I realized that there is such a huge community of bloggers out there these last few days and I love it. I LOVE reading random blogs I find. So, please don't mind if I left you some weird stalker messages over the last few days, I am not purposefully being a creeper, I am just so excited about blogging and love meeting new people! I also don't know how to follow people yet, but once figure that out I am going to start following you all!

Today: 2:15am (well it was when I started writing this post. I am not the fastest writer in the world)
Feeling: Nostalgic

All this blogging and meeting new people thing, is making me remember how difficult it used to be in the past for me to make friends. Maybe others in a situation similar to mine can relate to a time when being so different didn't really make you popular.

My parents both moved to the States after they got married, and I was born here in the US. They are amazing parents (Alhamdulillah) but sometimes the things they did made for SUPER awkward situations. For example for lunch my mom would pack me a hearty Indian meal comprising of spicy shaami kebab sandwiches, tomato chutney, and even some mango juice.  I know it may sound appetizing now but smelling like shaami all day didn't really help my friend situation. Anyway, I know it could have been much worse, my cousin's mother actually used to rub coconut oil in her hair before sending her off to school. We all laugh about it now, including the parents.

High school came, I started wearing hijab when I was 11 and I still didn't really discover how to tie it in a (clean?) way. My hair didn't show but it just looked large and bulky and it was always the same color (bright white). I had glasses, a single eyebrow, and to top it off braces too. (I am painting a pretty picture aren't I?) I bought clothes from the boys section because they were baggier. I was an introvert, didn't have friends, was painfully shy, and socially awkward (and that is putting it kindly). Embarrassing confession: I remember times when I would come home from school, pray and then make dua  to Allah (swt) for friends.

In undergrad Allah (swt) answered my prayers. I got contacts, the braces came off, I discovered that they made hijabs in a rainbow of colors, and they have a girls section in every store. It finally clicked that if I needed friends I would have to actually, you know, speak to people (surprising revelation, i know). I remember seeing another girl in hijab in one of my classes and I used to do the creepiest thing, (we laugh about this now but I can just imagine how weird I must have been) I would just STARE at her, throughout the entire class period, just stare. I did this for days until I finally got the courage to speak with her, except she would always run out of class early. Later I found out that the reason she would run out of class early was so that she could avoid me, I know that it may sound mean, but trust me I would have run away from my creepy self too. I was persistent and our paths met and I made my first and best friend. (It ONLY took me 17 years to get one, well not counting my mom). I do still do the creepy staring thing sometimes to people I don't know (maybe if I start smiling when I stare at them and add in a wink it would make it less creepy???) Plus, how do you think I met my husband-more on that later.

I don't know if randomly posting on people's blogs is the equivalent of me creepily staring at people. I still haven't learned blogging etiquette and I won't be offended if someone tells me I am being creepy. :)

Now that I am almost done with grad school, life has come full circle, and I noticed that I am going back to being a hermit. Friends have all moved away and my husband and I only hang out with each other (I realized that I prefer that now too). It turns out that my husband is just as awkward as I am, with a very similar story growing up. Is this just specific to us or can anyone else chime in with a like minded experience?

I guess life is funny like that.

What exactly would my first (technically second), but I mean my first REAL post be about?

So, I know how I am going to go about this blog. Before I fall asleep, there is always ONE thing either from the day or from the past that leaves an imprint on my mind and prevents me from sleeping. It could be a REALLY extraordinarily embarrassing moment, a really fantastic idea that I am excited about, paranoia, or just about anything else. Of course it will still relate to the topics in my first post, but hopefully writing posts this way will make for a more interesting read AND help me fall asleep after I clear my mind.

Tonight: 3:45am

Feeling: Paranoid

Why?: Before I tell you why, you will need to know some history about me.

As I mentioned in my first post I am hopelessly obsessed  addicted to couponing, especially when by using coupons I get things for FREE!!! 

