A Day to Remember: A Tribute

On Tuesday morning all of Eagle Middle School gathered in the main gymnasium with excited chatter. It had been a long morning filled with assignments and learning, and this assembly put all that stress out of our minds. Mrs. Walling's 3rd period class (science) sat in the top row of the purple bleachers. We talked amongst ourselves until Mr. Nelson, our principal, cleared his throat and commenced the program. At that moment everyone settled down.

After Mr. Nelson thanked everyone for coming in his very noticeable lisp of a voice, he let the assembly begin. We recited the Pledge of Allegiance, and then the band played the national anthem. Afterwards two men in those Scottish skirts (kilts, right?) came marching in playing the bagpipes. When they left they got a standing ovation, started by my friend and me. Who doesn't love men in skirts?

The boys' choir and the 7th grade girls choir sang "Grand Old Flag" together. Then the 8th grade girls choir, who took up all the space on the risers, sang a well-known piece, but I do not remember the name. The orchestra then came in and played a song called "Something Hoedown". I have a really bad memory, so I can't recall any of these songs.

Swing Dance, the team I had tried out for but failed miserably, performed as well. They did practically the exact same moves we learned when we were trying out, except better. After yet another standing ovation, Mrs. Spiers, the lady who put the whole program together, let fellow students come to the microphone and recognize a relative serving in the war. That was a quiet time. It wasn't until at least ten seconds after everyone had come up to recognize someone that the first cheer was heard. Again, everyone stood up.

Then came the most important part of the whole event: honoring the veterans who came in from Veteran Homes to be in the program. Mrs. Spiers introduced each and every one of them. There were several men in wheelchairs, others hardly able to move, others with terrible hearing abilities, and some who were all scratched up from their time in the war. Battle wounds, as we call them.

I didn't realize it then, but when I came home from school that day I began thinking about the soldiers. What would it have been like to fight in World War II? I wonder how hard training was for them. If I'd served in the war, would I be dead right now? Then that got me thinking about the people who had died serving our country. It made me feel lucky to be in such a great country. There's no other place I would rather be than the USA.

Thank you, soldiers, for making me realize that there is more to war than guns and blood and goriness. You have really shown me what it is like to sacrifice your life for something you love.

I love the USA.

♥ Abigail ♥

My Little Brother

Meet Cooper.

He's my four-legged buddy who is always there when I come home.

He gives me company when I am alone.

He's very good at making sure he marks his territory when we go on walks.

He never barks.

He loves people (and jumping on them).

He would do anything to get attention.

He's a quick learner; in fact, I taught him "shake" in three tries.

He likes to sleep.

He came from the Humane Society (or as I like to call it, the nasty pound).

He's single, lady pooches. ;)

But most importantly, he's my best friend.

Even though he can't respond, I tell him everything.

He is always there for me when I am in a bad mood.

He'll love me no matter what.

(Oh wow, I'm crying now.)

On Thursday, October 28th, Cooper turned four years old.

In my terms, he's one third done with his life.

Every day he grows older.

Every day I find a loose gray hair hanging around his fur.

Every day he grows a little bigger.

It makes me sad knowing he will live only to a minimum of 12 years old.

I feel bad not giving him all the attention I could.

Instead I stare at this computer screen when I could be throwing the ball with my dog.

My best friend.

The best thing I could ever have in my growing years.

We're going through this life together.

One step at a time.

Through all the tough times, a dog and a girl have each other's backs.

He may only be a dog,

but he has feelings too.

Probably just as many as a human does.

People take dogs for granted.

In my perspective, dogs are anyone's best friend.

They don't care if you're rich or poor...

Dirty or spotless...

Homeless or owner of a mansion...

Ugly or beautiful...

All they care about is that you're there with them.

Which is why I would do anything for my dog.

Even if it meant sacrificing something.

And that's a lot to ask for, considering he's just a dog.

So, happy birthday, my King of All Cutie Pies.

You've got a bright future ahead of you.

♥ Abigail ♥

Life As it Is

Me yesterday (10/19/10)

Me with my frizzy hair today (10/20/10)

October has been filled with lots of excitement and lots of surprises, but since my busy schedule got in the way I was unable to tell of these adventures. Tonight, at 8:44 PM, is my chance. So I'm going to take a deep breath, get my fingers ready for typing, and here I go.

Remember when I told you about Swing Dance? Well, we had the tryouts over a week ago. For a long, putrid week Mrs. Spiers put together a routine, one that we were all required to do. Both my partner, Grant, and I understood it, but we just didn't coordinate well. Our steps were off, one of us would usually mess up on a certain part, and we both had a lot of work to do. We cleaned it up two days before the tryout, practicing constantly, but when Mrs. Spiers asked us to add our own moves, our creativity just didn't come out. We decided to just stick with the same pattern and repeat it over and over, even if by the end of the song we were drenched in sweat. 

