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

Happy New Year.

Sub Zero

This is photography/video done by a farmer in SD...amazing stuff.

Luke2

1And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be taxed.

2(And this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria.)

3And all went to be taxed, every one into his own city.

4And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David:)

5To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child.

6And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered.

7And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.

8And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.

9And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.

10And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.

11For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.

12And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.

13And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying,

14Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.

15And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us.

16And they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger.

17And when they had seen it, they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child.

18And all they that heard it wondered at those things which were told them by the shepherds.

19But Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart.

20And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told unto them.

Kolby @ The Capitol

Kolby and I had a great time at the State Capitol Building in Pierre on Friday.  We got to see the Christmas trees and chase the geese around.  We sang along to Relient K's Christmas album all the way to Pierre and she slept most of the way back.  I was going to take her out for one of Pierre's finest plates of Mac and Cheese, but she wanted Chicken Nuggets so I went with her on that.

Last night when I tucked her in she said, "Daddy, I love you...sing '5 Golden Rings' to me."  She MELTED me again.

Little girls own their daddys.

(By the way Grandmas, if you want to purchase the below photo of Kolby on the Capitol steps for hanging in your house it would be beautiful in a 10x30 Studio Mount...this and any other photos from Daddy/Daughter Day are available for purchase through your friendly representatives at LakeHaus Productions!  YES, you get the grandma discount!)

Out of the Comfort Zone.

I think it is good for kids and parents to get out of their comfort zone...like Maxim who usually would be happy to play Legos and Star Wars in the quiet of his room, but 3 or 4 times a week he straps on his hockey "armor" and works up a sweat with his teammates on the ice.  Steph has been pushing her comfort zone as well, she usually just verbally helps with the creative process at LakeHaus Productions and I would do the designing.  This Christmas season every card that is going out of the door is a Stephanie Glanzer original.  She designed all of them except one and that was a redesign of a card I built a few years ago.  Kolby's comfort zone is pushed by actually making her play with toys most girls play with and getting her out of pajamas by 11:30 a.m. every day.

Brecken is pretty much an All-Around...he is comfortable in a lot of situations and is able to adapt to what is going on and fits in almost instantly.  He has also been a bit on the naughty side lately...Maxim would say that Brecken is falling into the "ways of the Dark Side." (think Darth Vader voice there)  So with all that has been going on we decided to give Brecken a little one on one attention at least once a week...believe me he gets it way more than that, but this will be special...so from tonight on Brecken and I will go to wrestling practice on Tuesday nights, and every once in a while we will catch a Thursday night practice as well.

I will tell you that I only know wrestling from what I learned while covering it while I was a TV anchor.  I do remember the first ever wrestling match I went to I had no idea what was going on, how to score it or why there weren't any "turnbuckles" or "ropes" around the wrestling mats. 

So Brecken and I will be trying out a new venture together...way our of our comfort zones.  He is scared, he will be nervous and he will probably cling to my leg for 2 or 3 weeks, but I think it will fit him just right....I won't let him know, but I'll probably have a few of the same feelings he does the first few weeks.

Great Christmas Video

We Are The World....

Music is one thing that I probably don't go a day without. 

My iPod is on at least half the day at work, in the car, and when I edit for LakeHaus I tune into my favorite online radio station www.effectradio.com.  I even have this app for my iPod that is a drum machine, so sometimes in the car I let the boys make up beats and then we freestyle rap over the beats while driving down the road...we did it one day for over an hour...good times.  Maxim is pretty good.

I listen to every type of music, from Chris LeDoux to MXPX to JayZ and yes, Dad I even have some Roger Miller on my playlists.  Most of the stuff I listen to are bands nobody will probably ever hear of because independent labels don't spend money in the Midwest to get their music on the local radio you get in your car. 

I crave good music, not the kind you hear on most radio stations, but there are some exceptions...Kid Rock is one of those artists that continues to blow away the last album he did every time he puts out a new one...I attached his latest video for the song "Care".  It reminds me of less universal but better and current version of "We Are The World"...not to mention T.I. raps a few lines in this one.  Check it out.

On Frozen Pond.

The lake froze last night...I think there are some open spots around some edges and in the middle where about 30,000 geese sleep every night, but it is cold enough to put "skim ice" on the top.

