Pilgrimage of a Lifetime

This Saturday marks the start of my journey to Mecca. Why on Earth am I going you ask? Well, this time of year marks the Hajj for Muslims...a pilgrimage to the city of Mecca in Saudi Arabia. If one has the financial and physical means of going, they should take advantage of the time. And this is the time for me and my husband. I'm done with school and work has granted me time off during our busy season in the PICU. So with Has, the in-laws, A&Z, and K&S we are embarking on a journey that we will all remember.

I've been doing some research over the past year...a little here, a little there in between those study breaks and before bed on Sunday nights. I have to say that I am emotional, excited, and a little scared. The videos we have been watching are truly amazing, emotional, and moving! I wish everyone can experience what we are about to encounter! Just to see millions of people from all over the world come together in one place during one time of the year for the same purpose is so incredibly moving!

I'll be keeping a journal along the way...so I'm warning you now of any "Tanookie" moments that should arise in a foreign country where I do not speak the language!

So as a part of my religious obligation, I have to ask those of you who know me to forgive me of any wrongdoing that I may have committed. What ill feelings I may have caused over the years, I do sincerely apologize. I ask for forgiveness so that when traveling to Mecca, there are no unresolved issues and feelings when I return.

Kamran, forgive me...I stole your picture from your blog site. I thought it did a good job capturing the essense of Hajj. This is a picture of the Great Mosque in Mecca. The Kabbah (the black cube) in the center is the 1st house built by Adam and rebuilt again by the prophet Abraham and his son Ishmail. For years, Muslims pray in a certain "direction" that is intangible...this direction is toward the Kabbah. Now this direction will be seen and felt in person. You can see the concentric rows that fill the entire mosque and even flows out into the streets!

For more info:
-click on this link HAJJ (try doing the virtual Hajj for a concise understanding)
-then watch "The Greatest Trip on Earth" series

Wish us well and I will keep you in my prayers...

Surprise!

This past Saturday, I had the surprise of my life. In celebration of finishing my master's, Has, Z&A, and my parents threw a suprise party for me! I KNEW something was up when my mom calls and invites me over for dinner on Saturday. She never invites us over...I usually invite myself over. Either there was something she had to tell me or there was some form of bad news to expect! Nevertheless, if she is inviting us, how could I turn that down?!?

So Saturday we are driving over...and little did I know that everything coming out of Hassan's mouth are lies!

"What's your favorite cake? Chocolate or vanilla?" What a random question I thought at the time.....little did I think that it was determining the type of cake for the party!

"What do you like? I'll get you anything you want as a graduation gift!" We walk through stores on Friday night. I thought he was oddly nice and patient that night...he was actually scoping out what gifts to buy me for the following day!

"We have to leave at 3:15pm SHARP so that we don't miss the football game at 4pm!" translates to "Your guests at the surprise party are expecting you at 4pm"

"Yeah, that was Showieb calling from the airport" he casually says. I later find out that it was a friend of ours asking for the closest grocery store to pick up a gift.

"Let me call Edgar to see what the score is on the game" translates to "I have to let Edgar that we are 5 minutes away from the house".

So we arrive at my parent's house at 4pm and walk through the side door and...SURPRISE!!!!

OMG! I was not expecting to see a group of familiar faces standing in my parent's kitchen! Aamir! Zehra! Damon! Ryan! Johnny! Aisha! XiuJuan! Viet! Jen! Heather! Shakir! Edgar! Mikey! Mom! Tefsit! Imran! Justin! Khoi! I was overwhelmed at all the cheers, laughs, and flashes from the cameras! From every walk of life, there is a person I know. Friends that I haven't seen in months because of my crazy school and work schedule and some that I haven't seen since our wedding 3 years ago!

I was speechless at the extent of planning...apparently Has and Zehra were emailing for the past 2 months! Has visited my parents the day after the floors were done to talk about the details of the party! Has even spoke with Jen S. from work to rig my work schedule and have me off for that day! There was an evite sent out...I still don't know how Has got some email addresses. I'm scared to think that he hacked into my email account!

