Dear readers,
These are the hardest words I will ever have to write. My husband, Tim Ketchum, died suddenly last week of what was first thought to be an abdominal aneurysm. Doctors now think he may have had a genetic connective tissue disorder that weakened the structure of his aorta.
He was my partner in every sense of the word. He was my best friend, my confidante, my safe place. And oh, he was such an amazing father. He shared the burden of raising our three children with gusto, being present in a way that most dads will never be.
Everyone who ever met Tim loved him. Even people who only met him in passing were charmed by him. Warm, compassionate, loving, thoughtful. And funny as hell! I fell in love with him because he made me laugh. And even as life became more complicated and serious, we never lost that connection, that goofiness and silliness that made every situation easier to bear.
I feel compelled to share here because I am not quite sure what the future looks like. Certainly for the near term, I will be scaling back my time on All Day I Dream About Food so I can focus on my family and my grief. You will still see posts and recipes from me, but I don’t quite know with what frequency. I will be taking the easy route, updating older posts and sharing simple recipes. I have a backlog of some already that I can share over the next few weeks. I also have help with my social media and I am every so grateful to Stephanie, who has taken over my Facebook page completely for now.
Then again, I may decide to lose myself in the process of baking and create some amazing keto cakes. I honestly don’t know what I want or what I need right now. But I ask that you give me grace for not answering your questions in a timely fashion.
How you can help
I am so fortunate to have created an amazing community of readers and followers, some of whom have been with me for over a decade. I know many of you will want to help in some way. And I am grateful for your thoughts and your kindness.
The best thing you can do is keep coming to my website, reading my posts (both new and old), and sharing my posts on social media. Share to groups, share with friends, and pin my recipes to your Pinterest boards. This website has been my family’s source of income for many years now and views will generate much needed ad revenue. I know that ads can be cumbersome, but I ask that you take time to scroll through each post a little bit.
Another great way to help me is to purchase my cookbooks. In particular, pre-order my upcoming book, The Protein Advantage. I will not have much time to promote it now, but it’s something I worked so hard on. I would love to see it succeed and pre-orders make a huge difference to the overall sales of the book. It helps retailers decide how many copies they want to keep on their shelves. And I can assure you, it’s a book worthy of your time.
Thank you for reading. If you are a spiritual person, please send up some thoughts for the wonderful Tim Ketchum. He was a light in the world and touched so many people. I can say confidently that if you had met him, you would have loved him.
Nutritional Disclaimer
Please note that I am not a medical or nutritional professional. I am simply recounting and sharing my own experiences on this blog. Nothing I express here should be taken as medical advice and you should consult with your doctor before starting any diet or exercise program. I provide nutritional information for my recipes simply as a courtesy to my readers. It is calculated using MacGourmet software and I remove erythritol from the final carb count and net carb count, as it does not affect my own blood glucose levels. I do my best to be as accurate as possible but you should independently calculate nutritional information on your own before relying on them. I expressly disclaim any and all liability of any kind with respect to any act or omission wholly or in part in reliance on anything contained in this website.
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My condolences Carolyn. Understandably your life will not be the same and you will need time to make adjustments. I hope you find comfort in his memory and eternal love. Be easy on yourself. I will still check your recipes and definitely need to look at your new protein cookbook. Your recipes have been such a blessing to my life and I will continued to support any way I can. God bless you and your family. 🙏🏼💕
I am heart sorry for this deep grief and pain you are going through. It mirrors how deeply you loved each other. Praying for you and yours as you journey on this new path. Be good to yourself!
This is such devastating news. As someone married for 45 years, I can only imagine the sorrow of losing your life partner. Take care of yourself and your family above all else. Your readers and followers will be here for you when you come back.
Devastated for you 💔. These things never make sense. I do pray that in your deep grief God will give you healing and strength to stand and keep going.
I will certainly continue to come to your website as you are always my goto. Giant hugs to you Caroline 🙏
So sorry for your loss, Carolyn! Absolutely heartbreaking. Taking care of you and your family comes first. We will continue to be here to support you.
My eyes are leaking reading this dear Carolyn. I really can’t fathom what you’re going through. Sending you all kinds of love. I believe you will have great emotional support and thank God you have your children to focus on as well. Our community loves you!
I’m happy that you had such a wonderful love in your life It’s a really special gift. What an amazing man! And I’m so sorry that it ended so abruptly and so early in his life.
Carolyn
I am so sorry for your loss! Such grief is so hard. We’ve all been there. I pray for you, your husband and sweet family . Take all the time you need. We are all here to support you and your awesome site. Thanks for all you do for us also .
Oh, dear Carolyn, I am so sorry for your loss. My heart is with you and your family. I will do all the things you asked for help. Know that I am one of the community that loves you so well. Thank you for everything you’ve done and will go on to do and for just being you. I know that Tim, behind the camera, was so proud of you. 💕
So sorry to hear this tragic news, Carolyn. Sending you and your family all the love, light, prayers and peace in the universe. Hopefully you find peace knowing you are loved and supported by so many! Thank you for all you do.
Carolyn,
I’m so very sorry to hear of your husband’s sudden passing. My condolences to you and your family. May his memory be a blessing.
Sincerely,
Carolyn L.
I am so sorry for your family’s loss and my heart is breaking for you and the kids❤️ I am keeping all of you in my thoughts and prayers!
OMG Sweet Carolyn!! I am so so very sorry for your great loss!
I am so glad you are taking a bit of time for yourself, do not feel one
bit guilty. We continue to visit your site daily for the next great bake!
GOD BLESS
Oh, Carolyn, my heart hurts for you and your family. My thoughts and prayers go out to you at this time of unimaginable grief. You’ve written a beautiful tribute to your beloved husband. Without knowing what you’ve been dealing with I’ve been thinking of you this week because I’ve been making so many of your recipes. Some days I’m on your site 3 or 4 different times. I’m so grateful to you for the work you do creating delicious recipes that help me be healthy. May the outpouring of support and love you’ll undoubtedly get help keep you and your kids afloat in the coming days, weeks and months.
I am so very sorry for your loss. You and your family are in my thoughts and prayers.
Hugs and prayers for you and your family. My husband suffered something similar so I feel your pain.
Caroline…I am so sorry for your loss. We will pray for you as you adjust to life without Tim. Don’t worry about us, your followers and readers. We will be here. Take care of yourself and your family, first and foremost. We all love you.