2013: A Year in Review

By far 2013 has been the best year of my entire life.  As I wake and ponder the last day of the year and the upcoming next year I am flooded with thousands of emotions and memories.    So here in no particular order is the best of my 2013.

13.  Taking my very first camel ride, and seeing the sun set over the great pyramids of Egypt, a vision I have dreamt of, yet words cannot describe how much better it was then I could have ever imagined.  It fell upon the commencement of Ramadan fasting so Jay and I were the only two people in the world during that moment (atop a KFC balcony of all things! ;))

12.  Laying pool side at sunset while the love of my life took a nap- listening to music in the gentle breeze overlooking the Nile river... ancient civilizations and pharohs have swam, sailed, and viewed in the same awe since the beginning of time. In that moment the world was so surreal and awe inspiring.

In a less relaxed Cairo we were able to sneak out amongst the chaos and sail the Nile and witness the beautiful evening lights of the city.



11.  Walking through the gate and feasting my eyes upon the world wonder the Taj Mahal, dressed in traditional beautiful Indian Langa (wedding sari) and all it's beauty and grandeur.  A gentleman made my day when he said I looked more beautiful than Taj, (not so sure about that, but he did make me blush) and asked to take a picture with me - one of several that day which Jay and I joined in.  It began raining and Jay and I sat under the Taj porcelain beauty and let our feet dangle in the rain as we melted into the monument of eternal love.  

10.  Seeing Hieroglyphics- real, live,  in person, ancient hieroglyphics!  I swear I could have pinched myself.  Like Indiana Jones, we explored the Valley of the Kings and saw King Tut's tomb and body (he was much smaller then expected, but hey, good things come in small packages eh? ;)).  We heard the story of Ancient Egypt's history as told by an evening light show in Karnek, which was truly amazing!

9.  I am a HUGE animal lover, and was very excited to have many exciting exotic animal experiences this year... I got to hold a baby Koala  Bear in Australia... super snuggly, and extra stinky.  Be glad pictures do not have smell-a-vision!



I was also able to see my first real live Aussie Kangaroo doing what Jay and I affectionately call "Sexy Time" a pose where he looks extra adorable.  Who knew they didn't hop?



8.  Bucket list- swim in the Great Barrier Reef! Check! Jay and I took a tumultuous boat ride through rocky waves in a very "Captain Dan Esque" storm where waves and rain sky rocketed over us and the boat... when we made it to the other side after a two hour journey we witnessed the clear blue green waters, rainbow skies, beautiful corals, and fishy friends in an oceanic paradise which made the voyage well worth it.

7.  I was able to see the sun set over the beautiful Sydney Opera House in the arms of the love of my life!  Treat of all treats we were able to go inside and watch my dear friend Daniel, Our Wedding Officiant, perform a song in a private viewing of the Choir - the only eyes in the room were Jay, myself, and his girl friend Claire- no words to express how magical an evening that was!



7.  Namaste!  The sound of peace, and tranquility which ensued us in the Oasis which is Nepal.  After exiting India... in the summer ...it was a fanastic difference to explore the crisp, cool, clean country filled with ancient cities which seem almost stuck in time (unchanged by modern society, for the better), friendly beautiful diverse people, the breathtaking Himilayan Mountains and delicious Momos (divine dumplings).









6. Exploring world's diversity and religions- from Hindu Temples, Buddhist Stupas, Muslim Mosques, Christian Churches, to Jewish Synagogues and more.  The world is diverse, and it's people are beautiful.  Embrace the the things that make us different, strive to learn from each other,  and adore the uniqueness and similarities we share at the very core.



5.  Exploring beautiful natural New Zealand.  Swimming in a natural hot springs which arises when the tide rolls into the ocean and we have to dig out quickly before it returns with new friends and a  borrowed shovel; Venturing around the big city of Auckland and watching the beauty of sailboats and heart of exploration;  experiencing a traditional dinner and show, and of course don't forget Middle Earth ... and confirming, yes I am indeed Hobbit Sized :)





4.  The surprising beauty of Sri Lanka, a land I knew little about and quickly discovered I did not want to leave.  Safe, friendly, beautiful!  Jay and I fed an elephant, spent time in the city, and then took a ferry to a hidden gem where we stayed on a tropical island.  We went on a walk at night and saw a thousand jubilee of lights and pungent fruit towers which honor in celebration 150 years of the local catholic church.  Along the way we made friends with the friendly locals and sweet dogs (I wanted to take them all home with me).





