Mustard and Catch-Up

Hey.

It's already been a month since I last posted.

Does time fly or what?

To make up for my horrible lack of posting, let's play catch-up.

Madison is home! He came back on Wednesday, and it was the best reunion ever. I didn't think I'd cry, but when I saw him turn that corner to come greet us, there I was, crying like a baby. He hardly recognized me after two years of being away. It's so amazing having him back where he belongs. 

Florida was quite the trip. First and foremost, I rocked those Nike gladiator sandals like I've never rocked a shoe before (and after showing off my favorite pair of shoes, I became obsessed with these babies shortly after). Although some days were actually cold--as in, 44 degrees cold--I basked in the sun on the warm days. I went to Epcot and celebrated New Year's. I went to the Magic Kingdom and rode Thunder Mountain and Space Mountain for the first time. I had the opportunity to watch Tanner in his All-American game where he received the MVP award. I bought yet another pair of shoes. I stood 100 feet away from my celebrity crush, Cam Newton. One day, Cammy, one day. And boy, did I have fun. Ohhh yeahhh.

School is wonderful! Straight A's, cool teachers (with the exception of ONE), great social life, we're all good. I'm enjoying the easiness of middle school while it lasts.

Sports are going VERY well. I have a volleyball tournament next Saturday and the AAU season is in session. I'm gonna be honest, we have a lot of work to do, but I think we'll probably place about 4th or 5th this year. It'll be nice in high school when I get to play with older girls. I like a good challenge.

I'm growing my hair out. By summer, it'll be long and luscious and I won't have to worry about straightening it or making sure it looks good. They'll just be long locks of dirty blonde hair.

And, as always, I love ma best friend Zane(:

I'm obsessed with Temple Run and Sky Burger.

And that's about it.

Thanks for the great game of catch-up, y'all.

♥ Abigail ♥

Quarter One Down

These pictures are dedicated to Allie. She looks just great, doesn't she?

Oh Allie:)

Honestly, I don't know what to write. Lots of wonderful things have happened. Let's just go in a random sequence.

I love life.

I love ma boy Zane. ♥

I finished the first quarter with straight A's, all 95 and above!

I love my teachers.

I went trick-or-treating with that girl (above) last night. We didn't get very much candy, because half of the houses in the neighborhood were dark, but I loved my cowgirl costume. I wore a red and blue flannel with a red handkerchief around my neck, jeans that make my butt look really nice, cowboy boots, and a braid coming down the side. Beautimous(:

My basketball club is heading to Seattle on Friday! GO FUSION!

Tanner's team made it to state.

I grew a half-inch.

My braces are doing just fine. 

Jay-Z and I share the same birthday!

I wore these really cool Air Maxes to school today; people liked them a lot!

Club volleyball starts Thursday!

Cooper turned 5 four days ago! He's old!

My teacher's dog died today:(

I hate my natural hair.

When I move into Tanner's room I'm going to paint it pink.

My mom just left for a cooking class.

I had the best weekend ever!

I have a lot of clothes, and I don't wear half of them.

The sweatshirt I'm wearing right now is making me really hot.

In English I'm studying Nicolaus Copernicus! He invented the heliocentric theory. Ha!

The new iPhone 3S is awesome. Serie is amazing.

My first love from preschool came into town. That was fun.

I'm wearing pink socks.

My contacts kinda hurt right now.

I'm currently taking Spanish. We learned the alphabet today!

I am in loooooooove with Cam Newton. AHHH!

(Zane, I don't care if Cam Newton has Shrek ears.)

I recently came back from a tournament in Salt Lake. We played against sophomores in high school and we're 8th graders! Well, I'm the only 7th grader:) We lost in double OT in the championship. Heartbreaker.

I've been wearing a lot of my brother's clothes lately.

I have a disorder where I can't repeat outfits. It's terrible.

I like Apples to Apples.

I love Five Guys.

Girl, look at that body, girl look at that body, I WORK OUT!

I don't know what I should do for my birthday party with Jay-Z.

I'm going to Florida over winter break for Tanner's All-American game where hopefully I'll meet Cam Newton! :O

I want to move to Italy when I'm old and retired.

I eat Starbursts with braces. Woah.

When I walk in the spot, this is what I see. E'erybody stop and starin' at me!

I like writing notes to people.

I hate getting up at 6:30.

I just remembered that I'll miss the football game on Friday! NOOO!

I'M SEXY AND I KNOW IT!

I love Coldplay. And I mean it.

Guido's Pizza is the bomb diggity.

I strangely can't wait for track season.

