My princess is gone

In reply to Wally (Forum Supporter) :

That's the spot, the pumps still say Exxon but nothing else does. There's definitely a different vibe to the spot haha, but I'm partial to their food for sure.

Just checking in on you Wally. Still thinking of you!!  

Wally (Forum Supporter) said:

I had lunch with my mother in law the other day and we got to talking about how we met online, our rather odd long distance dating, and the sense of adventure her mother never knew she had.  
 

Jodi dreamed of seeing the world for as long as I'd known her but growing up with three siblings and parents on a budget the only traveling they did was an annual camping trip to a nearby park and a few weekends in Cape Cod.  We had been dating not quite a year when I was invited to a friend's wedding in Charlotte.  Her best friend was in South Carolina whole her husband finished school at Clemson and my best friend was in Norfolk so I suggested we take a ride down to see them. She could hardly contain herself and we spent the next couple months planning our trip. 
 

It went nearly perfect and once she saw what was possible she was constantly thinking of new places to see. We loaded her Escort up and made the drive to Charlotte in a day.  We were tired but when we checked in to the hotel the clerk said there was an event at the speedway.  If you bought some leftover merchandise from the race teams money went to charity and you could lap the speedway. We got there just as it was wrapping up, bought some T-shirts and wound out the little teal caras hard as she would go, probably high 90s but the giggling and smiles were priceless. While I was a huge nascar fan she had only known of it through me and didn't follow it until then.  The next day at the wedding she sat with some of my old racing friends as we told stories, and Kenny Wallace and his wife who were the nicest people imaginable and made her a fan for life.  
 

The next few days we did shop tours where we ran into Jeff Gordon, who again she didn't know and kept referring to him as the guy that gave us ice cream. He had Edy's ice cream as a sponsor and there was a cooler in the lobby where we bumped into him and he handed us some.   
 

After dragging her through most of Charlotte we headed to her friend's in Greenville. They spent a few days catching up at the house and we took a few trips hitting the BMW museum and some local historic sites.  
 

Then we took the long way to Richmond so we could hit the Petty Museum in Level Cross. It had been closed in the way down and I am a big Richard Perry fan so it was disappointing.  When we got there Jodi realized she left her purse with most of our money, cards, etc at Bob Evans where we stopped for lunch.  It took us about an hour from lunch to the museum so I told her we'd go back when we were done but she was very nervous.  The nice ladies at the counter started talking to Jodi Gump and then yelling at me, I was being thrown out of the museum by Linda Petty, Mrs. The King. She gave us directions so it only took about 20 minutes each way, possibly through someone's field, and stayed open until we got back, so it wasn't a total loss. 
 

From there we took some two lane road across the state of Virginia that was painfully long getting to Norfolk at about 3am.  We were on our own the next day while everyone was at work so she wanted to see the Cheasepeak Bridge Tunnel. Jodi was so impressed with it she had me go back and forth several times and each time we stopped to watch the water from the rest area in the middle.  The next day we hit a doll house store, she was big into doll houses at the time, a cruise around the harbor, and then we went shooting. She had never shot a gun before so when my friend suggested it she had to try it. I don't know if anyone else did any shooting that day, I just kept reloading and sighting for her until the range was ready to close. From there we headed home and she just kept talking about where else we could go and how she didn't know you could just pack up and go places so easily.  The rest of our life she remained every bit as enthusiastic about every trip whether it was a ride around town or a thousand miles away. That sense of wonder and amazement at everything around her made life so much fun every day.

 

Our first goofy roadside pictures, November 1998 in Gaffney SC. 

Lil Stampie and I passed by Jodi's peach today.  Seeing it made me think about your story and smile.

My heart crying.. Just thought of living without my spouse.....I can't even imaging  how  to do that..I'm sorry.. I'm really sorry about this incident..I hope memories you had with her will give you strength stand strongly

Wally, I'm sorry to say I don't know you but I wish I could offer more than condolences.  I cannot fathom what its like to try to keep moving forward, but I'm certain you're a stronger man than me for doing so.  Your stories are touching and highlight what a pure and understanding relationship you both had.  Thank you for reminding us of what is important, and please keep sharing if it helps lighten the load.

I've passed that peach a hundred times over the years driving from ATL to Roanoke and back again to see my folks.  It'll be Jodi's Peach from here on out.

Sorry for your loss Wally.

Hay Wally you doing ok?  Send up a smoke signal or something if you can.  Thinking of you.

I'm doing as well as I can, I get up every day, I get to work, and the dog gets walked.  Everything else is hit or miss, I spend a lot of time just kinda here.  I am managing a bit better and try to get something done every day but it hasn't been easy.  I still spend a lot of time just sad and numb. 

In reply to Wally (Forum Supporter) :

Jodi's Peach, Gaffney SC

I'm just sayin' I haven't done anything quite so spectacular for my wife.  :-)

In reply to AngryCorvair (Forum Supporter) :

I never expected my wife's peach would be getting talked about on the internet either, these are strange times. 

Wally (Forum Supporter) said:

I'm doing as well as I can, I get up every day, I get to work, and the dog gets walked.  Everything else is hit or miss, I spend a lot of time just kinda here.  I am managing a bit better and try to get something done every day but it hasn't been easy.  I still spend a lot of time just sad and numb. 

