Once Upon a Time... there was a family who came from the frozen tundras of the North and settled in the arid deserts of Western America. Here they lived and thrived, settling down and having families. They worked hard and never forgot where they came from. Many years later, there was a little girl born. She was the second girl in her family and her parents were thrilled to welcome her to the world. They had searched long and hard for a name, as names are very important in life. They wanted to find a name that would fit her perfectly. They wanted a name that was strong and unique. And far away, there was a proud Grandma that hoped her name would contain a part of their heritage that had come from that frozen world.

With great pleasure and after much thought, a name was bestowed upon the little girl - Elsa. Her name fit her perfectly, and, just as all children do, Elsa began to grow up. But, as she grew, she began to question why her parents had named her Elsa. She felt like she didn't fit it with anyone. She begged to be called by her middle name, one that she considered much prettier than the name carefully given to her by her parents.

However, names are very important, and a name well-bestowed cannot be changed. And so, the little girl continued to blossom. She began to see the beauty in her unique name. It led her to a great love of her heritage and a desire to live up to it. She began to embrace her uniqueness and, as she did so, she began to find herself.

But one day, something happened. A question was asked that changed her world and the rest of the world.

"Do you wanna build a snowman?"

***

I remember when Frozen came out. It was the biggest reaction that I'd ever seen to a Disney movie. I was serving an LDS Mission in the Mid-Western States, where the Frozen fever was - and still is - raging. While on my mission, I went by the name "Sister Torgersen." I would see countless little girls with "Anna" and "Elsa" on their tee-shirts and could never resist telling the ones I knew my real name. I would kneel down and say, "Guess what my name is?" They always ventured to guess, but were rarely close. Then I would tell them, "My real name is Elsa." Immediately, their little eyes would get big and smiles would light up their face. Most kids loved that they met a real-life "Elsa" and had darling responses. When I told two little girls my given name, they never called me "Sister Torgersen" again. They would always run up excitedly and whisper "Hi, Elsa!" and then run away giggling. Those little moments made up some of the best Frozen-related memories I have. But, the benefits didn't begin there or stop there.

I found a new Disney Princess that I could relate to. I remember telling my mom, "I think I'm more like Anna than Elsa. It's kind of ironic." She laughed and said, "No, you are Elsa." She then proceeded to explain why she felt that way, citing my grace and elegance, and I had to grin. I really am a lot like Elsa. Sometimes I am a bit too serious and I get nervous about things. I am a little bit socially awkward, but I usually can play it off very well. I also have ice powers.

Okay, not really, but it was worth a try.

Another positive aspect is when I tell people my name. There is usually a plethora of responses, all of them very unique. The majority make me laugh, some for days. A particularly funny memory was when I walked into a class one day and someone said "Hey Elsa, do you wanna build a snowman?" Best. Day. Ever! After their initial reaction and jokes, a lot of people apologize and say "Sorry, you must get that a lot." I always smile as I reply, "Oh, it never bothered me anyway."

But, my personal favorite is the humor I hear. I wish I had written more of the responses down, but here are a few of the many jokes I have heard. All of these are good, but I'm partial to the first one."Wow, your parents must have really liked Frozen!" (I'm over twenty years old.)

"Um, Elsa, can you freeze her?"

Someone asking me about my name: "You must get that a lot!"
Me: "Yeah, but it doesn't bother me."
Them: "The cold never bothered you anyway."

"Can you sing 'Let it Go'?"

"Do you wanna build a snowman?"

Them: "And everyone is thinking you're the Queen or something..."
Me: "I am!!!"

There are so many benefits to being named Elsa. It sounds silly or childish, but it's a fantastic thing. I rather enjoy seeing my name around and hearing and experiencing such positive things. At first, I wondered how it would be having my name commonly known and recognized. Now, two years into it, I'm glad to say, it's a pretty neat thing.

In conclusion - my name is Elsa. My parents named me that a long time ago, way before it was cool. (Catch the pun?) I didn't always like it, but I've loved it for a long time and now I love it even more. I love hearing the jokes. I love seeing the reactions on little kids' faces when I tell them my name. I love that people don't forget my name now (this is a big positive.) I love breaking the awkwardness right away with people I've barely met, because we have something to talk about.

So, my name is Elsa and I'm learning "Let it Go!" sometimes. My name is Elsa and yes, I'd love to build a snowman. My name is Elsa - though I've never met Olaf in real life, I'm positive we'd be good friends. My name is Elsa - but I'm not frozen.

My name is Elsa - and I love it.