Most Recent Updates (Aug 2010)

Check out the latest Blog Update.  All of these entries were recently added:

1.  Cody & Whitney’s Wedding:  Getting There
2.  Cody & Whitney’s Wedding:  The Bridal Shower
3.  Cody & Whitney’s Wedding:  Aunt Sam’s House
4.  Cody & Whitney’s Wedding:  The Salt Lake Temple 1
5.  Cody & Whitney’s Wedding:  The Salt Lake Temple 2
6.  Cody & Whitney’s Wedding:  The Reception
7.  Cody & Whitney’s Wedding:  Getting Home
8.  Grandma Nolden’s Book:  “Escape from Hellfire to Freedom”
9.  Fallen Trees
10.  Happy 50th, Frank!
11.  The Missionaries & Laurie Hale
12.  Youth Temple Trip:  South Carolina
13.  “Mormon Night” at the Atlanta Braves Game
14.  First Day of School 2010
15.  2010 Ward Pioneer Party
16.  Frank at Work

Cody & Whitney’s Wedding: Getting There

We are sooo happy that Cody found a perfect match for him in Whitney.  They are both amazingly strong, kind, intelligent, spiritual individuals…it will be exciting to see what great things they can accomplish together in this life and in the eternities!

We recently returned from a fabulous trip to Utah where they sealed for “Time and All Eternity” in the Salt Lake Temple of  The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  Everything turned out beautifully and we got to have a mini famiy reunion at the same time (bonus!). 

I (Shayne) got to fly out a few days early to help Whitney’s mom with some of the Reception food and also to spend some time with Cody and my Sister, Samantha, and her family before the big day.  I felt guilty having Frank drive the other 6 kids 31 hours across the country by himself…but…luckily, he is amazingly good at anything he does (and patient), and I had a FABULOUS rest and got rejuvenated! 

Frank drove through the night to get to Utah…they stopped at a Rest Area for 4 hours to sleep and then he drove on.  The other six kids were missing several (“unexcused absence”) days at school, so, unfortunately, the rest of them didn’t get to hang out too long in Utah and enjoy the vacation like I did.  But it was still a great time for everyone.  They were able to stop over in Monticello for a short day before they came on up to Spanish Fork, where my sister lives…then we stayed with her for a couple of nights.

Check out the pictures I got from the trip and the wedding.  I didn’t get as many as I would normally have because we knew we would be getting a disk of photos from a professional photographer (part of Whitney’s family) afterward…so, hopefully we will be able to share those with you soon.

On the road....Kansas

Playing cards with Grandpa in Monticello...always a treat!

Donovan (9) has just recently become old enough to play with the adults during our favorite game: Zion Check. He went out on the last hand (it only went around twice...if you play the game, you know that's good)...and won the whole thing!

Grandpa Slade

Ashley cuddled up in one of Grandma's beds.

PJ lounging in front of the TV...

PJ

Megan...what are you doing??

This was taken going north out of Monticello (coming off Peter's Hill)...headed toward Canyonlands and Moab.

...look at the low clouds hovering over the valley below Peter's Hill..

...it is so beautiful there!

One of the favorite things for the kids to do in Utah is climb Wilson Arch...it is a natural arch that is right along-side the highway between Monticello and Moab. If you climb up you get a spectacular view!

...climbing up...

...more climbing...

...and at the top...

Cody & Whitney’s Wedding: The Bridal Shower

I was lucky to get into town just in time for Whitney’s Briday Shower, put on by her mom, Kathy.  It was held at a relative’s home in Provo, and I took my sister Samantha with me and two of her daughters, Tristan and Ashton.

Whitney and her mom, Kathy

Whitney playing around with her nieces before the shower

Whitney and her niece

Quail outside the Provo home where the Bridal Shower was held...

 

 

 

 

Kathy and her granddaughter

Kathy and her granddaughter

Me with my sister Samantha and her daughter Ashton

My sister, Samantha, with two of her daughters, Ashton and Tristan

Whitney with her nieces

There a reason Whitney was blowing bubbles. One of the games was for Whitney to guess how Cody answered certain questions, like "What is Cody's favorite Shirt," or "What is 'your' song?" Every time she got an answer wrong she had to add another stick of gum to the amount already in her mouth. So, this is her trying to blow a bubble after all of the questions. :-)

Whitney with one of her gifts from the night...it was a Kitchen Theme...

Whitney and more gifts...

Cody & Whitney’s Wedding: Aunt Sam’s House

One of the cool things about the wedding is that I got to spend time with family (the “mini” family reunion).  My whole family lives in Utah and I live in Georgia…so it’s not always easy to do that.  We stayed at my sister’s house and the kids got to see their cousins.  I also got to spend time just hanging out with Cody, which was awesome.

This is my FAVORITE Sister, Samantha!! She is one of those awesome people that you just love to be around.

Tristan (Sam's daughter)

That's my beautiful Mother! She had just had her gall bladder removed the week before and still wasn't feeling that hot...but she was determined to be there no matter what.

Cody hanging out with Miley (the dog)

Miley...she's such a cute dog.

