BREAK-UP!

When winter lasts five or six months, Spring is a pretty big deal. In Alaska the onset of Spring is referred to as "break-up", because of the thawing and melting of the snow and ice in the millions of creek, rivers, lakes and glaciers. Break-up has real effects, too. Brandon spoke with a guy by cell phone the other day who couldn't get out of his home area in the bush because of the swollen creeks surrounding him. In the town of Nenana, south of Faribanks, the Nenana Ice Classic has become the largest single gambling event in the state. It's a lottery based on when the Tanana River will start flowing during break-up. Now that the snow is mostly gone and the weather has warmed up to the 40s, everyone is out in force. RVs are again everywhere, as are motorcycles, and the spirit of getting outside is like a virus. Brandon was shoveling the last of the snow from our driveway the other day in a t-shirt and shorts.

Chloe is talking more than ever. She can say any word if she thinks about it, and understands nearly everything we tell her. She's also taken to wearing clips in her hair, and loves to show them off. Malcolm, also known as Spiderman, is much like his daddy, and loves spending time outside. Both have grown completely accustomed to the cold, and much faster than we'd expected. They're 100% Alaska kids now. Some of the photos here are from our recent second trip to the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center, like the San Diego Wild Animal Park of the north.

Stephanie and Brandon went house hunting again, and found what they hope to be their next home. We're not yet in escrow, so we don't want to jinx anything, but the 3 bed/2 bath house is about 1600 sq. ft. on over an acre of wooded land, at the end of its own cul-de-sac (no other houses around). In fact, standing on the property, you can only make out the silhouette of a cabin on the other side of a stand of woods, and that's it. Otherwise, it's trees and more trees, with only dense forest to the north. The kids would get their own rooms for the first time, too. And for all of you attending Tuckerfest V, the large south-facing deck and big front yard will host the best little beer festival in the Last Frontier. Wish us luck, and we'll keep you posted.

Stephanie is looking for a new position in the Mat-Su borough, where we're headed, and has already found some very promising possibilities. Brandon has started doing the same, but will stay with the state. The commute from Wasilla to Anchorage is about 45 minutes on a good day, so we'll work to find jobs closer to our new home as quickly as possible.

We miss and love you all, and hope to see many of you this summer. Take care of each other.