A Desert in Colorado...

as-salaam aleikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh,

 I went dune bashing with my husband yesterday and I will post some desert photos in my next post inshallah.

I just wanted to share a little bit I discovered today.  I have heard that there are sand dunes in one place in Colorado.  I have never been there, and neither have any of my friends/family.  I had not thought about it for years now and just decided to search online about it this morning.

I am in awe with the photos I saw.  Who would have thought there would be sand dunes in the state famous for its mountains, Aspen trees, and Rocky Mountain National Park--full of lush vegetation, river, lakes, and animals.

I was imagining the area would be really tiny but I discovered it is a substantial.  Some of the wildlife include Wild Bison, Elk, Pronghorn, and Migratory SandHill Cranes.  In the winter you can ski on the snow-covered sand dunes with no trees to obstruct your runs (there is one photo here of the snow covered dunes)!   Mashallah!

While I was first looking at the photos I actually got really teary eyed-- my home state is just so BEAUTIFUL Mashallah and I miss it so much!! Inshallah I will be going to visit my family later in the summer  :)  

Here are some photos--I only chose photos that have views of the dunes, the whole area is surrounded by so much nature, mountains, lakes, rivers, etc... for more photos see: Photos (all photos are courtesy of NPS Photo):

Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve
(by the way,  The traditional Ute word for the Great Sand Dunes is Sowapophe-uvehe, "the land that moves back and forth.")

Why do You Wear Hijab?

why the veil?

you think I failed

that now I'm jailed

for a man?

this fabric

covers hair and skin

protects whats within

from the eyes of sin

2 yards of cloth

do not cover my voice

it was my choice

this duty I rejoice

this hijab

not to disguise

but to emphasize

and be recognized

I am Muslim.

Allahu Akbar

-- Tico


**i"ll use Tico as my ghostwriting name :D

Hijab: The Bond We Share

as-salaam aleikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh,


The first time I felt ashamed I didn't yet start wearing hijab was at a cafe with a Muslim friend who wore it. She was getting stares from others and although she could have been more graceful in her confrontation with them, I had no clue what she was going through since no one could tell I was Muslim. I felt how unfair it was to her that she was alone at our table in feeling the negative stares.

It was one of the things that helped push me to slowly start wearing hijab. Shortly thereafter I started to really feel a bond with other sisters who wore it as well.

It was the bond I felt when I was new to wearing hijab--I was so self-conscious of the people who would stare--but all of that would disappear the moment I would see another sister and we would exchange greetings and smiles. Mashallah.

It was the bond I felt while in the London Heathrow Airport, and a sister came to speak to me while I was in the restroom freshening up. We ended up spending about 3 hours together chatting, laughing and having fun while we were both waiting for our flights. Mashallah.

It was the bond I felt in China, waiting for my connecting flight to Japan, where other Muslim sisters and I ran into each other and we greeted each other, and then exchanged some pleasant conversations about where we were from and where we were going. Mashallah.

It was the bond that I felt in Japan, at a subway station, off on the other side of where I was, I saw a group of young sisters, who noticed me at about the same time. Then came the biggest smiles on their faces--you could see the excitement in their expressions--to see another sister, in a country where there aren't all that many Muslims. Although we could only wave at each other, I said "as-salaam aleikum" to them in my heart :) Mashallah.

And it is a bond, while in Munich, where there were many Emirati sisters in hijab and abaya, with whom we exchanged smiles from a distance, and with some, "Salaam aleikum"as we walked past each other. Mashallah

And it was the bond I definitely missed, while traveling in Italy earlier this year, where most days I never saw a women in hijab (in fact I only saw one every few days), in a country where I felt a lot of negative stares (I do just want to let everyone know it wasn't so bad I could not enjoy my vacation there, but it was definitely noticeable.)

It is so nice to be able to easily recognize another Muslim sister wherever you go. The bond may be less enhanced in highly Muslim-populated cities and countries, it definitely is still there. It is the bond of knowing we are inshallah doing it for Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala, and we are going through similar struggles and experiences, both positive and negative, in whatever places we encounter each other in.

This post is not to criticize sisters who do not, or do not yet wear hijab. Inshallah Allah gives all of you who are considering to start wearing hijab the strength and patience to do so, and that you will soon get to experience this bond we share. You are strong enough to do it. I know you are :)

A Funny and unconventional Gift...

mood: angry--allllll at Texan in UAE's description of a hypothetical situation-- talking on the phone at 3am with her :)

**I changed the original wording to say "unconventional" because AstagferAllah, the original word I used showed no appreciation.

as-salaam aleikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh,


Have y'all gotten an unconventional gift before?