Grandpa Slade...gotta love him!

Everyone enjoyed laying on the "Utah Grass." You don't have to worry about ticks, chiggers and other weird crawly things...so they took advantage. It's weird how lawns are so much more lush in the desert.

Megan and Liz enjoying the grass...

Bronson (Sam's son) showing his moves on his bike...

Grandma and Cody

Cody with Grandma and Grandpa Slade

Cody & Liz with Grandma and Grandpa Slade

That's Grandpa causing trouble...

Cody, Shayne, Grandpa & Grandma Slade

Lizzie loves her Grandma

Ashley hanging out after a busy day of playing...

We dipped 20 lbs. of strawberries for the Reception! I've never done that before...I learned a new skill. These are all of the helpers that got it done (LtoR): Sam, Shayne, Tristan (front, Sam's daughter), Megan, Grandma, Liz, Heather (Sam's Daughter), and Steve (Heather's boyfriend).

Many, many STRAWBERRIES!! They were VERY yummy!

...and more strawberries...

Cody & Whitney’s Wedding: The Salt Lake Temple

Cody and Whitney were married at 9am on a beautiful Saturday morning in the Salt Lake Temple.

The beautiful Salt Lake Temple in Salt Lake City, Utah.

The Salt Lake Temple

The Salt Lake Temple

This is Cody and Whitney when they first came out of the Temple after the wedding/sealing ceremony. We were all outside waiting for their exit.

 

Cody and Whitney Nolden!

Whitney giving Ashley a hug...

Cody and Whitney headed to the back of the Temple so we could take family group photos.

This is Whitney's Cousin...she took a bunch of professional photos for us...which hopefully I will be able to share soon. I didn't take as many photos because I knew we would be getting good ones from her afterward.

The Wedding Party...we are all looking at the photographer, this was taken by someone off to the side (obviously ;-). I don't have any of just our family with them...I should've had someone use my camera while we were up there getting them taken.

 

 

 

Whitney and her family that was able to be there. Her brother and his family was there. She has another brother that was in the MTC getting ready to go on a mission for the church and another brother that is in the military. Besides her parents, she also had two grandpas and a grandma there.

Whitney's maternal grandfather

Whitney's paternal grandparents. Grandpa Richards was the "Sealer" or officiator for the wedding ceremony. We found out that day that he actually spent some time as the Salt Lake Temple President in the past...how cool is that?

Cody & Whitney’s Wedding: The Salt Lake Temple 2

Here are more photos from the morning of the wedding.  The kids couldn’t go into the temple for the ceremony, so they waited outside on Temple Square for a little while. 

The kids taking off to explore while we were in the temple...I guess they spent the first 20 minutes trying to find a bathroom for Donovan. We were there by 8:30 and nothing opened up until 9:00.

Ashley, Mikayla and Megan in front of the reflecting pool by the temple...

Ashley, Mikayla and Megan in front of the reflecting pool by the temple...

PJ, Donovan, Ashley and Mikayla

Megan (15)

Ashley (11)

Mikayla (14)

I guess there was discussion as to whether or not the "Salt" Lake Temple tasted like salt...so Megan tested the theory...I guess not.

Mikayla and Megan occupied themselves for a while with a very interesting lady bug.

Donovan and Ashley contemplating the cosmos.

PJ

Some of the kids with Grandpa Searles

Liz (and Frank in the background) while we were waiting for Cody and Whitney to come out of the temple

Grandpa and Grandma Slade

Grandpa Slade having a chat with Grandpa Searles

Grandpa Slade and Grandpa Searles

Don Searles with Don Searles (10). Donovan was named after his Grandpa Don.

Megan (15)

The girls in the colors of the wedding (bright pink, bright orange, and bright green).

All of the kids together looking very sharp (LtoR): Donovan (10), Liz (17), Ashley (11), Cody (24), PJ (12), Megan (15) and Mikayla (14).

Grandma Slade and Grandma Searles

Shayne with Grandma Slade and Grandma Searles

Liz (17)

This was near the end of the photographs on the Temple steps...

The "Jump for Joy" ?

Cody & Whitney’s Wedding: The Reception

The reception was GORGEOUS!!!  Whitney’s family had a friend with a beautiful home that sat right on the banks of the Provo River in North Provo.  The backyard was lush and fantastic.  I wish I had gotten a lot of pictures…I am waiting to see the ones from the photographer.  I was so busy talking to family and friends that were there (some that we hadn’t seen in quite a while) that I didn’t get any pictures of them (unusual for me).  There are so many of you that I hope the photographer got on film.  But THANK YOU to all of you that came and shared in Cody and Whitney’s big day…I know many of you came from far and wide!  The whole day was WONDERFUL!!!

Earlier in the day, before the reception, we had a luncheon for immediate family. This is the family waiting for the luncheon to start.

Frank with Whitney's Grandma and Grandpa Richards at the luncheon. Grandpa Richards performed the sealing in the temple.

Cody and Whitney taking a short break when no guests were going through the line.

 

Shayne and Frank with good friends the Lysles, who were in our ward in Las Vegas, but had moved to Idaho. They drove down from Idaho to be at the reception.

