Remembering Pop

Col. Herman A. "Alf" Waggener
1920-2021

'“Imprint these words of mine on your hearts and minds, bind them as a sign on your hands, and let them be a symbol on your foreheads. Teach them to your children, talking about them when you sit in your house and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Write them on the doorposts of your house and on your city gates, so that as long as the heavens are above the earth, your days and those of your children may be many in the land the Lord swore to give your ancestors. '

Deuteronomy 11:18-21 (CSB)

Patrick and I started dating in late October 1999. He told me about his family, including his grandparents, who were still active and lived in Ohio. When Thanksgiving came around that year, he drove to Dayton to spend the holiday with them. Not every 29-year-old man drives six hours each way to see his grandparents for a two days, but I thought it meant either they were truly extraordinary or he was, or perhaps both. It turned out to be both.

I told Patrick that I wanted to spend Christmas with him in Texas and meet his family. He told me that his grandparents, Alf and Floss, or “Pop” and “Polly” to the grandchildren, wouldn’t be there. Pop and Polly found out that Patrick was bringing a young lady to Texas with him and suddenly, they had plane tickets to Texas for Christmas. 

Pop and Polly were every bit as wonderful as Patrick had described. I could tell immediately that they loved Patrick dearly and unconditionally. They loved and accepted me right away because Patrick loved me. 

Patrick and I married in November of 2000, and Pop and Polly were there to help with the wedding and to celebrate with us. They were so happy for their eldest grandchild. We were so fortunate to be able to visit them often and watch them enjoy our son, Adam.

Polly went to be with Jesus in February 2019 at the age of 97. Last week, Pop joined her in heaven at the age of 101. Pop’s home-going has hit me harder than I thought it would. He led a full, faith-filled life, and we know that he is enjoying his reward in heaven. However, I couldn’t figure out why I was feeling his loss so deeply until a couple of days ago. I realized that there is so much of Pop in the person I love the most, my husband and Pop’s grandson, Patrick. Knowing and loving Pop connected me to Patrick in a way I hadn’t understood fully until now.

I could spend hours talking about all the things that Pop and Patrick had in common. Their senses of humor and quick wits, their interests in all things high-tech, and their genuine love and care for others are just a few of the things that they shared in common during their nearly 51-year grandfather-grandson relationship. However, the most important thing that Pop modeled for his children and his grandchildren was his faith. I’ve heard it said that Christianity is caught as well as taught, and Patrick has been blessed with parents and grandparents who love God and seek to build His Kingdom. Their examples of faithfulness were undoubtedly what led him to join Nashville First Baptist Church not long after moving to the city, and it’s where Patrick and I would later meet and marry.

Alf Waggener blessed my life in many ways, and I count it a high honor and privilege to love the part of him who lives on in his grandson. Pop is with me every day in the form of the godly man he helped to shape. I pray that Patrick and I can continue to live out Pop’s legacy of faith and model it for his great-grandson. I look forward to the day in heaven when I see Pop again and hear him say, “Hey, lady Lydia!”

Pop's Celebration of Life Service

Pop's Obituary (written by Patrick and edited by me)

Patrick's Facebook Post

2016 Year Ender

Dear friends and family,

We hope you are having a wonderful holiday season and are looking forward to 2017. We started the year with quite a bit of snow in Tennessee, which resulted in lots of pre-empted school days for Adam and even some work days for Patrick. It was fun for a day or two, but by day seven, we were ready to get back into a routine.

A big event in our extended family actually happened right before the end of 2016, and that was the arrival of our niece and Adam’s cousin, Abby. She is the daughter of Patrick’s sister Allison and her husband, and she is named after Patrick’s grandmother. Patrick and Adam got to meet Abby during their spring break trip to Texas. Even from two states away, we enjoy watching her grow and seeing her personality start to emerge.

We were overjoyed this year when Adam professed his faith in Christ and was baptized Memorial Day weekend. Adam met with our pastor and worked through a workbook about what it means to be a Christian. He continues to be involved in lots of activities at church including Sunday School, Royal Ambassadors, and children’s choir.

