Category: Musings

Thoughts about life, kids, sports and politics
Japchae-Oppa! Korean-Style, Sexy Noodles, Op Op

Japchae-Oppa! Korean-Style, Sexy Noodles, Op Op

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I decided to throw a surprise birthday party for the hubby. Since it was an impromptu event, I kept it simple. Just a handful of friends on a Friday night to help him celebrate another year.  The menu included his favorites, cheesecake, apple pie, and sushi from our favorite place. Badabing, easy peasy-done.  Then I started to worry, what if folks don’t eat fish?  Then I thought, what if I don’t have enough food?  A cardinal sin…so I added a few more of his favorites, Korean short ribs, Galbi, Ceasar Salad, and Japchae, a delicious Korean noodle dish.

The Skinny on the Noods

Japchae is Wes’s favorite noodle dish.  It starts with sweet potato noodles also called glass noodles (당면 Dangmyeon) for their transparency.  The noodles have a bit more elasticity and bite than wheat pasta and absorb seasonings well.  Season the noodles with soy sauce, sesame oil, garlic, and sugar, which gives the noodles that characteristic delicious garlicky, sweet-salty flavor.

The beauty of this dish is its flexibility.  Serve Japchae as a simple side dish, banchan, or as a main dish made with protein and vegetables.  Vary the kinds of vegetables and protein, but always include shiitake mushrooms, yellow or red onions, and secret sauce (ok, not really a secret just the Korean quadfecta of soy, garlic, sugar, and sesame).

Beyond that, go CRAZY!

Add wood ears-fungi for crunch, carrots, spinach, zucchini, or watercress for veggies and chicken or beef for protein. Other additions include slices of fishcake and strips of scrambled egg.  Knock yourself out.

Wes’s birthday version included chicken, carrot, zucchini, wood ear mushrooms, and spinach.  Yummo.

The key to this dish is advanced prep work.  Julienne vegetables, cut chicken into bite-sized strips, and make the sauce.  Soak the noodles, shiitake mushrooms, and black fungus in water. The noodles should be soaked in room temp water for an hour or two, so start your prep early.  You could make this a vegetarian dish by omitting the protein and marinating sliced shiitake mushrooms or pressed tofu.

Korean Jap Chae

My go-to recipe for Japchae is from a favorite cookbook called Hawaii’s Aloha Recipes published by The Japanese Women’s Society of Honolulu.  My copy is food-stained, pages tattered, filled with handwritten notes.  In short, well worn and well-used.  It’s my favorite cookbook for down-home Hawaiian/Asian cooking. Wirebound with few photos, but filled with treasured family recipes and stories-books like this one were created by folks to raise money for their church, temple, or community.  A reflection of who we are and the foods we have eaten for generations.

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Aggie's Japchae, Oppa Korean-Style, Sexy Noodles Op Op

Classic Korean Noodle Dish, Japchae a family favorite
Course noodles, Side Dish
Cuisine Asian, Korean
Keyword japchae

Ingredients

  • 1 pack of glass noodles sweet potato noodles
  • 1/2 pound flank steak or chicken cut into strips
  • 1 cup carrots julienned
  • 1 cup string beans French cut or zucchini strips
  • 1/2 cup yellow onions sliced
  • 6 dried shiitake mushrooms soak in hot water until soft. Squeeze excess water, remove stem and julienned
  • 1/2 bunch watercress or spinach
  • 1/2 cup black fungus soaked and cut into strips
  • green onions

Seasoning for noodles:

  • 4 T soy sauce
  • 2 T sesame oil
  • 1.5 T granulated sugar
  • 1 T roasted sesame seeds
  • 1/8 tsp black pepper

Marinade for protein

  • 1/2 tsp fresh garlic minced
  • 2 T soy sauce
  • 3/4 tsp sugar
  • 2 tsp prepared sesame seeds

