Reminiscing about pregnancy

My pregnancy was like a typical one. Sick the first few months. Second trimester was great. And third one, I just wanted baby out.

But I was just on Instagram and saw all these beautiful women pregnant who look amazing...while when I was pregnant I just looked like a Oompa Loompa. Why or why?  I never put on any makeup. I was wearing cloths 3 times the size. And I just looked not that great.  I didn’t go out anywhere because I felt like I looked ugly and I didn’t pamper myself because, what was the point? I still didn’t look good.

Women, please, if you are pregnant - go out, buy yourself that cute dress, get dressed and feel good about yourself. When you look at any pictures you may have (I have only a handful, as I hated taking pictures while pregnant) you’ll feel like you should have done more. I wish I had done that, gotten dressed, gone out, took more pictures and just loved it.

I’m now making sure that I don’t let being a new mom do that to me as well! 

First few days of motherhood..

When I found out I was pregnant, I had this idea of motherhood and how I wanted it to be like - it didn't turn out that way at all.  Every mother and baby is different.  You can imagine how life will be like once the baby comes, and you can make all the plans in the world - but most of the time, it doesn't work out that way.

I thought I would be able to breastfeed easily, and I would get time to go out and get my nails done, and get a massage.  I was imagining leaving the baby with my mom and going for lunch with the girls.  I was thinking about how I would put on my makeup and look all nice when people came to visit at the hospital after the birth.  Nothing worked out that way.  When people came, I just wanted them gone.  I put on no makeup and even having conversations was a drag.  I just wanted to be left alone and I wanted to be out of the hospital pronto.  I had it in my head that once I went home, I would feel better.

The first few days were just a blur - I didn't feel like myself.  I felt lost.  I felt like I had lost something so near and dear to me, when I had actually gained the one who would be the nearest and dearest. 

Breastfeeding was hard, my baby just wouldn't be able to latch.  The rare times when I was able to get her to latch without a nurse helping me, I wouldn't move a muscle or make a sound - incase she would get startled and wouldn't latch again.  I felt the nurse I had was a bit insensitive - I knew she had a full load of patients and I can appreciate all that nurses do, but I had called her a few times to help get my baby to latch - she became a bit unpleasant, reminding me that I wasn't her only patient and I would have to wait until she had a minute.  I ended up crying for a while, because I didn't know how to feed my baby and she wouldn't stop crying.

Once home,  it didn't get better.  I felt alone and felt like I was stuck in my room.  I couldn't leave or go anywhere.  I had decided to breastfeed, which meant feeding on demand - so I was a bit hesitant to leave the house with her.  Of course, you can feed your baby when you go out (I do so now), but back then I couldn't get my baby to latch - when it was time to feed her, I would take my shirt off and my mom would help me. I didn't pump in the beginning, because all I heard from everyone was, to build your supply, your baby needs to feed off you.

My sister urged me to go out, but how was I supposed to leave my daughter?  What if she got hungry, or needed me?  They couldn't help her!  I would get angry and resentful and snap at her - that she doesn't understand. A few weeks later, I did try to pump and leave my baby, but she refused the bottle and I couldn't leave again - which made it even worse for me.

My mom wanted to have a little party in honor of my daughter - and all I did was snap at her about how I didn't want a party and in honesty - I was being mean.  I just wanted someone else to be miserable, like how I was feeling.  It wasn't a good time for me.  At the party, I mostly stayed in my room with my baby and went out only few times for a few minutes at my moms request.

All those feelings I had seem irrational to me now - but in those times, they were how I felt.  And understandably so.  Having a baby is hard, it's a lonely feeling.  The nights when it seems like the world is asleep and you're the only one awake dealing with a fussy baby.  Seeing everyone continue with life, go out, go to work, and generally be able to do what they want - while you are stuck having to plan your minutes around your baby.  It's something that you know you will have to do when you're pregnant, but living it - it's a different ball game. 

This was the beginning of PPD/baby blues for me.  I'll get more into it in another post. 

I just want any new mothers, or even mothers who have been mothers for a while, for those who are expecting a child, and those who are trying for a child - you are not alone.  Reach out to someone and speak to them.  If it is hard to speak to someone you know (as I felt), reach out to other mothers online.  Feel free to message me!

Delivery Story

To give you a bit of background, I had decided to deliver in the US (Me and my husband live in the UK).  The reason for that decision was honestly, my mom.  As this being my first baby, and not having a support system in UK - I decided I wanted to be near my mom for this.  She was a big help in teaching me and getting me through my ceserean and taking care of my baby girl.

I flew to the US in my third trimester and everything was good.  Baby looked healthy, I was healthy and gaining like no other - honestly, I gained so much weight!  Nearer to my delivery, they told me that my baby was getting big and that if I waited too long, I might have to get a c-section as she will be too big for my to deliver.  Came my delivery date, and no baby.  So I decided to schedule my induction.  This is basically when they give you medicine to induce your contractions, so your labor can start.