3.  Changing things up, after nine years with Cisco- I decided to take on a new challenging role as Global Lead for Ingram Micro and direct liason for Cisco.  I love the people I get to work with and the new experiences I have had.  Change is good....embrace it, love it!



2.  Growing family, I have long now been a fur mom (to my beloved Luka- pointy eared black shepherd and Mirage- my lovely Elvis lipped Katrina Rescue)





My anti was upped when I became the official Step Mom to my two beautiful Step Daughters Danica, and Mila:









And of course the ever so cute Austin Danger Powers- my new found snuggle bug! Meow :)



I have also gained the best in laws in the whole wide world!





Then of course there is the newest member of my growing family.  The very creation of love between my husband and I, our new BABY Girl! :D Due April 3, 2014!












Very exciting and I am sure this will make the very best of things to come in the New Year!

1.  All of the above would not have been possible without one man, Jay McBain.  My husband, my partner in crime, the love of my life and the reason I feel like I am dreaming and have not woken up in three years.  On July 4, 2013 I married my best friend and our fairy tale began.  I cannot express how greatful I am that our paths crossed, and that destiny/God/my great fortune allowed us to meet and for some strange and wonderful reason this handsome, funny and wonderful man fell in love with me as much as I fell in love with him.  He has changed my life for the better and the best truly is yet to come.  Every day with you is better then the last.  I thank you for loving me, for choosing me, for putting up with me <grin>, and for knowing that our world is better because we have each other.  I will love you forever and a day!















There have been some bad things that happened along the way (our house getting robbed on Christmas Eve, loss, lightening striking our house, a bad day here and there) but how can ANY of that remain in my mind with all of the beauty, love, and happiness which has made up my year.  I am blessed, and happy beyond words.  I choose to remember only the sheer beauty and love and cannot wait to meet our little girl and make each year better then the last.  I am thankful, and will do my best to put this love, energy and thankfulness back into the world.  Wishing you and yours the most spectacular of New Years!

Oh, and in terms of Resolutions- I have only this:  To treat each person I encounter and new day with the wonder and curiosity of my first day on earth, and the power and meaning of it potentially being my last.  That is how I choose to live- today, this year, and every year thereafter.  Happy 2014!

Who am I? Who are You?

     The eternal question we all ponder, who am I?  Who are any of us?  Where do we come from? What makes us who we are?  Well at it's very essence we are made up of 23 and me.  Those are the 23 pairs of chromosomes in a normal human cell.  23 and Me (https://www.23andme.com/) is a privately held personal genomics and biotechnology company based in Mountain View, California that provides rapid genetic testing for as low as a one time fee of $99. The $126 million genetic-testing company can tell you how to live smarter, better and longer.

AnneWojcicki, founder of the company had long dreamed of such an idea.  A former Wall Street executive with a degree in biology (very similar to myself - from pre med, wall street now to IT nerd), she has taken a personal interest in wellness into a thriving,

potentially groundbreaking business. Since founding 23and­Me in 2006--with the backing of an impressive list of investors including her *then husband, Sergey Brin, and the company he then ran, Google--she has been working toward two goals: "bringing the power of genetic testing to everyday consumers so they can better manage their own health care, and using the aggregated data from those tests to help doctors, scientists, hospitals, and researchers discover new cures for diseases that emanate from troublesome genetic mutations"- Fast Company. (Wojcicki and Brin announced their separation in August. A 23andMe spokesperson says, "He remains committed to the company.")

I first learned of this while watching Ann on Oprah five years ago. I was intrigued to say the least but at the time the price was $499, a bit steep for my blood.  When  I went on one of my first dates with Jay, my now husband. we started talking about.genetics (I know, we were meant for each other) and I brought up 23andme and he told me he had done it!  He showed me his results, and it was just as fascinating as projected.  At that point they had dropped the price down to $199 with a $20 monthly charged- much more feasible, so I gave it a whirl. Even more impressive now at the low one time fee of only $99!