It all started about 6 years ago when I was a Sophomore in Undergrad. My friend had found a coupon for a free Victoria Secret(VS) Panty in our school newspaper and we drove around campus that day searching for newspapers with them still inside. We found a few hundred and split them between 4 friends, we each had about 60 panties (or chuddies as I like to say)! The next day armed with 5 coupons each, as not to look too suspicious, we entered VS. We grabbed 5  pairs each, hearts beating, palms sweaty, we handed our coupons to the cashier who didn't even give them a second glance and gave us our chuddies! We ran out of the store like we had robbed the joint. 

People often ask me about what Muslim's do in undergrad for fun, since you know, we can't "party."  And I tell them...just about everything.... but the couponing bit... I try so hard to be cool sometimes, and this would definitely not help my image. (I actually have some really great "cool" memories from undergrad that I know will make some great posts in the future, but those were mainly because I had some really awesome friends! So, I will fill you in on those and my response to their question in a future post) 

Now fast-forward to the present time, 600 free chuddies later, and the reason why I cannot fall asleep tonight:

My dad was feeling a little sick tonight and was in the mood to have some "Orange coke", as he likes to say. My husband and I volunteered to pick some up for my dad as well as a few other things. The only reason my husband agreed to go was because he thought it was going to be a quick run to the store, HAH sometimes he can be so cute and clueless! (and yes, if you are wondering, I am married. to the most amazing man in the world, Alhamdullilah. I know I will definitely write a future post or posts about how we met! I think it could be the most amazing story ever about how 2 people meet and fall in love, but I am biased of course) So moving on with the story, I cannot go to the grocery store without my handy booklet of coupons that I always have ready just in case a situation like this arises (Yes, I promise, I am that awesome). I coupon all the time at the store and the cashiers know my face, and today after I handed the cashier my 30 coupons I felt like I was being stared at. I am not even talking about the wow-she-is-using-coupons-she-is-so-annoying-making-my-job-harder stare (which happens a lot), it was more of a she-is doing-something-illegal stare (trust me, I know that stare). The coupons scanned through and I rushed out of there after the cashier gave a me smile and told me to have a wonderful night. Sounds pretty harmless right? Well her smile was more of a your-couponing-ways-are-going-to-send-you-to-jail smile rather than a have-a-wonderful-night smile. I am sure you know the difference. 

So, I am a bit freaked out at the moment. Paranoid that the police are going to find out where I live, knock on my door, handcuff me, and take me to jail because of my couponing ways. My husband, who is sleeping soundly next to me, has reassured me that no one has ever gone to jail for couponing. (but how does he know?) I think I should take a break from couponing. However, I just found a coupon for a free bottle of Evamore water online. I have no idea what it is exactly, but what I do know is that I NEED to have it!

Well I hope you made it to the end of the post, it was pretty long and hope that as time goes on, the posts will be a little shorter and a much easier read. Blogging is a little more difficult than I thought!

Thanks for reading 

Bye for now :)

Just in case anyone wants the coupon here is the link to it: Evamore Just write in your email and name!

Honestly, I have no idea how long this blog will last. I was suffering from insomnia last night and that was when the idea of a blog was thought up. It seemed like a groundbreaking idea where I would write about my brutally normal life that actually isn't really that normal. I would make it more than just about Islam but rather my journey in life as an individual who just happens to be Muslim. Of course I thought it up at 5am, when just about every idea sounds profound.

There are a ton of really great Muslim bloggers out there, but most of them are only about Islam, which (MashAllah) is fantastic, but it leaves me wanting to read about someone's real life- where mistakes are made and things are not always so perfect. Then of course you have the Muslim fashion blogs, MashAllah is it just me or do Muslim girls have a great sense of fashion? I like to think I have an odd sense of fashion and I will probably write a few posts on the subject as well, but then again I don't want to limit myself to just that. (Plus, the Halaal Police are always monitoring those blogs and they terrify me.) Apart from that possibly talk about marriage, family, friends, movies, my unhealthy addiction to couponing, cooking, failed attempts at being awesome, and just about everything else too.

So I think that is all for my blog introduction. InshaAllah, I will post something soon!