Ethics VS My Morals

      I recently got into a relationship with a guy I've been twitterpated with for quite some time. Yes, go ahead and cheer for a few seconds...................good. :) My new boyfriend, Sam, is two years younger than I am. Hey! Age is but a number! Anyway, I am his first official girlfriend and since he just barely turned 16, he is barely being able to date. With our age difference, his father is a little bit uncomfortable with us dating. That can be frustrating at times.

      Sam is only allowed to go on group dates. A couple times, here and there, we've been tempted to say we're going on a date with many people, but then go on a date with just ourselves instead. It's tough, because I've been dating for awhile and my mom's okay with me going on a date with just Sam. Sam is having a tough time with it because he's been told his whole life that when he turns 16, he'll finally be able to date. So, morally, we both agree that it's fine that we go on excluded dates. BUT, ethically, we should obey his father's rules and not lie to him. That there is my experience with choosing between my morals and ethics.


By the way, we've never gone on a single date without permission. We're good kids!

Update on Time Management Skills

Since I've learned a lot more about managing my time, I think I've improved. Not by a whole bunch, but there's a difference. It will take some time. Going to my clinicals yesterday was a good way to practice those special skills!

http://www.occupationgifts.com/media/1633-nurse-watch.jpg

Time Management

Today in class we learned about the rock and sand theory. The rocks stand for the most important things in life and the sand represents the least important.

Has my time management improved at all this week? Yes, kind of...I've definitely been more aware of it. I didn't realized how bad I am at managing my time! :S

What areas represent the "rocks" in your life? I definitely think my schoolwork is a boulder in my life. I must pay attention on it. Schoolwork also goes along with preparing for college. And of course SAM is a rock in my life! ;) <3

What areas represent the "sand" in my life? I am addicted to games on my cellular device. Candy Crush, Plants VS Zombies, and Hay Day take up so much of my time. I also watch lots of TV.

 

 

 

What guidelines am I going to implement in my life to improve my time management? I definitely think that if I limit my time on electronics, I will have a lot more time to get other things done.

Think of an example/story to post: Yesterday is a perfect example of how not to manage my time. Right as I got home from school, my plans went haywire. I planned, in my head, to get my homework done right away and then I would head over to Sam's. But......I decided to just rest my eyes for a few minutes. Yeah, I took a two hour nap. Whoops! I woke up to a text from sweet Sam giving me the "A-Okay" to come over. So, I headed over with no homework done. I stayed over there, happily, later than usual. I got home around 10:30 and I was tired! The homework was due first hour, AKA my mom's class, so I HAD to get it done. I forced myself to stay awake to get it done. By 12:30, I got to bed. Yeah, I should have either gotten a better nights rest the night before or I shouldn't have left without my homework completed. That was bad time management.

Managing My Time

Today in class, we discussed how well we spent our time yesterday. I thought I did a pretty good job with my time management, but after our discussion and activity, I realized that I don't do as well as I thought.

Time management to me is all about your schedule and how well you follow it. I schedule my time around what needs to get done and what I want to do. Without sleep and the temptation of my phone or TV, I could probably manage my time much more efficiently.

Last weekend on Saturday, I planned to just relax, watch TV, nap, and not do anything else. When I woke up, though, my energy level was higher than usual. So, I decided that I should take advantage of such a rare thing and get some things done. I did all the laundry, finished some homework that wasn't due for awhile, made jell-o, and I started to garden. Garden!!! I love to garden and I never have the time or energy to do so. I cleaned up the dead plants and got rid of some of the branches that fell off of my huge tree. At the end of the day, I felt really accomplished. I even felt better when I saw some daffodils budding. Yay!

