Happy 28th Birthday, Chelsea

Some people LOVE celebrating birthdays, 

and then there are some others who 

LOVE  LOVE  LOVE celebrating birthdays.

ummm…..that would be 
Chelsea.

And because celebrating a birthday 

once a year is not enough…

Chelsea celebrates half birthdays.  

(hers and her friends)

twice the birthdays. twice the fun.

Happy 28th Birthday, Chelsea…

and

Happy 56 Half Birthdays, Chelsea.

(Note to self:  Don't do the math for your own half birthdays.)  

You will be totally freaked out.

This 28th birthday year is a HUGE one for Chelsea…

the year she and Austin will be married. 

woot   woot

Anywhooooo…….

Today I'm remembering, 

how Chelsea got her name…

which by the way, 

is an Old English name meaning "port for chalk."

Inspiration for baby names can come from anywhere... 

flowers: "Daisy", 

athletes: "Pierce", 

places: "Paris". 

The inspiration for Chelsea's name came from the movie 

"On Golden Pond"  

(she should be glad I wasn't 
thirsty: "Chardonnay" 

or hungry: "Olive")
but the connection was much more meaningful.

The movie came out in 1981 

(the year PaulA and I were married) 

and starred Jane Fonda...

as "Chelsea." 

I immediately loved her name. 
I had never heard

"Chelsea" as a girl's name…

although I was very familiar with it as a name for a "town." 

My grandmother and other relatives,

 such as my great, great Uncle Stanley Wilson 

(once Governor of the great state of Vermont. just saying.) 

hailed from the beautiful town of Chelsea, VT.  

It made an immediate and special connection with me.

After seeing the movie, I said to PaulA, 

"If we ever have a baby girl, I am naming her Chelsea."

5 years later...

when it came down to naming our 1st baby-to-be...

I taped a list of possible baby names to the refrigerator door. 

 Under "Boys Names" I wrote 11 names...

Paul, Matthew, Sean, Ryan, Trevor, Travis, Kyle, Austin....  

Under "Girl's Names" I put one name.

And so it goes…

we had our Chelsea.

Chelsea in Chelsea, VT

 I have to say...it was funny/coincidental/foreshadowing 

that we had Austin, 
Chelsea's fiancé's name, 
on the list as well.

Happy 28th birthday, 

my lovely "Port of Chalk" Chelsea.

Your dad and I were 

thinking of you and 
loving you… 

5 years before you were born.

xoxox