Instructions

  • Soak noodles in room temp water for 1-2 hours until soft then drain. Alternatively boil for 7 minutes, drain and cool. Cut into 3-4 inch lengths. Set aside.
  • Cut beef or chicken or pork into strips. MIx seasonings and combine with protein. Set this aside too.
  • In a frying pan or wok, heat 1-2 T oil, add shredded carrots and fry just until tender. Don't overcook. Sprinkle with a little salt. Remove to plate.
  • Follow same procedure with zucchini or string beans. Add to plate with carrots.
  • In same wok, add 1 T oil and 1 tsp sesame oil, heat and add yellow onions, sir fry for approximately 1-2 minutes. Add chicken (beef), fry until half done, add mushrooms and wood ears and spinach, fry until meat is completely cooked.
  • Add noodles and sauce to wok, add carrots and zucchini to pan. Mix to combine.
  • Garnish with green onions and eggs.

Optional:

  • Fry 1 well beaten egg in an oil pan. Tilt pan to spread egg mixture into a thin sheet. Turn once. Remove and cool. Cut egg into thin strips.
  • Dish can be served warm or room temperature.
There’s Always Room for J-E-L-L-O

There’s Always Room for J-E-L-L-O

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Do Not Laugh.  Yes, this is a recipe for jello, not the boxed Jello you made with your mom when you were a kid (your job-pour the contents into a big bowl), oh no. The Asian version of Jello, Almond Jello. So good, it brings a whole new dimension to Jello. It’s delicious, light and refreshing.

If you have ever had a meal in a Chinese restaurant which served dessert other than fortune cookies, it might have been Almond Jello.  Unfortunately, much of the Almond Jello served in restaurants isn’t very good.  I have a theory, LOTS of Asians are lactose intolerant so milk is used sparingly.  Well, that’s what makes Almond Jello YUMMY, the addition of milk-like the white layers of finger jello or the cream cheese in that funky but delicious Lime and Pineapple Jello Ring that everyone’s aunt (who couldn’t cook) brought to every potluck. Jello with Moo-magic.

When I was a kid the fanciest restaurant in Chinatown was The Empress of China. In its heyday celebrities and politicians clamored there.  My folks would take us there for very special occasions-birthday dinners for grandparents, wedding banquets and Chinese New Year. High on the 6th floor, it had the most breathtaking views of the City and the East Bay.  I loved the Green Jade Mist Almond Delight, their version of Almond Jello.  Served in a goblet with a touch of Creme de Menthe it was the glitzy ending to a fancy meal.

Typically Almond Jello is topped with fruit, not creme de menthe.  You can use mandarin oranges or fruit cocktail (when is the last time you had fruit cocktail out of a can, strictly nostalgic choice) or Lychees. Use fruit packed in light syrup or its own juice.  I add the syrup or juice to the jello so it just slides down your throat, like having jello soup. Confession, I loved pouring milk on my jello, same effect. Canned fruit makes it a great winter dessert when fresh fruit can be hard to find. You could jazz it up seasonally by adding fresh strawberries or blueberries.  This recipe makes soft jello which I happen to like. If you like jello that has the consistency of finger jello, reduce the amount of the water in the recipe to 3/4 cup of each and the milk to 2 cups.

When I was pregnant with my oldest, my craving was Almond Jello.  I made vats of it, doubling, tripling, even quadrupling the recipe. Seriously, it was like gestational crack.

These days I make Almond Jello when my oldest kid comes home.  He loves it. If I don’t steal a couple of scoops before I let him know there is a bowl in the fridge, I will have lost my window of opportunity to have some.