Group Decision

        I am the kind of person who doesn't particularly like to work in groups. I'd much rather just get the job done all by myself. With that being said, if I'm put into a group, I expect the others to work as well. I prefer to be the leader because I feel out of control if I'm not.
        Recently, the girls swim team took state. Whoo! Winning state means that the team is able to get state rings.  Whoo! Whoo! A lot of the members didn't really want to spend a fortune on a ring that symbolizes a high school sport. So, I helped make the decision to get the rings from a different company than what the school usually buys from. Our captain went on a small business website and picked out a few choices. Some of the senior girls, not me, narrowed it down to one ring. The decided ring is not to my liking. Yes, it's less expensive and yes, it's not a big bulky state ring (we can wear it after graduation), but it looks cheap, it will probably last maybe two years, and it is likely that the ring will turn our fingers green. Maybe I'm just being negative.....
        I like how we talked about our concerns and we worked together to find a ring. Although I don't like the final decision, this a good example of a team making a decision.

These are the rings..

Decision Making - Traps!!!

Life or Death and Crisis Situation

In this episode, Baljeet is having trouble making decisions. He's afraid that if he chooses one thing, something bad will happen. So, Phineas and Ferb come to the rescue!!!

Ellen on Making Decisions

I don't know about you, but I love Ellen. Since my class is currently discussing decision making, I thought showing you this video would be a great idea.

Songs Related to Decision Making

Miss Wallentine had us listen to Sittin' on the Fence by George Strait today in class. While listening, we wrote down decision making steps and rules that came to mind. With this exercise, I realized that everyday things are related to making decisions. Here are four songs that contain lyrics involving decision making:

1. Ain't Got Rhythmn by Phineas & Ferb. In this song, Phineas and Ferb are trying to convince a drummer from Love Handle to get the band back together. The drummer feels like he has no rhythm and he loves his job at the library, so it's not necessary to restart the band. Ain't Got Rhythm Music Video...Click Here!
2. Don't Take the Girl by Tim McGraw. When you love someone, you tend to make unbelievable decisions for that person. In this song, the guy goes through his life making decisions and persuading others to make decisions around a girl. 
3. Drops of Jupiter by Train. As I'm about to get to the point in my life where I make my own decisions for myself for everything, I can relate to this song. A girl decides to leave this guy in order to try new things and explore a new life. She comes back, though, and she has to make a decision of whether to stay with this guy or continue on with her new life.
4. Let Her Go by Passenger. I absolutely love this song. Every example he sings has me saying in my head "that's so true"! The whole songs reminds one to make decisions before time runs out. Don't wait and lolly gag around to make a decision that needs to be made quickly.

Recap of the Last Few Lessons

I hope you enjoy this as much as I enjoyed preparing it for you! ;)

Decisions! Decisions! Decisions!

HELP!!! Okay people who are reading this (all 6 of you), I need your input. As some of you know, I'm close to graduating from high school. Graduating = moving on to college. I've narrowed it down to 3 universities; Weber State, Southern Utah, and Utah Valley.

I'm obviously trying to decide which college to attend. They each have pros and cons and I need YOU to help me choose the best one!

Weber State is ranked 1st in Utah for its nursing program. That is very important to me. If I decide Weber, I will live at home. Rent will be $400/month which includes gas, electricity, Internet, TV, groceries, health and car insurance, plumbing, and 24/7 mommy service. Great deal, eh? I think so. The only two problems I have with going to Weber are socially related.

SUU would solve some of those socially related problems. Down in St. George is where my sister Amanda and my nephew Skyler are living. Like I mentioned in my first post, Amanda and I are very close. Her and I still keep in touch, but I feel like it's not the same and I want to change that. Also, my nephew is growing up. He's growing up quickly and I am up north missing each second of it. I don't want to do that anymore. If I attended SUU in Cedar, I'd be much closer to them. I also have a few good friends who go there. There are some cons to SUU, though. First, I'll be far away from my mom. That would be extremely tough with me being a momma's girl and all. Second, the nursing program there is not as good as Weber's.