After a winter with lots of snow days, Adam enjoyed a full summer of activities. Our science-loving kid started with Camp Invention at his school where he made some unique creations with household objects. Vacation Bible School at church was a hit as always with fun field trips in the afternoons to destinations around Nashville.

Adam got to get out of his (and Mommy’s) comfort zone during Lego Camp at Camp Widjiwagan. In addition to the Lego time, he got to swim in the awesome pool, play on the “beach”, and ride in a speedboat. Adam got to do more science with Mr. Bond and the Science Guys at another day camp which included “Spy Camp” in the afternoons. The last day camp of the summer was Music Arts Camp at church, where Adam got to be a puppeteer. 

August brought the beginning of third grade. Not surprisingly, Adam’s favorite subject is science. He says his favorite thing about his classroom is the nautical themed decor. He also likes that the lunch line moves quickly. Adam went on a day-long field trip to the children’s museum in Chattanooga with his Encore class. They got to do experiments, and it was “awesome.”

Patrick and Adam had a fantastic fall break trip to Walt Disney World that included getting grazed by a hurricane! They ended up having a fun, lazy day at their resort while Matthew passed. Orlando missed the worst of it, but their flight out was cancelled before the storm hit. So, they had two more days at Disney and came home Monday morning.

All of Pop and Polly’s great-grandchildren gathered in Ohio for Thanksgiving this year. Patrick’s grandparents were thrilled that their grandchildren from Idaho, Texas, and Tennessee all came to visit and especially enjoyed spending time with their three great-granddaughters and one great-grandson.

Patrick continues to enjoy his work at LifeWay. He has been working on a project for church planters with the North American Mission Board. Earlier this year, he was given the quarterly division Value Award in recognition of his work on various projects with  the Publishing and Event Technology department. LifeWay plans to move to a new campus in the Capitol View development late next year.

We love all our friends and family and enjoy hearing from you at Christmas and all throughout the year. We wish everyone a very merry Christmas and a wonderful New Year.

Love,

Patrick, Lydia, and Adam

“I give thanks to my God for every remembrance of you…”

-Philippians 1:3

carvin der pumpkin

This was our first time to carve a pumpkin with Adam. He was pretty excited!

God blessed texas

We have just returned from our pilgrimage to the Lone Star State to see family and friends. Patrick's brother John and his family came from Idaho, his sister Allison was able to come from Atlanta for the holiday weekend, and his grandparents (Pop and Polly) flew in from Ohio for the week. We all converged on Patrick's parents' house in Grapevine for a family reunion of sorts.

Sunday, July 5 - We returned from Ridgecrest (NC) on the 3rd and had the 4th at home to rest, do laundry, and repack. We left for the airport on schedule (amazingly) at 6:30 am on Sunday. We wanted a non-stop flight on Southwest, and so we chose to fly into Austin and drive to Dallas. Also, we wanted to see friends in Austin (more about that later). Austin's airport is much easier to navigate than DFW, especially with a 17-month-old. We were able to quickly claim our bags and get our rental van. (Patrick scored a Toyota Sienna - thanks Priceline!). We met up with the Youngs and the Batemans at Chuy's - one of our favorite TX restaurants (coming soon to the Nashville area).

We continued our trek north only to discover that I-35 had slowed to a crawl due to the holiday weekend. We stopped to show Adam the bears in Waco, but they had the holiday weekend off. After our three-hour drive became a five-hour trip with a grumpy toddler, Mommy needed some Target therapy. I dropped the boys off at the grandparents' house and went to the Super Target for the week's provisions. After a quick bite to eat at the house, we checked into our room at the FedEx terminal, I mean, the Hawthorn Suites. Our room was great, with a full kitchen, separate room for Adam, and a bathtub the size of a Volkswagen. The only bad thing was that the FedEx trucks honk before they start backing up, but it got to be comical by the end of the week.

Monday, July 6 - The whole clan converged on the Watts' house Monday morning before heading out to the Ft. Worth Zoo with Allison's friend Laura and her three-year-old, Noah. If you are keeping score, that is 14 people. Adam had fun in the aviary, but seemed disappointed when the birds flew away when he tried to pet them. Patrick's cousin Lynne met us at the zoo for lunch (bringing us to 15 people).

