The Story Of Us

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This happened the weekend before Sandy hit: My mother in law was visiting for two weeks. She had never experienced autumn or seen the beautiful changing colors of the trees. So we thought, what better way than to introduce her to the fall festivities than a pumpkin patch. In all honesty this was not just her first pumpkin patch it was also M and D's. I'm sure I had been to one as a child but I don't have any distinct memories or pictures as proof. So let's call me a pumpkin patch virgin too. Get my post directly in you inbox with  Bloglovin I am now also offering ad space.  See  Sponsors  for more information .  Let's Stay Connected, Shall We?

It was Sunday night and the wind had began to rattle our windows, the red leaves flew off our big tree that was just moments ago full. We tried to get dinner on the table early, before we 'god forbid' lost power. The lights flickered and it was dark and within moments it returned.. relief. We hurried to the table and it went dark again only to return. We were midway into our dinner went it went dark again.. this time power did not return. So we ate a bite or two, out appetites lost. We put D to sleep and watched the our now naked tree, the street abandoned and dark, the rain pummeling the ground. And then, while we watched, it happened. A big black monster flew out from behind our home and fell onto our wires. It reminded M and I of a dementor (oh how I miss Harry Potter). It wasn't long before the police arrived and a fire truck. They inspected the area, located two car owners and had their cars removed from the area and then they tied yellow tape around our house. We

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 ad

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 or c

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