So good, I can see us on a beach down in Mexico.

As quoted by B.o.B.

I followed his advice, and went to Mexico.

Cancun, to be exact.

Playa del Carmen, to be more exact.

All eight of us Mangums took the 7-hour flight to Cancun to lie out on the beaches,

to discover what Mexican culture is like,

to get outta town,

to get a tan,

to watch Hunger Games with Spanish subtitles,

to discover Mayan ruins,

to play volleyball and water basketball,

to eat lots and lots of Mexican food,

to shop,

to explore.

There will be pictures later.

But I will say now that I had the time of my life.

Yeeeuh.

♥ Abigail ♥

P.S. It's been almost four years since Truly Abigail made its first appearance! Holy.

Florida Bound

Hello.

It's 10:10 PM.

In exactly 7 hours and 50 minutes, I will be waking up to go to the airport.

At 6:55 AM, I will fly to Phoenix.

From there, to Orlando.

Yes, that's right.

ORLANDO, FLORIDA.

Home of Walt Disney World and Epcot,

Hollywood Studios and the Magic Kingdom.

Am I excited?

Heck yes!

Partly because I get to show off these babies:

partly because I get to go to Disney World and all those other places,

partly because I'm going to Tanner's All-American football game,

and partly because, well, it's FLORIDA!

Never in my life have I been to the east.

I think the farthest east I've been to is Denver.

That's just sad.

I got a spray tan just for this special occasion.

And boy, do I look tan! And completely non-orange!

Yesssss.

Well, next time you hear from me, I'll be in Orlando rocking short shorts, tank tops, those beauties up there, and sunglasses.

Ohhhhh yeahhhhh.

♥ Abigail ♥

April

April. The time of year when the weather is unpredictable. It may rain one day, then shine brightly the next. April. The time of year when you have a right to wear shorts and a t-shirt after wearing snow pants and ski parkas all winter long. April. The time of year when you're actually excited to walk your dog. April. The Easter Bunny comes along, hiding Easter baskets throughout the whole house. April. Who could forget mating season? New life comes in April, making Earth seem a whole lot younger again.

This past April has been a busy one for me. With track five days a week, basketball three days a week, and other activities taking place, I've felt that I haven't had any time for anything, including blogging. I honestly haven't thought about my blog once this whole month. I even missed the Truly Abigail three-year anniversary! Sorry, blog:( I promise to blog at least three times a month this summer.

Like I said, track has been occupying much of my time. We have it from 3:00 to 4:30 every day. Then I usually have some extra-curricular activity afterwards. To sum it up, I have been booked. We had our first track meet last week against Lake Hazel and Meridian. It was a good meet for us; the girls beat the other teams by more than 40 points! I competed in the 100M dash, the 200, and the 4 x 100 relay where I was the anchor leg. I was proud of my times! This is what they were:

100 Meter Dash

Original Time: 15.2 s

New Time: 13.5 s

200 Meter Dash

Original Time: 34.7 s

New Time: 30.5 s

We also won our relay. I was on a 6th grade team when I competed in the relay, but was moved up to the A team with the 7th and 8th graders just recently! Although I was put as 3rd leg, I'm just proud to be in the position I am! Maybe at our upcoming track meet against Lewis and Clark I'll beat our anchor leg's time.

Also, I have been taking piano for a couple months now! I may be just a beginner, but I'm already playing in G position, which with the average 8-year-old, it would take 3 years to learn. I'm definitely learning a lot:)

Hope spring is just swell for you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

♥ Abigail ♥


P.S. I ended up not getting braces! I guess my teeth aren't "fully developed". August will be the month!

Luck of the Irish

Happy St. Patty's Day.

I'll be off in Twin Falls for a basketball tournament while you all enjoy your green day. 

♥ Abigail ♥

The Green Grass Grows

Life has been a blur these past two weeks. I can't exactly remember anything, so I'm going to put events in a random sequence.

The common cold has been going around, and I caught it.

AAU season ended; our record was 7-3, which isn't too bad.

I feel sick after eating Pop Tarts.

Cooper's ear puffed up, so it looks like a balloon now. We have to pop it...gross.

