So, I haven't updated this blog in a while. In fact, it has been over three months. I am going to try to get back into the swing of things. I think part of the reason I haven't been updating is that I've felt like we haven't had much to share. Probably the biggest news of the past three months was that the students in my school, with the support of parents, teachers, and community members, logged 1,247,277 minutes of reading in 193 days and, as a result, I am now bald. I'll start growing my hair back after school ends in about five weeks.
Today, though, I wanted to share the text of a talk I gave in Sacrament meeting today. I was asked to speak about strengthening the family through the Gospel of Jesus Christ and was encouraged to use recent General Conference addresses as my framework. Below is the text of the talk I wrote, which is pretty close to what I actually shared. I had several people tell me afterwards that they really appreciated my message and requested copies so they could read more.
Sacrament Meeting Talk
Crafty Craftiness
So... um, so much for writing a new blog post once a week. I don't even remember how long it took for me to stop. I keep meaning to update, but then life happens and I don't get around to it. I probably have too many blogs that I try to keep up with in the first place. I update my teaching blog every day there is school. I update the million minutes blog a few times each month, and I thoroughly neglect the GreedCycle blog that Gretch and I started over a year ago.
Anyway, Gretch and I have had a lot going on, but since we really don't want our blog to be just medical updates, I haven't been writing about them. And since the day-to-day activities of our lives rarely seem to be "blog-worthy" (other than my teaching which, as already mentioned, is blogged about elsewhere), I end up not updating this blog as much as I probably should. Who knows, maybe I'll get back into the swing of things this year. New year, new chance to hold myself to a standard of updating our blog once a week.
With all of that being said, Gretch has asked me to make a post about all of her crafty craftiness that she has undertaken over the past few months. You may recall that we decided to learn how to knit about a year ago. While we haven't done much more than knitting a few scarves, Gretch remembered that her grandmother had taught her how to crochet many years ago. Gretch quickly picked it up again and has been craftily hooking ever since. Here are a couple of the projects she has completed:
| First crochet craft: an amigurumi Adipose from Doctor Who. Some friends sent us the pattern, and this was the impetus for Gretch relearning the art of crafty hooking. |
| Two security blankets: Granny Square blankets with amigurumi heads. The pink one is an owl, the green one is a dinosaur. |
| A Superman hat and blanket patterns also created by Gretch, both made for Gretch's sister, Erin, who is expecting a baby in February. |
| A beanie with the T.A.R.D.I.S. on it. From Doctor Who. Made for Gretch's brother, Jonas, upon request. |
| An amigurumi Toothless from "How To Train A Dragon," made for my baby sister, Ariana, for Christmas. I found the pattern and asked Gretch if she could make it. Ariana squealed with delight when she saw it. |
| An amigurumi scops owl made for Gretch's best friend, Hannah. The scops owl is her favourite owl. |
| A scarf made using a crocodile scale stitch, for Gretch's sister, Kalina. |
If that is all Gretch has done, I'd say you would have grounds to be very impressed. But she has also undertaken several other projects. One of them was her creation of Reverent Rachel, which I mentioned in the blog post about her church responsibilities. This is what she looks like:
| Here is a PDF of the pattern. Feel free to use it. If you can remember to credit Gretch Valencic for the creation, that would be super cool of you. If you don't give her credit, that's not very nice. If you try to claim it is your work and I find it, I will be very put out. |
| This is a felt nativity that is sewn and stuffed with synthetic fibers. Here is the PDF pattern that also includes patterns of the wise men, shepherd, and angel. Gretch didn't come up with the original idea, but we can't find the originals online. Gretch pieced together the ideas and made the patterns on the PDF. If you happen to know who did create them, please let us know! |
| This is a wood block nativity. Gretch traced the pictures that Aubrey found, but we can't find the originals. If you happen to know who did create them, please let us know!. Here's the PDF pattern that she made to share. |
Lots of Hair
I can't remember if I shared with my friends and family here what I am doing with my hair these days. I have shared it on Facebook, I have shared it on my teaching blog, and I have shared it on the blog that is tracking the awesome project that involves my hair. And because this blog is meant to be a chronicle of the things Gretch and I are doing, I figured I'd post it here, too. Besides, I think there are some friends and family who don't actually use Facebook or follow my teaching blog, so there's that, too.