That means winter is coming soon...like in the next couple days.  The water was very calm when it froze so if it stays frozen it should be good skating ice.  So here is what I am praying for...a cold but un-snowy 30 to 40 days...I would love to start a fire in the fire pit, turn the heat on in the boat house make a 5 gallon pot of hot cocoa and have a skating party around Christmas time.

Kind of gets me in the mood for the holidays.

Go Nebraska.

I'm not a Nebraska football fan, never have been...I have a couple of Cornhusker t-shirts and hats, but it is all been gifted to me by people who bleed red, I bleed blue and yellow, but not this weekend.

You see I have never liked Penn State, and I always thought the way the school made its self so pious was annoying, and on top of that they used to win all the time.  I like the underdog story.  Always liked the Edmonton Oilers, even before Gretzky and after he left, I followed the North Stars, the Cubs, the Seattle Supersonics.  I never liked the mainstream athletes that people loved like Micheal Jordan.  I loved to see Jordan lose, and still really don't care for him.

So you ask what does this have to do with Nebraska Football?  Well, the Huskers play Penn State this weekend, and I would love nothing more than for the Cornhuskers to "pile on" to the shattering of the pride that the university has.  If you are still confused go to ESPN.com and read about the child sexual abuse case that is unfolding inside their athletic department and inside their own locker room.

Former coach Jerry Sandusky abused young boys who were a part of his charity program at Penn State, employees and fellow coaches actually witnessed "inappropriate acts" going on in the shower area of the locker room and reported to the higher ups, which never seemed to go to the police with the info, they handled it "internally" which means they failed these young men and every person who ever attended Penn State or gave to Penn State or wore a Penn State logo.

When did our society become so messed up that a college football program's success or failure and public image was more important than the well being of another human...especially a child.

With that said...for the weekend I say, "GO BIG RED".

AND CONGRATS TO THE JVC Vikings volleyball team, good luck at the state tournament.

Catching You Up On Photos.

I had a random person from the community ask why I haven't posted any client pictures to my blog lately.  I was suprised that this person knew LakeHaus Productions existed and I was even more suprised he knew I had a blog and cared to see our work....so here it is a little catch up on what we have been up to.

I am a "Bone Collector"

I'm not a deer hunter...I have watched it on TV, but I don't hunt deer.
I would like to at some point in my life try to shoot a deer with a bow and maybe even get one with a rifle...but my dad never took me deer hunting so I really don't feel like I am missing anything when everyone goes out in November and freezes to death looking for a big buck.

Maybe that is why I don't understand when a guy has a pick-up with stickers all over the back window that say, "Bone Collector", Easton Hunting, Hoyt Bows, Rack Attack...etc.  I understand you like to hunt deer, but really...deer hunting, the way it is done around here, only takes one morning and for the most part the "hunters" don't leave the truck.

Well, last night I got my very first deer.  I AM A "BONE COLLECTOR"...it was a fat doe, and the bad news is...I hit it with Steph's Expedition, and the boat.  She asked how the boat was first!  I love her!

My cousin Eric and I winterized our boats at his shop most the the afternoon on Sunday and I was headed home with the boat in tow ready for the winter.  Then out of the ditch came one of the dumbest animals next to sheep.  A doe, in a full sprint.

God gave deer an incredible sense of smell, great hearing and pretty good eyesight, but I think he must have sub-contracted the work on their fight or flight senses.  Because their flight senses tend to run them into things that kill them.

The doe hit the front of the truck, whipped around and tagged the door for good luck, then on the way by the boat she left a couple of hoof prints in my Moomba logo and some fur on my trailer.

So, for the record, I saved about $300 by winterizing my boat myself, but it will cost me a $500 deductible to fix my wife's truck.

No School Gets Boys Out Of Bed Earlier.

So Thursday was a no school day at our house and that means I can get up about 15 minutes later than I usually do, and Steph gets to not wake up with an alarm clock.

Out boys HATE getting out of bed for school, so one would think that if you hated getting up every morning for school on the day you don't have school you would sleep in and make the most of "sleepy time".

Around 6:30 a.m. I heard Maxim's "quiet" feet slamming through the house, and then Brecken's feet slowly followed...but Brecken was smart and he jumped into bed with me to watch a little TV.  Then around 7:15 a.m. Grandpa Roger knocked on the door to pick up Brecken to go to the farm for the day.

