A is for ... Denise

No, I'm not trying to cheat on the first day of the challenge. My big sister Denise has "A" written all over her. And, no, I don't mean the scarlet kind.

Miss Ambrose: If we lived in Victorian times, she would have been Miss Ambrose, since she's the oldest. I'd have been Miss Robin Ambrose. Fortunately, she got married while I was still in high school (she missed my graduation because she was on her honeymoon), so I wouldn't have been too deprived of society.


Grade-A: I'm 13 months and 14 days younger than Denise and I can tell you that she was a tough act to follow in school. My dad used to complain that her report cards were boring: all A's. I've had very few all-A report cards. She's always been driven and works hard to accomplish what she wants. Following along right behind her, how could I help but want to catch on to some of that?



Type-A: Denise is the original Type-A personality, which she comes by honestly, being the oldest of six children. Any girl who has had to babysit from a young age is going to turn out bossy. Heck, I turned out bossy and I'm second in line! This certainly has its benefits, though. When I was getting married and had no clue what to do for my wedding, Denise charged the breach. In short order, she designed and made my wedding dress, designed and assembled my flowers, designed and marshaled my centerpieces, designed and baked my refreshments... you get the idea. She also catered wonderfully to my wishes, only demanding that I not call her the "Matron" of Honor, just because she was married with children.

Amazing, Astonishing, Astounding: I'm constantly in awe over what Denise manages to accomplish. She has five wonderful children, a tastefully decorated (and wonderfully chaotic) house, her own community choir (seriously: she's the director and founder), is very involved with her children's schooling and schools, substitute teaches on a regular basis, is currently back in school for her Master's Degree, and gets up almost every morning at 5 am just to help prove that, yes, our genetics CAN be thin. And that's before we factor in that her husband was a bishop for most of the last decade, robbing her of most of her partner-support at home. I couldn't do half of the things I do without my husband to pick up the slack and Denise manages to do twice as much with half as much support.

April Fool's Baby: Which finally explains why I had to start with my big sis. Today is her birthday. No foolin'. We had sooo much fun with that, growing up! :)

For this A-Z challenge, I'll be reviewing the wonderful family, books, authors, and institutions that have made me who I am. Denise fits so well into this theme, she actually inspired it. I couldn't blog on April 1st and not pay homage to my big sis, even if she is too busy to read my blog.

Happy Birthday, Denise!