UVU is my other option. I've gone on a few tours there and I am really impressed with that campus. My biggest worry for when I'm in college is that I won't enjoy that "college life". I want to be able to meet new friends, explore my options, and discover who I really am. I have really close friends who are currently there. So, that would help. One of them is an ambassador, actually. She informs me about all of the different activities and projects that the university has to offer and I know I'd really enjoy them. Also, UVU has an awesome dance program. Getting back on a dance floor is a need for me. I've missed dancing so much. The nursing program is like SUU's; not as good as Weber's.

For the first year, it is impossible to get into the nursing program at Weber. I have to take certain prerequisites beforehand. I guess I could get my generals and take those prerequisites at either SUU or UVU and then apply for the nursing program at Weber for the next two years. Yeah, I think I might do that. What do you all think?

The only problem I'd have with that plan would be the struggle with finding required classes that will transfer. Hopefully that won't be too bad. I'm sure Weber has transfers all of the time for their nursing program.

I have scholarships and financial aid with all three universities, so that won't be a problem. I also have living situation plans for each one. It really just narrows down to the schooling and social preferences.

6 Steps of Descision Making:

Identify and Define the Specific Problem (check!)
Generate Alternatives (check!)
Evaluate Alternatives (check!)
Selecting a Solution
Implementing the Solutions
Following Up and Evaluating the Results

What a Coach Really Is

         When Mrs. Wallentine first asked me what a coach was, I could only think of one thing: a person who teaches others. I didn't go into much detail. I didn't realize that a coach was much more. This past week, I've gained knowledge about what a coach really is.
          We did an activity where we shared the way we eat an Oreo. Do you eat the cream first, then the cookie? Or do you add peanut butter for extra taste? Surprisingly, each person in the classroom had a different technique. Now, think of the different coaches and teachers and leaders you've had. Were they all alike? Or was one a "cream first, then cookie" kind of person and another a "peanut butter" type?
          Every coach is different just like how each person is different. One may be more knowledge-based. They are experienced and work around facts for success. Others may be more facilitative. They care more about individual success and learning along the journey. Both are effective and not one is better than the other.
          Next time you think of what a coach is, I hope you can think of more than just a person who teaches others.

Coaching

1) What is coaching to me?

     Coaching to me means that one person who is an expert at something teaches another to become an expert, too.

2) What does it take to be a great coach?

     To be a great coach one must have determination, passion, and empathy. A coach needs to connect with their "team" or "protégé" in order to build a good relationship which will help in the long run. If a coach wants what the coachee wants, the two can work hard to achieve goals. Having empathy will also help the coach, if the coach doesn't put themselves in the position of the coachee, the coach won't be able to help when problems occur. A great coach goes the extra mile to complete goals.

3) How does it differ from other helping positions?

     If you compare a coach and a boss, you would probably notice that a friendship forms within a coach. With a boss, the situation is more of a ruler who makes rules and punishes if not followed; no fun there. I mean, a boss can be a type of coach. It just depends on how their leadership skills are. 

                               

10 Rules for High Performance Teamwork

1. PUT THE TEAM FIRST

"Where me becomes WE." What does everyone want? What is needed in order to help the team accomplish their goals?

2. COMMUNICATE OPENLY & CANDIDLY

Communication is key. Without explanation, people tend to get lost. Don't hide things from one another. Talk to accomplish.

3. BE PART OF THE SOLUTION, NOT THE PROBLEM

Everyone should participate. Work together. If you don't, you become the problem. Don't become the problem! Help! Share! Express yourself!

4. RESPECT DIVERSITY

Everybody is different. Work with it, not against it. Each talent is like a puzzle piece to the team's big picture. You are important to the team, but so is each team member.

5. ASK & ENCOURAGE THE RIGHT QUESTIONS

Questions are the paths to answers. Don't be afraid to "wonder why." Ask questions! What's he worst that can happen? An answer is given? No problem there!

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6. USE A RATIONAL PROBLEM-SOLVING PROCESS

Make sure everyone can understand what's going on; the problem and the solution.

