V is for Vanessa

Vanessa, Brian, and their babies

Last of my siblings (only because she has a V-name, which is neither her fault nor mine) is Vanessa, the fourth of four girls, fourth of six kids, and the best-traveled of the lot of us. Vanessa was the first of us girls to figure out that diet and exercise can make even an Ambrose girl thin, and married at the oldest age (I'm pretty sure--I stopped keeping track of my siblings' ages when I started needing a calculator to remember my own). She is also the only child of my parents who was given a name that could be easily shortened--Dad had this thing against shorten-able names.

Vanessa was born on Father's Day way back in the days before ultrasounds were common. I remember staying with Denise and Heather at a neighbor's house while my parents went to the hospital. When dad came back, he had us guess the gender of the baby. The winner got to hold it first. I was the only one who guessed that we had a fourth girl. She was so cuddly!

As soon as Vanessa had some independence, she started traveling. While the rest of us remain relatively home-bound, Vanessa has taken trip after trip to exotic locations. Fortunately, she found a husband who also loves to travel, and the two of them are constantly leaving their beloved dogs with the grandparents so they can travel some more. Someday, when I have more money than I've ever had, Vanessa is going to be my personal travel guru.

Vanessa is stylish, fun, down-to-earth, and unfailingly supportive. When I had my third child, she traveled all the way up here to visit while I was still in the hospital. She's the kind of woman you can count on in a pinch. She's a wonderful sister and a tireless friend. She's going to make one heck of a mom someday soon.

Love you, sis!