I can't think of any story ideas.

Spaghetti and chocolate milk is all I want.

I have about 37 pairs of shoes.

I grew a quarter of an inch.

Meredith just got here.

I have my future planned out: I'm going to go to vet school, become a world-famous veterinarian, and write several books with my photography in it. And if I'm lucky, I'll get to play basketball in Europe. All four dreams in one job. Then I'll get married to a hot hunk, live in a mansion off of Homer Road, and have three kids. Two girls and one boy. I'll also have a beagle named Pookie.

Nani's funeral was very emotional, yet very comforting knowing that she's in a better place now.

I've gone skiing only once this year.

Justin Bieber turned 17 on March 1st!!!

I bought Pimple Popper for the iPad. That's some intense stuff.

I have a crush on someone...

I want the iPhone 4. So bad.

I just counted. I now have 38 pairs of shoes.

Cooper's getting fat.

I rolled my ankle the other day, so I wear a brace in games.

I dance around when no one is watching.

Meredith is sleeping.

I didn't get a valentine on Valentine's Day:(

Spring is coming; I can't wait.

We have 62 more days of school left.

I had an All-Star basketball game on Friday; we killed 'em. :D

Mom is baking a cake right now.

I have a short temper.

I can't sit still...I think I have A.D.D.

I'm getting braces in two weeks.

I trimmed my hair to get rid of all the split ends I've pulled. 

I get to go to Twin Falls for a basketball tournament!

I'm alive and I'm happy.

And that was my long two weeks made short. Thank you.

♥ Abigail ♥

12 Years Living

On Saturday, December 4th, I turned 12 years old. For me, this is a great accomplishment. It means I am given more privileges, I have survived twelve years of life, and, most importantly, I get to advance from Primary to Young Women's.

Primary, in our Mormon terms, is the place kids from ages 3-11 go for the third hour of our three-hour long church. You sing songs from the Children's Songbook, learn one lesson per Sunday, and suffer an hour of obnoxious little kids. By the time you're ten years old you're wishing to escape into the peacefulness of Young Women's. That's where girls aged 12-17 go for the third hour. Boys go to Young Men's. There you are surrounded by well-behaved girls who are always willing to help with any problem of yours. It is easier to focus, for it is quiet in the room. The only noise you can hear besides the teacher is the hum of the furnace. 

I got to go to my first lesson as an official Young Woman on Sunday. We learned about the Nativity and thoughts about Christmas. For the first time in years I actually enjoyed listening, whereas in Primary I would never pay attention. I am excited to be with these girls; this should be quite an adventure.

As a celebration for surviving twelve years on Earth, I invited five girls over and together we went bowling and watched a basketball game (well, we didn't exactly watch). We had so much fun laughing, eating until we felt sick, and failing in bowling. No one could get the right technique down, so no one got very many points...except for me. Although I used the wrong technique, I scored 98 points, which is my new record! :) Bowling definitely isn't my sport, or anyone's, for that matter. No worries. We took lots of pictures (the ones above are just a few) and had the time of our lives. If I could relive one night of my life again, it would be that one. I don't think I could have a better experience.

Now Christmas is just around the corner; the house is covered in red, green, and lots of bright lights. I can't wait to see what this one has in store!

Oh, how I love December.

♥ Abigail ♥

Thankful

This past Thursday was a special day for my family and (hopefully) everyone else celebrating Thanksgiving. I had a huge feast with my parents and two of my four siblings. The grand dining room table was covered in some of my favorite foods: turkey, rolls with a lot of butter, mashed potatoes, and cooked carrots. It was probably one of the greatest meals in history.

The day before, Dad, my sister Meredith, and I packed up to drive to Salt Lake for the annual dinner my grandmother holds every year for my father's side of the family. There has not been one year where I haven't gone to the dinner. I am always so used to walking into Grandma's mansion and seeing the kids' table in the living room and the adults' table in the dining room. There are name tags set up in front of every platter, each individually written for every person in the family.