7. BUILD TRUST WITH INTEGRITY & EXAMPLE

Be the person who you would want to work with. Hopefully, others will do the same. Trust is important, without it, not much is accomplished.

8. COMMIT TO EXCELLENCE

No drive? Why be there? Work for something and do it to your best ability. Don't be that one person who weighs the team down. 

9. PROMOTE INTERDEPENDENT THINKING

Build upon each other. Be a pyramid; have a strong base in order to continue to the top. Rely on each other..it's okay!

10. PULL THE WEEDS 

Remove negative components. Give everyone room to grow. Be a garden, not just a potted plant. 

                           

Recipe for a Successful Team

Recipe for a Successful Team

You will need:
A coach
Other members (as many as you feel is needed)
1 longterm goal
1/2 cup of strength
1/2 cup of positivity
1/2 cup of motivation
A few short term goals
A leader or two or three or four or more
2 cups of hard work
1 cup of adaptability
1 cup of patience
1 tbs of "forming"
1 tbs of "storming"
1 tbs of "norming"
1 tbs of "performing"


Instructions:
     First, the coach (you) has to gather a group of people who can possibly work together (this has much variety, be creative). Make sure that this group has something in common: a long term goal. If the group does not contain these ingredients, simply add them: 1 cup of hard work, 1 cup of adaptability, and 1 cup of patience. Mix in large bowl. Second, the coach should watch over and discover key traits the members contribute. Third, the coach should have the group vote for a leader(s). Remember; the coach has final say in who the leaders are. Make sure these leaders contain at least 1/2 cup of strength, 1/2 cup of positivity, 1/2 cup of motivation, and 1 extra cup of hard work.
     Once the leaders have been picked, get them to work; preheat that oven to 350°F. Stir up their minds. Handpick with them the details of the long term goal that is going to be completed and short term goals for the journey. Have the leaders share their ideas with the rest of the group. Mix and pour in 9" by 12" glass pan. Bake for 35 minutes or until friendships start to show.
     In a separate, small pan, mix together the forming, storming, norming, and performing AKA the "orm"s. Heat on low for 5 minutes. Once ready, pull out the pan in the oven and quickly pour over the "orm"s. Chill for 1 hour and enjoy!
     Feel free to any alterations. Add a pinch of positivity here or a few pinches of patience there. This recipe is quite flexible. ;)




http://www.chsbs.cmich.edu/leader_model/development/media/Movies/remember_the_titans.htm

My Goals

I'm 18 and about to graduate high school. It's time to write down my goals, don't you think? Well lucky for me, I have a bit of an idea of what I want to accomplish in my life. I'm one of those students who already know what they want to go into in college..whew! So let me first tell you about that.

I have a passion for almost anything medical. That field fascinates me. The field within that field that fascinates me most is the emergency department. The adrenaline rush that comes along with it excites me. Also, being there for people in such a scary situation is something I know I can do. One of my strengths is "empathy" which probably explains why I'm okay helping out the frightened patients and families. I plan on getting into the nursing career by attending Weber State; the school ranked 5th in the nation for its nursing program. Throughout the 2 years of earning my associates degree, I will work as a CNA for experience. That kind of preparation and experience is something that will definitely benefit me.






Family life? I have a nephew in St. George whom I love so dearly. I'm missing out on him growing up and I do not want to do that anymore. I plan on moving down there for awhile. I'll work there and watch him grow up.









I don't plan on looking for a man to marry, but if I find one with the same values as I do and he can make me laugh, then marriage might become a factor in my life. Whether I'm married or not, I would love to raise adopted children. Ever since I was little, I've had a strong feeling that adoption is my calling in life.



I think the biggest of all of my goals is to live happy. I want to regret nothing and learn instead. I want to forgive and deeply love. I want to be remembered as the hardworking and positive girl. That's what I want to accomplish most.