I got to the hospital the night before at 10:00 pm, as usually inductions can take quite a while.  They checked me in and gave my the medicine to start the induction.  In a little bit, the pain started.  It wasn't anything bad, but i could definitely feel it.  They came to check on me every hour or so and to check if I was dilating.  Honestly 6 hours in, and I hadn't dilated a bit.  So they upped the dosage and then the pain really started.  But my daughter just didn't want to get out!  about 13 hours later, I had dilated 3 cm, and they broke my water. and continued giving me medicine.  But then, I got a bit of a fever and my babies heart beat slowed down.  They said it was because of the medicine and they stopped giving it to me.  They started me on antibiotics and there I sat.  With the pain increasing and being beyond uncomfortable.  I had to wait for my babies heart beat to regulate back to normal before getting the epidural.  It took 2 hours for them to be comfortable with her steady heartbeat - and then they gave me the epidural I had been asking for, which did help.  In the next few hours I dilated to 10 cm and was ready to push.  By this time, my sister drove in from Dallas, and my SIL was at the hospital.

I started pushing at 9:00 pm on July 2nd, with my mom on one side and my sister on the other. They held my hand and helped me push.  I was pushing for a good 45 minutes with a nurse, when the doctor came to check in on me.  She had me push with her for a few minutes and she then told me that due to my pelvic bone my baby was not able to come out and they would need to do a c-section. I was bummed.  They whole reason I had the induction was because I didn't want to have a c-section.  But what could I do -  they cleaned me up and got me ready to go.  My husband was unable to fly down for the delivery and was on the phone with my SIL - I was all over the place with my emotions.  I really wanted him there at that moment, but we knew that this would happen if I had delivered in the US and had been okay with it. They wheeled me in the surgery room and my sister was allowed in with me.  She held my hand through the procedure.

I had a cloth draped over, so I couldn't really see anything.  I was staring straight up at the lights and praying.  My sister was next to me, quietly.  I was shaking a lot due to the medicine they had given me.  The anaesthesiologist was the nicest guy, he was on my other side and had his hand over my arm, constantly telling me how great I was doing and that I was almost done.  I asked him if this much quivering was okay, as it seemed a bit too much.  My mouth was shuddering and I could barely speak.  He told me it was normal and if I wanted, they could give me a medicine to calm it down.  At first, I didn't want to take it - as I felt like it was too much medicine and something was wrong.  But after a few minutes, I asked him to give it to me.  My sister was freaking out beside me thinking something is wrong, as I was shaking so much.

Maybe 10 minutes later, I heard it - my baby crying.  And the nurses and doctors saying, "oh my god, she's big", "you're a mom!", "she's lovely!".  She and my sister went to the room next door to clean up.  My sister was the first one to hold her.  They brought her over to me as I was being stitched up, and I remember thinking, get her away from me.  There was just so much going on at that moment. The feelings inside me, there were tears in my eyes. My sister held my hand once again and told me it'll be okay.  They stitched me up and took my back to my room - where my family waited.  They were passing around my daughter.  The nurse asked if I wanted to hold her, and I said not now - I was still shaking and all I wanted in that moment was some Gatorade.  I hadn't ate in over 30 hours, and I just wanted to drink some Gatorade - I wasn't allowed anything but water, but my dad sneaked me some.  My husband was on facetime, wanting to speak to me, and I told him I would call him later.  I did want to talk to him, but I was surrounded by so many people. After about 20 minutes, my shakes calmed down and I was ready to see and hold my daughter.

As I held her for the first time, I couldn't believe she was mine, and that I had carried her around for 9 months.

Sorry, this seemed to get a bit wordy - but I want to document all this for my future self!

Hoping to post more about my feelings and how they changed over time,  picking her name,  and the journey to healing after a c-section.

Thanks for reading!

Mom?!

I feel like I come on here once a year and drop a big life change, and then i disappear. I'm a MOM! When did that happen? On July 2nd, 2019 - our little baby girl was born. Honestly, one of the most surreal moments of my life. I was laying there quivering (due to all the medicine that was coursing through me) with a cloth blocking my view of them cutting me open (I had a C-Section). And when they brought my daughter to show me, I was crying because it was unreal. I didn't want to see her - I was cut open, feeling the pressure on my stomach, shaking uncontrollably, and I just didn't want to see her. I hate admitting it, because now, I can't imagine that feeling. But I felt it. It was the start of baby blues or mild PPD. I'll hopefully get more into it in the next few posts And I really want to take a step forward and blog more for myself. Kind of like a diary of sorts for myself. She's about 3.5 months, and has already flown to a different country (she was born in the US, but we live in the UK).

I'll hopefully make a post a day detailing her birth, first day home, first bath, flying here, and many other things.

July 2nd, 2019 

Ms. to Mrs.

More than a year later from my last post, and many things in my life have changed. 

The first one, and many would think the biggest change in my life (it's not, keep reading), that I got married.  Its huge, I know.  If you want, let me know and I can take you through the week of festivities with pictures (and trust me, we had a lot of little events).  I got married on April 2nd, 2018.  My wedding week was stressful, as most brides would agree.  Afterword, I did regret it.  I felt like I should have just chilled out and let the days go as they were.  I was always worried that we got everything done on time, and that everyone was having a great time.  In that, I felt like I missed out on some great moments from the whole week. 