Baby, it's cold outside.

Dolvett Quince is yummy. And I like his name.

I wish I could play lacrosse.

I wish I was good at soccer.

I want to be a real estate agent when I grow up.

I know someone whose house got hit by a hot air balloon. How sad.

Cooper is staring at me right now.

He just looked away.

Aww, he's so cute.

Look at those brown eyes.

And those cute wittle ears.

Okay, back to the post.

I wear a size 9 1/2. Yeah, I have big feet.

Cooper just looked at me again.

Okay, he looked away.

My favorite Gatorade flavor is Cool Blue. Yummy!

7th grade is fun. The year's going by so fast!

I'm about to take my dog for a walk, so see ya!

Hope life's great for you, people!

♥ Abigail ♥

Aaaaand We're Back

Apologies for the lack of posting this past month. Life has been pretty busy with school, sports, and other commitments. 7th grade is awesome so far; I love my teachers and my classes. This year I'm actually excited to learn something. It's also really good to see everyone again after a long summer break. I missed everyone! 

So I've been up to a lot this September. We recently got back from Utah after watching BYU get crushed by Utah:( Honestly, that's probably one of the most embarrassing losses my fellow Cougars have had. It's all right, though. All is well. We ended up drowning our sorrows in Wendy's Frosties, which made us feel a lot better.

Two weeks ago was Tanner's 18th birthday! Sheesh, do we grow up fast or what? When I first started using this blog he was only 15. Now, three years and a million successes later, here he is, the #1 QB in the country and the apple of every high school girl's eye. I'm proud of you, bro, for bringing pride to our family!

Saw Apollo 18 last week. Don't see it. Case closed.

My braces are great. I can already see the results in my teeth; they're a lot straighter now. That first day was miserable, let me tell you. I felt that at any moment my teeth would just fall out, the pressure was just too much. To put it in summary, I bled from brushing my teeth and cried. A ton. Ouch. 

Sports are great as well. After two long months of no basketball, it's time to get back. It officially starts tonight. Bring it on, baby.

My birthday may not be until December, but I already have something on my wishlist. A pair of Beats by Dr. Dre. Purple or pink ones. For some reason my ears are too small for my earbuds to stay, so I end up having to hold them up so I can listen to music, which makes my arms sore. I figured it was time for a new pair of headphones, and you can only get the best. BEATS. I want them. Pleeeease, mom? :)

New favorite song: Paradise by Coldplay. Love it.

So, life is just swell! How is your life?

♥ Abigail ♥

From Camp Manapu to Portland to Malibu

Tuesday, June 28th

Arrival to Camp Manapu for Girls' Camp 2011

Wednesday, June 28th

Hiking!

Friday, July 1st - Saturday, July 2nd

Basketball tournament in Portland! (6th out of 24 teams, baby!)

On the week of 3-9 I stayed with some family friends of ours: the MONSONS! We did everything from water parks to Five Guys; from watching Tanner at The Opening to playing lacrosse. I love the game of lacrosse now because of the Monsons. I am planning to join a team this year! Thank you, Monson family, for EVERYTHING! The hospitality, the money you spent on me, the amazing breakfasts, lunches, and dinners, and all your support! I love you guys!:)

The week of July 10-16 I relaxed at home, went to conditioning at the high school, got my ears pierced, went to the Harry Potter movie, watched Tanner dominate at his 7-on-7 passing tournament, and went to the Twilight Criterium bike race in downtown! Thank you Meredith and Zane for hanging out with me this weekend. :)

Sunday, July 17th

The flight to CAL-EE-FORN-I-AY!

The little old lady behind me doing crochet

Tuesday, July 19th

Surfrider Beach in Malibu! 

Later that evening...

The bachelorette mansion!

Thursday, July 21st

Disneyland, the happiest place on earth!

Friday, July 22nd

The Elite 11 are announced! 

(Watch the whole week on ESPN August 12 and 19. You might see me on screen, too!)

My brother is a celebrity now.

Best. Month. Ever.

♥ Abigail ♥

Skin Peeling

I am overjoyed. Do you know why?

It's because school is out.

Summer is officially here.

I get to spend my days sleeping in, relaxing, basking in the sun--well, not exactly basking; more like burning, swimming, hanging out, and staying up late.

The last thing on my mind is school.

Summer kicked off with my friend's end-of-the-year party at her mansion. We swam in her pond, jumped on her buoyant trampoline, ate cheeseburgers and Skittles (great combination, right?), and played flag football in her acre-sized yard. It was a blast. 