Now, I cannot speak to other's results- but as for mine they were spot on, intriguing, and very impressive.  I spent hours looking over all the ways to slice and dice my genetic data.  As for my husband- he recently toted about the wonders of 23 and me in his most recent blog 5 life hacks you should be using today.  He knew his lineage down to the town, as his entire family has been tracing for decades.  He says, "The most interesting thing is seeing where your mother and fathers lineage was 500 years ago (before mass travel).  Mine was 100% correct - Inverness, Scotland and Nottinghamshire, England.  Yes, I am the direct descendant of Robin Hood and the Loch Ness monster"  Spot on accuracy, kudos 23andme!  As for me, ironically I grew up believing my mother was Polish and Italian.  Right before taking my test I had traveled to South Africa and everywhere I went, I was asked, "are you Portugese? Spanish?" .  Well, you can imagine my surprise when the test confirmed in fact I was...  Surprise mom :). 

An unfortunate side note, as a female, having two X chromosomes I am unable to see my paternal side (unless my estranged father or my half brother get tested)- therefore, I think women should only have to pay half price ;) Nevertheless,  it is a fantastic way to map your genome: test your lineage, check for potential health conditions, and fun facts all based upon your DNA, all from a saliva sample. 

You know how you hear those stories of a runner who goes out one day, and dies suddenly of a heart attack, never even knowing they had a heart condition?   What if that could have been prevented, or treated?  I was born with a atrial heart condition called a Mitral Valve Cleft, and have to go to a Cardiologist annually knowing someday I would need surgery... but what if I didn't know that?  Well, thanks to my health report on 240+ health conditions and traits I was able to see clear as day my condition (and other potential genetic conditions I may or may not be at risk for).  To me this is a true blessing because prevention is key, and can save lives, especially knowing you are prone to something or have a greater risk.  Now, recently I have read some countering arguments which loosely state "facts" of cases which they were not spot on, such as a man low risk to heart disease but had heart stents.  We have to remember, there is nature vs nurture, and although you may not be genetically prone to be high risk to something, however, if you eat poorly, are overweight, do not exercise, smoke etc these things could heighten your risks of course- and the test is not accounting for that. As for people who get the results, and make drastic decisions- they are not confirming you have, just stating you might be at higher risk- a smart person would check and get a second (or even a third) opinion! You should always do that no matter who tells you what, it is our job to fact check to protect our body.

Other interesting tid bits are the fun traits we may possess which mine were pretty darn close, if not exact.  What more?  you can compare against friends and loved ones?  For ex, I can see how I rank against my husband Jay:

Moreover, now that we are expecting our first baby, we can see our potential genetics we will pass on to our wee one thanks to their neat feature called "inheritance calculator":

It appears that McBainby will be a bitter tasting, wet ear wax having, 100% sprinting, no flush alcohol drinking (not till your 21 kiddo), lactose tolerant baby girl.  Eyes yet to be determined  for certain ;) Coming soon April 3.

<Our Baby Girl :)

Another bonus I was able to know for a fact Jay and I were not related prior to our marriage (no offense royal family), thanks to my ancestry finder.  I did however find 999+ relatives who share my DNA, a fond introduction to my 1-5th cousins from all over the world.  

We get to share lineage, common genetics, stories on our ancestors, and ways to maintain, treat, or  deal with some common traits and potential risks.  

So where do all of these ancestors live now a days, well we know that too- thanks to the geo mapping, I like to call this section, "Where in the World are Michelle's Relatives?":

The more people tested, the more information they collect, the more relatives I get to meet,  and the more we can learn about each other. Also, it inspired me to trace back my direct lineage as well, and now as I become a mother, what better gift to your future but then to share with them their past?

You can do a lot with $99, but why not try using it to find out a bit more about who you are, where you came from, and what the future might have planned for you?  There is one CATCH,... on November 22, 2013 the FDA sent a letter ordering them to stop selling and, shut down, or limit this wonderful and helpful health site: read the FDA Ban here.  This really made me upset, because I personally found this site intriguing, helpful, and informative.  I felt empowered having MY history and DNA in my hands, and don't feel it is fair to take that opportunity away from others who are intrigued to learn more about themselves as well and choose to participate.  If interested, I encourage you to please sign the petition to restore 23andme:  Sign Petition Here!