The three of us were very excited to once again go to the dinner, for we all were anxious to see our family after a few months, but as we went farther down the highway, we began to go slower and slower until we were driving only 30 miles per hour. The icy roads had slowed everyone down; Dad groaned in frustration. It wasn't until we were two hours into the trip that we realized we wouldn't make it until 8:00. So we pulled into a small town called Wendell, grabbed some lunch, and turned around. Though we were disappointed we wouldn't get to experience the gourmet meal Grandma always prepared, we also knew it wasn't worth it to drive seven hours to Salt Lake and then come back home the next day.

Thanksgiving day was even better now that we were home. This was my first year not being in Utah. We ate a meal that was identical to Grandma's, made by my lovely mother. It was even better since we had Tanner and Mom with us for the special occasion. We ate until we felt sick and had a Scrabble tournament (we are the masters at that game, let me tell you). Then we went to a movie called The Next Three Days. Russell Crowe is the main character, and he plays a father whose wife is accused of murder and is put in prison innocently. He has to risk his whole life to free her from lifelong captivity. It's an intense show; I strongly recommend it.

Now back to the point of the post, shall we?

I have so many things to be thankful for. If I was asked to name everything, it would take days to finish off the list. Literally, I don't think I could be any happier than I am now. To prove it, I'll post some of my gratitude list on here.

I Am Thankful For...

• the Internet
• slippers
• lazy days
• the sun
• Snuggies
• a body built to play basketball
• my chance to come to Earth
• shoes
• my family
• older siblings
• wise parents
• guidance
• jackets
• snow on the ground
• Christmas
• TV
• breaks from school
• teachers
• a personality of my own
• this blog
• capability of choosing right from wrong
• Nike
• my bedroom
• water
• Pepsi
• the challenges in life
• my height
• friends (and lots of them!)
• bikes
• laughter
• little kids
• swings on a playground
• the moon
• Meegan- if you hadn't come to Parker's rescue, he'd be desperate for love by now!
• music
• orthodontists (no matter how much pain they put you through)
• life lessons
• the world
• Cooper
• the mall
• hardwood floors to slide on
• hickey bobbing in the winter
• the church
• an older sister
• three football-playing brothers
• time
• cruise control
• school (no matter how boring it is)
• junk food
• movies
• the night time
• BYU
• loyal neighbors 

I have so much more, but I think I should stop now before I can't stop writing. I just think that I should take more advantage of what I have instead of wasting my time wishing for things other people have. I have so much to live for; why should I use all of my time here fretting about boys and drama and all the other time-wasting things? I ask myself this question all the time, but I don't have an answer for it.

Honestly, I really don't think I ever will have an answer.

♥ Abigail ♥

P.S. My birthday is on Saturday!

P.P.S. Happy late birthday to Parker! 26 years already?!

On Harry Potter

I was lucky enough to witness this movie on Saturday afternoon. My family, deciding that it was time we all see a movie together, was amazed by how much the actors have grown up. Just seven or so years ago the first Harry Potter came out, and they were such young kids around my age. Now, they've all (definitely) gone through their puberty and are looking more like adults. 

Like many, I was disappointed that they put the movie into two parts instead of one. I am too impatient to wait until summer 2011 to find out what happens to Harry once and for all. The end of the first part leaves you wondering what is to occur, and that just made me even angrier. I don't think I can make it six months without drawing conclusions. I am hoping that there is a twist to the end, like, "It looks like Harry is doomed until Voldemort trips over a rock and dies." But that is not possible. Voldemort isn't that clumsy, is he? Besides, that would ruin the whole story.

I think I am in the middle of one of those celebrity crushes again. Daniel Radcliffe has turned out to be a surprisingly attractive hunk, and you can't help but drool over him, even with the glasses he wears in the movie and how he always seems to get dirty right after he showers. Are your feelings the same for me, Mr. Potter? 

I cannot wait for the next episode to come out in summer 2011. Until then...

♥ Abigail ♥

P.S. Happy (almost) Thanksgiving!

P.P.S. My birthday is in less than two weeks! WAHOO!