I last got a my hair really cut back in March when Gretch last cut it. In early August, I got my hair trimmed and shaped, but that was all. At that time, it had reached approximately 8 1/2 inches in length. It is now somewhere around 9 1/2 or maybe even 10 inches. I haven't measured it lately to verify, though. I do know that when I straighten it out and come in straight back, I look like something that crawled out of the 80s.
Gretch, who had been busy watching a documentary of some sort when I did this, insisted that I get a hair-tie from the bedroom so she could play with my hair. (This has taken the place of her painting my toenails, which she hasn't done since last May.)
My hair is officially long enough to be pulled back in a ponytail! And yes, I have a LOT of grey hairs! She also French-braided my hair, but that didn't work out quite as well:
The reason I am growing out my hair is because I decided to use my hair as an incentive to get the students at my school to read. A lot. The academic excellence goal for the year is for the school community, which includes students, teachers, family, and friends, to read for at least 1,000,000 minutes. When we reach the goal, I will be getting my head shaved. Not cut, not shortened, not buzzed. Shaved. I'm talking about taking a razor blade to my scalp and leaving nothing by a shiny, pale misshapen lump. (I am certain that this is an accurate of my head minus hair. Gretch thinks it will be rounder.) As it is, this is what my hair normally looks like these days:
As of this past Friday (December 7), we are at 162,381 minutes, which means we still have 837, 619 minutes to go. We started this project on September 28, but we've been picking up the pace over the past few weeks as more students have been turning in reading logs. We have a few businesses in the area who have offered to track their minutes, and friends outside the immediate school community. We don't want this be something that is just done by the students and teachers at my school, though. We want friends and family to join in. It is really easy to do, too. All you need is something to read (a book, a newspaper, a magazine, a manual, a blog, Facebook, an audiobook, a graphic novel, a comic book, or even a wordless picture book), and a timer. Record your minutes and send me your log! A version of the official reading log can be found here or here. (They are two sizes: full-page or half-page.) We would love to have you join us!
Also, I am really looking forward to getting a haircut!
Where We Go From Here
Many of you are aware that Gretch and I have been undergoing the process of vitro fertilization (usually called IVF). This process has been the culmination of a year and half of treatment for infertility. After a failed intra-uterine insemination (IUI), our doctor got us approved for IVF. There were a handful surgeries between getting approved and finally meeting with the IVF specialist who works out of Indiana. We met with him for the first time in September and had plans made for IVF at the end of November.
There was a huge period of concern at the very beginning of the process because of issues with Gretch's cycle going all crazy for the first time ever. Fortunately, things started on the last possible day and we got started with the month-long process of subcutaneous injections to prepare for IVF. This involved a daily dose of a drug called Lupron that inhibits the process of ovulation. Then there were the daily doses of Menopur and Bravelle, which stimulate the development of follicles in the ovaries, which are where eggs develop. You may have seen this picture on Facebook, but I'll share it here, too:
Church Responsibilities - Gretch Edition
Whoops. I was going to update last week about Gretch's callings and I forgot. And the week before I said that I would definitely write about it. So even though I considered writing a post about the end of our first gardening adventure, I suppose I need to get this post about Gretch done.
Gretch's dad wanted me to ghost-write for her, but I'm not going to do that. Even if she does have the ability to update this blog, I think we've all come to accept that I do the writing. She will edit occasionally and offer input, but it is mostly my responsibility for no other reason than I do it. So no, William, I am not going to write as if I am my wife. I couldn't if I tried.
So, what has Gretch been up to in church? Well, when we first got married, she and I were called to serve in the Nursery together. Then we were moved from the Nursery to teaching the 10-year-olds' Primary class. I did a lot of the talking in class while Gretch prepared the materials, handouts, etc. That lasted until we moved to our current place.