When my dad lost my mom after 39 years of marriage he said " I don't want to get over it, I want to get thru it. I don't want to erase her memory, I just want it to hurt less"

Everyone grieves differently, and every way is ok. There is no timetable.

Wally (Forum Supporter) said:

I'm doing as well as I can, I get up every day, I get to work, and the dog gets walked.  Everything else is hit or miss, I spend a lot of time just kinda here.  I am managing a bit better and try to get something done every day but it hasn't been easy.  I still spend a lot of time just sad and numb. 

I know exactly what you are saying. I went through this 8 years ago. Since I heard this news I have been trying to go through my experiences to pull out a nugget of advice or a sentence that would offer you solace or hope or.... well anything and keep coming up blank. No part of this is good.

I can say reading through your updates that I experienced the same things as you. 

I made one decision early on which was incredibly difficult at first. That was to accept any invitation offered to me whether I felt like it or not. "Want to come over for dinner?" Yes, "Can you help me with pouring a patio?" Yes, "Lets go see this band/movie/whatever" OK. I owe those friends everything.

I was constantly busy for 8 months, I was probably not the best company, but for me not sitting at home staring at the empty side of the couch was the right decision. I came out the other side having learned a lot about myself and others.  Oddly enough I feel the worst thing in the world made me a better, more empathetic person. I react differently to almost everything than I did a decade ago. 

Anyway Wally, Again I am sorry and offer you whatever I can from the other side of the continent

Wally (Forum Supporter) said:

In reply to AngryCorvair (Forum Supporter) :

I never expected my wife's peach would be getting talked about on the internet either, these are strange times. 

Wally, you're my hero.

I'm 7.5 years older than my wife so the odds of me sharing Wally's experience are pretty low but just in case, I'm getting a picture of her here...

In reply to Trent (Generally supportive dude) :

Thank you, one of the reasons I went right back to work was to stay busy for at least part of the day.  Most of the time it seems to help. 

Wally (Forum Supporter) said:

In reply to Trent (Generally supportive dude) :

Thank you, one of the reasons I went right back to work was to stay busy for at least part of the day.  Most of the time it seems to help. 

 

 

Hi Wally, I've said it before but the Christensen family absolutely LOVES you (like rock star, top influencer status)...if there's anything, anything we can do to help, please PM me.

I am just happy to see you typing here Wally. I would be a complete mess. 

In reply to dean1484 :

I'm a pretty big mess most of the time, I'm just trying doing a pretty good job of pretending to function.

The fact that you are functioning (you are not faking it although it may feel that way). To me shows strength and willpower and grit that no one knows they have and can not be measured until it is needed. I know you will probably not feel like you have any of this and probably feel like you are just making it moment to moment or day by day but please hold your head high and realize everything you are feeling is normal. Motivation or the lack there of is normal and you being you and from what I have seen has been inspirational to me. Like it or not you have helped me be a better person just by you sharing with us your thaughts and experiences as you get through this.  Thank you Wally for just being you. 
 

If you don't mind I will most likely keep asking for a smoke signal now and then or maybe you can grab a flashlight and some Morris code?  I am sure others will as well. 
 

All the best Wally. Like it or not there are a bunch of us behind you ready to be there should you want it.  Call it your virtual family if you want. And like a "normal" family (and we sure are not normal)  you are stuck with us. 
 

The results from the ME came today.  No big surprises but it still is disappointing. If I understand this right the lifetime of heart and liver trouble along with the pneumonia and pulmonary edema all contributed to her passing, listed as natural.  I suppose the one bit of relief was that Jodi still tested negative for Covid so at least it appears I didn't bring that home to her.  I still wish I had done better at keeping everything else at bay a while longer.  

Wally, I've seen the pictures of you with Jodi. You brought her everything good you had. Any of us would be lucky to know such love. 
 

Margie

In reply to Wally (Forum Supporter) :

It's called survivor guilt. It's natural. You did everything you could. Leave it at that. 

Marjorie Suddard said:

Wally, I've seen the pictures of you with Jodi. You brought her everything good you had. Any of us would be lucky to know such love. 
 

Margie

My only regret is that I have but one "Plus One" to give. 

Wally,

I know we've never met and I still feel badly that I haven't posted in this thread previously.  I keep thinking that I'll have some sudden epiphany and be able to give some sage wisdom.  Sorry, it hasn't happened.  But what I can say is that as crappy as today may seem, it will get better.  Over time the pain and anguish will start to ease up and fade a bit.  Then you'll be able to smile a little when you think of her.  And eventually there will be more good memories than sad ones.  Cherish the time you had with her and realize that you both benefited from your love and your lives together were better than they would have been without each other.

Steve

Wally (Forum Supporter) said:

The results from the ME came today.  No big surprises but it still is disappointing. If I understand this right the lifetime of heart and liver trouble along with the pneumonia and pulmonary edema all contributed to her passing, listed as natural.  I suppose the one bit of relief was that Jodi still tested negative for Covid so at least it appears I didn't bring that home to her.  I still wish I had done better at keeping everything else at bay a while longer.  

The ONE thing I know for sure about you is that you did everything in your power to help her and make her happy.