Being Sick

"I cannot go to school today,"
Said little Peggy Ann McKay.
"I have the measles and the mumps,
A gash, a rash and purple bumps.
My mouth is wet, my throat is dry,
I'm going blind in my right eye.
My tonsils are as big as rocks,
I've counted sixteen chicken pox
And there's one more--that's seventeen,
And don't you think my face looks green?
My leg is cut--my eyes are blue--
It might be instamatic flu.
I cough and sneeze and gasp and choke,
I'm sure that my left leg is broke--
My hip hurts when I move my chin,
My belly button's caving in,
My back is wrenched, my ankle's sprained,
My 'pendix pains each time it rains.
My nose is cold, my toes are numb.
I have a sliver in my thumb.
My neck is stiff, my voice is weak,
I hardly whisper when I speak.
My tongue is filling up my mouth,
I think my hair is falling out.
My elbow's bent, my spine ain't straight,
My temperature is one-o-eight.
My brain is shrunk, I cannot hear,
There is a hole inside my ear.
I have a hangnail, and my heart is--what?
What's that? What's that you say?
You say today is. . .Saturday?
G'bye, I'm going out to play!"

-Shel Silverstein

Yes, I have a horrible cold that will not seem to go away! I've had it for a little more than a week now, and the coughs and runny noses are getting worse. When I breathe in deeply I instantly start to cough because of all the phlegm in my lungs.  In fact, when my sister came to town for her job interview, she and I had a sleepover in the king bed in the guest room, and I coughed almost all night. Finally, Meredith got out of bed at 5 AM and went to sleep in my bedroom for the rest of the night. Soon I left the room with Cooper and ended up falling asleep on the family room couch. It was a rough night.

Last night was just as horrible. It was midnight when I went to bed; I was extremely tired, but I guess watching Intervention all day got to me. I had nightmares, and when I woke up I went into the guest room (which is now her room since she has a job here) to have another sleepover with her. 

"What are you doing here?" she asked when I walked into the room. Somehow she had been awake.

"I can't sleep. I had a nightmare," I replied. This is usually my excuse for climbing into someone else's bed, but this time it was true.

Without any hesitation, Meredith let me onto the other half of the wide bed. Whenever a cough suddenly came out, I would hold it in so hard that my face would turn red. Does that kill brain cells or something? Anyway, I finally fell asleep for a few hours until the coughing started again, this time worse. I would accidentally cough into Meredith's face, when I held it in a little peep came out loud enough to wake my innocent sister up. She got really frustrated after about ten minutes of this, but she didn't say anything. Finally I left the room, and now here I am! I actually don't feel that tired, but my coughing is just out of control, and yet my throat isn't even sore. It's just because of all the stuff in my lungs that is sort of clogging up my breathing pipes. I hate sickness!

My mom and I bought some cough drops the other day, and when I put it in my mouth to suck on it, I literally almost barfed. It was a Mixed Berry flavor, and it tasted really gross. I spit it out, and I haven't had another one since. I'll need to get medicine at some point, but for now I'm not really treating my cough much. I also haven't been getting very much rest and, since it's summer, I haven't been eating as many healthy foods as I could. Being a really picky eater, I refuse to eat fruit--applesauce and Trix yogurt is how I get my fruits in. I also only like two vegetables: corn and carrots, and I like the carrots cooked. Yes, that is how picky I am. Anyway, we've been invited to a lot of barbecues lately, so we've been eating a ton of meat. I'm a carnivore at heart. :)

Tonight is one of my two basketball games this week, so hopefully I'll sleep better because I'll be pooped from the game and my mind will hopefully be off of Intervention. Gosh, that show is creepy. It was a marathon yesterday so Meredith and I were sitting on the couch all day watching. I think we'll need an intervention for watching Intervention too much. We're Intervention addicts! They're only on Mondays, though, so thank goodness for that.

Well, lovely people, wish me luck to get well soon; I'll need it. Hope you had an awesome 4th of July, too.

♥ Abigail ♥

Green Thumb

To me, life just isn't the same without green. Green is the color that shows plants are blooming. Green is the color that can really make a home feel like home. Green can cheer you up. Green can even be a sign of good luck. But most importantly, green is the sign of St. Patty's Day.

Legend says that in the early years of the earth, a man named Patrick was a saint. They say he threw out all the snakes that slithered around Ireland. They also say that he was Christian, and since many of the people of Ireland had no religious belief, Saint Patrick taught Christianity to them.