It’s stupid easy, so delicious.   Try it, who doesn’t like jello?
Almond Jello

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Almond Jello

Course Dessert
Cuisine Asian-American
Keyword almond, almond jello, Dessert
Prep Time 10 minutes

Ingredients

  • 2 packets gelatin
  • 1 cup cold water
  • 1 cup hot water
  • 3/4 cup granulated sugar you can adjust the sugar to the sweetness of your liking
  • 2 1/4-2 1/2 cups whole milk
  • 2 teaspoons almond extract
  • 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract
  • 1 15 ounce can of Mandarin oranges packed light syrup

Instructions

  • Put cold water in a mixing bowl.
  • Sprinkle gelatin on surface of cold water. Let it sit for one minute
  • Add sugar and stir.
  • Add hot water and stir until completely dissolved. (I cheat, if it doesn't look fully dissolved, zap it for 15 seconds in the microwave)
  • Stir in milk and extracts. Pour mixture into individual serving bowls or 1 large glass bowl such as a souffle dish
  • Chill until firm (at least 2-3 hours)
  • Cut jello into cubes if desired. Top with mandarin oranges
Nash-Ville Nash-Ville, My Kinda Town in Pictures!

Nash-Ville Nash-Ville, My Kinda Town in Pictures!

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Oh, the places you’ll go, the places you’ll see, the places you’ll eat ….put Nashville on your bucket list of cities to visit!  To add to my previous visit to Nashville!

Beautiful morning walking the bridge off of Broadway
Broadway during the day, at night this street comes alive..live music and people everywhere having a good time
Morning in Nashville I hit my fav, Crema for coffee and yes the quintessential hipster dish, avocado toast

 

SOME MIGHTY FINE BRISKET AT MARTINS in 12 South


 

Dinner with Vandy Family! Houston Deb and California Deb (me) had our serious doubts about going for Mexican food…but it was pretty darn tasty! Brisket tacos and corn on the cob with crema, chili, and lime.

 

Damn fine cuppa coffee. We walked to 12South and stopped for coffee at Frothy Monkey and cronuts at 5 Daughters-totally calorie worthy. Check out Urban Grub too!

Cronut Heaven

 

Vandy beats Kansas!

 

Yes, Kolaches in East Nashville..so good

Yes, Dorothy, there is ramen in Nashville. Otaku in The Gulch, close to Biscuit Love, another favorite!

Another view from the bridge.

I can’t wait to go back…
Music City, Not Just About the Eats

Music City, Not Just About the Eats

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Our trip to Vanderbilt for Family Weekend 2016 was more about hanging out with the kid and his classmates.  We made it to campus only once (family weekend is really for the freshman parents, lol) and that was for Vanderbilt’s program Strong Inside: Storytelling, Music and Performance.  Last year we did not attend the student show which included the Meladores (Vandy’s acapella group).  So this year we assumed they would be performing at the show..wrong.  I need to read the fine print more carefully next time. This year’s show featured Vandy alum and author Andrew Maraniss and his book, Strong Inside . The story of Perry Wallace, the first African American basketball player in the SEC and Vanderbilt student. His courage, resiliency and character are tested as he faced racism both individual and institutional. Like Jackie Robinson, Perry was a reluctant pioneer of the civil rights movement.  Far too often non-fiction books turn into a boring litany of facts and dates, Maraniss’s writing style and Wallace’s life story runs counter to this notion.  Strong Inside is a very compelling read. (Addendum: Coming Fall 2017 Documentary on Perry Wallace)

Though the Meladores did not perform, I really enjoyed the show. Student performances of dance, poetry were bookended by Mr. Maraniss reading an excerpt from Strong Inside and Vandy alum country rocker, Marshall Chapman. Ms. Chapman read from her book, Goodbye, Little Rock and Roller and sang.  I am a convert to her soulful music and her life story. Growing up in the South, she tells of the first time she saw Elvis.  Seven years old and sitting in the town theatre smitten by the King.  Touring with icons such as Jimmy Buffet, playing in honkey tonks, Marshall’s story is brought to life in her music and words.  A wonderful storyteller and an amazing musician.

Being a Californian, I never thought my kids would end up in the South for school but life is full of surprises and it has given them and me the opportunity to experience a part of America that I would never have dreamed of.

