Wednesday, February 29, 2012

Leap Year


Happy Leap Year everyone! Here's some food for thought, where were you 4 years ago on today? Where will you be four years from now?

 


If you were to ask me to predict my life, as it stands now, it would have been unfathomable!  The past four years have been a bit of a blurred whirl wind of change...luckily for me, for the better.  I have had no way of predicting that I would be the happiest I have been in my entire life. I never thought I would be living in NY again, or lucky and blessed enough to meet the love ...of my life Jay McBain (aka the other half of my cutest couple hehe). That I would have lost over 35 pounds, or had a new career at Cisco.  Or that I would have almost met half my goal of exploring 100 countries and stepping foot on 7 continents. So much can change, so much, so quickly. Sometimes it all feels like a surreal dream.

For those interested, here is the "Story of Us", I made for our one year Anniversary :)
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 The past four years have brought me so many wonderful new friends, family, and opportunities.   I can NOT forget the two amazing young ladies I am so blessed to have in my life... Danica and Mila! Jay's beautiful, intelligent, funny, sweet and wonderful daughters.All of our memories over the past year and a half, mean the world to me.  Going shopping with Danica for her 8th grade grad dress, she looked so beautiful!  Watching Mila play soccer and make Ref - you are a rockstar!  Visits with lovely Momma G, and Pampa & Audrey.All of the laughter, inside jokes, wonderful memories. I adore you all , and am so lucky to all the wonderful McBains in my life. I cannot imagine my life without you!


My mom and I
 I have moved many times in my life, and it is never easy leaving those you love.  They say home is where the heart is, so I know no matter where I am, as long as Jay and I are together,  I know I will be very happy. Thanks to the power of social-media , the world has become much smaller.  We can FB, Google+, Tweet, Blog, FourSquare etc and those I love, near or afar can keep up with each other.  Those who want to can see my life, our travels, our stories, our pictures and feel like they are right along side for the ride, are welcomed to do so every step of the way.  I am so happy that I get to visit my mom Mary Anne tomorrow for her birthday, and see all my wonderful NC friends and family!  As always, it will be bitter sweet to leave them but it is nice to know that we are all only a "click" away!



For those who don't know my story- I will give you the short version.  I say with pride, my mom is a phenomenal and courageous woman, who left a domestically abusive marriage when I was 8 months old and raised me by herself.  Just her and I, so we are very close.  I did not know my father, nor did I have a desire too.  However through default, I also became estranged from his family.  About three years ago, I received an e-mail from a girl named Caitlin.  The first sentence went a bit like this "Dear Michelle, I think I might be your long lost sister....just kidding, I AM!  I have been looking for you for the past ten years"...

After I cleaned the coffee I spit out of my mouth, and picked my  jaw up off of the floor-- I called my mom,  could it be true?  Could I really have a sister?  My mom confirmed, and said if I wanted to talk to them, they were my siblings and she would support me, as she does in all aspects of my life.  I know this sound like made for TV movie, and is an extremely strange situation, but it is very different when you are the one IN the situation .  This was not an easy decision for me.  I am almost 30 years old, and have lived my life without even the knowledge of them.  I knew this could be like opening Pandora's Box- even the slightest
My sister and I loving up our brother :)
opening, and who knows what could pour out of it?

After much contemplation, curiosity out-weighted my fear or hesitation.  After all, it was not their fault our father was a bad man, or made bad decisions.   It was an amazing experience reconnecting with a long lost sibling- squared.  Well not only did I have a sister, but a brother too!    I already have such an AMAZING family, but to boot I have since been reunited and introduced to a WHOLE new family ( two new amazing aunts who are a big part of my life and an array of incredible cousins- (as if I didn't have enough in the first place)! You know what they say, the more the merrier!  And now, my baby sister is about to be a mommy!  She is due on my birthday, ironically enough!  Maybe that is a sign?  Deep down I believe everything in life happens for a reason.





My grandma and me
And lastly, if all that wasn't enough?  My beloved "Babci" (which means Grandma in Polish) is now an Angel in heaven. I adore my Babci. I miss my grandma everyday! I know you are in heaven, smiling over me. I know you would approve of Jay too :D You always did like Tom Cruise :) haha More importantly you would know what a good guy he is, and how happy he makes me. You were always a hopeless romantic ( I get that from you) I know you are watching over me, because I am not so "hopeless" anymore. :D Love you always... God Bless you and keep you, until we meet again....



I could have written this on a piece of loose-leaf paper, put it in a metal chest, dug a whole and buried it within the earth and resurrected it four years from now...but, I am not so good with a shovel.  So I have decided to cathartically share my tale with you all.  A digital scrap book if you will.  Four years from now, thanks to the power of the cloud, I will pull this back up and see how my life has changed.  This is my last few months in this decade, before I enter my thirties.  So far, it has been an exciting ride.  I have been surrounded by love, laughter, bitter sweet times, but above all wonderful memories.  I will look back on all of these experiences strange, exciting, or hum drum (not as many by comparison for some strange reason)- with fondness and a smile, because all of these experience, all of you, have helped shaped who I am today.  I don't know what the future holds, but I can only pray the trajectory keeps rising to endless positive possibilities (both for us, and all of you!).  See you in four years 2-29! I can't wait to see what you have in store for me.

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