Brecken sprung out of bed like it was on fire...."Grandpa, I only got on a shirt and underpants!  I gotta get my jeans and boots on....just wait!!!!"  And like that....he was gone, only to slow down at the door to get his bag of snacks and books for a long day in a combine.

I am starting to think the time I spent on Wednesday night resetting my alarm from 6:30 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. was a waste of time...next time I'll just hit snooze for 30 minutes, which is what I pretty much do anyway.

Brothers Praying For Each Other.

When our boys say their prayers, sometimes there is a bit of parent directive in the prayers...like, "Dear Jesus, please help me to get that big Star Wars Lego Space Ship that I want for my birthday."

That kind of thing is understandable, but the other day when they were saying their prayers they were a bit....vindictive.  Both boys prayed short and sweetly. 

Maxim said, "Dear Jesus, please help Brecken not to be naughty and to not be mean to me or bother me."

Brecken prayed, "Dear Jesus, please help Maxim not to be bossy and not to be mean and naughty."

Steph and I got a good laugh out of their prayers for each other so Monday after school I asked Maxim if God answered his prayers...he said, "God answered Brecken's prayers, I was really good, but God didn't answer my prayers...Brecken hit another boy today at school on the playground, AND I SAW IT!"

I think we may put an "only pray for your own behavior" caveat into night time prayers.

Ba-da-be Bop-a BLOG.

Cowboys.

Candy Sales Commercials

Brecken and Maxim are competing for your business in the annual James Valley candy sales...here are their commercials.  Brecken went cute and cuddly, Maxim went a little more "smear campaignish".

Enjoy and seriously buy some candy from these two otherwise I eat all of it.

Maxim's Commercial

This Blog Is 5 Years Old Today.

Five years ago today I started writing my thoughts and ramblings down on this Internet website that we titled "Living On Liquid".  It was initially created to keep family updated on our lives, but it has transformed over the last 5 years, stalled out to almost a "dead site" at times and is frequently the subject of many conversations with friends, families and complete strangers.
Some of you might be reading this because these posts auto-update to Facebook (which barely existed when I started this blog) yes, this is a full on blog site...check it out, click on the link.  Think of this as my very public journal.

I haven't posted anything really deep in a while, so here is my inner thoughts for the day...

I think of how 5 years has changed our family, how they have changed and blessed our business at LakeHaus Productions,...which is really 3 years old this month...how our extended families have changed, and how the world has changed.

Things for the most part are great, yeah we have ups and downs, but my life is pretty blessed.  Except that summer I had to go through without a boat.  Thanks to Erkl and his Malibu for saving my marriage that summer. 

But really when it comes down to it, this blog is the rhythm of our life just written down and shared.  I hope you have laughed, and maybe cried, I hope that it has encouraged you to share the joys of your life with others.

It may sound weird, but I have always felt for some reason that I was not going to live a very long life, and that I needed to enjoy every single moment of what God has given.  In reality we don't get much time in life so we need to enjoy the "sugar of life",  to quote a line from a song by one of my favorite bands mewithoutYou..."My life is a cup of sugar I borrowed before time began and forgot to return it".

My cup of sugar...
...it is full of Stephanie, Maxim, Brecken and Kolby...teaspoons of Bob and Penny and Roger and Clarice, time spent with people with the last name of Fast.  Making great music for the Great One with band mates Jeremy, Brad and Mike.  Making Steph listen to my "great" music.  Watching my children soak in the creation God made for them.  Sitting in duck blinds in the cold and crisp morning light, the sweet smell of pheasant hunting and the stench of a hockey locker room.  Watching the boys peacefully paddle the kayaks all alone along a shoreline, and then hours later watching them laughing and screaming while holding a rope behind the boat or jumping off the dock with their sister right behind them.  Taking that "one" picture of someone and seeing the look on their face when they get to see it final printed out...working side by side on LakeHaus Productions projects with Stephanie.  Then there is that moment on a glassy calm body of water when you time every thing perfectly and your wakeboard explodes off the lip of the wake and you know you are at least 8 or 9 feet off the water, and you have time to enjoy the air between you and the water before the violent landing and resounding slap of the wakeboard in the flats of the water...that is my sugar...simple stuff...but a cup very, very full none the less.