Blaze of Glory Marshall Chapman

 
Heartsick for Houston

Heartsick for Houston

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As you all know Jamie goes to Rice University in Houston. I remember when she first told me she was applying there. What? Where? TEXAS? NOOOO. My diabolical plan to dissuade her involved visiting the campus in the middle of July. It didn’t work. She loved the campus and the vibe despite the heat and humidity.  It turned out to be the perfect choice. Over the last 3 years we have visited her on numerous occasions and have come to appreciate not just Rice University but the city of Houston. Gone are the pre-conceived notions I had of Houston-it is a vibrant, culturally diverse, rich, welcoming metropolis.

I watch with a sense of profound sadness and helplessness as Houston and the surrounding areas are being pummeled by Harvey.  I thank my lucky stars that Jamie is safe and one of the fortunate ones.  Her area has seen plenty of rain but has not flooded.  I see the photos and videos of places I now know (I drive the 610 all the time when I am there) and cannot imagine the trauma Houstonians are going through.

Houston Fall 2016

I asked Jamie to write a post for the 3Jamigos blog.  It is filled with that carefree spirit one has when they are young and views life through an optimistic lens.  Confined to her apartment she has watched the devastation in other areas of Houston much like I have, on TV.  When Harvey has passed and she begins to venture out and see first hand Houston in the aftermath, I know she will jump into action to help her adopted city.  I will too.  She asked me to include this link Relief Efforts-How to Help Houston with her post.  Any donation would be greatly appreciated.

Comfort food from Claire’s Mom

Jamie-August 28, 2017

Hurricane Harvey has hit Houston hard. (cool alliteration I know). Luckily, my roommates and I have prepared well for it–we have tons of food to last us for weeks and enough bottled water to last us a month.  We are even more lucky because of our location.  We are living in West U, which has gotten over 20 inches of rain, but it has not flooded yet.  *Knock on wood.* The street next to us is flooded, but our small street has been doing ok.  There has been a couple of leaks in the windows of our house, but we are dealing with it.  All this time stuck at home has made us a little stir crazy–we alternate between crafting and, you guessed it, baking.   My schedule these past couple days have been: get up, eat, run, eat, watch tv and craft, eat, watch tv and craft, bake, sleep, repeat. So far, we’ve made banana bread, crepes, and pumpkin bread.  And yes, we’ve eaten almost all of it.  This is not to mention the blondies that Claire’s (my roommate) mom made, ice cream, and super delicious quiche. Luckily, Claire’s parents also have a treadmill that I’ve been using to work off all the food. School has been closed until Wednesday night, but I’m hoping it will just get cancelled for the entire week. I don’t want to deal with getting to and from school in the rain and water. Unfortunately, that means a lot more TV movie marathons which have gotten pretty boring.  I’m lucky to just be bored, there are a lot of people all over Texas who’ve been forced to evacuate their homes. Will keep you posted!  Stay dry!

Rice University Spring 2016

I wasn’t going to include a recipe in this post but Jamie said the “pie” (ok, quiche) Claire’s Mom made was from the Friend’s Cookbook (love it) and it was delicious and made them all feel so much better.  In times like this we turn to comfort food to share with friends and family.

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Heartsick for Houston (Spinach Savory Pie)

Ingredients

This recipe is from the Friends Cookbook

  • 1 9 inch pie crust partially baked
  • You can use a store-bought pie crust if you like
  • 2 T unsalted butter
  • 1 small onion minced
  • 1 10 ounce package fresh spinach stemmed and washed
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 3 large eggs
  • 3/4 cup milk
  • 1/3 cup shredded Swiss cheese

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line pie crust with foil or parchment and weights. Bake 10 minutes. Remove weights and continue to bake for 2-5 minutes until pie crust begins to turn color and is set.
  • Set oven to 375 degrees.
  • Melt butter in a large pot, Add onion and cook over medium heat until soft, about 5 minutes. Chop damp spinach and add it to pan. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally until spinach is tender, about 5 minutes. Drain off any liquid in the pot, season with salt and pepper. Set aside.
  • In mixing bowl, whisk eggs and milk together. Stir in the spinach mixture and cheese.
  • Pour mixture into prebaked crust.
  • Place pie on a baking sheet and slide into oven. Bake until pie is golden brown , 35-40 minutes.
  • Remove from oven and let pie sit for approximatel;y 10 minutes before cutting.
  • Serve warm or room temperature.

