What's Up Doc

In London I remember when we discovered that the McDonald’s near Queen’s Way Stop did something very special with their apple pies. You could order them with ice cream and caramel sauce on top. Somehow we could talk ourselves into needing this treat several times a week. Rijen was usually in the lead. We took Clint with us once and showed him our discovery. He was not impressed and tried to order his plain. We all freaked out and told Clint that this was a family outing (I think it was our Monday Family Night) and that as a family we were eating apple pie with ice cream and caramel. I think he thought we were crazy, but for the sake of the family he went along with it.

Not that all my memories revolve around food, but we were not afraid to try a place out especially if the sign said “All you can eat” I remember the Pizza Hot” as we referred to it and queuing up for way more pizza than we should have eaten!

Of course there was going out and getting ready to go out. Chelsea was always happy to help with our hair and get us looking fabulous. For The Sound of Music Chelsea had this perfect carpet bag and Katie had a guitar. Putting the two together won us best costume. The prize was disappointingly enough a bottle of wine, but we were still proud!

Chelsea was about the only one who stayed faithful to an exercise plan, and she would happily go with anyone even people like me who were logging 17 min miles. She ran patiently with me and sang tried to get me energized with the Eagles “Take it to the limit” song. Then at the end of the run she would say. “Oh I think I might stay a little longer.” and then do her full routine.

I remember the a few weeks after we got back from London. Jodi had decided to go to the University of Utah and I said I would driver her up and help her get settled. We pulled into Salt Lake and found the big U on the Mountain and headed in that direction. We had no idea where anything was or what we were doing and we knew exactly 2 people –Chelsea and Ange. Somehow we parked and started to wander around the campus. I don’t think we had marched ten steps when someone yelled our names. It was Chelsea. She was out delivering something for work and spotted us. She took us up to her office and before the day was through, she had Jodi a job and had helped her work out her schedule.

We celebrated her 20th birthday that weekend—she was babysitting in true Chelsea fashion and so we made enchiladas and watched “What’s Up Doc” “Love means never having to say you are sorry.” “That is the dumbest thing I ever heard.” I loved renting that movie and watching it again to celebrate her birthday.

Thanks Chelsea. I think of you often.

Lesli

Chelsea used to dance and sing and yell whenever she saw me, or anyone else she knew. There were no "hello's," only large productions which usually attracted lots of attention. Then she would hug me and kiss me and squish my cheeks together and tell me how beautiful I was. She would ask me how I was and I knew she sincerely wanted to know. This "hello" used to make my day. Who wouldn't want to be greeted in such a fashion? That was Chelsea. She had a way of making everyone feel wanted and loved.

Chel never talked about herself--it was impossible to ascertain any information about her day or her life--it was always about someone else. She used to find out cool things about random people she came in contact with and then would tell others about her "new friend." She had a way of befriending people from all walks of life. She knew that everyone had something wonderful inside of them and she couldn't wait to figure out what that something was.

Chelsea loved life and lived it to the fullest. She loved to dance even though she had no rhythm or coordination; she loved to sing even though she didn't have great pitch. She loved Jane Austen, the Bronte sisters, and Emily Dickinson. She loved to write. She loved her family more then life itself and constantly talked about them. She loved to serve people around her. Whether it was her family, her friends, children in Kenya, students at Edison Elementary, athletes in the Special Olympics, or a lonely classmate, no one was unimportant to Chelsea. Nothing brought her greater happiness then serving other people. None of it was premeditated. She didn't do it to enhance her resume. Serving people was just part of who she was.

Chelsea, since you passed, I look at the world in a different way. I watch the stars twinkle and the snow fall and the seasons change and wonder how it can go on without you. I wonder if this is your new way of saying hello to me. I wonder if that is you, that twinkling star, dancing and singing when you see me. Or when the wind blows, I wonder if that is your new way of hugging and kissing me. I sure hope it is you because I miss you. Chel, I am a better person for having had you in my life. I can't wait til I can dance and sing and make a huge production when I see you again.

Love,

Emily J.

Anything but Normal...

I think about Chelsea almost every day and find myself telling stories about her to my children, friends and young women. Some sweet and tender and many that just make me laugh. Here are just a few...

Running for Donuts
My freshman year of college was an exciting one, but along with the new workload I also packed on quite a bit of weight eating out of vending machines. And I HATE exercise. But Chelsea took me on as a project. (I think she genuinely wanted to help me out, but the fact that she let me 3rd wheel on many of her dates was probably motivation enough. I needed a date of my own.) So she would drag me out of bed to run in the Country Club in the morning. I would ask to go back continually telling her I was done, but she just kept pushing me reminding me of the chocolate cake donuts her dad was probably bringing home as we ran. Those runs were always followed by CocoaMotion and cake donuts, but she helped me balance them out with a little exercise.

