Ann is 24 years old, a fellow MU alumnus (school of Journalism), and is currently an account executive at Moosylvania Marketing. I chose this photo because the look on my nephew's face is the look on the face of lots of guys when they see her- she's very attractive, and damned photogenic. One of the reasons I love her is that despite the fact that she could probably choose any guy she pleases, she has a very funny dating track record which includes several Canadians, some overly schmoopy fellows, and one guy who lived with my parents for a while. Why does that endear her to me, you ask? Because she's obviously looking for more than appearances, and that's sort of what she's all about- character. When my sister Jennifer, my mother, and I are sitting around being catty about something, Ann will be the one to change the subject. She is my younger sister, but if I need someone to just listen to me and then offer sound advice, she's it. I can't explain that really- there's a certain advice giving/listening quality she has that lends itself very nicely to particular situations, and makes a person feel like they've really been heard. She is fiercely loyal to her friends and family- you'll find no better back-up anywhere. My mom always says that I stress her out because I worry her so much (with my misfortunate and chaotic life)- she never says that about Ann. In fact, no one worries about Ann. Why is that? She's got it together. She's intelligent, ambitious, creative, fun, and a great planner (she plans the majority of our family vacations). Sure, she takes 2 full hours to get ready to go somewhere, but when she arrives she is polished and prepared in every sense of the word. And I love her because she still needs her big sister sometimes (me, not Jennifer)- whenever she has a health scare, she calls me to find out whether she should panic or not. And although she rolls her eyes and sighs because I am so ridiculous, she still lets me talk her into things- just ask her about mineral makeup.
P.S. You know how I hate to work three in a row? The PICU called this morning and I'm "at home" today because the unit is pretty slow. So I'll only have to work 2 in a row- very manageable. That's why I'm posting this early- I was already up and ready when they called.