It’s a love story–

–baby, just say yes.

Apologies! Many, many apologies.

Salaams everyone, sorry I disappeared on you all for an unprecedented amount of time. We finally hooked up the internet in the new house, so I’m back, bebuhs.

My workout schedule has gone to ground since three things happened simultaneously: 1) I started school at a very large, very new campus, 2)we moved into the new house the day before Ramadan and 3)Ramadan Kareem!

The interesting thing is, because I’m walking so much from class to class everyday, and still wrapping my mind around where I have to be on campus and going to lectures and printing notes and syllabi and ordering books, and then walking some more, and coming home exhausted, and falling into bed to sleep hard and dreamlessly, and waking up before dawn to repeat it all over again…it’s pretty exhilarating.

I still feel like I’m getting a workout without actually AIMING to “work out.” It’s such a great feeling. Insha Allah after Ramadan and after things settle down I will start going to the fitness center (the beautiful, beautiful, two-story fitness center complete with rock climbing wall and indoor track and smoothie cafe and all the cardio and weight machines a girl could ever want…*wipes drool off keyboard) but for right now, I’m feeling puh-retty good.

I’m enrolled in some very large classes, and I was surprised (although I probably shouldn’t have been) when people started getting up to leave before the class was even over. I was sitting in the front and I could hear the *sqee! sqee!* of the collapsible tables being put away and the chairs swinging back up as people started exiting the lecture hall. It was so loud and so disruptive, one of my professors actually just stopped class and said, “Alright, well, I can’t talk over all these people so I’ll just leave the last slide up for you all to copy,” and ended class. This has happened in three of my classes and it blows my mind. I keep thinking, What are you people here for, then? This has happened to me every time I’ve entered a higher-level school tier. When I entered high school, I had these grand visions of no more worksheets and only lectures and presentations and narrow-lined paper full of my handwritten notes. I was convinced that teachers didn’t give baby worksheets in high school. I was very disappointed when I started 9th grade. Not just about the worksheets, about everything. Then I started community college, and although that was better, it was still another letdown. Now I’m starting my bachelors and I can feel that taste of disappointment in the back of my throat again. Oh well. I should stop being surprised.

As I was sitting, copying the last slide my professor had left up on the overhead, a girl from the following class came in and sat next to me. “Are you the TA?” she asked me.

She thinks I’m a TA! Flattered, I responded, “No, I’m just a student from the previous class.”

“Oh. What class was that?”

“Macroeconomics.”

“Economics? Wow. That must be really hard.”

“Well, no, not really, it’s actually pretty interesting, I mean, we use it everyday without realizing it…” I trailed off because I could see from her face that I had vaguely offended her. Oh, I thought. The correct answer was, “OMG, I know, it sucks! I can’t wait for this class to be overrr!

I made some more half-hearted prattle with her and then left. Maybe one day I’ll find my place where the students fight to fill the front row and there is pin drop silence when the professor speaks because everyone is leaning forward in their seats, absorbing knowledge like a sponge, and no one dares even to stick a foot into the aisle until the professor says, “Dismissed.” Do places like that exist?

I’m still alive!

Salams everyone,
Just popping in to let you all know I’m still here, I didn’t abandon Running Muslimah. With moving into the new house, getting my things squared away for university, and having no internet access at home, things have been kinda crazy.

My mouth waters every time I drive past the Rec Center…insha Allah once I’m all settled I’m going to be a total gym rat.

Hope everyone’s Ramadan is going well!

Ramadan Mubarak, everyone!

Ramadan Mubarak everyone! May this Ramadan be a source of reward and joy and may all our difficulties be few and our blessings too numerous to count!

Today I had orientation at university. It was long and exhausting but I was so excited I didn’t mind. I registered for classes, got a brand new freshly minted ID card, and found my books.

I’m sitting on the floor of my empty, empty room. 😦 The movers came this morning right when I was leaving for orientation. My bed, dresser, bookshelves, everything, it’s goooooooooooone. I want to sleep on my bed but my bed isn’t here!

I wanted to move in tonight but mom is tired so we’re gonna move in tomorrow insha Allah.

Alhamdulillah, things have fallen into place, chic-chic-chic like pearls falling off a broken string. (Okay, I know that phrase is most often used as a metaphor for the major signs of the Day of Judgement, but it’s PRETTY!) I have so much to be thankful for, a fresh start in school, a new home, an amazing mother and sister, and soooo many things I can’t even begin to list. Which of the favors of my Lord can I deny?

Insha Allah this Ramadan will be a time for personal growth and becoming closer to Allah and fulfilling my true potential!

I’m listening to this beautiful recitation of Surah ar-Rahman, and learning to chill out like the Prophet (SAW)

All moved in.

I moved all my stuff into the new house today, all in one go. Well, two goes.

Ms. Bonaparte, my fellow running buddy and the best friend a gal could have came over today and helped me move. I found a $5 coupon to Pollo Tropical while I was sorting out all my crap. It didn’t have an expiration date, so  after moving the first batch of boxes we rejoiced by having lunch at Pollo Tropical. We only had to pay .83 cents for a large TropiChop. It was beautiful. We made sure to stock up on all the condiments. Salsa, guava BBQ sauce, garlic cilantro sauce, jalepenos, the works.

When we came home and my mom saw she said, “Good, nobody has to cook for the next two days, we can just eat chutney with roti!”