Quick look at my outfit on the left.  I got this outfit made from a independent designer in Karachi, Pakistan.   I loved my wedding outfit.  I felt like it suited me really well, and was totally up my street in regards to style and design.

I do have a lot of tips for up coming brides, and will make a post for that soon.

Now the second thing, and in my opinion the biggest thing I have ever done, I moved to a different COUNTRY.  Yup, I moved to the UK.  I now live in London.  I always want to do the Joey thing and go "London Baby!"  To be honest, I did for the first month or so. Until I got tired, and started missing home.

This was the biggest change for me, and one of the hardest things I have ever done. Moving from Houston, Texas to London was not an easy transition.  I honestly still have struggles with it. And I will share more about that on another post as well.

Quick update on where I am and what I'm doing.  I hope to be more active and give you guys more posts from now on!

Hijab Times

I'm what some people like to call a part-time hijabi. I started wearing hijab to work a little while back and now whenever I'm invited to hangouts/parties thrown by coworkers, I dawn the hijab.

I don't really have to justify my self to anyone - but just wanted to shed some light on why the part time hijab and explain the process.

I have met many people that ask me questions as to why do I even wear it for a little bit, when I'm not doing it full time - that it's a waste. Now, this is a very sensitive topic - and I will explain how I personally see it and how I personally take it.  This does not mean the rest of the women feel this way - they have their own opinions (as it is their right).

Hijab is something that is Fard upon us - covering and modesty are two very important aspects for women. That I understand -  But for someone who was never told to wear hijab or even exposed to it that much as a younger child - it was up to me to learn about it and get myself into it.  I saw other girls wearing it and I respected that and I never questioned it, it was normal for me to see it.  It's not up to me to question what anyone wears. 

What I think many people don't understand is that while hijab comes easy to some people, it does not for others.  Everyone has their own struggle, as they are meant to have.  Everyone has their own test that they have to pass.  One persons struggle might be to wear hijab, and ones might be that they are not able to wake up for Fajr.  One thing that I do know is that we are are not supposed to judge.  When I stroll through some video/article about wearing/not wearing hijab -  I will see so many judgy comments.  By men, and even some women.

Yes, it is Fard - but does everyone do every Fard that is asked upon us by Allah?  Even if you do (which is great, Alhumdulilah and I pray everyone can get to that point - InShaAllah!), that doesn't mean you have to right to judge.  We are also asked to not judge anyone!

And what I do not like people doing is - if someone is wearing hijab part time - why knock them down?  They are trying to get into the hang of it.  Telling them that their is no point in wearing it half-time is wrong.  For every hair that is seen by a non-mehrum - we get Gunnah.  So if for 8 hours of a womens day she protects herself from that - I don't see the problem!  If you are the reason that she takes it off for those 8 hours, then she will deal with those reprucutions - but so will you!  Always encourage someone to do better, do not knock them down.  And because of your encouragement if she begins wearing it for longer, then she will ajar (IA!) and so will you!

Pakistan Trip!

I think my first blog was about my Pakistan trip? Or was it my 2nd?  I could go back and look, but since I've already started typing - I'm just going to continue.

I went to Pakistan about 2 years ago with my mom.  It was fun, except the fact that I got really sick.  And by the end of my 4 week stay, I just wanted to get home.

This time around, my whole family went for my brothers wedding. And I had an absolute freaking blast! I was there for about 4 full days (crazy, considering it takes about 18 hours to get there.)  My parents, older brother and sister had went beforehand - and the three younger siblings came afterwards.  We had work and school and couldn't get enough time off to go earlier.  But even then, I think it worked out perfectly.

The trip itself was so much fun because my family (with 4 siblings, you never do get bored) was there, a few aunts and cousins too.  We would go to the wedding events at night, come home and stay up the rest of the night playing board games or cards.  It was fun because all of us were competitive and if we lost, we would want a immediate rematch.  My aunts and parents joined in too, so the group was big and loud and cheating all around. During the days, usually my sister, cousin and I went out to try out food places - as Karachi is the place to eat! We tried out some amazing cafes and restaurants that we had heard of. 

I was afraid that I was going to get sick again and avoided anything that looked suspicious.  I brought my own blanket and pillows from home, so I could avoid any possible allergic reactions.  I still did manage to get an allergic reaction, but immediately went to the doctor and he was able to sort it out quickly.  Other than that, I avoided the whole stomach problems while I was there.  My siblings, not so lucky. 


We then flew out on a Monday to Istanbul.  Our plan was to stop by there and do some sightseeing for three days before flying back to good ol' Houston. I had managed to get online visas for my family beforehand, so we wouldn't have to wait in lines.  When I tried getting one for me, it gave my some issues because of my expiration date - I called and asked them about it, and they told me not to worry as I will get my visa on arrival - that didn't happen!