27 Palace Court
I will always cherish my last few months with Chelsea in London. I can't narrow down that experience to one memory but it's more a collage of Pride and Prejudice, Rijen, marchin' out on Tina's shepherds pie, runs in Hyde Park, sliding down the lions in Trafalgar Square, the London Eye, ditching Oscar Wilde for Rock Style, hangin in the Ringers' flat, wandering the streets of foggy Edinburgh in search of the creepy church we called home, the Spice Girls, kitchen crew shenanigans, Camden market, and lots and lots of Chocolate!

That Bird could EAT
I know if you looked at Chelsea's bird-like frame you never would have guessed it, but she could eat with the best of them! I remember one particular time when I had somehow gotten us into an extremely awkward double blind date. We ended up at Training Table for dinner and as the food arrived Chelsea was handed her sandwich first. Our dates continued handing out sandwiches for the large group and after a few minutes her date looked over to Chelsea. Her plate was empty. He was shocked and convinced that she had hidden it somewhere, but she grinned and told him that she was just hungry and it was gone. I love a girl that can eat and Chelsea was that girl.

Dave Jones!
It was an election night and Karen was heading to what should have been a celebratory party for the new Mayor Dave Jones. She invited Chel, Whit and I to come and we agreed, but only after Chelsea decided she would wear Shirley's wig that was for some reason at the Hales. She looked hillarious, and played the part well. She waved at all passers-by and made us all giggle the whole way to the party. Well, we arrived and while parking the car Karen got the bad news that Dave had lost by only a few votes! She was distraught to say the least and kept wailing "Dave Jones, oh Dave Jones!" After some awkward silence I said... "Wow, and Whit didn't even vote." (Sorry Whit!) We decided to skip the party and after some consolation from Shirley-Chel, in full character, we had Karen laughing again in no time.

Anything but Normal
I remember one weekend night in highschool we were hanging out at Em C's (as we usually did) and discussing what a great group we had. We talked about how much we loved each other but then it quickly moved into how great we were and how much more normal we were than other teenagers we knew. I will never forget what Chelsea said that night. "Speak for yourselves, don't you ever call me normal! Normal is SO boring, I hope no one ever calls me normal." I was so ashamed at that moment. Chelsea had brought it all back into perspective as she often did (usually more subtly). She was anything but normal, she was extraordinary.

As is evident by the countless memories shared about Chelsea's character, she was one of a kind. She was an enigma. She was confident, kind, non-judgmental, giving and unselfish. Yet she was fun, silly, and even a bit wreckless. She taught us life lessons that we had no idea we were learning until she was gone and we went to deal with real life without her. There are very few people that love me as unconditionally and perfectly as Chelsea did. I will love her for that always, and miss her like crazy. I so look forward to the day that I have the privilege of seeing her beautiful smile again and receiving one of her infamous hugs.

Ange

Best Friends, Of Course!

I have been going through old photos and laughing and crying all at the same time. So many wonderful memories with Chelsea. I found the Poem Chelsea wrote for me before she went to study abroad in London. She titled it..

Best Friends, Of Course!

There once were two girls

one with blonde hair,

and one with brown

And of course,

They were best friends.

There were not two other girls

In the history of the world,

That ever had as much fun

as they did.

Ever since the fifth grade, when

the new found friends couldn't

help but chat away during a social

studies lecture; they of course got caught.

Well, one of them did anyway.

And the other quickly went and repaired it,

because she knew even though they had only

barely met,

That this was the start of a beautiful friendship.

And well, the rest is history.

Because of course,

They became best friends.

They spent their summers as all little girls do.

Selling lemonade,

swimming,dancing in the backyard

(only to be embarrassed when the cool boys ride

their bikes through)

They loved it.

Because they were best friends

They started to grow up,

But this friendship did not fade

But grew up with the girls

and these two girls could not be separated.

Because of course,

They were best friends,

High School came,

with boys_

which means traumas,

But the girls stuck together,

through thick and thin

because no boy was strong enough

To hurt this friendship.

Because of course,

They were best friends.

As they girls grew,

one of them had to leave for college.

As hard as it was for them to separate,

because you know,

It really never had been done-

They weren't worried,

Because best friends never

Really leave each other.

These two girls,

over the course of many years-

laughed harder,

cried harder,

played longer,

talked longer,

ran harder,

worker harder,

and loved each other more

Than any two other girls

Ever had.

Because of course,

They are best friends.

And of course,

They always will be.

By, Chelsea Anne Hale

I love you and miss you. You were my better half. We did everything together and I think of you everyday. Thank you for your wonderful example to me and I feel so blessed to have shared much of my life with you!

Emily Bullen