Hi Claire Hi Mui Hi Georgia
Ketchup Noodles

Ketchup Noodles

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One of my favorite shows on Netflix is the Japanese production Samurai Gourmet. I LOVE this show. I’m crossing my fingers that they will produce more episodes.  It follows newly retired exec Kasumi as he rediscovers the simple pleasures of life (most of which involve food of course).  Timid by nature, he has an alter ego, a confident, bravado-filled Samurai, who appears when Kasumi is faced with an awkward situation.  Its funny, sweet, poignant and filled with FOOD PORN.

Each episode features a meal that Kasumi savors over.  My favorite episode finds him searching for a favorite dish from his youth. The first bite immediately transports him back to his childhood.  To really make you drool, there are close-ups of each dish being prepared or eaten followed by Kasumi exclaiming “oishi!” (delicious!). If you have Netflix, this is must-see TV.  If you don’t, call me.  We’ll do a marathon session and go out for ramen afterward.

So I arrived home after a particularly long commute and needed to unwind.  Not wanting to watch the news I popped on Netflix and found my favorite episode of Samurai Gourmet.  Big mistake, before the end credits ran I was ravenous. Watching Kasumi slurp up a plate of pasta had me salivating for a bowl of noodles.  I hopped up, headed to the fridge, and luckily found a tiny portion of linguine left from last night’s dinner.  I grabbed it, the butter, and the bottle of ketchup.

Yep, you read that right.  Butter and ketchup.  Did you laugh when you read that? When I was a kid my Mom would make us Ketchup noodles for an after-school snack.  It was quick and easy and held us over until dinner.  I continued the tradition with my kids and would have a plate waiting for them as they came running in from school.  Jamie, our noodle girl loved them.

You can add anything you want to this dish.  Saute some onions and minced garlic before adding the noodles to the pan.  Spice it up with a dash of chili flakes…use your imagination!  Here is a refined version from Just One Cookbook, a Japanese blog post.  See, I’m not alone, ketchup and noodles are a Japanese thing too.

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Mom's Ketchup Noodles!

Yes, you read that right, ketchup noodles, delicious
Course One dish meals
Cuisine Asian-American
Keyword butter, ketchup, noodles
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Servings 2

Ingredients

  • 8 oz spaghettini or angel hair or linguine fini or 12 ounces Chinese Egg Noodles
  • 2-3 tbsp butter salted, unsalted whatever floats your boat
  • 2-3 tbsp ketchup or to taste
  • Parmesan Cheese, freshly grated OR To be true to my mom, you should use the pre-grated parmesan cheese in the green can by Kraft!
  • salt and pepper garlic salt is nice too, not a mom ingredient but it works

Instructions

  • Cook noodles according to directions on package, drain and reserve
  • Melt butter in a skillet over medium heat. When it starts to bubble, add noodles, increase heat to medium high.
  • Toss to coat noodles with butter. Add ketchup and continue to toss to mix thoroughly while frying. Season with salt and pepper. Serve immediately. Pass the cheese in the little green can. Does that still exist?
  • ENJOY!!!!