For quite some time, Gretchen had no specific calling in our ward. Then she was called as the Relief Society Volunteer Opportunity Coordinator, or some such thing. I honestly have no idea what the calling was actually, well, called. Essentially, it was her responsibility to find out all of the volunteer opportunities in the community and pass them on to the sisters in our ward. Except there was someone else in some other ward who did that for the entire ward quite often, so she (Gretchen) ended up not doing very much. The one shining exception was when the Bishop asked her to coordinate our ward's participation in the LDS Day of Service. She contacted folks at a variety of parks and recreational facilities and eventually landed us at Lake of the Woods in Mahomet, where members of the ward gathered to clean up trash, pick up large branches that got in the way of mowers, and gather up these spiky ball seed pod things that were everywhere. It was a great activity, and Gretchen did a fabulous job planning.
Then for the next several months, she wasn't asked to do much. In early 2012, Gretchen was asked to accept a calling in the Primary. Specifically, she was asked to teach the Sunbeams class. The Sunbeams, for those who are not aware, are the children between the ages of 3 and 4 years old. In this class, there were four children, three girls and one boy. Gretch was very nervous about accepting this calling, since she has long felt that she is not a very good teacher. (Personally, I think she does a great job, but only when no one is watching to evaluate!) Each Sunday afternoon, I looked forward to hearing the tales of Gretch's adventures with these wonderfully sweet children. Throughout the week, I encouraged her as she planned her lessons, found resources that actually made sense and didn't look like they came straight out of the 1970s, and offered advice (when asked) on how she could resolve minor behavioural issues. I don't know how much it was appreciated, but Gretchen and I both made it a point to talk to parents about their children after church on Sunday, to share both good and bad things.
(At some point in the middle of all this, Gretchen was released as the Relief Society Volunteer Coordinator. We think.)
One of Gretchen's greatest triumphs with her class was when she came up with the idea for Reverent Rachel. This was a simple paper cut-out of a girl sitting with her hands folded neatly in her lap. Next to it were a few simple phrases to remind the children what it means to be reverent in church. Around Reverent Rachel were the names of the children. If a child was not being reverent, his or her name would be removed from the chalkboard. If the child's behavior did not change, then he or she missed out on the treats at the end of class. But if the child did change his or her behavior, then they, too, got to have snacks. It was simple, it was fair, and it created an atmosphere of reverence and learning that was needed for their class.
Another thing Gretchen did was used one of her stuffed frogs, named Freddy, as an object lesson nearly every week. The kids loved Freddy! They would teach him how to fold his arms, how to pray, how to sit reverently, and they would take turns holding him. There was probably more, but those are some of the key points I remember.
Then about two months ago, Gretch got a call from the Executive Secretary in our ward, who is responsible for scheduling appointments for members of the Bishopric. One of the bishop's counselors wanted to meet with her on Sunday before church, and asked that I come with. Gretch was very upset, because she had a feeling it meant she was going to be released as the Sunbeams teacher, and she had really grown to love not just the children but also the opportunities to teach each week. Her feeling was accurate: In addition to being released, she was extended a call to serve as First Counselor in the Relief Society. (Note: I have just been informed that, technically, there is no number assigned, and that she is the Activities Counselor. But people still call it First Counselor. It doesn't really matter, though.)
While hesitant to do so, Gretchen accepted and has jumped into the calling full-force, which is, of course, what she typically does when asked to do something. In addition to meeting with the members of the presidency and discussing the needs of the sisters in the ward, Gretchen meets with the Relief Society activities board and helps them plan their meetings. She makes regular visits to the sisters, encourages them, and socialises in a way she hasn't done for as long as we've been married. She has even started a knitting group that meets twice a month! I help her by making sure she is up early on days she has meetings, by encouraging her to attend her activities, and finding out information about new families as they move in. (You may recall that I am the guy who helps everyone move.)