After lunch, Adam needed a nap, so we headed back to the hotel. Monday evening, the Patrick cousins and Aunt Linda came over to the house for dinner. We arrived late due to Adam's nap.

Tuesday, July 7 - On Tuesday, we mainly hung around the house and played with the kids. We celebrated Reganne's birthday (a couple weeks late). That evening, we went over to Farmer's Branch to see our friends, the Finks, and their new house. They fixed us a great meal with vegetables from their garden!

Wednesday, July 8 - The cousins got to play together more on Wednesday morning before it was time for the Idaho Watts to head back home. We had a relaxing afternoon while Adam napped at the house, and we did some laundry. Patrick and I even had a little date at the Super Target Starbucks. After dinner, we drove to Arlington to see the Death Star, I mean, the new Cowboys Stadium. Impressive.

Thursday, July 9 - We had a little more time with the grandparents and great-grandparents Wednesday morning before piling in the van again to head back to Austin. We stopped in Ft. Worth to have lunch with our friend, Lyn. He gave us a tour of BNSF headquarters where he works. It was way cooler than I expected. He also treated us to lunch to Rosa's Cafe. The tortillas were life-changing.

Thankfully, Adam took a good nap on the way to Austin and watched lots of Signing Time while he was awake. By the end of the week, he started requesting Signing Time (using sign language) whenever he saw the van. When we arrived in Austin at 5:30 pm, the van thermometer read 105 degrees.

We got settled into our room at the Holiday Inn Express Pflugerville and ordered a delicious pizza from Austin's Pizza. We had no desire to go back out in the heat. Adam had fun exploring yet another hotel room.

Friday, July 10 - We had a lazy morning before going over to the meet the Bateman girls for a swimming play date. We had a blast, and Sarah even got me to go down the "dark slide." We met Giles for lunch at Mighty Fine Burgers, another fine Austin eating establishment. Adam shared his grilled cheese with Lucy. They were quite adorable.

After nap on Friday, we went to Ikea for shopping, dinner, and some quality family time with Swedish furniture.

Saturday, July 11 - We crossed one more Austin restaurant off the list before leaving on Saturday - Kerbey Lane Cafe. The Batemans met us for brunch there, and Lucy and Adam shared food once again. We had a delicious meal, and too soon had to say goodbye to the Batemans and head for the airport. Time with good friends is always too short.

I decided Adam needed another box of goldfish to make the trip home, and so we stopped at Fry's Electronics. Made sense to us. Adam was great on the flight, and did amazingly well considering he didn't have a nap all day.

We had a great time in Texas, but are glad to be home for a little while before our next trip!

another non-baby book first

Tonight, all three of us had the same thing for dinner! We had beef stew and grilled cheese sandwiches. Adam didn't have any of the beef, but he ate the potatoes and carrots, and had lots of grilled cheese sandwich bites (pre cut to toddler proportions.) Adam chased his with a saltine and some rabbit crackers (organic unbranded goldfish crackers.)

famous last words

Last night, on the way home from the Schermerhorn...

Me: "Oh great, we'll get to sleep in tomorrow!"

Lydia: "Come on, you never sleep in!"

Me: "Well, you never know..."

Have I mentioned how often she's right?

On the upside, I think I hear a creature stirring in the house. Maybe I can head him off before she hears him.

Grandparents and Swimming!

Adam Five Months with GPD and GMP and SWIMMING!

This weekend, Grandma Pat and Grandpa Dave came to visit. We had lots of fun... including something I've NEVER done before... we went SWIMMING!

Mom and Dad took me in this big pool thing at the YMCA. It was like a big bath with lots of people in it. It was cold, but I was brave! After I got used to it, it was lots of fun.

Adam's First Cereal

After four and two-thirds months, we decided to see how Adam liked cereal. Bottom line, he does! I think he's watched Mom and Dad eat enough to understand how the process works.

my first trip (and more firsts)

So two days ago, everything's going great. The Mom person has fed me, and I got a little nap in, and I'm on another bottle, when who should show up, but the Dad person. In the middle of the day. I mean, hey, we might go see him at the work place, but he doesn't come to the house place.