What are you doing with your cup of sugar?  Share it with others, spend time with your kids and family, love your neighbor, keep reading this blog and quit giving me crap about wearing flip-flops all the time.

Kolby's Favorite Chair

Is It Just Me....

This is the time of year when the Lifelight Music Festival gets a lot of publicity, from the first time I met him to the last picture I saw of him, I have always thought that Alan Greene was really rock star Rod Stewart in hiding...so tell me...is it just me or do they look alike?

Alan if you end up finding this on some google/yahoo news feed, don't take this as a slam.  Rod is the original metro-sexual male...and to quote him "you wear it well".

Duct Tape Glasses...Who Knew?

Brecken is all about duct tape lately...he makes bracelets, wallets, purses, necklaces and the other day...DUCT TAPE GLASSES.

It is a good thing this creative and over active mind is in school this year.

The only thing he didn't like so far about school...he has to wear shoes and a shirt all the time.

Ken Block Gymkhana 4.

I have posted the first 3 of these to my blog in the past...Gymkhana 4 is the same megamercial for DC Shoes, Ford cars, Monster Energy Drink and they shot it at Universal Studios this time.

Love Ken Block's driving skills, and his businessman mentality.

My Son Is Goofy-footed.

With Maxim's selfish use of the boat lately everyone else's riding time has been cut, but I knew this was coming some day.  It is what happens when you play the same sport as your children at the same time...you start to sacrifice, don't get me wrong, I couldn't be happier than when I get to see my kids ripping behind the boat.

So with kids, the oldest one does something and the younger follows...right away, setting the standard for the youngest to do it too.  No, Kolby didn't wakeboard at 2 years old, she is still just a skimskier, but Brecken has been wakeboarding lately....but only about 20 or 30 feet before he would start to be pulled over the front of the board.

I was getting super frustrated that he couldn't lean back and ride once he was up.  So last night we went over to a section of beach that is pretty open and I wanted to pull him on the wakeboard by running beside on the shore, hoping that he would figure out just how hard he needed to pull to stay behind the board instead of falling out the front all the time.

So my trusting 5 year old laid back in about 2 foot of water and I readied myself to be "the boat"...he said hit it and I took off running......you know that moment in life where you had "the enlightenment"....like the way you were trying to do something HAD to be the right way, but then you did it the exact opposite and it worked perfectly?  Yeah, I had that moment last night as a frustrated coach, dad and wakeboard bro.

Everyone, even if you don't know what a wakeboard is, has a surf stance...you are either regular or goofy footed.  The easiest way to tell what you are is to pretend you are on a skateboard and then figure out what foot you would push off the ground with. The foot you push with is your back foot in the wakeboard.

 I am a regular footed rider (left foot forward) when I skateboard and wakeboard, but when I snowboard I ride goofy or right foot forward.  I have no idea why I differ between the 2, I am a bit ambidextrous with my feet... I punt left footed, but can kick field goals pretty equally with either foot...I am sure it is my soccer background.

So back to Brecken, I had been teaching him for the last 2 weeks, with much frustration, to drop his right leg back and ride out of the water on his starts with his left foot forward.  Much to my surprise last night when he popped up out of the water on his own, without dad coaching him...he came up GOOFY and was solid as a rock.  So he went behind the boat and got a couple of short pulls in before he got too cold.

I guess sometimes we have to cast our nets on the other side of the boat in order for things to work out.

So for the record my sons are both left handed hockey players and goofy-footed wakeboarders...I'm the odd man out now...but there is still hope for Kolby!

Brecken's First Day Of School.

Brecken's first day of school was today so I have to post some photos to our blog to keep Grandma Reece up on what's happening.  He was excited to put that backpack on and wanted to wear it in the car...he settled for putting it in Kolby's car seat, "Because she isn't old like me for going to school."

Maxim was being a great older brother this morning, he had a day of school under his belt this morning, so he made sure to let Brecken know that this was his 2nd day of school.  They went running off to the playground side by side.  Pretty sure Brecken will think he is in the 3rd grade too.

This is Maxim's photo right before we left for school yesterday.  I made him put his glasses on.  He was really happy about getting to wear them again.  As soon as the picture was taken, the glasses were back in their case and in his backpack.  I don't know if he put them back on or not!

