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.

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 ♥

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 ♥

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 ♥

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!

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 ♥

The Hyndman Warriors

Hyndman Mountain

Daddy-O 

Mommy-O

That would be MOI right there.

The top of Mount Hyndman, Idaho's 9th tallest peak

My sweet Nike hiking shoes...except they aren't really hiking shoes.

A for Abby!

Me on the A (Nice belly you've got, Abby.)

Now for the scenic pictures, all taken by me. 

Columbines

The semi-bridge we had to cross.

Aspen tree leaves

People pass by and carve their names/initials into the Aspens.

Sago Lily, Utah's state flower

Hyndman Mountain is located about a half-hour away from Hailey, Idaho. It is the 9th tallest mountain in the state. Its height is approximately 12,070 feet tall. It usually takes about six hours just to get to the top. So, in total, to the top back to the trail head, it's about a 9-hour round trip. Yes, it was long and tiring, but we made it back.

This trip was with just Mom, Dad, and me. We stayed at a cheap, old, scary motel in downtown Hailey. When we pulled in there were men smoking. The stench was revolting. Luckily, our room was a smoke-free room, and it smelled pleasant rather than the other motel rooms. I had a terrible night, though. I couldn't sleep because I was nervous. I won't get into the details of how upset I got, but I only slept for an hour. Otherwise, I was thinking scary thoughts no matter how hard I tried to think pleasantly. Finally, we got up at 5:30 and got out of that motel fast. I was relieved when we were driving down Main Street towards Hyndman. 

Now, I would have taken more pictures, (you: "MORE PICTURES?!") but Dad wanted to get on the road and he was tired of waiting for me to take my pictures and venture down to where he had been waiting for five minutes. 

We didn't quite make it to the top because of all the loose rock we had to climb, but Dad had already been to the top and Mom and I hated the climbing. I may be a hiker, but I am definitely not a mountain/rock climber. It just comes with time and age, though, and for an 11-year-old girl, I'd say I did pretty well. We were only about twenty minutes away from the top, but Mom and I just couldn't take it anymore. We ate lunch on big rocks that were more stable and made the three-hour hike back down. Our feet were literally almost bleeding at the end, so we pulled our sandals out of the trunk and dipped our feet into the nearby creek to wipe the dirt off and relieve our soreness. Then we stopped for dinner and slept all the way home. I am grateful to be back in my own bed with the safety of my home and my siblings and Cooper. Life is good. 

♥ Abigail ♥