And that's what my dear sweet wife has been up to in church. Oh, and she gave Freddy to one of the girls in her class as a gift. Not sure what happened to him, though.
Behold Your Little Ones
I wrote last week about the callings I have in church and said I would write about Gretch's callings this week. However, I've changed my mind due to events that happened in church this afternoon. If you were looking forward to reading today about what Gretch does in church, I apologise. I'll get around to it eventually. Besides, this post is somewhat related.
Today was the annual children's Sacrament meeting presentation in church. For those who are not familiar, Sacrament meetings are the general congregational meeting in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Instead of having a minister, priest, or pastor deliver a sermon, members of the congregation are invited to deliver brief messages (talks), usually 5-15 minutes in length. But once a year, the meeting is turned over to the children in the Primary, who share what they have been learning all year through brief messages (30 seconds to 3 minutes) and songs.
The program is outlined in general terms by the General Primary Presidency in Salt Lake City, Utah (where the LDS church headquarters are located), and then adapted to local needs. There are several themes that are taught in Primary throughout the year, typically in month-long units. As mentioned last week, I teach the oldest children in the Primary in our ward (congregation). The students in my class were invited to write brief talks related to each of these monthly themes. Then the younger children shared personal experiences related to the topics. Each topic was separated by a song that the children all sang together.
For several months, Gretch taught the youngest children in the Primary (other than those in the Nursery), called the Sunbeams class. She is no longer teaching them (more on this at a later day), but she still feels a particular connection with the sweet three-year-olds she taught. So both of us have a deep personal interest in the annual Primary Sacrament meeting presentation and have spent months learning the songs along with the children and helping them practice their lines!
During the program, all of the children and their teachers were sitting on the raised platform, called the stand, at the front of the chapel. This isn't exactly what our chapel looks like, but it is fairly similar:
Church Responsibilities - Alex Edition
I somehow managed to forget to write a post last week, and now I don't even remember what the topic was going to be. In an effort to avoid having that happen, I am writing now, before Gretch has even woken up. I thought I'd give a rundown on the different responsibilities that Gretch and I have in church now, since I haven't done that in an awfully long time and I realised there may be family members and friends who may not even know. (And if you don't care, well, this is our blog...) However, I am turning this into a two-part series so that this post isn't too long. I'll update you on what I have been doing first, and then next week I'll update on what Gretchen does at church.
For nearly three years now, I have been the Webelos Den Leader for our Cub Scout pack. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is one of the largest supporters of the Boy Scouts of America, and nearly every unit in the United States has a Boy Scout troop and Cub Scout pack chartered with it. Due to the nature of where we live, many of the Latter-day Saints in our area are graduate students at the University of Illinois. There are plenty of non-students, too, but by and large, we are a grad student congregation. This means that there are a lot of young married couples with very young children, and handful of older parents with teenagers, and several even older parents with adult children, most of whom have moved out by now. What we don't have very many of are parents with pre-teen children. We have three congregations in our immediate area, and because there are so few children of Cub Scout age, the three congregations have combined for one Cub Scout pack. So I work with the Webelos from three congregations in the Champaign-Urbana-Savoy-Mahomet area.
The Webelos scouts are the boys who have just turned 10-years-old. Some Cub Scout programs have the boys start Webelos earlier and spend two years in the program. They typically meet every other week. We start our boys later, keep them for just one year, and meet each week. For a long time, we took a break over the summer, but I have come to realise that this is not ideal, since it takes away time for the boys to work with their den members on advancement. However, of all the boys I have worked with over the years, only three have failed to earn their Webelos badge and the Arrow of Light award, and that has been largely due to the boys not wanting to work on their own. (The truth of the matter is that there are advancement requirements that Webelos scouts need to do independently or with their families, so if they don't work at home and they miss a lot of den meetings, they are not going to earn the badges and awards.)