I wasn't allowed to enter the country and they told me to go back to Pakistan.  I told them, that I would rather just fly home.  I was able to get them to change my flight from the Friday to that same day - it was quite a struggle.  My family was upset and didn't want to stay without me.  My mom refused to let me go home alone, so I asked them to change my mom's flight as well.  I managed to talk my family into staying without the two of us and told them to have fun!


I wasn't as upset about the visa thing - as I understand the government rules.  The had a rule that if the passport was expiring within 60 days of entering the country, then that person could not get a visa.  I asked if I could pay the penalty fee, but they told me that it was too late for that.  I was fine with that!  - I just did not like the way the airport officials and the Turkish airline folks spoke to my father and I.  They were rather rude and weren't as helpful.

When I had asked them to go ahead and move up my flight so I could leave Turkey, they booked me on a flight that was scheduled to leave on Thursday (I was originally leaving on Friday morning).  I then asked them what I was supposed to do until Thursday considering they were not giving me a visa - was I supposed to stay at the airport for 2 nights? The man told me yes, that is what I had to do, considering they had no flights until then (Obvious lie, I checked online and they have a flight leaving from Turkey to Houston, almost everyday at 2:45 PM).  I told him the same and he argued with me a bit - which I told him that would be fine - they would have to provided me a two day visa - as this was a special circumstances and they have a rule about providing visas for people who are stuck in the country.  After that the guy then went ahead and booked me on the next flight to Houston.


Since I was still inside the airport (and my family had already done baggage claim), they told me I could not get my bags.  I argued a bit and told them that, that wasn't fair.  They could at least have it picked up for me, or my mom - who had already gotten through immigration, and was going to check in again as she was coming back to Houston with me - could bring it in with her.  They told me that would be fine and my mom could explain the situation at check-in.  I had my doubts, but was all argued out.  So I went ahead to the gate to wait for my mom. 

Of course, my brother called me and told me that they said that my mom would have to pay for my two luggage's as they were not able to see me at check-in.  I then had to talk to them over the phone, explain the situation a couple of times.  I told them that I would give them my passport number and they could use that to check the status.  At first they refused, but finally my brother was able to get them to use my passport number.  Once they checked that, they allowed my baggage in.  My mom then had 45 minutes to get through security and meet me at the gate.  She got there just in time and we were able to board.


When we finally got home - I was so happy.  The Houston immigration and baggage claim people are so nice!  They were all smiles and told me to have a great night - I missed that at the Pak and Istanbul airport.


Once we got home, I got sick - I think it was because I didn't have enough day sin Pakistan to get sick, so it followed me home.  I got home on the Tuesday, and had taken off until Friday.  I decided to just stay home for the next few days, as I wasn't feeling well and it would be my time to just relax.  It was a good few days.  Their was no work, just my mom and me in the house, so things were tidy.  We just hung out mostly.  I went to pick up the rest of the family when they flew in on Friday.

Over all, it was a great vacation - a bit bummed at not being able to see Istanbul, as I heard it is beautiful!  But next time!

 

                          

Election 2016

There are a lot of thoughts and emotions right now.  And I'm going to do my best to try and make sense of them. I also don't want to insult anyone or their opinions.  I apologize in advance if that happens.


This election itself has been a shit storm. From the debates to last night. 


I'm going to start with saying Congratulations to Mr. Trump - our new president.  I hope you have a good four years and are able to be a fair and just President to this country.


To Hillary Clinton, I am very sorry.  You have spend 30 years in politics, fighting for minority rights and we lost you this one.


Hillary Clinton does have her negatives, of course she does.  Being in politics for as long as she has been, she has made some bad decisions. But hello - we all have made bad decisions in our lives.  Her's just happen to be at a larger scale.  I am with her, and I will be with her.  You see, I trusted Hillary to keep cool in bad situations.  Why did I trust her?  Her husband cheated on her and humiliated her in front of the world - and what did this women do?  She stood by his side.  I mean, imagine your spouse cheating on you, how would you handle that.  We would probably go bat shit crazy and leave.  But she didn't, she couldn't, she was married to the President of the United States of America.   Instead, she stood with her husband, did her job as a lawyer and pulled through. I can't imagine being in her position and keeping my head up.  That is why I would trust her with our national security codes.

Donald Trump hasn't shown that aptitude as of yet. Hillary would deliberately try to wound him up in debates and he would take the bait.  But I said "yet", because now he is the President and I hope he knows that, that means he will hear things from people across the globe and he will have to keep his calm and show class.  (In this case, I will refer to Obama.  Hate him or love him - that man has class and grace.  He handled the hate he received so brilliantly!)  Trump also made some comments that leave you to wonder what he really believes.


I am a bit saddened however.  Donald Trump made comments about a varied amount of races, religions, sexual orientations, and sexes. And yet, this man was able to win with an impressive amount of votes.  It makes a person think - how do our neighbors, coworkers, and friends really feel?
For those people who did not vote, or voted third party because they didn't like Hillary or Trump - then that is fine.  It is totally your decision.  If you slept well and good last night after hearing the results, then this is NOT directed at you.  If you are someone who didn't vote, or did vote third party and you went to sleep thinking "Oh shit, trump won" - then you know you should have voted Hillary.
I know what Trump has said, and I have watched documentaries about his life.  This is why I decided to have voted for Hillary. Of course, I don't know what kind of president he will be - I will reserve judgment on that until we see what he does and how he carries himself as President.