I cannot live without green because - maybe you don't exactly notice it, but - I'm an environmentally friendly person. I recycle the things that should be recycled, I help my mother with the garden, (we're going to have to start all over with this new house) I care about the animals in the wild, and I also don't pollute and just throw things on the ground. Many of you who know me probably don't see it in me, but it's true.

So, Happy St. Patrick's Day to you. :)

Booyah!

The 4th is my birthday, but I've been celebrating all week. Looks like I'm gonna change the caption for my awesome blog. :] On Wednesday I had a party with some of my close friends. We went to see Fantastic Mr. Fox. It was an okay movie; it's not the greatest. After the movie we went to my house, drank some Coke, ate some pizza, and opened presents. From Ashley I got a $15 gift card to Hastings, a personality avatar thing called a f.a.m.p. from Emily, and a Tigger stuffed animal from Journey. Also, thanks for the awesome lotion gift, Olivia! From Meredith (a little incident happened here, long story) I got HOT Converse. That makes four pairs of my little lovelies. Mom and Dad got me Ugg Slippers - just what I wanted! Unfortunately they were too small. I also got a dress for the wedding. Then my friends went home. ]: The next day we drove to Utah at 6 AM in the morning. (At least I got to miss school yesterday and today!) When we got there we met up with Meredith at Noodles and Company for lunch. I had delicious spaghetti with one of the greatest meatballs I've ever eaten. After lunch we went to Grandma's house to change, and while my family went to see my brother's fiance and other brother enter the LDS Draper Temple, my sister Meredith, my other brother Tanner, and I went to see The Blind Side. Greatest movie EVER! I hope the critics rated it four stars. The movie surprisingly lasted two and a half hours but had a great ending. We then went to a restaurant with American food called Hires Big H with Meredith's friend Tara. I got a cheeseburger and ate it in about two minutes. (It was the size of a Burger King Whopper, so be impressed!) The next day (today, my birthday) we slept in and went to the mall. I got bigger Ugg Slippers and these Converse that are soft on the outside, fuzzy on the inside. They're really comfortable, too. Finally we ended the day with a dinner at an Italian restaurant in downtown. It was a delicious dinner, and we got to meet all of the the bride's (Meegan) family. Mary Ann (the mom) was very generous by giving all the bridesmaids bags filled with gifts. I got a beautiful pearl necklace that I'll wear on the wedding day. We also ate birthday cake with loads of yummy frosting. It was a great night, except for the five-second incident Meredith, Tanner, and I experienced walking back to her car. Not going into details. I'll have pictures loaded on here later. Buh-bye!

♥ Abigail ♥

P.S. Check the update section for the winner of the Theme Poll! :]

Travel Team

I was reading a book today that I found in the school library yesterday called Travel Team. It was written by a reporter of Sports Illustrated. I'm halfway through Chapter 3, and the chapters are pretty long. It's about a boy who loves basketball with all his heart. The only problem is he's been the smallest kid ever since first grade. Now that he's twelve and is watching the other boys enter challenging spots on basketball teams because of their reasonable height, Danny Walker decides to let his light shine. He's been a shadow his whole life, and this is his moment to become a great basketball player, no matter how short he is. He wants to follow his dad's footsteps. His dad was an amazing basketball player, and he was just as short as he was as a kid. He moved on up to the majors. Soon he was leading his team to winning championships and great feats. I love it so far, and I can't wait to read more. GO BASKETBALL!
I hope you're all enjoying Thanksgiving month, and I hope that when it comes, your Thanksgiving Day will be great! We're doing the same tradition: going to Utah for a big feast at my grandma's on the night before Thanksgiving, going to Nani's for a feast on the big day, Christmas and birthday shopping, Parker's birthday on the 27th, then going home soon after that. Then we'll prepare for my birthday "party" which will be on the 3rd, and then we'll drive to Utah on my birthday, the 4th. We'll go back to Utah for Parker's wedding on the 5th. It'll be great, great, great! Enjoy November and all it has to offer!

