So, Facebook is doing this thing right now where people post 25 random facts about themselves. I held out for a long time, mainly because I didn't have the time or desire to write down 25 random pieces of information about my life. This morning, however, I apparently felt like listing. I'm including the facts here in the blog too because, well, it took a little while to write and I figure I may as well share it across multiple domains. So without further ado, for those of you that have been forever-pining for random tidbits of information about my life, here are 25 things, in no particular order:
1. I'm caving in and doing this, since the alternative is to lesson plan for school or watch the Buick Invitational with Tim. Apparently I don't really know how to use Facebook, because it took me a good 7-8 minutes to figure out how to post a note.
2. My full name is Chelsea Elizabeth Murray. My paternal grandmother was born in Chelsea, Massachusetts, and my parents were big fans of the movie "On Golden Pond" when I was born...Jane Fonda's character is named "Chelsea." My Aunt Karen's middle name is Elizabeth.
3. I'm in love with and marrying my best friend in August. :)
4. I voted for Obama and am damn proud of it.
5. I teach high school English and I absolutely love it. I had no idea it would be this challenging, but I also had no idea it would be this rewarding. There is NEVER a dull moment.
6. I went to Acapulco for spring break my freshman year of college. It was just two of us; my college best friend, Krissy, and I. We were 18 and in retrospect, I can't BELIEVE our parents let us go. It was COMPLETELY dangerous, chaotic, and inappropriate for two 18-year-olds.
7. I got an iguana for Christmas when I was 12. His name was Fred, and he grew to be 6 feet long. Although he had a large cage, he was hardly ever in it. Instead, he roamed the house freely like the cats, and freaked out visitors on a daily basis. He escaped twice; once the fire department, animal control, AND the local news station had to be involved in his rescue. He died young due to a disease that rotted his tongue.
8. I faint at the sight of blood or hearing about anything blood/vein/needle/medicine
9. I played competitive hockey for 5 seasons, and was the only girl in the league for 3 of those. One mean boy told me girls shouldn't play hockey; I was ejected from the game for shoving him over. I stopped playing hockey in 8th grade, because by that point I had 8-9 swim practices a week.
10. I am mildly obsessed with Broadway songs/shows, and have the complete soundtracks memorized to RENT, Les Mis, Aida, Oliver, The Lion King, The Phantom of the Opera, 42nd Street, and Newsies.
11. I was my class representative for the school-wide Spelling Bee in 5th grade. I didn't make it very far, and lost on the word "autumn." To this day, I cringe when spelling that word.
12. I lived in Manly (a suburb of Sydney), Australia for 5 months and it was a life-changing experience. I was fired from the Steyne, the bar/club I worked at-- the first and (knock on wood) only time I've ever been fired. That's the first time I've ever admitted that in any type of public fashion.
13. I learned to SCUBA-dive in the Florida Keys with my dad and brother years ago. Since then, I have dived in the Great Barrier Reef, the Bahamas, Catalina, and Fiji. My dad, brother, and I went on a shark feed in the Bahamas, and were surrounded by Grey Caribbean Reef and Mako sharks. It was totally crazy, and I would do it again in a heartbeat.
14. While visiting my dad a few years ago, I was bit on the tongue by an angry, striking snake. My dad's initial response upon seeing me, writing snake in hand and profusely bleeding from the mouth: "Is the snake okay?!?!" I had to go to the hospital, where the doctor told me: "The tongue is a very vascular muscle, so you should be okay. But if you're not, please let me know!"
15. My favorite movies are Con Air, Empire Records, Stand By Me, and Backdraft. I secretly wanted to be a fire fighter for many years.
16. One of my favorite childhood memories is a trip to Vancouver, Canada with my family. We took a boat out on Johnstone Strait and sat in the midst of a pod of 29 killer whales for 2 hours. It was magic.
17. I want to name my children after significant literary figures, such as Scout (To Kill a Mockingbird), Huck (The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn), Holden (The Catcher in the Rye), and Casey (The Grapes of Wrath).
18. In college I thought I was somewhat of a punk rocker, and Krissy and I used to go to at least 2 punk shows a month at old-school Hollywood places like The Palace or The Knitting Factory. We wore the ultra-cool twisted plastic bracelets, and usually took at least 2-3 days to take off the "House of Blues" armbands.
19. In high school I went to 5 'N Sync concerts-- (I heart JT). Last November I saw New Kids on the Block live.
20. I'm very close with both my parents and, despite the fact they divorced when I was a senior in high school, I've never heard one say a single negative thing about the other. I'm blessed and I know it.
21. Tim and I, along with Marisa and Lane, took a group of 14 high school students to Greece this past summer. It was an incredible experience and I already want to go back. Watching these teenagers have a life-changing experience and grow in personal and cultural awareness right before our eyes was awesome. And also, I could live on Mykonos.
22. I spent 8 days on Heron Island (Great Barrier Reef) with Tim and my dad. Each night we went to the beach to watch hundreds of baby Loggerhead sea turtles emerge from the sand and scurry into the water. Only about 1% actually survive, as the rest are immediately eaten by awaiting seagulls or sharks, but it was a breath-taking experience nonetheless.
23. All four of my grandparents passed away either before I was born or when I was young, and unfortunately I was never close with any of them. I have never lost anyone extremely close to me, and sometimes it makes me nervous because I've never experienced that pain before.
24. I had a storybook childhood filled with next-door-neighbor best friends, tree climbing contests, bike rides, pet and talent shows, pillow forts, TP-ing wars, Willowglen Park, s'mores parties, flashlight tag, Kick-the-can, haunted houses, and sleepovers. It's the kind of childhood I can only hope to give my own children someday.
25. I have no regrets. Sure, I've made mistakes and done things I'm not entirely proud of. But, I am excited about where I am and what my future holds, and I know that whatever happens I have amazing people in my life. I feel very grateful and very lucky.
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