Elder Mangum

Madison and Dad at Cousin Brady's Wedding Reception
Madison standing in the Idaho State stadium after a tough loss to every part of Idaho except the Treasure Valley

Madison and me standing in the parking lot of BSU and the Taco Bell Arena after his high school graduation!

And then...POOF! He's gone for two years. Okay, I have way more pictures of our new elder than that, but loading takes forever, so...

Anyway, Madison Clifford Mangum is headed to the MTC tomorrow (Wednesday, January 27th, 2010) and after nine weeks of language training, he will be off to San Antonio, Texas in the Spanish speaking mission for two years!

When you think about it you feel like, "ARGH! Two years is too long." But then time flies, and before you know it the teenager is back looking more mature than ever. Especially this stud of a guy will be looking sharp and amazing when he comes home.

Madison has always been known as the peacemaker. He's a man of few words, but when he does speak it's always something funny or important. He's my tickle monster, the weirdo in the family, and the Cooper lover (besides me).

We will all miss you, Madison, and we hope you have a great experience in good old Texas. :)

I Got a House

It's one storey, but it's a nice and big one storey. It's a beautiful house in a beautiful neighborhood. Church is just down the street, but sadly I'll have to be bussed to middle school. I'll still be coming to my awesome elementary school in Boise to finish out the year, but the move is at the end of February.

Our friends are moving into my two-storey house, but it's not as spacious as this one-storey house. We hope you like our home, Serena, Ryan, Jackson, Taylor, and Samantha.

I've come to realize this past month that maybe this move WILL be a good experience for me. I'll go to church in Eagle but go to school in Boise, so by the time I enter middle school I'll already have some friends. (There are 11 eleven-year-old girls in my primary class!) And hopefully my good friend Colton will go to school with me. He may move to Meridian, though. I'll have to ask him. The only problem is that school starts at -- drum roll, please -- 7:35 AM! School will get out at 2:40 PM. Here in Boise junior high starts at 7:50 AM and gets out at 2:35 PM, so we have twenty more minutes of school than junior high does. :( I'll get used to it, though.

I'll miss all of my friends so dearly. It'll be so sad leaving my long-time friends behind. I will visit a lot, though. :) Hakuna matata. (Means "no worries" in a language I can't remember, maybe not even in existance!)

I love you all, and I hope you have a great Martin Luther King Jr. Day tomorrow! :D

♥ Abigail ♥

Lefty Birthdays for Saturday and Sunday:

Actor William Hope (1/16)
Actor Jim Carrey (1/17)
Singer Tex Fletcher (1/17)
Inventor and philosopher Benjamin Franklin (1/17)
Comedian Steve Harvey (1/17)

Catching Up

So much has happened this past month.

I've described all the events, and now I have pictures.

When loading the pictures...

the most recent pictures appeared on the post...

as the first pictures.

So the events are backwards.

The reason I'm writing so big...

and starting my sentence on another line...

is because loading the pictures gave me tons of space.

I want to use it all and not waste,

so I'm doing this. :)

I had so much fun this holiday season...

missing school and being with family in Utah.

Too bad homework comes in the picture. :(

December 26th, 2009 - John Peay and Madison Mangum playing our family gift: SingStar!

December 25th, 2009 - Christmas Morning! Look at our tired eyes. The crowd seems so small now that Parker's gone. :(

December 23rd, 2009 - Las Vegas! I wasn't there, but I uploaded pictures.

I ♥ COSMO COUGAR!!! :)

Parker got to play in the Las Vegas Bowl at the very end. :)

December 5th, 2009 - Parker and Meegan's Wedding and Reception Day!
We lit sparklers, ate a yummy dinner and dessert, danced on our own dance floor, and went in the Empire Room. So FANCY! :)

December 4th - It was my birthday, but we also went to dinner at an Italian restaurant in downtown SLC! Near the site of the Freak and His Freakiness. Yes, it's close to where this guy shone his iPhone in my face and said, "Give me a kiss." Yeah, it was creepy...but I lived! :)





Three of the Eight Mangum Hotties :D

What a Decade

I can't believe it's here: 2010. Just the thought of me being alive for more than ten years amazes me. I remember wishing so badly to become a decade old, and now I'm in the year of when I'll be turning the last age of tween days, getting my ears pierced, and (sadly) getting braces. :O There's something I won't enjoy this year. That's not until December, though, so let's just take a preview of the first half of 2010:

January

• My dear brother Madison on January 27th will be going to San Antonio, Texas for two years serving for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints in the Spanish speaking mission.
• My now married brother Parker will be having a Boise open house reception at the Barber Park Event Center on January 9th.
• Madison will turn 19 on January 8th!
• Volleyball and basketball seasons begin for me! ☺
• Martin Luther King Jr. Day takes place on January 18th!
• Blake's 11th birthday is on the 5th.

February

• One of my best friends Journey celebrates her 11th birthday on February 9th!
• Valentine's Day is on the 14th.
• Another one of my best friends Ashley celebrates her 11th birthday on the 15th!
• President's Day is on February 15th!

March

• St. Patrick's Day is on the 17th.
• My 9th grade friend Hannah celebrates her 15th birthday on March 8th.
• My other brother Tanner turns 16 1/2 on March 8th.
• My friend Jake turns 11 on March 23rd. ;)

April

• April Fool's Day is on the 1st.
• Kami's birthday is on the 5th!

May

• Mother's Day is on May 9th.
• Memorial Day is on May 31st.
• Roaring Springs Water Park opens on the 31st!!!

June

• Father's Day is on June 20th.
• School gets out on the 4th!
• Moving day is sometime this month.
• Dad's 53rd birthday is on June 11th!
• My sister Meredith's 23rd birthday is on June 25th!

There's a good half for you. If there is anything I am missing, leave a comment and let me know. Have a happy 2010!

♥ Abigail ♥