It was refreshing to see Hassan's parents come over and meet my friends. To see my parents together with his. To hear my brothers laughing and joking around with my closest friends. To see my mom talking with Heather about her new baby boy, Ibraheem. To see my dad talking football with Hassan's dad. To see Khoi, whom I haven't seen seen the UMBC days! I'm glad that my parents had the opportunity to meet some of greatest friends (A&Z)! Those are greatest gifts!

Speaking of A&Z, you BOTH are truly amazing. We are lucky to have you both as friends. Thank you for everything! It was perfect in every respect of a surprise party!

Weekend Warrior 2

My weekend warrior was at it again...but this time I give him praise in all that he accomplished on Saturday and Sunday. There were no indentations on the couch from hours of television watching. Heck, there wasn't even an indentation on the toilet (his second most beloved spot)! In all seriousness, Has has proved himself as a home improvement guru.

With the assistance of a couple of co-workers, Has replaced our living room carpet with hardwood-laminate floors. NOT Pergo, but thinner, individual wood slats that gave it a more professional look.

Day 1: We first had to move all our furniture out of the living room. Murry didn't handle the move very well. He puked on the floor in midst of the commotion. Then we ripped up the carpet!Here I am contributing to the effort: pulling out each INDIVIDUAL staple that held the carpet padding to the floor.

We rolled up the old carpet, but Murry is having a hard time letting go.

Day 2: Up early at 7:30 am Has and his co-workers laid down the sub-flooring. Now they are measuring the for the actual wood (see the corner of the above picture). Thanks, Don and Jim!

You go boy! Has cuts the final pieces of the floor at 11:30 pm.Day 3: Swept up and cleaned the floors...it's done!Has collapses in relief and Murry comes to his rescue. All done! Casualties: 0, Animals hurt: 0, Blisters I had to pop: 2

And then there were two!

Sigh...I finished my LAST final of this NP program! Finally DONE after 2.5 years in grad school! From part-time to full-time...whew! Now it's just the Family NP boards sometime in Feb or March. Anyways, lets rewind back four hours as I was finishing up my FINAL-FINAL!

I turned in my exam and returned to my desk to put things away. I was about to leave when I spotted a blue mechanical Pentel pencil under a desk. "Is that mine?!?!" I said outloud with a hint of panic. It couldn't be! Not again! Ever since that last episode, I have been VERY consious of my pencil. I searched through my bag and found it...but, that couldn't be... ANOTHER one!?!?

I was at a crossroads...it looked SO lonely sitting under that desk. At least it had an eraser and was in a safe location hidden away from foot traffic. Was it a simple reaction of mine to snatch that lone pencil? Do I get to keep it and save it as a back-up Pentel pencil? Would MY mechanical pencil become treatened by jealously? (seriously, I need to just step back and separate myself from this reality!)

Then, I thought about what Showieb kindly commented on my blog a few weeks ago when I first lost my pencil. I heard a stout Obi-Showbi Kenobi in my head say, "That pencil belongs to someone else and they might miss it too. You are stealing it from someone!" I felt the tables turn and suddenly, all his wise words made sense. I shook my head, grabbed my coat and bag, and left the classroom.


Moral of the Story: Things in life do come full-circle...that's when you have the opportunity to make a wrong a right.

And then there was one...

It's nearly 1 am now...Has has long been asleep on the couch. Thank God for Monday Night Football; otherwise when could I study for 3 hours straight and never hear a peep from him!?!?! I did have one little critter checking in on me...Murry (aka nicknamed "Mo-Mo"). Here are some pics of him doing what he does best...distracting me from my studies and posing in the cutest ways in the most inconvenient spots.

Going!

Going...

Gone!

I dunno why he sleeps facing the wrong direction!