BLS Class

Tuesday I took a BLS, or Better Life Support class. I learned what to do in the event of a choking or cardiac arrest. I also learned how to use a manual defibrillator, and AED, a pocket mask, and a bag mask!!

This is a dummy with the AED pads attached. The AED tells you when to give a shock, stop compressions, and start compressions.

This is a bag mask. You would only use it in the event of a two-person rescue.

If it was just you, by yourself with an adult heart attack victim, you would:

1. Shake the victim. Call loudly, "Sir/Ma'am, can you hear me?"
2. Get a passerby to call for help. Alert another to find an AED.
3. If you get no response, feel by the trachea for a pulse. This should take no more than 10 seconds. Time is important.
4. If  you find no pulse, immediately start chest compressions. These take a lot of energy. Count out loud.
5. Once you've done thirty compressions, allowing chest recoil time, give two breaths. If you don't have a pocket mask, seal your lips around the victim's and breathe twice. Watch for the chest to rise and fall. 
6. Attach the AED pads under the left nipple and above the right.
7. The AED will instruct you to stand back, and it will shock the victim.
8. Wait for the AED to reanalyze.
9. Resume compressions, if the AED tells you to.
10. Repeat this cycle  until you see the victim breathing normally or until EMTS arrive.

So, as you can see, I had a lot of steps to remember! I also had to practice chocking rescue, and we practiced on adult, toddler, and infant dummies. Then we took a 25 question test. I was pretty nervous, as I was the only kid there, but I passed.

I am now a certified healthcare professional!!

Photos For 4-H

I'm sick. :(
 And instead of laying on the couch, I am posting. For you. :D 
Actually, I need your help! 
Comment and tell me which picture(s) should be submitted to the
4-H  Photo Contest! 

(1) My kitty Marion

(2) Oak Alley Plantation

(3) Henny Penny

(4) love

(5) Oak Alley , looking up

(6) inside a vase

4-H Food Extravaganza

    Every year I post about the District Food Extravaganza, but this year it's different. I'm a 4-H Senior, this wonderful age  limit between 14-18 that allows us to go to State!! WhooHoo! So, if you place first at county, and first at District, you have a chance at State. Sadly, I placed second. :(

However... I PLACED FIRST WITH MY FOOD CHALLENGE TEAM! WE'RE GOING TO STATE!!

My team

 It was so much fun and I can't wait for State! My team is super nice and I think we all work together well.
We couldn't believe it when they called our names. We were clapping, and then Katelynn said,"Wait-that's us! We won!"

All the people from our county who participated. We were up against a lot of competition.

This Week I...

.... made a pineapple upside down cake all by myself...

...worked at the hospital. We had a lot of little kids in for flu, bronchitis, pneumonia, and all those other diseases winter brings. I was able to wheel out  several of our 'pediatric population' (as Dr. E calls them) and help them spend their gift cards in the gift shop. (We give all the kids a gift card for free candy  at the gift shop) That's always so much fun. I also observed a five day old boy with jaundice, and helped prepared his paperwork.  I even got to take a 5 year old on a mini-tour of the hospital while his mom attended a briefing on his case in the conference room. He was so tiny and adorable! His feet couldn't even reach the foot rests on our wheelchair.

 ...practiced and practiced for 4-H food events with my team. Wish us luck, the big competition is Saturday. THIS SATURDAY. AHHHH! ...

...attended a 4-H council meeting with my friend K...

...And am currently sitting at Fresh (They have free WiFi ! Wooh!)  while my little brother Andrew attends a kids cooking class. And now I'd better get to studying my SAT words. I'm still in my scubs; maybe everyone will think I'm an incredibly young doctor writing her dictations. :)

Au revoir, my darlings!

Wow! A lot of you awesome blog readers are from other countries! I was looking through my stats today and was pretty shocked at from where y'all are all from. So, tell me, what's life like where you live? Is it warm or cold right now? Do you like living there? Comment and let me know!

Entry	Pageviews
United States	20499
Russia	1441
United Kingdom	1136
Canada	765
Ukraine	634
Germany	576
Australia	482
Mexico	324
France	310
India	287

     Macedonia                                                            12

Playing Games With Nursing Home Residents

So, my 4-H group and I recently volunteered to play games at a local  nursing home. I learned many new skills, the first being wheelchair bowling. You begin by setting up plastic pins in a triangular shape, and then roll a plastic ball into them. My job was to chase the plastic ball, bring it back to the bowlers, and keep score. The bowlers were so precious! One, obviously certain Ella, Elijah, Lainey, and  I were incompetent, would direct  us on everything from how to add the scores to how to set up pins - "one first, the two in the middle, three, and four in the back". One lady wanted to hold Ella and show her how to bowl. And one good-natured woman just laughed when she made a mistake and clapped when she got a strike.

 We set up pins, set up pins, and set up pins. And while that may seem redundant, those ladies NEVER got tired.

Meanwhile, Christopher, Andrew, and several other kids played checkers with some of the other residents. They played endless rounds of checkers and Wahoo, and, I must add, were excellent sports when one woman was caught cheating. (!) They simply grinned and kept playing.

I also re-learned how to play Spoons. My cousin Charles had taught me a long, long time ago, but I promptly forgot. So Abigaile and Colbie, these adorable little sisters in our group, took it upon themselves to teach me. (Thank y'all!) After playing with the nursing home patients for nearly 2 hours, it was time to go. We bade our new friends goodbye and went to Icrave, a delicious frozen yogurt place. It was awesome! I had key lime yogurt and  white chocolate mousse yogurt with white chocolate chips. Oh...It was so good.
Then we headed to Youth Church.

Goodbye for now!

I'm back!

It's been too long, dahlings! Here's what's been going on in my life lately:

 I participated in my 4-H's County Food Show. I made homemade Chicken Pot Pie, and I placed first in my category, so I'll be advancing to District,then hopefully State! At the same Food Show, I also participated in a Food Challenge(Think Iron Chef or Chopped). My team made the delicious meal below and gave a speech on it to a panel of judges.

My team!

I've also been gearing up for the Academic Rodeo Fashion Show. Instead of modelling a dress, you wear a specialty outfit. So I chose an outfit a female lawyer might wear. I prepared all the paperwork and now just have to model.

 I also wrote an essay on "Good Deeds" for the Academic Rodeo. If I win, I'm eligible for scholarships. Fingers crossed!