Halloween is coming!

Halloween will be here in a few short days! Before then we have a few fun parties and a school parade. Ashlyn will be a fancy leopard for the big day and she was glad she got to try out her costume earlier when we went, "Boo Bowling" with Girl Scouts! Here is our kitty, posing with the real cat!

We've been on the go since my last post...we had a wonderful trip to Boston to visit my cousin David and his family. I'm so excited to show you the photos since I know you will recognize so many sites from Plymouth Rock to Bunker Hill. Here we all are near the Old North Church where Paul Revere hung his lanterns on the night the Revolutionary War begun. More pics to come!

Today the kids had their first snow day of the season and they were thrilled! What fun weather we have here in Colorado...literally, one day it is sunny and 65 degrees, and the next we have 10 inches of snow on the ground! It's wild but we love it!

The dogs get in on the sledding action...

Kyle and Ashlyn with our Chihuahuas, all dressed for the weather!

Pure bliss!

Tom was able to enjoy a weeek out in CA to visit friends and his family. He had a wonderful time and flew back to CO with his parents. They all drove out to Oaklahoma to visit our niece Holly and her husband Will, then back to CO where we were able to enjoy Tom's parents for a few days. Tom's sweet mother taught me how to crochet after seeing my struggles with knitting, (although I am going to master BOTH skills!) and it was a perfect activity to enjoy by the warm fire when the snow was falling.

Here is Ashlyn with her "Papa Ron." Sorry Grandma Billie we didn't get a photo of you this trip!

We hope you have all been well, and I look forward to posting more frequently...the only good thing that has come of my lack of blogging, is that I have replaced that time with exercise! I happily share with you that I have lost 20 lbs. in 9 weeks! Pictures to come tomorrow when Tom and I get all dressed up to attend the Boulder Symphony!

Happy Friday! Happy Fall!

Travel, Family, and Seizing the Day!

Home in Colorado, Kyle and Ashlyn enjoy the pond and waterfall...it was a cool 44 degrees this morning!

Busyness abounds in the Kofford Household...

Life is full of so many opportunities, and we are seizing every one that comes our way! I am trying to embrace the words I know my mother lived by during that final year of her life. She wanted to enjoy life fully every day and not miss a single opportunity. We are trying to do the same!

I have a very small family and few extended family members that are still alive. It seems the last times I have seen most of them have been at my parents funerals. Determined to have current memories that make up happy moments, rather than mourning, I decided to fly to southern California to visit my aunts, uncle, and cousins for my birthday. It was a wonderful time to reminisce of my parents, yet spend time together with family making new memories!
Family! My cousin Michael, Aunt Beth, Aunt Sylvia, Uncle Jerry, and cousins Andrew and Abby...Mike's wife is behind the camera! (We enjoyed a delicious dinner and swimming in Mike and Paula's pool...while it was 102 degrees in CA it was in the 50's back home in Colorado!) It was great to hear everyone sing not only the "Happy Birthday" song we all know in English, but to also have them sing the Swedish version which is a tradition in our family! I hadn't heard it or had it sung to me since before my dad passed away...
My Aunt Sylvia and Uncle Jerry at the Arboreteum where there are trees with memorial markers for my grandparents behind us. They also drove me by the first house I lived in, and where my dad went to college, etc...It was a great birthday weekend!

My only other cousin, David, lives with his family in Massachusetts. I have missed him too and and wasn't sure when we would see one another again. We have decided to take a family trip to the east coast to visit David, and see the fall colors as well as all the historic sites of the area next week! We hesitated to pull the kids from school, but for a few days, the opportunity to learn more about the Revolutionary War and see the area where battles were fought, will be an educational experience for us all! I will post photos when we return!
Back home in CO, I went horseback riding this week with my friend Kate. We went for a leisurely trail ride around, "Pella Crossing" on a beautiful crisp fall morning. You can see why I haven't been blogging much...there is just too much outdoor living to do right now! :-)

Tom is still busy job hunting, but until a position is found, we are using this time together to travel and spend time with family whenever we can. Tom will be flying to CA to visit with his family later in the month, and then he and his parents will fly back to CO for a road trip out to Oaklahoma so his folks can see their granddaughter, and Tom's niece Holly. We are sure making the most of our time together while Tom is home!

I hope you too are seizing the day and enjoying time with friends and family whenever you get the chance! Life is short, let's make it count!