For those who are scared and upset - you have every right to be.  Please remember, things happen for a reason.  Keep your chin up and go on with life.


For those who are happy about the results - you have every right to be.  But please don't gloat and remember we are all human.  We all deserve respect.

In the end - it doesn't matter who our president is.  What matters is humanity and how we treat each other.  Treat each other well and respect each other.  Learn to respect peoples beliefs no matter how different they be from yours.  Learn to accept people of all different cultures and backgrounds.  That's what makes America great - our diversity and able to accept everyone.

Breakouts - the journey

Hellooooo,

Long time, no posts. I kind of fell off the blogging wagon to be honest. Didn't have much to say, so decided to stay quiet.  Though, now I'm back and have a lot to talk about.  The first thing I would want to talk about is this shit storm of a election that we have going on - like whaaaa? But more on that on another blog post.

- This turned out to be longer then I anticipated.  Sorry about that! -


Today?  Today, I want to talk about that pesky, annoying thing that most of us have to go through.  BREAKOUTS.  I hate them, you hate them, the world hates them, yet they still exist (much like the current election).

A little history about my skin - I never had acne.  In high school, I didn't even think about it or my skin.  Looking back, I honestly don't remember ever having discussed acne or skin with anyone in school.  I don't remember it even being a problem for anyone I knew.  So I graduate from high school, and went off to college, once again no acne.  Didn't even think about it.  It was far off my radar.

Then I hit the age of 24 and shit happened.  My skin decided to just purge 24 years of rage on my poor face (Just an FYI, I started to wear make up at 23 and it was just a face powder from MAC, which my sister so nicely bought for me). I started off with cystic acne - very large, stiff bumps under my skin which HURT.  They were sore and didn't go away for weeks on end. When this first started, I just ignored it.  My parents told me, it happens to everyone in their youth, and I just bloomed late (YAY for me!).  I tried my best to ignore them, but they were red and on my cheeks and embarrassing.  I hated looking in the mirror and tried avoiding having pictures taken.  I used to think, I'll take them when these bumps go away.  They didn't.

After about a year of dealing with acne and trying all the natural home made acne fighting masks that google told me about.  I got sick of it and went to the dermatologist.  A very nice lady, gave me a antibiotic pill, a morning and night topical solution.  This helped - my acne cleared up within about 3 months.  I was ecstatic.  The doctor told me she was pleased and wanted to me to continue with the antibiotic, but instead of taking it daily, take it every 3 days.  Which I did and skin was still good, there were no new spots and the acne scars were fading. The next time I went to see her, she took me off the meds and I was acne free.  This lasted about 6 months, and then the acne came back with a vengeance this May.  It was bad and ugly and red and it hurt. Even makeup couldn't cover it up.   I stopped going out, and avoided looking at anybody at work.  I didn't feel like talking to people. It was absolutely the worst (I know, sounds dramatic, but people who have had to deal with acne can agree that it comes to this point).

I went to the dermatologist and she put me on another set of antibiotics, a retinol and a morning topical cream.  Silly me, didn't do my research and just started the meds.  I didn't know what a retinol was, all I knew about it was that it was a medicine that was for acne.  The first week of putting this on my skin was horrendous.  I immediately broke out everywhere on my face.  Places where I never had acne, now had acne.  I went online and started my research and found out that retinols usually have a purging faze.  I sucked it up and continued, but there was no light.  It just kept getting worse and worse until my parents told me to stop the medications. They told me to just let my body naturally handle this. So, I did.  I stopped everything.

At this point in time, my self esteem was very low and I became a hermit.  I went to work and came home.  Didn't go anywhere else, I avoided places with people. I avoided mirrors.  Even when talking to family members, I tried not to look at them.  I was still getting new blemishes and old ones were leaving red scars. After a few weeks, I decided to go for a chemical peel.

The chemical peel was painful. The aesthetician started off by putting on a clarifying mask on my skin, which burned a whole lot. She then proceeded with extracting any blemishes that she could.  She tried to extract all of them, but for those that were under my skin, she left them be.  Which I was fine with.  She then went on and cleaned my skin again with a more gentle mask.  Once all that was done, she put the chemical peel on my skin and let it sit.  This burned, a lot.  It was like someone was tearing off a layer of my skin.  There were tears in my eyes, but I took it like a woman.  Once it was dry, she put on a very hefty layer of sun screen and told me to avoid the sun like the plague.  This is hard to do when you live in the south, but as a hermit, I made it happen. My skin was not pretty after the chemical peel, there were scabs in places and my skin looked more red.  My parents were not happy.  But I ignored everything and hid in my room for a few days waiting for it to peel.  And peel it did.  Once my skin starting peeling and the scabs starting coming off, I was pleasantly surprised.  My skin felt better and there were no bumps!  I still had a few pimple, but that was okay.  My skin was looking and feeling better.  I still had red acne scars everywhere, but at least the pimples were gone!  Two weeks later, I went in for another chemical peel.  Once again, the above process was repeated.