Notes

If you want to go crazy, you could saute' some minced garlic in the butter before adding the noodles.  You can use garlic salt also.
A riff on ketchup noodle:  Replace the ketchup with Oyster Sauce which is just as delicious..salty, briny, buttery....hmmm yum

Hi Mui, Claire, Jorge, Jeffy
Eat, Sweat, Love Atlanta Part 2

Eat, Sweat, Love Atlanta Part 2

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Despite what it may look like, we did more than eat our way through Atlanta. Not to say we didn’t try but Atlanta has much more to offer than just good eats. Like many of the cities in the South, Atlanta played a pivotal role in the civil rights movement of the 50’s and 60’s and continues to influence the psyche of our nation-who we are as a country. In all honesty if not for my kids going to college in the South I’m not sure I would ever have travelled and explored this part of our country. For my own selfish reasons I am glad they did.

First stop the Jimmy Carter Library.  Amazingly, this is the first Presidential Library we have ever visited.  The grounds are peaceful and of course the center itself is a highlight reel for President Carter, yes, a one term president, but there is no denying he tried to govern with compassion, humility and thoughtfulness.  He continues to this day to champion human rights and peace.

Our history lesson continued with visits to The Martin Luther King Museum and The 16th Ebenezer Baptist Church.  I was too young to understand what was going on. Living in California, we were removed from the epicenter of the movement. Buffered by distance.

Next stop Centennial Olympic Park, Georgia Aquarium (#1 aquarium in the US, according to them), World of Coca Cola and The National Center for Civil and Human Rights.  All within walking distance.

Where else can you revel in Olympic history

try EVERY FLAVOR OF COKE in the world

and imagine what it was like to sit at a diner counter 60 years ago as a black man-traumatizing and so powerful.

Visit Atlanta…OMG this is going to be a three parter..more on this amazing city to come.

 

 
Eat, Sweat, Love Atlanta Part 1

Eat, Sweat, Love Atlanta Part 1

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Jamie is working in Atlanta for the summer so we packed our bags and headed out to see her and visit yet another great city in the South. We booked an AirBnB in downtown Atlanta, 6 eagerly anticipated vacation days…that is until we glanced at Weather.com, 90 degree heat and 90 percent humidity. Ugh.  When we arrived, we walked out of the Atlanta-Hartsfield Airport and BAM! my glasses fogged up immediately and I almost walked into a pole. Saved only by Wes.

We rented a car and headed into downtown.  Sitting in traffic it feels like I never left California.  We get to town and realize it’s almost time to meet Jamie for dinner.  She has picked an Italian restaurant BoccaLupo. Wes looks at a map and says words he will later regret, “It doesn’t look very far, we could probably walk there.”

Forty five minutes later, dripping with sweat and my hundredth time whining “Are we there yet?”  we see Jamie standing in front of the restaurant, for a minute I think its a mirage.  The food was innovative, pretty and delicious as were the cocktails. Despite my complaining, the walk down Edgewood Ave was worth it.  Restaurants, quirky shops, bars are adding color and life to this street.  Chainstores are nowhere to be found…for now.  We ended up spending quite a bit of time cruising up and down Edgewood during our stay.

My pick for the Edgewood Ave. experience was a hip joint called the Staplehouse.  Definitely the hot ticket. Profits from Staplehouse go to the Giving Kitchen a charity organization started by Ryan and Jen, creators of Staplehouse, after Ryan was diagnosed with terminal cancer.  The restaurant community rallied around them and now the Giving Kitchen supports restaurant workers in need.  Staplehouse is his legacy.  Farm to table experience highlighting local growers.  Delicious, beautifully presented food in a hip, modern comfortable space.

Roasted wild mushrooms and farro

 

Duck Rilettes

We decided we needed to de-hipster ourselves so we took a trip to the donut shop! Sublime Donuts

 

Don’t let them tell you Atlanta is a sleepy southern town..it’s quite the place to visit and I would love to go back with the intention of also going to Selma, Birmingham, Huntsville..so much history.

More deliciousness….