Obsession

I'm obsessed with too many things nowadays. I'll show you my list. Here it is:

○ hot pink
○ neon green
○ turquoise
○ hugs
○ Hidden Springs, Idaho
○ Boise Schools
○ The Converse star logo
○ Nike
○ Converse
○ Coke
○ music
○ basketball
○ the size of buildings (weird, right?)
○ crazy designs
○ screaming

Yep, that's my list. And in case you don't know where Hidden Springs is, it's about ten minutes away from Boise. Since there are no outlet malls or general stores, the citizens drive to Eagle for their needs. It's the cutest little community, though. The houses are nice, (the garages are in the back of them!) there's at least a small mercantile and cafe, the sight is beautiful, and there's wide open space which is great for kids and animals. I'm not planning on moving there, but maybe when I'm older it wouldn't hurt to live there temporarily.
I'm excited for Halloween!!! I'm gonna be a rapper. Maddie, if you read this, I need those baggy pants with money signs all over by the 30th. I need my costume planned out for the big night! I'm excited!!!
School's awesome. Not much boy crisis, and if there was, I wouldn't go deep into the details like I used to. (The boy I used to be addicted to found my blog!) Anyway, school is just...AWESOME. I'm becoming obsessed with other schools when we go to them for basketball games. It's just awesome to be inside schools you've never been to. :D
Peace out, homie dawg.

July Fever

Sitting on the trampoline, watching fireworks, walking dogs in the hot, hot heat, swimming, playing volleyball, writing, seeing friends. These are all things I do in July. I love July because there's nothing that has to do with school all month! It's the hottest month of the summer, and it's the most fun, too!

Nothing beats July. It's not my all-time favorite month, but it's one of my favorites. I love to swim, go on vacation, (I'm in Oregon right now, woo hoo!) and hang out with friends.

I think I have July fever. I don't know why, it just is. I think it's the fireworks that keeps me high-spirited. As my friends, Ashley, Blake, and I were talking about our 4th of July, I spoke up about different types of fireworks. One was called the Blue Orchid, (I know, I know, fireworks have sucky names) and my family pretended it was the Timberline High School Firework. When we lit it up, NOTHING HAPPENED.

"NOOOOO!" I yelled. "TIMBERLINE IS NOT NOTHING. IT IS THE GREATEST SCHOOL EVER!!!" OK, so I know that's weird to say, but oh well.

My 4th of July was lazy. We sat around all day, and then when our neighbors the Peays came over for a BBQ, we weren't lazy anymore. We ate burgers and drank soda, and talked about life. Then, we opened our big box of fireworks and started lighting them up with a candle lighter. My brother Tanner lit them up.

Again, I think I have July fever. I hope you do, too, because JULY FEVER IS GOOD! See you later, y'all!

The Blog's Buzz

The Buzz of the Blog: Today's the blog's birthday. The first anniversary of the blog, The Wonderful Adventures of Abby. Today is the celebration. I'm surprised my blog's birthday is on Easter Sunday. I'm going to post a 5-question quiz.

Quiz Name: Birthdays

#1. If you were invited to a birthday, and your parents were going to Hawaii and wanted to bring you along, what would you do? Go with your parents? Go to the party?

#2. If you were in charge of the party decorations, but you were so busy and couldn't get to decorating on the night of the party, and almost all the people were there when you arrived, what would you do? Decorate in front of everyone? Be humiliated by your friends? Leave the party sobbing?

#3. Your best friend invites you to a party that EVERYONE is going to, but you have Book Club with your Reading Buddies. What would you do? Skip Book Club and go to the party? Ditch your best friend and go to Book Club?

#4. You're planning on sleeping over at your best friend's house on Friday night, but a bossy student demands you to go to her party, which is on the same night. What would you do? Go to the bossy girl's party that people who call themselves "cool" are going to? Spend the night with your best friend?

#5. The big basketball game is on Saturday night, but your friends have no interest in basketball and are inviting you to a sleepover the same night. What would you do? Stay home and watch the game with your family? Go to the sleepover?

Celebrate the joy of Easter and the first anniversary of The Blog. There will be a new Blog Buzz each week on this blog. Happy Easter, everyone!