I have six Webelos scouts right now, but I am losing one in about two weeks. But then I'll be picking up another one a few weeks after that. Our numbers tend to hover right around six. Like I said, we are a small group. I have had two assistant den leaders for the past year, but one just moved to St. Louis and the other has just been called as a Cubmaster, which means I need at least one new assistant den leader ASAP! I have been told that our local church leaders are working on it, though.
The other responsibility I have at church is teaching three Primary classes: Valiant 9, Valiant 10, and Valiant 11. For those who are not familiar, Primary is the LDS church's Sunday School program for children 18 months to 11 years old. There is a Nursery (18 months to 3 years old) that Gretch and I worked in when we first got married. Then there is the Sunbeams, for three-year-olds (Gretch had been teaching this until recently. More on that in a bit.) Then there four CTR (Choose the Right, a slogan used in Primary for a very long time) classes, grouped by age: 4, 5, 6, and 7. The Sunbeams and CTR classes compose what is known as Junior Primary, and are principally children who are not yet baptised. Then there are four Valiant classes: 8, 9, 10, and 11. The numbers for each class represent the age of the children at the beginning of the year, when they enter the class. (This is a change that was made in 2010. Before that, the number was the age of the children at the end of the year.) The Valiant classes make up the Senior Primary, which is mostly children who have been baptised. (Not all, though, as there are children over the age of eight, which is the age of baptism in the LDS church, who are not baptised for a variety of reasons.) If you've done the math, you'd think that I am teaching a third of the Primary.
Well, kind of.
I have a third of the Primary classes, but I have just six students in my class, and only five of them come on a regular basis. I have one nine-year-old, three ten-year-olds, and two eleven-year-olds. One of the ten-year-olds is my student who doesn't come regularly, and the other two are boys who are also in my Webelos den. So we get to hang out a lot. It is fun.
My Valiant students are awesome. We are studying The Book of Mormon this year. My main goal is for them to be familiar with the stories of the text so that in later years they will have the foundation firmly in place as they delve more deeply into the doctrines. (In the LDS church, our Sunday School program rotates through our four main books of Scripture: The Old Testament, the New Testament (both from the King James Version of The Holy Bible, The Book of Mormon, and The Doctrine and Covenants. For those who are familiar, when speaking of the Scriptures, the LDS shorthand for the several books is "the Standard Works" because they are our canon. However, the Bible is usually considered one "book"--even though it is actually several dozen--but we split it in half for our yearly study. Also, we have another book, The Pearl of Great Price, that we use along with the other books.)
Last week and this week, though, we have taken a break from our course of study so that the children in the Primary can practice for their annual Sacrament Meeting presentation, where they share with the entire congregation what they have been learning all year long. (I am not sure why we are doing the presentation at the end of September instead of November or December, but it probably has something to do with timing of other events, like conferences, holidays, etc.) Last week was our first run-through of the program, and we weren't made aware of it in advance, so it was a bit shaky. I am hoping it will go better this week and then they'll be all ready to go next week! Then we will get back to our reading and studying of The Book of Mormon.
So that's what I've been doing in church. Since the time that Gretch and I got married, I have worked almost exclusively in the Primary. We started together in the Nursery when we in the Champaign 1st Ward, then our ward boundaries changed and we were in the Mahomet Ward, where we co-taught the Valiant 11 class (which is now the Valiant 10 class). Then we moved into the Champaign Ward (formerly known as the Champaign 1st Ward) and I was called as the Webelos Den Leader.Shortly after, I was asked to teach the 12-13-year-olds Sunday School class, but I was still with the Cub Scouts, which are under the direction of the Primary. I did that for a very short period of time before being asked to teach the Valiant classes that I have now. There are some people who would not think it "fair" or "appropriate" for our church leaders to ask me to volunteer my time teaching children who are between the ages of 9 and 11 because that is what I do professionally. However, I love teaching children and I especially love teaching this age group! And I love working with the Scouts. So I am quite content where I am!
Next week: Gretchen's calling. (Yep, just one, so it'll be a shorter post.)






