Snowboarding after school. Hunting dangerous animals on the weekends. Even some sledding every once in awhile. Kids in Texarkana can barely fathom such activities. But, for the Rowe brothers it was reality, until a month ago when Texarkana came into the picture, forcing the brothers to call Texas their warm and humid home.

Sophomore Dylan Rowe and freshman Adam Rowe’s dad decided that the family needed a change from the many layers of clothing to only a light jacket during the winter.

“Alaska got too cold for us,” Dylan said. “My dad wanted to move out of state somewhere warm. We have family from Texas, so it was just a logical place to go.”

The change from Alaska to Texas public schools has been an effortless transition for older brother Dylan. He’s already found himself making new friends in the month he’s been here.

“I’ve actually made quite a few friends in the short time that I’ve been here,” Dylan said. “I even have a girlfriend.”

Younger brother Adam Rowe has found it more of a struggle to make Texarkana his new home. But, lucky for him, he had Dylan. The brothers’ bond has allowed them to rely on one another in the hardest of times, even when they face a 4,000-mile odyssey to the lone star state.

“I’m kind of in the middle of adapting,” Adam said. “It’s okay here. I’m just glad that I have my brother to help me through everything. He’s pretty much my best friend.”