The next week I went to the high school's basketball camp. Even though it started at 7:30 in the morning, I learned a lot and had fun. The coach and I have gotten closer, and I can't wait to play for him in a couple years! At the end of the week he gave out awards in t-shirt form, and I received three of them as well as a pair of socks. The first was for my 3-on-3 team winning the whole thing. That's where I got my socks, too. The next was a shirt that said "I Got Skillz" on the back for being one of the fastest speed dribblers. The last was the shirt in which I was most proud: the "Rising Star Athlete" shirt, chosen by the varsity players there at the school. They picked three girls who they believe will go far in high school ball and beyond; I was one of them. It was an honor:)

This week I went to Roaring Springs, the local water park with my friend Allie. It was the hottest day yet, and the two of us were eager to go. Thinking I would get a tan as I had been lately, I did the wrong thing by not putting on sunscreen. When I came home I was baked. I had a sunburn all over my chest, shoulders, back, and face. I still have it as I write. It hurts like heck. I can't even describe the pain of my upper body. For the rest of the week I am staying indoors. So if you need to speak to me, come inside. That's where I'll be.

This week Idaho has had the opportunity to host the Far West Regionals for soccer. Yesterday my brother and I made the drive across town to watch. Even though I was wearing a shirt that covered my shoulders, my face got worse. Now it's cherry red, and it looks horrific. Bleh.

Well, I guess my peeling skin officially declares summer. It is definitely here!:)

Happy Summer,

♥ Abigail ♥

It's been a while.

"How come?" you'd probably ask. There's only one answer for that: sports. Oh, and maybe a little music, too. That's right, my schedule has been booked with sporting events and music recitals. But now that the track season is over, I should have more time for blogging! "Hooray!" you should all be cheering.

While it is good that the track season is over, I'm going to miss it at the same time. I'll miss running five laps in the blazing heat or the pouring rain. I'll miss the mean coach who, whenever I made a mistake, would scream right in my face, "Where's your head today?!" I'll miss the red sand on my shoes when I ran, my ponytail falling as I did so. But most of all, I'll miss the meets.

I'll miss how every Friday, we'd stand in our official track uniforms waiting for the bus to come. When it did, we'd all pair up and take our seats on the bus. The best part is the bus driver is my regular one, so he'd give me the special treatment. Finally we'd get to whatever school in which we were competing, and we'd put our spikes on. Then we'd run a lap, do our regular warm-ups, and get pumped up. And then we ran. Ran faster than we'd do at practice. Ran until our legs ran out of fuel. Ran to win.

And that we did. My middle school beat every other middle school in the district. It was a good feeling knowing that we were unstoppable.

And then districts came along.

The three top runners for each event qualified. I was among them, the only 6th grader to even make it to districts. My name was called out three times. I qualified for the 100, the 200, and the 4 x 1 relay. That was when I realized I was going big. I was competing against the scary 8th graders. 

This past Friday was the day of districts. Although nervous I was excited. I got to compete in the 1st heat, which is huge for a 6th grade young un like me. Here were my results:

100 Meter Dash: 4th Place - 13.1 seconds - school record: 13.0 seconds

200 Meter Dash: 3rd place - 27.4 seconds - school record: 27.0 seconds

4 x 100 Relay: 2nd place - 54.1 seconds - school record: 53.0 seconds

I was so close to beating all these records! Though it would have been cool to beat them as a 6th grader, I have two more years to accomplish what I've always wanted to do since I thought about track. 

Until next time.

♥ 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!

Those Delicate Bones

Emma and I drove excitedly over to the high school. We were almost falling out of our seats, for we were so ecstatic for tonight's football game, especially this one. We were against our arch rivals, Rocky Mountain, a high school just down the road from our beloved school. Since my brother, Tanner, is the quarterback, these types of games were important to my family.

We got to the stadium early to claim good seats. We weren't going to be watching, because all the middle schoolers gather somewhere other than the bleachers, but Emma's father was determined to grab a seat before there wouldn't be any at all; after all, tonight would be packed. Home games were always packed.

I was impressed to see the large amount of 6th graders coming to the game. Back at Timberline, I was the only 11-year-old to come support the team. There was nothing to do except watch the game, so I was never pleased whenever I heard, "We're going to Tanner's football game tonight." Now, if I hear that, I perk up and get very excited. Everything is always better when you're doing it with friends.

Emma and I watched the kickoff, and then ran off to say "hi" to the many friends that were just now arriving. We hung out beneath the bleachers and didn't pay much attention to the game. We were so engrossed in our conversations that we didn't know or hear absolutely anything that happened on the field.