Next thing you know, they're running around all over the house, and they've got bags and boxes and diapers and all kinds of things together. Then they put me in my seat where I sleep and ride in the car. Dad puts me in the car, and Mom gets in the back seat with me, which is a little weird, but I love my Mom, so I don't mind.

I love my seat. It's so warm and comfy. Almost every time they put me in here, I fall asleep, and this time is no exception.

So I wake up, and I'm in the car, and we're driving. No big deal, we do this all the time. Mom and Dad say something about me being in my first new state to go to on a trip: Georgia.

And then, we're still driving.

And then, we're still driving. I get a little fussy, and Mom gives me a bottle.

But then we're still driving. Dad says that Mr. T says that we only have 30 more minutes, but I don't know what he's talking about, so I start complaining.


Finally, they seem to have heard me, and we get out of the car in a garage. Mom and Dad are all excited, because they say this is my first time to go to an Ikea. I understand that my cousin really likes the kids area, and when I'm potty trained, I can go too. All I know right now is that I'm wet.

We go up in an elevator and go to the family bathroom to get changed. That makes me very happy, and as soon as we get out of the bathroom, Aunt Allison is there! She hugs me and then we go up in the elevator again.

Mom and Dad and Aunt Allison roll me to the Ikea Restaurant where they eat dinner and I have a bottle. Then we walked through the store and Mom and Dad got some stuff (even one thing for me, I think) and then we said goodbye to Aunt Allison and left.

It was all dark outside, so I knew it was time to sleep. When I woke up, I was in a room with a bed and a TV and a chair and table and Mom and Dad. Mom woke me up for a bottle, and then all of us went to sleep. I only woke up once, and went right back to sleep.

The next morning, I watched Dad eat breakfast, and then Mom and I got cleaned up for the day. All three of us got back in the car (again!) and picked up Aunt Allison. We drove to Kennesaw where she and Uncle Dave are planning to move soon... but I didn't stay awake to see their new house. Mom and Dad told me later that they really liked it.

I woke up and saw Mom and Dad and Aunt Allison eating lunch at Sweet Tomatoes. Then they took me to the mall to roll around.

After the mall, we went to Aunt Allison's apartment, and I got to meet my cousin Vincent. Well, sort of my cousin. He's the first cat I've ever met in real life. He didn't quite know what to make of me, and I didn't quite know what to make of him. He seemed nice enough though.

I still haven't met Uncle Dave. He spent all weekend flying an airplane again. Maybe someday I can take a trip on his airplane.

Then I hugged on Aunt Allison, and Mom and Dad and I got in the car and started driving again. We drove for a while and then stopped for my first ever visit to an outlet mall. Dad got a shirt, and Mom got me lots and lots of stuff. Mom says the best clothes come from outlet malls.

We got back in the car, and Mom and Dad ate dinner. I had just had a bottle, so I was feeling pretty good. Mom was riding in the back seat with me, and she saw me smile, so she stuck something out of her mouth at me. It was pink and shiny, and funny, so I thought, "hey, I've got one of those..." and I stuck it out at her. She laughed so big and said, "he stuck his tongue out at me!" I guess that's what the pink thing in my mouth is. So Mom did it again. So I did it again! And she did it again! And laughed! And I did it again! And laughed! It was so much fun. Then she got the camera out and stuck her tongue out at me, and I did, but the camera was too slow. We played the game for a while, and I think she didn't get my picture. Or maybe she did.

Then, after a little while, things started sounding funny. Then my ears started hurting, so much I had to cry. Mom said something about Monteagle Mountain and got out a bottle for me. That helped a lot, but my ears still bugged me until they said we were off the mountain.

Then we drove and drove and drove, and I fell asleep again, and when I woke up, it was the next morning, and I was at home. I feel like I slept for nine hours, and that's what Dad said I did!

we're overdue to post, but he/she's not

Adam is going to be a cousin again! Lydia and I both enjoyed having cousins very near our own age, and we hope that our new niece or nephew will be able to enjoy him.