It was Wednesday after school, just minutes before the tryouts would begin, that I realized, "What am I doing, trying to ask a 7th grader I barely even talk with to dance with me?" But it was too late now. It was our turn. We walked on stage with three other couples and got in position. My legs were shaking and my teeth were chattering. This was the moment when all the practice was to pay off, but I didn't feel confident up there. Should I have felt that way?

"Rockin' Robin", the song we'd been practicing with for what seemed an everlasting week, blared out of the speakers, full volume. I felt that I had good rhythm, stepping exactly on the right beat. I messed up, however, on an easy move. I could tell the judges were not pleased.

While everyone else out there was doing flips and kicks and twirls and crazy impressive moves, Grant and I just went along, repeating the same choreography that Mrs. Spiers had taught us. I was dripping with sweat, though I tried not to show it. I was relieved when the song ended and the judges had recorded the scores. It was done and over with, and that was all that mattered to me.

The next morning the list of people who had made the cut was hanging out of the front doors leading to the gymnasium. I didn't expect to make it, for I knew I'd done terrible in the tryouts, no matter how many compliments I got from the others. And guess what? My inference was true. I didn't make it. Hurrah. I reported the news to Grant, who didn't seem very disappointed, either. We just went along like it was no big deal. We had been rejected, but that was fine with me. It is how it is.

School lags on, and the lessons get more challenging. There is a test or quiz at least once a week, and the discipline is getting harsher. Tardies are unacceptable with the teachers, being this far into the school year. In fact, the first quarter ends next week. I am both excited and unhappy. I should at least try to enjoy it; I have no choice if I want to skip school or not. Seven and a half more months and we're out for another two months! Can't wait...

Tanner is recovering quickly. Today he even threw the ball thirty yards. There is no pain in his arm, but he can feel the pin that was inserted in his collar bone during the surgery. It must be disturbing to him, but he is used to it. In the next two games he may be playing again!

My beautiful mother's birthday is on Friday. She turns...oh, why does that matter? I can't wait to celebrate the birth of the woman who gave birth to ME. She is the cheese to my macaroni, the Ramen to my Top, the shine to my sun. I love her always and forever.

For Halloween I plan to be a neon freak. I'm going to dress up in all neon and wear lots of glow sticks so that when it gets dark, I'll be very noticeable from far away. Just another example of rocket science from Abby Mangum.

The first Hoop Dreams practice is in the beginning of November. I am so excited, I'm almost losing it.

Life is good...

...but then again, I have a World Civ. quiz tomorrow.

♥  Abigail ♥

Swing Dance; Picture Day; Hoop Dreams

Every year, the middle school creates a program called Swing Team, or as we call it, Swing Dance. It's an optional thing where you can ask someone of  the opposite gender if they want to dance with you in Swing Dance. There are tryouts, practices, and a few performances. (Or is it just one?) Anyway, it's a big deal for the 6th graders. Here and there people are asking boys and girls if they would like to participate. During the Rocky Mountain football game where Tanner got hurt, I asked a 7th grader if he would do it with me. He said yes. This boy is in my ward, and his family is really good friends with mine. He's really tall (pretty much the same height as me...surprising, right?). 

As we all stand in line, our legs are shaking; well, at least mine are. We are in alphabetical order, which means I'll go halfway through. As I get closer to the camera, the seat, the lady who takes your form, I start asking everyone around me, "Do I look okay?" Now, it may be pretty ridiculous fretting about a picture, but this picture will go on my activity card...permanently. I fix my hair quickly, and when the photographer tells me to sit in the seat with my shoulders square, my posture upright, I do just as he says, even though I usually slump when I sit. I try to keep my eyes from blinking, but the bright flash--even with an umbrella covering the flash--is too strong. I blink. I begin to panic, wondering if my picture has me blinking, or semi. In pictures past, I've always been to known to have one eye bigger than the other from the flash. I anxiously await my activity card, tingling inside. Finally, it prints; I stare at the picture...and smile. It was the best picture I'd had since kindergarten. My hair looked straight, my smile looked good, despite the ugly crooked teeth, my posture looked fine, and my eyes were the same size!!! I was overjoyed. Other girls didn't like their pictures, but I was very proud of mine. No retakes for me!

It was a warm September day, just a week and a half until the first day of fall. It had been a long day at  school, it had been a long game with Tanner's injury (read my previous post), and now we were home, drowning our sorrows into ice cream. Remembering the Hoop Dreams tryouts, I jump into the brown stool, quickly go to the website, and find the teams. I made it. But as I looked closer, I saw that everyone had made it, which means an 18-player team. I got confused. After some conversations with the staff, I learned that as the season progresses, they'll place nine in an Advanced Travel Team and the other nine in a development team. It's also possible that I could move up to the 7th grade team if I did good enough. Practices haven't started, but I am so excited to start!

Swing Dance, good-looking pictures, and Hoop Dreams, here I come.

♥ Abigail ♥

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 ♥