Grandpa Bob Update.

Grandpa Bob is doing a lot better, he NOW only gasps for air while he is coughing, laughing, getting up from sitting or sitting down from standing and I think mentally he is with it.  But then again I question the last part of that, because he and Grandma offered to take Maxim and Brecken over night tonight.

One "last hurrah" of summer before school starts...let's hope Brecken doesn't give Grandpa a flying cross body slam off the couch and the "last hurrah" will turn into another trip to the ER.

Also I need to extend our disappointment/excitement to Brad and Sally this weekend...Brad's first day in the pulpit as a head pastor is Sunday, and we were supposed to go down for a big family party at the Burkholder's, but since Grandpa wouldn't do well on the bumpy roads of Kansas, we are staying home.  The boys are bummed they don't get to go to Carson's house, but we know we need to keep Bob home.

Congrats...and do I have to call you Reverend B-rad?  Kinda like Rev. Run from RUN D.M.C...now you need a reality show. 

Bucked Off.

My dad is a cowboy, well, actually he is a banker who has horses, guns, a chuckwagon, 14 saddles, a bull whip, 20 some pairs of spurs, 3 or 4 pairs of chaps, a few cowboy hats and a tack room full of stuff to do cowboy stuff on.

He is a fan of throwback era. Not the Johnny Unitas, Babe Ruth, or Bobby Orr throwback era...I'm talking further back than that. Like Wyatt Earp, Jesse James and more currently Roy Rogers type throw backs...the cowboy type.

He rodeoed for a while, and had roping calves at the arena, but I guess when cowboys get old and slow down they like to do things more simple, like they did in the 1800, back when life was "easy". They haul around a chuckwagon, sleep on the ground and cook in the heat of the day over an open fire on cooking utensils that weight 40 to 50 pounds. Easy?

Lately he has just been riding his horses, taking Brecken to Old West historical celebrations and competing all the time in Cowboy Fast Draw Competitions.

Sunday was like most other days, church, eat, then some time at the horses, but the one little difference was that he put spurs on to ride a horse that he usually doesn't wear spurs while riding.

As he was getting up on the horse, one of the 2 of them lost their balance (I'm not saying who I blame) but dad had to squeeze with his knee that wasn't yet in a stirrup and ended up spurring the horse high in the back. The horse bucked about 4 good pops and that is about all dad remembered.

He came to, and had the sense enough to call mom, who called Aunt Gloria and Uncle Lynn for help. She got out to the arena and found dad in a heap and short of breath. The ambulance came out and took him to the hospital where he found out what a concussion, 2 broken ribs a broken scapula and an overall beat down feels like.

He got out on Tuesday AM, and rambled into his favorite napping chair, and that's where I left him today. Pretty sore, sometimes short of breath and still trying to figure out if he could have had the horse settled down in a couple more bucks.
65 years old and he is still playing rodeo and wondering how that bronc put him on the ground...Get well soon, dad. Brecken needs his "friend" back.

Maxim's Day Behind The Boat

Nobody else really got a turn today...he used up a half tank of gas...and I'm not complaining one bit!

Mid-Summer Sweetness!

Ninja Bible Camp

My past is catching up with me.
Over the weekend Steph and I took senior pictures of a gal who's folks grew up in the area.  Turns out her dad was a councilor at the summer camp I went to growing up.  I mentioned that our oldest son was going to his first week of overnight camp at that same camp...Byron Bible Camp.  Then the dad of the gal asked if he was bringing his throwing stars.

I was a bit confused and wasn't sure the connection, but then he reminded me that when I was 10 or 11 he was a councilor at camp and 10 minutes into the registration process he noticed some boys throwing something at the wall of the boys dorm.  So he came over and busted me and some buddies practicing our ninja skills with some throwing stars.  I didn't really remember the incident, but I remember having a bunch of knives, homemade nunchuks and throwing stars and wanting to be a ninja.

I don't know what possessed US (for the record it was probably Tim and Eric's idea to bring the basic weapons of a ninja to Bible camp) to bring and throw stars at the building, but wouldn't a Ninja Bible Camp be a good combo?

I am sure Maxim will be super well behaved and win all sorts of "best behaved boy" awards and the councilors will rave on his kind heart...but I am going home tonight to make sure that the wooden crossbow that he asked to take to camp is still in his bedroom.