Kyle let PJ think for a second that he could take him down...yeah, right ;-).

 

Liz, members of the Browne family (Kyle and Amy here), and Cody's old roommates helped decorate Cody and Whitney's car.

 

 

 

Cody & Whitney’s Wedding: Getting Home

We had to leave for home early the morning after the wedding to get kids back to Georgia for school.  We drove the whole 31 hours and only stopped for food and potty breaks.  It’s 31 hours if you don’t stop.  I drove from 3am to 9am, while Frank slept…and he drove the rest.  It wasn’t that bad, at the time…but it took me several days to get back to a “normal” state…not that I was normal before.

Did you have any idea these road-side signs were so BIG?? We didn't. That's PJ (12).

We made a short pit stop in Frisco, Colorado. It was a really pretty town.

We had a small, portable DVD player in the very back seat. The middle seat had this TV and the Playstation to keep them busy. It helped on the way there, but on the way back no one was really interested in playing. The younger kids did watch a lot of videos though.

This is the HUGE (3 miles?) tunnel at the top of the mountain in Colorado before you start descending into Denver. On the other side of the tunnel we got caught up in all of the traffic going back to Denver after spending the weekend in the mountains. We drove 20-30 MPH for about two hours until we got to Denver...it is just like the traffic heading back to LA after a weekend in Vegas...never take that trip on a Sunday night. It kind of set us back a bit.

Liz and I got really bored and started doing the "Wave" with our feet out the window...check out the video below.

Liz, PJ and Megan making the best of the trip.

The famous St. Louis (Missouri) arch.

Frank grew up as an Army Child...so he moved around a lot. He spent most of his high school years in Clarksville, Tennessee, near Fort Campbell. He hadn't been back there in 30 years, but he was able to take a drive around town when we drove by on this trip and find his old home and high school...that's always a fun thing to do.

I had never been to Nashville, Tennessee...but I can't say that anymore. Of course, I only caught a glimpse from the freeway...one day we will have to go back and see the sites.

 

Grandma Nolden’s Book: Escape from Hellfire to Freedom

Frank’s mom is German.  She was a young child during WWII and she and her family suffered much due to the atrocities of war.  Frank’s parents recently wrote a book about her experiences.  It is called, “Escape from Hellfire to Freedom,”  and was recently spotlighted in Das Fenster Magazine (“America’s oldest and most popular German language magazine”).  The preface of the book says this:

“This book is an accounting of a German family and their struggle to remain in tact, to survive the hardships and destruction of war caused by the bombing of their home, and the city they lived in.  It is the story of two women, a grandmother and mother, and the two small children with them.

It tells of the death and destruction of thousands who lived in a  city that was completely destroyed by constant bombing by the British, and finalization of this destruction by creating fire storms with the final blow to the city by the Russian assult and capture of the city.

The story goes on recalling ship passage to Denmark, and the daily life and struggle of four years in a refugee camp.  Additionally the book describes the subsequent displacement to other camps to reach their final destination of Heilbronn, Germany, and the reuniting of the family.

It is the story of their plight to stay alive, remain together and find refuge with other sympathetic German families, foreign countries, other German cities and relocation after the war.”

CLICK HERE to Purchase the Book

Helga and Harley Nolden - taken on their 50th Wedding Anniversary (this year)

Fallen Trees!!!

The night we got back to Georgia from Cody’s Wedding (in Utah)…we found that we had a tree down in the backyard…and it just happened to slice right through the play structure out there. We learned later that another tree had fallen in the forest behind the house…and it was attached to our deer stand/tree house that the kids (used to) play in. One other tree (that we know of) fell across one of our four-wheeler paths (see photos of Liz).

I guess a major storm moved through the area while we were gone for a week. We do feel blessed, however, that none of the trees fell on our home or hurt children while they were playing outside.

Oh, one of our air conditioning units broke while we were gone too. Most of the bedrooms were too hot to sleep in. So after driving through the night (we left Utah Sunday morning and got back to Georgia Monday evening) we couldn’t sleep in our beds and get a good night’s rest .

A direct hit! No more playing here :0(

...I guess Donovan didn't get the memo...

This is a BEFORE photo. This was taken back in July...you can see what the playhouse was supposed to look like.

The two trees had grown too closely together...I guess that's what made it unstable.

The bottom of the playhouse....

A super ugly crawl-a-mochie on the trampoline. Just par for the course in Georgia.

Looking at the play structure from the opposite direction.

Donovan and his buddies Dillon and Daniel went into the forest to play today and this is what they found....no more treehouse!

You can't see it here, but the two trees that supported the tree house (deer stand) were right at the edge of a "deep" ravine. A lot of the roots were exposed into the ravine. You could see (after it fell) that a lot of the tree was very rotted inside.

Donovan with Dillon and Daniel (twins) standing near the fallen tree (maybe not the best place to stand...now that I think about it).

Donovan has a lot of fun with Dillon and Daniel!

And this is the other tree that fell across one of the paths...and Liz...showing how sad we are about it ;-).