After my skin peeled from the chemical peel, my parents told me to stop with the chemicals on my face.  They told me to take the more natural route. 

My mom got me Multani Mitti from Pakistan, which is a type of sand.  You are meant to mix it with a little bit of water and put on only your active pimples.  This dries them right out.  I was hesitant to try it, but was like what the heck.  I've tried everything else, might as well.  I mixed the Mitti with rose water and put it all over my cheeks (I thought might as well target the acne scars as well).  Good/Bad idea this was - the good was that it dried out my pimples very fast and they healed pretty quickly. The bad was that I put it where I didn't have acne and it dried that area up as well.  So, then I started putting the mitti on any active pimples, and on my acne scars I put on a turmeric and honey mask.  Presently, I have one active pimple and the acne scars are fading.

So far, this is my journey.  My advice to any of you who may suffer with acne is do your research.  Don't put too much on your skin at one time, the skin may burn and we may get premature wrinkles.  In my experience, the meds worked, but didn't last.  Retinols are not for everyone. The chemical peel helped clear up acne.  The Multani mitti is great for drying things out.  I hope my journey gives you a sense of dos/donts for your own skin.

Please feel free to share your acne stories.  I would love to hear it and what helped you become clear. 

One of my guilty pleasures is going to acne.org logs and reading through peoples logs.  I never have met any of these people, but do genuinely get happy for them when they beat acne.

Thanks for reading!

*My posts are unedited, and unplanned.  I write them as these thoughts come to me.  And post, when I get it all out.  Sorry if it is jumbled, and jumps around a lot*

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Serial Talk

Warning - this is unedited. this is me typing this up to let my feelings out.

ADNAN SYED.

If you're sick and tired of hearing about Adnan Syed - then by all means, stop reading, because this is going to be a full on rant type thing.

From the moment I started listening to Serial, I have believed in Adnan's innocence. Not for a second have I doubted him. And now, during his PCR, I have obsessively followed the hashtags #freeadnan #adnansyed and any person who is at the trial doing live updates via twitter/periscope.  [Shout out to Rabia, Bob, Susan, Seema, Justin, Christian, and Jessie. ]

Now let's get into why I think this man (who I have never met, who has no idea I exist, who doesn't even know the media frenzy that he has caused) is innocent.

THERE IS NO PROOF OF HIM BEING GUILTY!  Not that I see.

And the main reason I am writing this blog post is because I am sick and tired of all the people who think Adnan is guilty, and when I ask why they think that.  Where is the proof?  They immediately give me a response about how he is Muslim (which will only upset me further as I am Muslim), or that since I am Muslim I would obviously support him, or how Jay said so, or about how the Adnan supporters have no heart as they are hurting Hae's family (esp. after this weekends statement made by Hae's family. I get no honest to goodness proof.

First, I will address Hae and the grief her family has been through.  I have no idea what it is like to lose a sibling or a child, and I pray I never have too.  I pray no one has to go through that.  Because just thinking about that makes me want to go hug my family and never let go. The most unfortunate thing has happened to them and the most I can do is say I am sorry, and that I wish Hae is up in heaven watching over them. And she wants them to be happy.  Of course, from me, a stranger those are just words.  And from a person who thinks that Adnan is innocent, it hurts them.  I cannot blame them however,  when they lost Hae (and even now) they were/are emotional.  They were told this man killed your daughter/sister.  They latched on to that, and the only peace they got was to see that person put away.  I cannot blame them for not being able to see past all that and actually look at the evidence.  

But for everyone else, please look at the evidence.

For those who mention Jay to me...ugh.  That man changed his story several times. I do not trust him.  He was a child then too, so he may have been easily manipulated to place the blame upon Adnan to save himself. But he can reveal the truth now, I wish he would. No, I don't think Jay did it.  I don't think Jay hurt Hae.  But I do think he knows who did.  And he was scared of those people who did and so he blamed Adnan.  Adnan was the easiest to blame.  Hae and him had broken up, he was a Muslim, and seemed to live two lives (one in which he was a good boy Adnan, who went to the mosque and helped out.  And another one in which he smoked pot and had a GF.)  Who did it?  I don't know.  but it could have been anybody.  I don't know why the suspect list was just Adnan, Jay and Don.  Why not anyone else? There were so many people that Hae knew, it could've been anyone of them!

There was a part in Serial (which I know has not been complete in given all the proof) but this part that I remember.  Jay's coworker at the video shop told the cops that Jay was scared and would keep saying, 'they will come get him'.  Who is this they?  Those are the people that I think did it.  Jay was scared of them and so he blamed Adnan.

Also, people will mention to me:  How did Jay know where Hae's car was then? Must have been Adnan who did it and told Jay where it is.  It could have been anyone and they could have told Jay where the car was.  It doesn't have to be Adnan.  How can people not see that? Did Jay not have any other friends besides Adnan.  Please remember Jay used to deal back then, he probably knew many people.  We just didn't know about it, because they probably did not hang out with him like Adnan did.

