Beach Life- Winter Edition

It was literally freezing at Ocean City Beach with temperatures as low as 29 degrees. But Humble Dad was working, so we joined him. We love the beach and we will go any chance we get. If you have been reading my blog for awhile, you are probably tired of hearing me say this, but it is true! Even in freezing weather, just the sounds of the waves makes me feel wonderful!

Alhumdulilah, our hotel had an indoor pool. So we still had our wet time and fulfilled our physical education credit. This picture of S Man pushing off from the pool is amazing, I don't believe I took it. If I knew of a contest to enter it in, I would, so glad I decided to upgrade my Nikon again.

15 Year Anniversary ♥

MashaAllah, I sometimes don't believe we have made it this long. Only through the Grace of God, can I stand in this moment and wish Humble Dad a Happy 15 year Anniversary. And only through the Grace of God can we do something we have never done before, take a vacation together ALONE!

I blogged about our situation already in A Lesson in Patience: how we have never had a honeymoon, so this really was a huge deal for me.

Peach Cobbler & Rootbeer Floats

Happy Islamic New Year ~ Muharram

The first of Muharram is upon us and we are celebrating with some homemade peach cobbler a la mode and Rootbeer Floats. Our favorites!!!

Ibadah & Khitmah Checklist

This Ibadah& Khitmah Checklist was inspired by one of my wonderful teachers Anse Tamara at www.rabata.org .

I just completed her game Pilgrims at Home during the first 10 days of Dhu- l- Hijjah , it changed my perspective on what it means to be a Muslim in America and the nearness to Allah we can realize anywhere. We do not have to travel overseas to gain this nearness, but we do need to travel beyond our nafs towards our inward strength. The workout I went through, flexing my Ibadah muscles is not easy and can be harder than entering a gym for the first time to flex physical muscles. But the gain is better than any toned up abs, as one’s physical body is temporary and our spiritual body is everlasting.
Read more about our experience with Pilgrims at Home in: The Hajj- 2013

A Lesson in Patience

We are a working class family and we weren't always at that status. Humble Dad and I married in our early twenties and will inshaAllah, God Willing celebrate our 15th anniversary soon.

During our marriage, we were starving students, poor, really poor, struggling to get by poor, rice and beans poor, and our current working class status with a boat load of Beloveds which means a boat load of expenses. We were so poor when we got married that we never had a real honeymoon and I received a promise as a dowry. As more Beloveds were born and less babysitting options were available, taking a trip as a Married couple without the Beloveds became a distant dream of the day when Lil A is old enough to stay home alone.

Road Trip to Chicago- 2013

On Friday, we headed to New Jersey for Shaykh Jihad Brown's Aqidah class. You always know you are on the right path in life when everything compliments each other, the Aqidah class reinforced some of the lessons I learned in my Companions of the Prophet class from earlier that week. We were given such a warm welcome, we were fed, offered a place to sleep, and had the best of company. Surely New Jersey community is a blessed one with many of the Scholars from our recent Al-Maqasid Retreat residing there.

After leaving New Jersey, we rode the main highways for a long time. However, I always have the urge to get off the main highway and take the road less traveled. I like to see real people and real places, I like to formulate my own opinions of the world and moreover, I want to teach my children to see things for themselves. To understand that the world on television is a propaganda, but by talking to people and seeing things for oneself will we only begin to understand the truth.

The Life Cycle is Complete- part 1

We have eggs. A dozen eggs in a basket that was laid by the chickens living in our yard. 

Although we have seen a complete life cycle- from egg to chick to chicken to egg. . . it was not perfect, we had some mishaps along the way. Which should be expected for our first time. InshaAllah, God Willing, we will do better our next time around. This was our journey.