Be sure to pray for the Idaho Wattses as they get ready for Reganne's new brother or sister!

a new typical tuesday

New things that happen on a typical Tuesday (in no particular order):

• Dad (me) takes a 30 minute nap from 7:00-7:30 p.m.
• Adam gets a real bath (first one post-drop-off-of-the-stump)
• Lots of snacking.
• Mom does laundry

I'm sure there'll be more... that's just kind of a play-by-play of the evening so far. I don't know if it'll be like this every Tuesday, but I'm thinking that the similarities will be stronger than the differences.

Special thanks to Lydia's parents for coming over today and loading the dishwasher and taking out the trash. Also thanks to the Roselles for bringing food last night (the Coca Cola cake is gone... as of... now.)

milk drunk

This is what happens when I drink too much.

Nap, please

I'll take sleeping stints like this any time:

now they can upgrade it

The new iMac is on the way! Super baby video editing coming right up!

Of course, now that I've bought one, they'll upgrade them. As long as they do within 30 days, I'm golden... that's Amazon's window of exchange.

Thanks to my wonderful wife for agreeing to this admittedly husband-centric purchase. :D

the most awesome wife in the world

This morning, Adam was up from 1:30 to 3:30.

I was not.

Lydia knows I've got an important meeting this morning at work, and she didn't keep me up a wink.

Have I told you lately that I love her?

sleepybowl

We skipped church today, surprise!

Adam had a very sleepy day... which meant lots of rest for us too. He's really getting the hang of nursing, and when he's done, he just turns into a rag doll.

Mama and Daddy and Ann Narula came over and brought us some dinner... and played with our cowboy. We also took some one week pictures, and we'll try to get them posted soon.

news from the nest

Friday was a good, somewhat busy day. Lydia's parents came over and brought lunch and helped us get the house in order. We still had hospital bags that weren't unpacked, and had some things that never made it to the hospital that needed to be put up. They were a big help!

Then, the Owens famly came over to bring us a great dinner. When you're a bit bleary from the eat-change-sleep infant cycle, adult conversation, wonderful comfort food, and smiling faces of a five and two year-old can really renew your spirit!

Later that night, we had our first "inconsolable" stretch with Adam. He was just confused about whether he was hungry, gassy or sleepy. After about an hour of off-and-on whining, he went down. All seems to be well in the overnight stretch.

I hear noises... gotta go...

five more pictures of Adam

Still getting everything organized at home. Since we weren't planning on having a baby last weekend, some things are still a bit in disarray. :D

Meanwhile, here are five more pictures of our big boy.

about my first day on the outside

So it's been eight-and-a-half months, and now that I'm out, I can finally tell my side of the story. Thanks for bringing the computer to the hospital, Dad. The keys are a bit far apart, but I think I can manage.

4:10 a.m. Sunday

- I've about had it in here. The bluetooth reception is horrible and everything I use has to be waterproof. I think I've finally found a way out. The first step is getting rid of a bit of this ammniotic fluid. That'll let her know I'm on the way. I don't want to make it too obvious... don't want to freak her out... so I'll just let a little out.

8:30 a.m. Sunday

- I guess that wasn't enough to convince her. They're still going to this "church" place I hear about once or twice a week. I hear I'm going to like it there.

10:20 a.m. Sunday

- Okay, the walls are starting to really push in now. They've done this before though, and nothing happened. Mom was supposed to keep something called "babies" this morning, but she just told her friend she's not going to do it. Mom's talking to that guy again and he's going to take us back to the house.

11:00 a.m. Sunday

- We're back at the house. The walls of this place are pushing in like crazy... it's like every two minutes. They've never been like this before. Whoa... what's that... hey... MAN I'm getting squished. What... we're getting back into the car?

11:30 a.m. Sunday

- I recognize the "bzzzz" sound of the car, but it's really more of a "BZZZZ" this time. Mom's calling the mean lady that pokes and prods on me, but she's not "on call," whatever that means, so her other mean lady friend is coming to meet us.