And Asia McClain.  That brave women.  Who at the age of 17 was brave enough and smart enough to send letters and take notes. For those people think she is lying - why would she lie?  What is her reason?  She has a perfectly happy life, with a family.  Why would she lie?

I want justice for Hae, I want to know who did this to her.  But I also want justice for Adnan.  He has been in jail for half his life for a crime he did not commit. 

Hae was a victim, and her family has been through so much.
Adnan was a victim, and his family has been through so much.

But let us give justice to all.  Let us #freeadnan and get #justiceforHae by finding out the real killer.

This is not an indept analysis of everything, but it is what I have been feeling for the past few days as I see tweets from some people who have been really mean on twitter.  They will probably not read this, but that's okay.  I let my feelings out without feeding the trolls.

Books books and books.

Hi there,

You know what I've gotten back into recently?  BOOKS!

I was always an Avid reader, but then life got in the way.  I started reading less and less, until I realized that it had been months since I had last read a book.  I missed it!  I missed getting lost in the story, and the characters.  I missed getting so engrossed in a completely different world!  I know some people don't find that fun, they would rather live their own lives and be on their way.  But, I'm one of those people, who love reading and living vicariously through characters!

I recently met this girl at a party, and she was the one who reminded me how fun it was and still is to read!  She so very graciously recommended me a few books from a genre that she loved, and I had never ventured into: Romance.  To be honest, I didn't know what to expect.  I was expecting some very teenage oriented romance, with angst and immature relationships that fall in and out of love faster then they can say I LOVE YOU.   But oh no, it wasn't romance, it was Regency Romance she recommended to me.  I just didn't realize what the difference was until I actually read a book or two and did a bit of research.  Now, if you're a dumdum like me, I'll go ahead and explain.  Regency Romance is a romance book, yes, but set in the early 19th century.  So it has class, and addresses a more simpler period.

The first book that this new friend recommended to me was Edenbrooke by Julianne Donaldson. I went through reviews for this book and I saw some people absolutely adored it, while others abhorred it.  I didn't understand the extremes in this case.  This was a good book.  I had a good time reading it.  It was a light and quick read.  One of those books that you get invested in and come out satisfied and happy for the characters.  Very innocent, but had such a fun, flirty tone to it.  I think what made me like this book was that it kept me smiling.  The interaction between our main characters was just silly banter, that kept it fun.

Edenbrooke is about a girl named Marianne Daventry, who is a very free spirited girl.  She is the complete opposite of her sister, Cecily.  While Cecily is prim and proper, Marianne is not what one would call a proper lady.  Marianne gets invited by her sister Cecily to visit a the country side, where her sister hopes to get married.  Marianne jumps at the chance, and so does her grandmother - who wishes that this trip would teach Marianne some manners.  Marianne and her hand maiden get attached on their way to the country side, and stop for help as their driver has been injured.  That is where Marianne meets a intriguing stranger who is reluctant to tell her who he is, but helps her none the less.  By the time Marianne and her hand maiden wake up, the stranger has left and Marianne is very frustrated as she doesn't know who the stranger who called himself Phillip is.  Once Marianne reaches the country side, she bumps into Phillip once more at the country side where she is staying - on from there starts a friendship that she never expected.  I tried not giving away too much, but gave you a gist of what the story is.  Of course, this being a Regency Romance, there will be ups and downs and misunderstandings. 

I would recommend this to people who want a quick and light read.  It was a great attempt by Julianne Donaldson for her first book, and I hear she has another book out as well.  It's on my to read list.  I will look forward to reading more books from her soon.

Have you read this book?  If so, what did you think of it?  And if you haven't, have I maybe inspired you to read it?

I was planning to review some books on here, are their any particular books you would like to see reviewed?

And book recommendations are always accepted.  I would love to know what you are reading!

Thanks for reading!

Cricket

CRICKET!

So,  I just realized that this was sitting in my drafts.  Even though, ICC World Cup 2015 has ended.  I thought I would edit this a bit and then go ahead and post it up for any cricket enthusiasts.

ICC World Cup 2015.  What a series.  I loved it.  I was never really into cricket that much as a child.  I wouldn't really watch, but loved playing it with my family in the backyard.  As I got older however, I only ever paid attention when the world cup was happening - just to see who would win and would have bragging rights.  But for the last few years (since I went to Uni) I became very interested in Cricket and followed it really closely.

Now, I supported Pakistan throughout.  I think it comes from this long routed family thing.  I was born and raised here in the US, but my parents are originally from Pakistan.  So I have this connection to Pakistan.  It's there.  I may not live there, or have any inclination to live there in the future (as I love where I am, and wouldn't change that) but I support Pakistan's team 100%.  I say this knowing our team wasn't the best in the last few years, but I supported them regardless.

There were a lot of ups and downs throughout the series.  It was fun watching it and bashing friends who were supporting other teams.  Pakistan started off not so well, they did have a bit of a come back near the end, but alas they lost from Australia.  Which is fine - considering AS won. YAY for them.  I love Australia and it's people.  So congratulations!  You guys deserved it.