The After Party.

So the 4th of July epic celebration at LakeHaus Production's head quarters, also known as "home", went off without a hitch.  If you consider almost burning down the house from a firework named "The Day Of The Lord", only a few physical causalities...one burned foot and the non-business end of a punk in a 7 year old's eye, about 4 or 5 good cases of sun burn and my jacked up back...otherwise it was all good.

My dad, Steph, Grandma Penny, Angie F., Grandma Cherrlyn and Darryl rocked the food prep end of the show, I didn't even fire my grill up.  Dad cooked out of the back of his chuck wagon the whole weekend...great food and the atmosphere is always great with the chuck wagon in the yard.

The party cleared out around 10:30 last night and today there was this strange "after party" feel to the house...all quiet, the lake was still and empty...made me want to go out with the Anderson Boys and catch another 6am wakeboard session.  Thanks for waking up early Pat and Nathan...well worth the lost hours of sleep!

The picture says it all...empty swim deck...we have some time to rest up and heal up for the next party.

Happy 4th of July Week.

Probably won't post much this week, but hope you have a safe and fun 4th of July.  If you are on the lake stop by to say "hi".  If you come by on the land locked side of the house at the right time you might even get watermelon and a burnt hot dog.

This picture pretty much sums up what we will be up to.

He's 9.

Hard to believe that on June 17, 2002 Steph and I had no children, we lived in our brand new house on the west side of Sioux Falls, and I was still working in TV.  Then that afternoon it all changed.  Maxim Thomas was born.

If you remember the birth of your first child as well as I do, the only thing you remember is confusion.  I was 29 when Maxim was born, but still a kid in a lot of ways...heck, I'm still AM a kid.  It is at that instant that you realize your life is different, and in an instant your priorities change.

Maxim changed my life, and it is safe to say he will change the life of most everyone that he is around.  Steph and I were always amazed at the care, love and heart that he has for people, and now that he is older and away from us more, we get unsolicited reports back about how good of a kid he is, and how nice he is.

He has a super gentle spirit, and he can make my day brighter with his smile and hug.  Well, he is 9 now and to celebrate he wanted a week of birthday parties, we negotiated down to just 2 parties.  Last night was the first with our family and a few people who might as well be family.  I think the party broke up at 11:30 p.m. while Steph took 30 minutes to cleaned up, he put together a 250 Star Wars lego.  We think it might be a record.  Then to cap off the night the birthday boy and I sat on the couch and watched X-Men: Wolverine until about 1:30 A.M. when I fell asleep...he was wide awake.

He slept in his favorite spot on the couch with the SDSU Jackrabbits blanket.

To The Man In The Flag Bandana....

Dear Mr. Flag Bandanna and Backpack Runner Guy,

Yesterday afternoon as I was about 3 blocks into my 4 mile run through the quiet blocks of Huron's west side neighborhoods you overtook me with a running pace that most 17 year old cross country runners would be drooling over.  I have no idea where you came from, but there you were on the other side of the road, startling me and then waving and flying by at your 7.5 mph pace.

I could make up excuses of why you, at your age, overtook me sooooo easily...I was still getting into my stride, I really hadn't been feeling too good yesterday, I was carrying extra technology (an iPod, a heart rate monitor and watch, and my keycard that lets me back into the building) that made me heavier by at least 24 ounces...but really you just smoked by me and smiled and waved.

Then I took notice of what you had on...it was flag day yesterday and to celebrate you had a bandanna on your head that was designed like a flag...cool, I'll give you that, I have been known to rock a bandanna now that I am a long hair.  The other thing that totally wipes out my thoughts in the above paragraph...I thought I was carrying extra stuff, you were rocking a backpack.  I assume it was a "hydration-style" back pack, but in the mesh carrying compartment I could see a cell phone, maybe some keys, I think I saw a baseball hat, and a copy of War and Peace...along with a gallon of water.

So what did this do to me?  Well, first off I realized my pace was pretty weak and I should have stepped it up a bit, so I did, and you never were more than a block and a half in front of me on the entire route, which by the way is MY route and I found it first so no more passing me on MY route, if I want to have a slack run I should be able to enjoy it alone, not have some uberfit older guy sprint past me with his American flag bandanna waving to me in the dust....only to make me run faster and get in better shape.