I really really do appreciate it when people give gifts. It is a really nice gesture Mashallah.

But this gift was funny but unconventional LOL:



A rooster!! A woman that has known the family for a while gifted this to us last year Mashallah... that was nice of her... except we didn't even have a farm to put him on (this was long before my BIL bought farmland)!!! We still live in the old-school houses where the courtyard is in the center of the house and the garden area is too small for a rooster to be happy living on LOL

We did find him a good home though Alhamdulillah

Though while he was home for a day and a half, our cat ZuZu did get to meet him:






Final whisper to Texan in UAE: allll I was talking to my step-father and I asked "How are y'all?" and he goes "You moved all the way to UAE and you are now saying y'all? Really? Y'all?"

*note: we do not say "y'all" like the Texans do. we say "You all"

:D

Meet the Crew :)

as-salaam aleikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh,

Narrated Abu Huraira:
The Prophet said, “A man felt very thirsty while he was on the way, there he came across a well. He went down the well, quenched his thirst and came out. Meanwhile he saw a dog panting and licking mud because of excessive thirst. He said to himself, “This dog is suffering from thirst as I did.” So, he went down the well again and filled his shoe with water and watered it. Allah thanked him for that deed and forgave him. The people said, “O Allah’s Apostle! Is there a reward for us in serving the animals?” He replied: “Yes, there is a reward for serving any animate (living being).”
(Bukhari,Book #43, Hadith #646)



who else reading my blog are animal lovers? do y'all have any pets? :)

I thought I'd share a little tidbit of my life by showing you the pets at our home.

Meet: Tora-chan--her mother had her and her siblings up in the roof of our home and we found a home for the other two and kept her :) She is a cutie Mashallah, she tolerates all our birds, hates our other cat and talks back to me when I get mad at her. She gets scared when my husband gets mad at her though.






Next meet: Zuzu, or Zaidane--he just wandered into our yard one day and my husband decided to keep him because he has always wanted an orange cat LOL --that being said I do almost all of the care-taking of him!!! He is a really really sweet cat Mashallah. He tolerates the birds and is afraid of Tora-chan because she has kicked his butt several times since he was a kitten. He isn't afraid of the street cats though.





Meet: KooKoo the African Grey--he is a loud one... loves to talk, make wierd loud noises, and whistle. He is really playful and he gets along with most people... but you have to know his body language to know if he is angry or playful--if he is angry his bites can hurt pretty bad. He is pretty good with me though :)



Here he is right before he got his butt whacked today for trying to chew on my laptop! He gives attitude and talks back when I get mad at him :) When my BIL clips his nails or wings he doesn't speak to my BIL for like a day or two afterwards LOL



Meet: NuNu the Rose-breasted Cockatoo, or Galah- my BIL just found him in a parking area by his friend's house one day. He was real friendly and came to him so we have had him ever since. He is really friendly, playful, and silly. I just realized I barely have any photos of him... most of him are on video, which I will upload some of his funny stuff at a later time inshallah :) --he chases and attacks our cats :)





Meet: Titi the Indian Ringneck--he is my SIL's parrot, she hand-raised him since he was a baby. He tolerates us but has attitude like crazy and tries to bite everyone all the time. He will go to anyone and stand on their shoulder but sometimes will bite people on the face if he gets angry. He eats just about anything while the other birds are more picky.



And last but not least, meet: 3al3ool (alool) , or Looli, AKA Turbo the cockatiel -he is the newest member to our family :) He is still afraid of everyone but he does get on our hands. My MIL calls him Turbo because he runs so fast.








p.s. for anyone thinking of running out to buy a bird or a cat now... please realize it is a HUGE responsibility. Cats are easier...but you do have to deal with litter boxes, cat hair, yearly trips to the vet for vaccinations, and more if they get sick!!

Birds, especially the social birds like parrots, cockatoos, cockatiels, etc... need entertainment and physical activity or else they become very stressed. They need at least 45 minutes of interaction with you a day. They can be very loud when they are stressed, bored, or like our Koo Koo, whenever he feels like it. They need toys that give them activities to keep them stimulated and toys should be rotated because they do get bored.

They won't always like everyone in the home. Sometimes they only love one person and reject everyone else. And they have a longer life expectancy than cats and dogs. For instance, Koo Koo's species can live up to 50 years!!

Please do not get a pet unless you have researched what their needs are and you are sure you can provide for them. :)


"You become responsible, forever, for what you have tamed."
--Antoine de Saint-Exupery