At the end of the first quarter I spotted Mom walking towards me. I merrily said "hello" to her and was about to introduce her to my friends when she whispered into my ear, "Tanner's hurt." That was the moment when all the glee and happiness inside drained out of me. I felt like crying all of a sudden.

"What happened?" I immediately asked.

"We think he broke his collar bone," Mom retorted. "We're all going to the ER right now, but we think you should stay here." I reluctantly agreed. Shortly after the brief conversation, I saw Tanner being wheeled out in one of those mobile carts. Mom hopped in and off they went. I cried to myself just then. Tanner's junior season: ruined.

Nothing seemed like fun for the rest of the night, although I did try to laugh and keep my spirits high. Soon I just had to go home and see how Tanner was, so right after the game our friends drove me home. Instead of worrying and fretting, I stared into space blankly, waiting for my family to get back.

Finally they came. Tanner wasn't in as much pain as he was before, but he still didn't feel all that well. It was confirmed that he had broken his collar bone. Our other friends brought ice cream over and before you knew it we were all in bed asleep. The day after that Tanner was already scheduled for surgery.

On Sunday morning I woke up alone. I was to be picked up by our neighbors to go to church. I worried about Tanner for the three hours I was at church. I stayed with my neighbors all day until I walked home to  see Tanner sleeping peacefully. Then he started experiencing pain. Lots. Of. Pain.

Now it's almost been a week since the injury; Tanner is recovering well. It could be less than a month until he'll be lifting weights and throwing again, which is a very quick recovery. I am so grateful that my brother is okay, and that he has NEXT YEAR to set/break records.

God works in strange ways, and this is just one of them.

♥ Abigail ♥

The Joy of Basketball

Every day this summer I've woken up to the skies blue and cloudless. I throw on sweats and a  jacket, grab a women's basketball  (28.5), raise the 20-year-old basketball hoop to ten feet, and begin shooting as I please. Three pointers, lay-ups, bank shots, free throws. For at least an hour a day I practice my form, my dribbling, and my defense. Why am I practicing so hard when I could be relaxing inside the air conditioned house? 

Perfect shooting, tricky dribbling, high-end coaching, talented players. Hoop Dreams Basketball Club is where your future basketball career begins. It takes skill to make the team; if you want in you have to commit. You have to know the rules. You have to practice regularly. With some of the best coaches in the valley, you must be willing, obedient, confident. If you really know how to play basketball, try out for Hoop Dreams on Friday, August 27th, 2010.

So why am I putting in so much time for practice? Now you know. Almost every day this summer I have jumped off the couch and practiced with an old basketball in my driveway. I want to make a very competitive team with some outstanding coaches in less than a week. I want to play on a team where every player is talented, where your weaknesses can be strengthened with professional help. I know it will help me in my future; I am hoping to become a professional basketball player. 

Basketball is like a second life. It's a simple sport that takes almost no talent, just a basket and an arm, any type of arm. It's something you can do by yourself when you're bored or need something to do. It's a goal I want to pursue later in life, so why not start now?

Starting basketball early is better than beginning late. You can learn the techniques at a young stage; you'll have more coordination later in your career. Just knowing how to dribble without staring at the ball is a huge sign of progress. These skills will help you until the end.

It's only the beginning.

ABIGAIL

Air Max

Those are my brand new, spankin' hot (what?) basketball shoes. They are probably one of the most comfortable pair of shoes I have ever worn in my years of playing basketball. My former basketball shoes, which were pink because they supported breast cancer, gave me major blood blisters in my big toe and I'll tell you they were not pretty. At a point I couldn't run around barefoot; I was too embarrassed to show my toes, even though I don't care what others think. They were just that hideous to look at.

My performance when playing is so much better with these babies than the old ones. My favorite part is that they squeak when you run down the court, which makes you sound so professional. It shows that they're real basketball shoes, not fakes, which is what my pinkies were. 

I've been playing summer ball on two teams. One is a team that is my age, and the other is a sixth grade team. The 5th grade one is good. Although most of the players don't have much experience, the ones that do have experience make the game much more interesting. I would say that I'm an experienced player, but that's just me. I don't know what others think about me. Anyhow, our record so far is 2-1. We've won two and lost one to a very talented team. I think we're a pretty good team. However, the sixth grade team isn't all that amazing. We've lost the two games we've already played. Hopefully we'll beat the next team. Wish us luck!

Hopefully I can get a few videos of me playing (or ballin' the court, as my siblings say) in another post. Stay tuned.

♥ Abigail ♥