The Story Of Us

September really was quite a month.. we went from Amsterdam to Cairo , Iraq and then finally wrapped things up with friends and family in Dubai. We stayed at my uncle's place, my mom flew in from Karachi to spend some much need time with her grandson. My brother flew in from Sri Lanka, he was having a boy's getaway and catching some cricket matches. M has a few friends and cousin's who live there, as do mine. The plan was to try to meet them all, but by the time we got to Dubai we were exhausted and hibernation seemed like the best idea. So we ate   D played with a miniature shopping cart.. how cute is that! he sat in a car he slept in a car (a crazy expensive bed that had lights) I met my friends.. I have known these ladies since I was 11 or 12 years old. M met up with his cousin.. and here's a little before and after for you.. D with my brother at six months and again at two years. Three days went by in a blur.. and our...

After our nine hours in Amsterdam and three days in Cairo we were now on our way to spend seven days in Iraq. We spent the first four in Karbala, where the tragic battle of Karbala took place. Here lays the body of Imam Hussain (A.S) and his two sons including six month old Ali Asghar (A.S), his brother Abbas (A.S) and the seventy two martyrs of Karbala   The next three days were spent in Najaf where lies the father of Imam Hussain (A.S), Imam Ali (A.S). The mosque in which Imam Ali (A.S) was martyred in. Also in Najaf is one of the largest cemeteries in the world, it houses over half a million graves including two prophets. We enjoyed a lot of delicious and refreshing pomegranate juice. Being in Iraq was unlike anything I had ever experienced. There were check points every where. You were body searched when you entered the area of the shrines, then you were again searched before entering each shrine. Bags were checked to make sure you had no cell phones ...

I am so glad you all enjoyed our layover in  Amsterdam  and now it's almost time to take you to Egypt, but before I do I must give you a little background. When I told you that we had a trip planned I mentioned that is was not going to be a trip of leisure but of prayer and spirituality. And it was exactly that, it was not about the pyramids or the museums but of a beauty, history and pain of a different kind. Let me explain. Most of you know that we are Muslims. Like most religions, Islam too is divided into many sects, the main two being Sunni and Shia. We belong to the latter. The Shia's are further divided into many sects, we belong to a a sub sect of the Fatimid's known as the Dawoodi Bohra's. You may have seen Muslim women wearing headscarves and burqah's etc. We, the women, traditionally wear what is called a rida (they can be a variety of colors with embroidery and applique, sequins, bead work and ribbon work, the sky is the limit) and the men a white kurta ...

Just to let you all know we're back.. lots of tales to tell.. but first I need to unpack, take a shower and probably eat something.. will be back to my regular posting on Thursday.. and it'll be about a new sponsor and then on Monday D's big milestone.. if you like cute pictures you'll want to be here.. And a little something just for all my fellow coffee lovers source Get my post directly in you inbox with  Bloglovin I am now also offering ad space.  See  Sponsors  for more information .  Click here to vote Let's Stay Connected, Shall We?

In celebration of World Photography Day I thought I'd take you around the world with me and share some of the places I have been a Rome Lisbon Iran New York New England Paris   Pakistan Barcelona and I'll leave you with a quote "A lot of photographers think that if they buy a better camera they'll be able to take better photographs. A better camera won't do a thing for you if you don't have anything in your head or in your heart" - Arnold Newman

  Amsterdam Upstate New York Ottawa Montreal Old Quebec City Aruba Baltimore Great Falls Park Washington DC 2012  and  DC 2017 Skyline Drive, VA Richmond and Virginia Beach Assateague Island Ocean City Cairo Pilgrimage in Iraq Dubai Istanbul Istanbul II and Istanbul III Houston Philadelphia   Niagara Falls Canada's African Lion Safari Florida  - DisneyWorld  - SeaWorld -  Legoland  - Disney II New Orleans I and New Orleans II Wildwood Cancun Boston Copenhagen Aarhaus Hillerod Copenhagen II Las Vegas Red Rock Canyon Chimney Rock, North Carolina Savannah, Georgia  Charleston, South Carolina Myrtle Beach Marrakech Moroccan Desert Fes Chefchaouen Atlas Mountain Budapest Prague Vienna Salzburg Outer Banks Mykonos Naxos Santorini Athens Lucerne Mount Pilatus Jun...