12:09 p.m. Sunday

- Okay, I've had enough of this. I'm ready to find out what's next. There seems to be a complete opening here that didn't used to be here. I wonder what happens if I try to stick my head out of it?

12:39 p.m. Sunday

- OUCH! This is tight quarters. Now it looks like I don't have a choice. The mean lady is unwrapping something loose from around my neck... it's all alive and stuff. Whoa! It's bright! Holy cow! I can move my arms!

12:40 p.m. Sunday

- So that's what Mom looks like. And this guy with the fuzzy face... he must be my Dad. He's the only guy in here. Everyone else in here, I've never heard before. Or seen, obviously. They're all wearing pretty masks and rubbing all over me with towels. I guess I'd better say something now. Mom wants me to talk louder, so I do. It sure is nice to be on her outside instead of on her inside.

12:41 p.m. Sunday

- Whoa, what did Dad just do? Now there's this plastic clip on my tummy where I was hooked in to Mom before.

12:50 p.m. Sunday

- Hey, where did Mom go? This lady just took me over to a table and she's stretching me out. Oh, hey, there's Dad. He looks like he loves me a lot.

1:00 p.m. Sunday

- The lady stretched me out and measured me every which way. I know I'm supposed to be a good boy, so I was very quiet. Even when she stuck me with that pointy thing in the leg... I was still quiet. She said it was the first time she ever didn't have a baby cry when she did that. I'm a brave boy!

3:00 p.m. Sunday

- It's gotten a lot quieter in here. I'm all clean and sitting with Mom and Dad and Miss Susie. I think I need to catch a quick nap, and it turns into an hour.

5:00 p.m. Sunday

- Mom and Miss Susie are going to a new room, and Dad and I are going to the "Nursery." When we get there, there are other babies there, but none of them are as smart as me. I brought my Dad! The lady who gave me a bath put a special bracelet on my arm and my foot, and she put some special radio on my leg with an ace bandage. She says that the radio is to make sure that I don't go wandering off by myself without my Mom and Dad, and the bracelet is to make sure that I go with my Mom and Dad, and not someone else's Mom and Dad. I already miss my Mom, so it was good that we went right to the room to be with her.

5:30 p.m. Sunday

- Mom and Dad and I are resting in the room. It's been a long day already. I found out that I have something on my fingers that is pokey, and it makes little lines on my face that are called "scratches." Mom makes sure that I'm bundled so that doesn't happen again. She tells Dad to get some "socks" from "home." It's way too much new stuff for me to get all at once. I rest a little, and they start talking about me to people in little boxes that light up.

6:15 p.m. Sunday

- Two new people come to our room: Papa and Yia Yia. They're Mom's Mama and Daddy. They tell me that they are "proud" of me.

7:30 p.m. Sunday

- More people! It looks like a Mommy and a Daddy and little people. Mom calls them "girls." One of them sits up on the couch and Yia Yia puts me in her lap. She is so gentle, and she sings very pretty to me - my favorite song, "Away in a Manger." I think I like girls (for now.)

8:00 p.m. Sunday

- Daddy leave for this "home" place, and the girls stay and play a little longer before they have to go home. Then Daddy comes back and Papa and Yia Yia have to go "home." Everyone's coming and going.

9:00 p.m. Sunday

- Finally, it's me and Mom and Dad. Oh, and those ladies that had the masks on. They keep coming every now and then. They are called "nurses." Most of the time, they just talk to Mom and Dad about my diapers and when I eat. They're really nice.

9:52 p.m. Sunday

- I really am pooped after this long day, so I sack out. I think Mom and Dad got a nap in too. Mom is really tired, but she's still got a lot of energy. Dad is doing great. They think I'm going to sleep for a while, but I think I'll get them up around midnight. :D

All in all, I like it being on the outside better than the inside. I get to see Dad, and I get to see Mom instead of just grunting around in the dark.

I still wonder what "home" is?

(hat tip to Julie Lankford for inspiring this post with her family emails!)

email note and pictures

We tried sending an email to a BUNCH of you last night, but the connection at the hospital didn't like our Comcast SMTP server. Trying again soon...

In the meantime, here are a few pictures of Adam!