no respect for them because of their "above the law" mentality.  On the other hand, as soon as I finished reading Hamilton's story, I was like...there is a guy I want my kids to look up to.  Honest, real, forth-coming and most of all a Christian.

Proud of you Josh.

Happy Birthday To My Bride.

Today is Steph's birthday and we celebrated by working at the Huron Bridal Show yesterday and this morning Maxim, Brecken and I gave her the card she bought for herself while we were getting groceries as a family...Kolby picked it out.
Steph is the glue that hold the family unit together...her scheduling abilities alone should be studied by the airline industries.  She is the day to day reason LakeHaus still functions and at the same time keeps every one's socks and underwear drawer folded and full.  She is sweet and loving, the best mom, wife, business partner and boat driver a guy could ask for.  I got the total package when I married her.

Speaking of our time together, isn't it funny even after 13 or so year of marriage you still learn new things about your spouse?  I have always known that she has a bit of a competitive side, but I didn't know how she treated our children's sporting events. 

During our children's hockey games I coach, so I am on the bench.  Therefore I get to not hear what the parents yell.  I have no idea if Steph yells or what happens.  Every once in a while we just find each other's eyes across the ice and laugh about something or give that "shoot that was close" gesture.

That is hockey...now with wrestling, I know what happens in the stands, because Steph tapes the matches for Grandma Clarice to breakdown from Ohio.  The first time we watched one of Brecken's wrestling matches at home we kind of giggled about it.  Now it is just a good family joke!

You see 99% of the time there is a Stephanie that is gentle and loving and caring, then there is Wrestling Mom Stephanie.  I don't know what happens when she gets into the gym for wrestling matches but she becomes, well, a little bit of a "WooooHoooo Girl!"

You know the girl that yells "WooooHooo" really loud when "Free Bird" comes on the radio or when anything fun happens ...pair that up with Steph's competitive side and you get a voice on the camera that sounds like a mom possessed. (I attached a video for you to listen to her coaching) Do not mess around with "Wrestling Mom" Stephanie.  She says things like, "Take him down, Brecken!"  "Smash his face in the mat!" "Maxim cheer for your brother!" "Fight, Brecken, Fight!" "Rip his ears off, and throw them to the dogs!"
OK the last one was made up, but that's our joke around the house now.  We say super nice things in a really mean voice, and then yell "WHOOOO HOOOO!"  Well, in my best crazy wrestling mom voice, "HAPPY BIRTHDAY, STEPHANIE.....WHOOOOOOO HOOOOOOO!"

(Note: if you watch this video at 4:03 watch the kid on that Brecken is pinning...his leg band comes off and the joy he finds in watching it wave on his leg is priceless.)

Go Away Daddy.

I knew the whole "too cool for dad" thing would happed sooner or later with my kids, but I expected it to be Maxim trying to ditch me for buddies in about 5 years...it seems that now Kolby is too cool for dad.

The other day she had a play day with Grandma Penny and I kind of crashed it mid-day.  They were playing a game on the floor and Kolby looked up at me and said, "Daddy, go away!  Just leave."

I said, "Where do you want me to go?"

"You get in your car and drive away!" she replied.

So I did, and then did again on Tuesday night to drive to Sioux Falls for work, and before I left she said, "you are getting in your car and driving away?"  I said "yes", and she got excited and said, "well, goodbye then give me a kiss."

My only saving grace after that much "push back" was that she was happy to see me when I got home the next day.

I guess I must be getting in my car and driving away too much?????  She thinks thats what daddy does.

I think Saturday there is gonna be a lot of daddy and Koko time.

Finally He Got The Snow He Asked For For Christmas.

Brecken's First Ever Wrestling Tourney

Brecken had his first ever wrestling tournament this weekend in Huron. He was a little inexperienced on what a real match would be like and I think it cost him his 2nd match. He was too used to practice where they break after each take down and back points...he could have smushed this kid.

He pinned this other guy in the bottom video and ended up 3rd with a cool trophy and he is excited to go to the next tournament.

Steph was in Heaven, but very uptight the whole time. Grandma Penny didn't like it when the other boy pushed Brecken's face into the mat. We explained that it was normal protocol for a wrestling match, but I still don't think she liked her little Brecken getting worked over!

Religion Not Your Thing? Mine Either.

This pretty much sums up my feelings on religion and also my life in Christ.

Happy Birthday LakeHaus Productions