We sat around and told jokes. I told the one about the Imam who saved a plate of food from iftar during Ramadan. While he was leading Taraweeh he saw a cat out of the corner of his eye approaching the food. Quickly, he thought of a way to scare the cat without breaking the prayer. He started reciting Surah Masad, “Tabat yadaa abi lahabiu’ WATABBBB! Ma aghna ‘anhu maaluhu wa ma KA SABBBBB!” Everybody just thought he was putting emphasis on the surah because it talks about the punishment of Abu Lahab, but really he was just trying to scare the cat from his food.

There’s another joke my mom told us about the mother and sons who get into an inheritance argument when the husband passes away. The sons want all the money, but the mother wants the money too, so they go to the Imam to find out what to do.

When they get there, the Imam says, “Let’s look in the Quran!” He opens the Quran and starts reading “Tabat yadaa abi lahabiu’ watab…(what is it with these jokes and Surah Lahab/Masad?) ma aghna ‘anhu maaluhu wa Ma ka saab!” Then he closes the Quran and says, “Okay, that’s decided! Ma ka saab!” In Urdu “ma ka saab” means, “It all belongs to mother.”

Another one I heard, it’s not really a joke but more something to think about, the Quran starts with the letter “baa” and ends with “seen” and together you have:  بس (bas)–enough. Between ب and س is enough, it needs no more improvement! Cool, na?

So after joke telling we went back to sorting all my crap. Ms. Bonaparte had to leave before I finished the second wave, so I went back to the house a second time later in the evening and moved the last of it. It was more lonely this time 😦 But then my mom came while I was there so I became habbeh!

Orientation tomorrow! I got quite the workout today just moving everything back and forth, (well, just forth I suppose!)  It was the best feeling in the world, doing honest-to-God manual work. I approve.

I woke up this morning and everything felt…different. I didn’t want to go online, the rest of the day while I was driving I didn’t want to listen to music in the car, there was this…feeling in the air. I felt so clearheaded and so motivated, like something that was sitting on my heart was just gone! Ramadan is almost here! Ramadan mubarak, Ramadan Kareem everyone!

Oh, and I got a totally random call today from this guy who works at Lockheed Martin. He wanted to know if I knew where to buy Ramadan Mubarak cards, because he has two Saudi Air Force officers who work for him, and he wanted to do something nice for them by giving them Ramadan cards! I thought that was so sweet. I gave him the number for ISCF and Abu Maher and Adams Halal, but I really couldn’t think of anyone specifically who sells them! I have Eid cards (found ’em while I was cleaning),  but no Ramadan cards!

I said, “If you don’t mind me asking…how did you get this number?”

“Oh, google!” he replied.

“Ohhh…” I said. I hazarded a guess that it was attached to some old MSA info, and he replied in the affirmative. At first I was a bit unsettled…but hey, it’s the information age, just gotta roll with it.

Well, big day tomorrow! Shower, Isha, sleep aaaaand break!

What is wrong with me?

Four days! Four days of not working out! VHAAAAAAAT. I run a 5K and then I don’t work out for 4 days.

Well, I finally got off my lazy butt today to take care o’ bidness at university. I got a pretty good involuntary cardio workout just navigating the huge campus. I’m so excited, I have orientation this Friday!

My schedule will pretty much consist of class, library, work, working out, class, library, work, working out, full-stop. I won’t have to get in my car once. Can’t waaaait!

oops.

Forgot to post yesterday, which was unsurprising considering I had nothing to post about, as I did not work out again! Two days of not working out! Yikes. Better not let this become three.

Lazy Sunday.

Today, I did pretty much nothing. Didn’t go anywhere, didn’t do anything. Which was pretty sweet.

No workout either, which I felt bad about but I’m still feeling strung-out from yesterday so I think I’ll be okay.

At the 5K, Ms. Bonaparte‘s assigned number was 1948. “The same year Qaid-e-Azam (founder of Pakistan) passed away!” she remarked.

We all cracked up. “You’re such a fob!” my cousin said.

Ramadan starts in less than a week. I can’t wait. I need to re-charge my spiritual batteries.

5K!

I ran a 5K this morning!!!!

I ran it all except for about 2 blocks, but still I RAN A 5K!!! It was an amazing experience. About 2,000 people were there, and as I was running I could see a whole sea of people in front of us. It reminded me of Hajj, except way more colorful.

There was this old couple who were running to celebrate their 35th wedding aniversary. Awwww.

I still feel so full of energy. I only had green tea today because I didn’t even feel like drinking regular tea, I was that wide awake.

I am inspired. I was so excited the night before, I laid out exactly what I was going to wear, jumped out of bed at quarter to 6, prayed Fajr, had a small bowl of cereal, and I was good to go. I just need to recreate that feeling everyday!

Saw Journey to Mecca again today. Just as breathtaking.

Now I’m off to a baby shower…what a day!

Baaghing. (Running)

5K tomorrow. Insha Allah it’ll be everything I need it to be.

Sorry about the recent rash of 1-line posts, the last couple of days I’ve remembered to post right when I’ve finally called it a night and crawled into bed.

Worked out today at the fitness center. 30 minutes cardio, weight training, and then about 5 minutes of cardio to wrap it up. Also walked around the local open air shopping mall a lot, browsing, so I guess that counts too.