When I did finally catch you around the Roger Kasa Baseball fields it was nice to exchange pleasantries with you...it went like this.

(Mr. Flag Bandana was now walking at a slow pace)

TOM:  Hey good day for a run?  So now you are walking so you can pass me in a block or 2 again?

FLAG BANDANNA DUDE:  Naw you are good, I'm just cooling down, almost done...hey, keep at it, have a good one!

I enjoyed our little exchange and got a little jump in my stride for the next block or so, well...at least until I felt like he wasn't watching me anymore, then I kicked it back down to my 6 mph stride/jog.

In all reality it was nice to see someone else out running (and out running me)...and it is only the 3rd person in 4 years I have encountered running on the streets of Huron, besides the time I ran into the entire Huron High School cross country team and as we met they all wanted to high 5 me...that was cool.

Well I'll be out again today at about the same time, same route...I'll wave when you go past.

Kayaker

The kid would kayak to Grandma's house if we would let him.

Danny & Stephanie...AND PARTY!

We are going mobile...

If you are reading the Living On Liquid / LakeHaus Productions blog on a mobile device we made things a bit easier for you.

After 5 years of publishing and over 52,000 hits we have realized that people read this blog while in cars, in school, during meetings and yep, even in the bathroom.  So that means a lot of you are hitting us up on your phone.  So now when you click into Living On Liquid / LakeHaus Productions on your iPhone, BlackBerry or Droid-based OS...we SHOULD come up a little cleaner and easier to read on your smaller screen.

Just another way we take care of you...making it more convenient to read our boring blogs when you should be listening to the guy reading, word for word, the PowerPoint at the front of the room.

Boat Photo Shoot

I wish I could say that Moomba Boats hired me for a photo shoot...or any boat company for that matter...but this picture was actually taken with my BlackBerry while I was in the water with a life jacket, swimming with one arm while not letting the phone get wet.

I snapped a few, (did I mention this was taken with my phone?) and then final edited this picture...no this wasn't taken in the night or evening, 3:00 p.m...full sunlight.  Proving what I have told many people...an expensive camera doesn't make a person a professional photographer.  (AND For that matter a great wakeboard boat doesn't make a great wakeboarder!)

Tyler & Jessica Glanzer

Riding In Cars With Kids.

Steph, Maxim, Brecken, Meatball (more on that later) and I piled in the car on Saturday after shooting a wedding and headed south to Hesston, KS to see my sister and her family and bring home my 16 year old niece.  The tailwind was great and we pushed 22 mpg in the Expedition all the way down..that was THE enjoyable part of the drive down. 

After listening to 4 movies the kids were watching, one of them 2 times, listening to Brecken ask every question 5 times, witnessing him eat everything in the car, and watching Maxim run the battery in his iPod down 3 times...we rolled into H-town around 1:30 AM and it was party time.  Meatball (AKA Kolby) and Maxim were up until 4:30 AM and they were loud and rambunctious.  We didn't sleep too much that night.

Went to church at Rev. Brad's and Sally called us out during "sharing time"...Sally with a microphone to the rest of the church throws me under the bus...
"this is my brother Tom and his family from South Dakota...they haven't been down to see us for 7 years." 
OK I know it was a while, but after the last drive it might be another 7!

Sunday afternoon we went swimming at some friends of the family...beautiful pool and property and the kids loved it.  Hit Applebees in the evening and had a delightful time with the Burkholders.

Monday we packed up Cassidy and the kids and headed to Omaha for a halfway stop and to see Steph's brother's family...more of the same as far as movies, and yapping.  Brecken at one point had the quote of the day, "Mom, I am hungry AND sweaty."  We laughed at that one for a while.

We finally rolled to the WESTSIDE of the lake around Tuesday night, and the kids all crashed out right away...Steph and I watched the NBA Finals and went to bed.

MEATBALL Explained.

Uncle Brad = FUN

He loves to make the kids laugh and run.  He and Kolby hit it off pretty quick, and when you are Uncle Brad's favorite you get a nickname...not sure where it came from but Kolby was "Meatball" for the weekend.  She would say, "I not Meatball, I Kolby Capri."  Pretty sure in Uncle Brad's eyes she will be Meatball for life.