For as long as I can remember, my dad and I have been talking about going back to my birthplace. You see, when I was born in 1972, my Dad was in the navy and was stationed with my Mom at the US Naval Air Base in Adak, Alaska. It is so far out in the Aleutian Islands (1300 miles from Anchorage) that if you head due South, you actually will end up West of Hawaii. But for a long time, the only way to get on the island was with an invitation from Uncle Sam and the Admiral. But not anymore. The cold war is over and this cold island is open for visitors they say.

So the time has come and my dad and I are flying to Adak, Alaska on Father’s Day for some father/son bonding. Since the Navy has since stopped using the Island, it is now home to a small community of people who fish and try and drum up some historical navy tourism or something. They have 2 flights in and out per week. One on Sunday and one on Thursday and if they can’t land due to weather, you’re stuck there until the next scheduled chance they have to come get you. I have no idea what we will be doing on a cold, wind swept, 280 square mile island with a population of like 50 or something ridiculous like that for 4 days…. but it is bound to be memorable. I’m pretty sure we’re staying in someone’s like guest room they call the “motel” and probably renting Jethro’s extra pickup to get around. Don’t worry, if we get stuck in the mud somewhere, they send Jimbo and his dog Spike to come searching if you don’t check in with the grocery clerk by 5pm in the general store.

I’ve packed my new digital camera and my fishing gear and some warm clothes (it’s supposed to be like 40 degrees) and I’m off to hang with my Dad and some Caribou on the frozen tundra of my birthplace. I’m definitely carving my name in something and peeing all over the place to mark my territory… you can count on that!!!!

Tuesday night at dinner, pretty much staight out of nowhere, TJ says, “Mom, can I bleach my hair?”

Shannon, without a moments hesitation, says “Yes.”

I look at my wife kinda crooked and wonder who is currently living in her shell, cuz this is not normal verbage coming from her mouth on such a topic as this.

Tyler immediately seizes the opportunity and asks, “Can I dye my hair?”

Shannon again, without hesitation, says “Yes. What color would you like?”

Tyler says, “Blue”.

Shannon says, “Ok. Blue is cool.”

I now am looking under the table and searching for the hidden camera. At which point my wife announces that it’s summer time and you can have crazy hair for the summer only.

I simply nod, wondering how long she has been brewing on this grand leap in mothering boys.

Jake, now, not one to ever miss a party says, “Can I have a mohawk?”

Shannon says nothing, but I immediately announce, “Yes.” It was my chance to not be shown up by my bold new wife who is now looking at me like I just gave our son permission to kill a cat. Evidently, she had been thinking about dying hair, not cutting it stupid style.

Within minutes I had the cell phone ringing the infamous Ziegler casa to ask Brooke (a self professed hair dying/cutting veteran from a family who invented crazy hair) if she had anytime on Friday, the boys first day of summer, to help us put some action to this new found idea. She said yes, and now:

• Tyler is blue.

• TJ is very very very blonde and blue eyed.

• And Jake… well Jake has a full on bonified mohawk.

WELCOME TO SUMMER CRAZY HAIR BERRYBOY STYLE……

here’s the transformation in photos. You really must click on this one and let it fill your screen and scroll around to enjoy the full effect of this craziness.

Well, this year marks the end of the Pre-School season for our family. Shannon has been in Mothers of Pre-School children programs at our churches for years now. There have been lots of play dates and park trips with friends and such while one of the other kids was still in school. We both have signed our share of check in sheets. 6 years worth to be exact. All our kids did 2 years of pre-school and last wednesday, Jake closed the chapter for us. Wow how time flies.

Next year will be the first and only year that all 3 of our children are in the exact same school at the exact same time. Jake starts all day pre-school. Tyler starts 2nd Grade and TJ heads into 5th in the fall. I’ll have 3 mouths too feed, 3 lunches to make, and 3 boys to drop off to school every day, all year long. Sounds like a lot of work, but I actually think it will be the most fun. I’m not looking forward to writing a post a year from now telling you it’s over. So, I’ll just savor the moments all year long as best I can.

Here’s jake in all his glory rounding the final corner on the Berrytribe pre-school relay race.

On mother’s day weekend I started to complete phase 2 of a 3 phase yard remodel we did to the front of our house..

PHASE ONE was to remove the old yard and hire some help to move our side fence to the front of our property adding two planters and a matching retaining wall/column thingy. I then isntalled the fence. That phase started way back in October and finished around December.

PHASE TWO was to fix the sprinklers, add the plants and rocks to the front yard, and finish the lights. Now all that’s left is to re-seed some of the lawn in this phase and to add the low voltage lights that I bought for the columns.

PHASE THREE_ is evidently called Journey UP cuz we donated phase 3 to our church building program. It’s on hold for a while… but eventually, it will be some palm trees, a new concrete pad behind the fence, some lawn furniture, some shade umbrellas, and some large planting pots… if God says it’s ok that is.

here’s the pictures of the update.