Whicker Family Christmas

May Day! Glenn made his long-awaited flight in a powered parachute with his Dad on 1 May 2006. It was a blast! And a BUST! On our 3rd takeoff, we hit a downdraft that slammed us into the roof of a garage in Syracuse, UT. Both Dad and I were hurt pretty bad, and I'm still suffering from a left leg that won't heal. More details are available at http://whick.com/fly/Mayday!.htm. Dad (age 73) has recovered nicely, while his young son is still being a wimp - I've had to use crutches for over 7 months already. Darn!	Here's a shot of my grandgirl, Brinly, pushing me in my wheel-chair during our visit to Kirtland, OH, during our cross-country move to Utah from Virginia.	Missionary! Our #4 daughter (by age, not quality!) is on her way to Neuquén, Argentina, to serve for 18 months as a missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. She has been in the Missionary Training Center for almost two months and is very anxious to head for Argentina itself in a few days (Dec 18). Her Spanish is steadily improving, and she's even been called to act as Coordinating Sister in her MTC zone.
	Farewell, Virginia! For Pioneer Day this year, we decided to become pioneers ourselves, so we started West with our wagon!	Hermana Ali Whicker Argentina Neuquén Mission P.O.B. 30150 Salt Lake City, UT 84130 WRITE HER!
We miss all of our dear friends there - many of whom we've known since our first arrival to Virginia in 1991. Thanks to all of you who made Dale City such a beautiful spot for us to raise our children in. They will always consider VA their home, and we will forever be your friends! Lyndsey especially misses her MIA Maid class, who were so loving to her, even as we left. Lyndsey remains the volleyball queen here in Utah! She's really enjoyed it, and also participates in choir at school, has completed driver's ed, has her learner's permit, and gets straight A's, as always. She's serving as MIA Maid class counselor, but she does have the luxury this year of getting released-time for Seminary, rather than having to get up so early every morning! She LOVES that idea! All-in-all, I think she has adjusted nicely to her new environment, though she doesn't yet have any friends as close to her as the gals were in Virginia.		Hello, St. George! The desert life beckoned, but Pam certainly wasn't prepared for 106-degree weather in August! Wowzers! That'll get your attention. But, we survived the hot spell and are now enjoying a very mild winter, though our home is a bit drafty. We have very little yard, but it's nicely landscaped. We're in sort of a retirement community - just one family with kids on our street, though there are plenty of kids just a couple of blocks away. Our ward is VERY large - it looks like Stake Conference every Sunday! And, there are very good people here. Don't let anyone ever lead you to believe that everyone in Utah takes the gospel of Christ for granted. Though that certainly exists (as it does anywhere), for the most part, these are good people all seeking for the same thing - to do what the Lord wants and expects of them. We've thoroughly enjoyed getting to know people. At school, kids' behavior is superb - they're polite, and even open doors for old guys on crutches! Classrooms are generally quite well-behaved.

Addie and Her Mom, Jami	New Grandchildren! We added Addison Harward to our collection of grands in October. Daughter of our #3 (by age, not quality!) Jami and her husband, James, Addie is perfect in every way! It's really fun to watch Jami as she becomes accustomed to the rigors of motherhood. She's a beautiful Mama and they'll both excel as parents. They live in Provo, so we get to see them often. It's fun being a grandparent! P.S. Two more grands are on the way! Cami, with a boy in March; and Tara in August (gender unknown)!	A Pet At Last! Because of Katie's trach, we've never allowed her to have a house pet (dander danger!). So she's been in dog heaven since our arrival here, because our sweet neighbor, Claudia, hired Katie to take her dog, Tilly, on a walk every day after school! The two - dog and child - love each other so much, it is just darling to behold! And we still don't have to have a dog in our house!
Two New Graduates!			New Career!
Both Jami and Ali graduated from BYU in April - at least that's when they walked the aisle! Actually, Jami finished her degree requirements in Dec 2005, and Ali finished everything up by August. But the April commencement was a beautiful time for all of us as we finished up with our 3rd and 4th college graduates! Jami, Pam and Ali			As we settle into St. George, with Glenn starting a new career teaching high school Junior ROTC and Pam organizing a new home, we wish to stop and consider the many blessings we have because of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We send our love to you, our family and friends, and hope you'll have the chance this season to consider all you've been given. There are no challenges we face that cannot be overcome by appealing to our Savior, and all of those trials can help us become more like Him. Have a blessed Christmas season, and may your heart be warmed knowing that you are loved by Glenn, Pam and the Whickerettes