The Kofford Family relocates to Colorado after 40 years as Californians. In December of 2007, Grandma Lorraine is diagnosed with Stage 4 brain cancer. Sadly, she passed away on Dec. 26th, 2008 after a year long courageous battle. Follow our journey as we keep Lorraine's memory alive, and as we learn to appreciate that each day we are given, is a gift to be enjoyed!

“Nobody can go back and start a new beginning, but anyone can start today and make a new ending.”
~Maria Robertson

Monday, March 29, 2010

It's a miracle...spring has sprung!

What a blessing! The sun has come out, the snow has all melted, and we are enjoying a little bit of spring...until the next snow storm arrives! :-) We won't talk about that though, what a sore subject when there is a little bit of green coming up in that brown frost bitten earth! Until that next snow storm, we are getting outdoors to enjoy the good weather. We were finally able to use the new kayak Tom got for Christmas. Our pond has thawed, so we were all able to try the kayak in a safe place before we take it to our local lake.

You can see the snow capped view of Long's Peak in the background. It felt like such a luxury to have near 70 degree weather, we just sat in the kayak at sunset and enjoyed the warmth on our legs! What you don't see is that Tom has a nice cold beer to enjoy on the water!

We grilled some yummy shrimp and veggie skewers, burgers for the kids, and enjoyed being able to use the BBQ for the first time in 7 months! :-)

I am anxious to show you some before and after photos of me, but need to get someone to take some new photos with me standing up, then you can see what 40 lbs. less of me really looks like!

Our kiddo's are on their spring break this week, so tomorrow we are going to take the kids to tour the Denver Mint and see how money is made. I will try and get some photos at that time. Show and tell is always fun!

In closing, I wanted to share a favorite quote when it comes to accomplishing our goals...weight loss or otherwise...
"The secret of success is constancy of purpose." ~Dioradi

Thursday, March 25, 2010

What did you eat today?

I have been thinking about food a lot. I love food. I love junk food as well as healthy food. I love food that has once had eyes, and food that grows in dirt. I love processed food, sugar, juices, and sodas. I love butter and popcorn, and chocolate cake. I just love food! Food gives me comfort, and is a reward late a night.

All of the above make for a pretty unhealthy relationship with food. Just as some people have a glass of wine after a long day, my reward has been a nice big slice of chocolate cake. For so many years I ate what I wanted, because it felt good, and tasted good. Although nutrition mattered, it didn’t matter as much as how good, bad foods tasted.

I have lost close to 40 lbs. recently. I have had to rethink my relationship with food. I am very mindful of what I eat and what I am fueling my body with. Amazingly, there is a big difference in a body fueled with junk, and a body fueled with healthy choices. I will show you my transformation in an upcoming post.
I thought I would show you tonight’s dinner. Now, a fresh salad with berries, nuts, goat cheese, sliced chicken, and crisp greens takes the place of what once would have been a meat dish with potatoes and sour cream and butter. Do I still cheat? Yes. Do I still make poor choices? Yes. Now though, I try and make good decisions 90% of the time, and it has paid off.

I am still a long way from being a poster child for clean eating, but I am trying one day at a time to make sure I eat more quality food vs. junk food. And I just wanted you to know.

How do you eat? Are you a junk food junkie, a strict vegan, or somewhere in the middle? I’d love to know what you think about food.

Wednesday, March 24, 2010

Welcome Spring...Or maybe not!







Hello Friends!








We thought spring had arrived in Colorado, but then we got 6 inches of snow! No school for our kids today, so it will be a day filled with snow boots and hot cocoa.


It has been several months since I last blogged and I have missed you. We have had holidays come and go... Valentines Day at the Kofford Household.... California friends have come and gone....

St. Patrick's Day arrived with sunshine and bag pipe players at a local restaurant...

Ashlyn turned 9 years old on March 22nd...
And it has snowed,
and snowed some more!


Despite almost every picture above with sweet treats, Tom and I have been losing weight. I'm down 39lbs. and Tom over 20 lbs.


There has been job hunting, (Tom's most recent prospect is very promising!) and I have been sending out proposals to teach several summer classes in our community.


There have been field trips with school, Girl Scout events, Band and Orchestra concerts, horseback riding, kids growing, and trips away. We are well and we have missed following your stories...


Now that you are all caught up in our lives, it is time to get back to regular blogging! Time for funny stories, sharing recipes, pictures, and weight loss tips! And if you have any spring weather, please send some our way! :-)