Cacao Cafe ABSOLUTELY THE CUTEST CHOCOLATE SHOP EVER

While Wes was checking out a very cool woodworking store across the street I enjoyed some chocolates at Cacao Cafe

 

We celebrated Father’s Day with Sunday Supper at JCT. Kitchen and Bar.  Some mighty fine biscuits and eats.

I’m not done…Atlanta Part 2 more food but also what to do besides eat!
Life’s Trials

Life’s Trials

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Like a mother hen I have watched the young pharmacists I work with grow and develop both personally and professionally.  They are intelligent, compassionate and dedicated, a joy to work with-I think of them as a second family, my work kids.  When my own children went off to college one of them remarked “It’s ok Deb, you still have your kids here”.  I am heartbroken that we have lost one from this family.  Claire was an amazing person-warm, soft-spoken (until you got her going), funny, smart, beautiful, generous, strong and TALL.  Yes, tall.  I am a rower and there is a distinct advantage to being tall.  My first question to Claire when I met her was “Do you row?”  She laughed and said no but she had friends at Univ of  Wisconsin who did.

Over the years I would teasingly say you should try it, Claire, you’d be great at it.  I knew this because she was so good at everything she did.  She became our pediatric intensive care pharmacist.  She was compassionate, dedicated, supportive- a great team player.  She became a wife and a mom of two beautiful boys Grant and Crosby and approached this part of her life with the same zest and zeal.

Her husband Andrew summoned up more courage and heart than I can even imagine to openly tell Claire’s story and I would like to share it with you.

Dear friends,

Claire Fung, my beautiful wife and mother of our twin baby boys, passed away on Friday, February 3rd. Over the last few weeks of her life, Claire became very sick. She was convinced something dire was wrong with the twins despite multiple reassuring health clearances from their doctors. She blamed herself for what she thought was happening and her guilt spiraled into a pit of despair. It got so bad that she was hospitalized for a few days and started on medication and counseling therapy, however despite treatment and strong support from her loved ones, she took her own life on Friday, February 3rd. 

Claire suffered from a severe postpartum depression – one that had gone undetected for too long but then very abruptly worsened. We should learn to find meaning in Claire’s tragic passing and realize that mental illnesses take on various forms and that increasing awareness and early detection are so crucial. For Claire, treatment was perhaps too late, but for others – if you suspect anyone you know may be suffering from a mental illness, please encourage them to seek a medical evaluation. Particularly with new mothers, this is a big issue -15-20% report struggling with postpartum depression and this is drastically under-reported. It can be so easy to focus all of your energy and worries on your baby’s health but neglect your own. And it can happen to anyone! Claire was the most jovial, positive, vibrant spirit I have ever met. She had no history of mental illness and yet this disease ultimately took her life.

I will remember my wife for her huge smile, her passion for life, and her undying love and affection – rather than the devastating anguish that consumed her toward the end. She was a loving wife, mother, daughter, and friend. She left a profound impact on all of our lives and we will carry her spark forward with us.

One of our favorite children’s books we enjoyed reading to Grant and Crosby is written by Nancy Tillman entitled “You’re Here For a Reason”. I read this book to Claire a couple nights before she passed away. There is a passage at the end I’d like to share with you all in dedication to Claire:

You’re here for a reason and if you think you’re not,
I would just say that perhaps you forgot,
A piece of the world that is precious and dear,
Would surely be missing if you weren’t here.
If not for your smile and your laugh and your heart,
This place we call home would be minus a part.
Thank goodness you’re here!
Thank goodness times two!
I just can’t imagine a world without you.

Rest in peace Claire – I love you times forever.

http://www.mayoclinic.org/…/…/basics/definition/con-20029130

Today the world seems a little sadder, a little drearier but we press on.  If Andrew’s beautiful tribute to Claire helps one person, someone’s wife, sister, mother or daughter, it will lessen the blow of losing her.

Claire’s friends have set up a fund for her twins Grant and Crosby. If you would like to contribute, all of us who were touched by this amazing woman would be forever grateful.  Thank you.