Leah, Leah, Leah....Don't You Triple Leah Me!

        You want to know about me, Miss Wallentine? Well you're in for a show then! Let's start out with the beginning of my life. When my sweet momma was 8 months prego with me, she went in for a check-up. The doctor noticed that I had lost a lot of weight. He ordered an emergency C-section for the next day; Wednesday, August 16th, 1995. After cutting her stomach open and ruining every stomach muscle she had, my mother was free from me at exactly 12:37 pm. Once the nurses got me to breathe, my parents held me. They took one look and knew right away that I would be named Leah Dallas DeSantos.

Baby Leah

Prom 2013

        On September 9th of that same year, was my due date. It was also the day my heart decided to stop beating. Wow, thanks a lot heart! Jeez! I was in the kitchen with my mom while she was paying some bills and she looked down for a split second and looked back up to find me in the shade of deep blue jeans. Yeah, I probably stopped my mom's heart, too. I was then life flighted down to the hospital and I actually died. Apparently I'm in my second life now. It's not as great as they say. Oh well, I came back to life. Yay for the medical people!
        One very important thing about me that you should know is that the person who likes to claim me as my father is someone I don't like to call "dad". My mother married a man who soon turned into a monster. My father abused my mom, my siblings, and me. Not so much physically, although, he did throw vacuums and slapped my mom a couple of times. The majority of his abuse was mentally and emotionally. Walking on eggshells is the perfect way to explain how it was at home. None of us knew what his next action would be. Would he be angry that the pickle jar was on the right side of the fridge instead of the left like last time? If I ask "What's for dinner?" at 5:00 instead of 5:30, will my favorite stuffed animal's head be chopped off in front of me? These types of situations haunted us and still haunts us today.
        Things are better now, don't worry. My mother worked hard to escape such a "man". She went to nursing school which was the fastest way to a well-paying job. She planned out our lives day by day and for the future. It was hard for her, I know, but she did it and I don't think I can ever repay her for it. My father went on a long-term business trip to Guam during this time....hallelujah! After a couple of years of him living so far away, he called my mother up and told her that they should probably get a divorce. I don't know the full details, but I do know that he was "secretly" seeing another woman; the same woman who is now married to him. What a poor, poor girl. We do feel sorry for her, but she was the answer to my momma's prayers. My mom was now free, though. We were free from him. Him being across seas and divorced from my mother? What more could we ask for? Well.....never mind. ;) It was now time to enjoy life.

My mom = my best friend

Can't you tell that Amanda and I are sisters?

        I was born into a family with 3 other children; one brother (Dustin) and two sisters (Amanda and Corinne). All of them are older than I am which makes me the baby. I absolutely love it! Dustin and I are 11 years a part. He loves and cares for me like a father and makes sure I am a-okay. Amanda, 8 years a part from me, is like my second mother. She fed me, babysat me, entertained me, bathed me, etc. during the time my mom went through nursing school. My family likes to call the two my "safety and care" team. Corinne, on the other hand, was not so much a parent-like sibling to me. Six years separate us. No, I wasn't an accident. Due to the fact that Corinne was the youngest for so long, jealously between us was a big factor. We don't get along too well. When she got into middle school, things got worse. Corinne was diagnosed with Bipolar and other mental illnesses. You can only imagine the horror I went through during the times she babysat me alone.
        My immune system might as well be crap. I get sick so very easily. I'm not joking. During my 8th grade year, I became very ill. It got to the point where I had to be home schooled from October to the rest of the year. The lights bothered me so badly I had to wear sunglasses indoors and walking and eating became huge tasks of my daily routine. I was eventually diagnosed with A Septic Meningitis and developed Fibromyalgia from it. Fibromyalgia is a chronic muscle/fatigue disease that causes your nerves to overreact. Too loud or screeching sounds and strong odors literally hurt me. It's tough, but staying positive is what I try to do.

My splits are "swinging"

        Okay, enough with the depressing parts of my life for now. As the years of my life went by, I grew up to be the person who I am today. I started dancing at the age of 2 and up until last year, I was constantly in a dance/cheer group. That's 16 years of non-stop moving and grooving. Dancing is a passion I will always have and I will never stop expressing myself that way. I also love to run. Feeling my legs burn with each step and breathing, well trying anyway, the fresh air, and tasting the salt from the sweat dripping down is something I crave. Swimming is another thing I enjoy. I barely started this year. I've always had a thing for being in water, I mean, my family calls me their "water baby", so I guess I always knew I should be on a swim team. I love it. I feel so healthy every time I get out of the pool and the atmosphere, especially with the team I'm on, is so positive and heart-warming. I have other hobbies, too. Sometimes I scrapbook. Playing Sims is my absolute favorite past time in the summer. Oh! And reading..such imagination reading brings to you. A good book in one hand and a PB&J in the other next to my heater is probably where you can find me at 4:00 in the morning. Seriously, that's what I do. Celebrating is my favorite hobby, actually. I will celebrate anything if I can. Birthdays are number one for sure. I love my birthday, but others are just as fun to celebrate. CEL.....EBRATE GOOD TIMES, C'MON! duh na na na, duh na na na! Trying new things is a huge part of me. There's a first time for everything...why not have as many firsts as you can have?
        Now with the basics: my favorite color is seafoam green. That color carries so much happiness with it. My favorite animal is a fox. Everybody thinks that a platypus is, but no. A fox is definitely it. Their fluffy tails are just so...fluffy! Phineas and Ferb is my life. That TV show can always cheer me up. Those two are the most positive characters in my life. I will never let them leave me. Either Life is Beautiful or Forrest Gump is my favorite movie. The story lines bring tears to my eyes every time. With that being said, Tom Hanks is my favorite actor. I love that guy. You know, he is so rich now that he picks and chooses the movies he stars in? Cray cray stuff right there! I am a die hard Broncos fan. Go Broncos.  And last, but certainly not least, my favorite food is anything with peanut butter (oreos, jelly, chocolate, and by itself) and my favorite drink is raspberry lemonade. Mmm, mmm, mmm!!!

Proof that my sodium is low

Chocolate ice cream & salt

        I may seem weird to you in this next paragraph (if I don't already do), so beware. Salt. I love salt. I eat it on anything and everything; you name it. Soup, tomatoes, watermelon, apples, extra on popcorn, right from my own hands, and chocolate ice cream. Yes, I just said "chocolate ice cream". Don't judge unless you've tried it. I am low in sodium due to my fibromyalgia, so you could blame that. But, I do love the taste. Mmmmmmm....salt. I'm thinking about putting a salt lick on my next wish list for my birthday.

Current Black Lover

        Here's another set of random things about me. I have been in two life-threatening car accidents: a 4 1/2 end over end rollover and I was side swept by a semi causing me to swerve through the median, across two lanes of opposite traffic, down a hill, and into a fence. Both ones resulted with the car totaled, but me walking away. I am blessed. I don't sleep with a pillow. I feel suffocated with one underneath me. I collect blankets, though, so I guess that makes up for it. I love wearing high heels. Crazy, I know. My hair is naturally curly, I try to appreciate it. I have an obsession with popping zits. That ties in with my dream job. I want to became an Emergency Room nurse. I will become one. From there, I will marry a black doctor, with a bacne of course, and the two of us will adopt 8 children; two of them girls, the rest boys. If I don't find that special guy, I will become a cat lady and I'm all right with that. In fact, I'll be proud of it. Cats are cute and won't break your heart. So there! Ha!

My cat Whisper and me

        All right, I guess I should end my autobiography for now. Thank you for taking the time reading this. I'm so very jealous you're heading to Denver right now. Go Broncos! I hope you learned a few things about me.

PS my top five strengths were:
Empathy
Activator
Individualization
Communication
and Consistency