Something I started thinking about watching some of the games was if I were living in a country such as Aus or NZ- as in born and raised there, would I support them or Pakistan.  Now, the US doesn't have a cricket team in the World Cup, so I pretty much stick to Pakistan and feel no guilt in supporting them.  But if the US did, would I support them?  I wanna think I would.  I mean I'm a die hard Houston Rockets fan - and it's them 'till the end for me.  I was born in Florida, but I lived in Houston my whole life, so I am supporting my home town team. Would I support my home country if they were in the world cup?  I think I would. 

So a question to any one reading - what would you do? 

Mistakes

I was going to post a review for my new phone today.  But today just started off with a bang for me - and after about 4 hours into the day, I felt like I had to make this post - for myself, and for anyone else going through a similar situation.

I woke up this morning and realized I did not do something for work that I was supposed to do Sunday morning.  This was a huge mistake on my part.  First off, I was to do something for work which totally slipped my mind, and this made a huge impact on the whole team, as they were expecting something Monday morning.  Secondly, I freaked out and made another mistake and ran something I wasn't supposed to run.

I came into the office freaked out, thinking that I just wasted everyones time and ruined things.  It actually turned out to be a blessing.  I walked in and a coworker came by saying that it was a good thing that I didn't finish my Sunday activity, as they had to finish testing something before I completed.  I was relived that I hadn't hurt any ones time.  But this did not excuse the fact that I made a mistake.  I sent emails/and personal apologies to people - and sat there berating myself for being so stupid.  I felt like absolutely the worst person ever.

I can't tell you how bad I was feeling, and still am.  I should not have done that, I should have remembered.  It was my responsibility and there are no excuses.

But then - a coworker of mine came by and said, you're only human - you made a mistake and that's okay.  It didn't make me feel much better about myself, but it did make me calm down enough to realize, that it is okay.  It is okay to make mistakes.  No one is perfect and that is what makes life so interestingly awesome.

If anyone makes a mistake - they should apologize and own up to their mistake.  They should make a mental note about it - so it doesn't happen again.  But in no way should a person make themselves feel like they are absolute crap because of it.

And if there is a certain someone who is making you feel like crap and telling you that they are disappointed in you - please do not take that to your heart and make yourself feel worse.

Mistakes, no matter how big or small, are just that.  You are only human - you made a mistake, and unless you are a magical, mystical creature, you will make mistakes.  What makes you a good person is, if you accept it and apologize for it and learn from it.  Don't take it to your heart.

Hope this helps someone out there.

Peace

Where have I been (Molly Weasley Style)?

Hellooo dear readers!

I'm sorry!  I've been missing for quite some time.  I'm back now and would love to fill you guys with all that's been happening.



The smaller Emirates plane
Dubai > Pakistan

First off, I was actually out of the country for a WHOLE month!  I left January and came back the end of February!   I had actually planned to blog every day of the trip and share it with you all. Turns out, Internet wasn't so great there.  Let me start off by letting you all know that "there" means Pakistan. 

It was just me and my mom.  A few things happened last year in the family that made my mom want to go to Pakistan and be there for her sisters. We were waiting for the new year, because then I would have a whole new slate of vacation days from work and we could go together.  So as January rolled around, mom and I booked some last minute tickets with Emirates and went up into the air.



The new Emirates planes are awesome, by the way!  They are big and nice and I found them to be more roomy.  And if you're looking to travel to Pakistan, Jan/Feb are the months to go.  There were over 200 empty seats on the flight.  All of us traveling got a whole row of seats to ourselves, which was great because the flight itself was extremely long.  The flight from here to Dubai was 14 hours!  And while I had a whole row of seats, I couldn't sleep.  They had some great movies/shows on board though.  They even have a YouTube section now.  So I even watched some YouTube Videos. The flight to Pakistan was only about a hour and half, so that was bearable.

I was really excited.  I hadn't been to Pakistan in such a long time.  But unfortunately, I fell sick the day we landed.  I ended up being sick for most of the trip to be honest.  I started off with Allergies and Asthma.  I then got a really bad skin infection that lasted for weeks.  Actually the infection was gone, but the effects on my skin were still there.  It was pretty bad.  I then got the stomach virus and couldn't keep anything down.  I started to feel better a few days before we left. But I still had a good time.  I got to see some of my cousins after forever, and their kids!  I hadn't ever even met their kids.  So that was pretty exciting. 

Shopping is always fun there, but with how I felt, I couldn't really shop as much as I wanted. At the end of the month, I was happy to be coming home.  The dreaded thing was, the flight from Dubai to here was 16 hours.  I didn't know what to do. I couldn't sleep on this plane ride either. 

For now enjoy these pictures, and stay tuned for all that's coming up. Thanks for reading!

Back home I go

 

2015

It has happened. 2015 has begun. WUT?

I look back at 2014, and I don’t know.  I really don’t.  Was 2014 a good year?  Was it a bad year?  Can you even label a year as good or bad?  That’s 365 days.  Does one really want to give it a firm good/bad label?  I’m pretty sure I can speak for a lot of people when I say that those 365 days were filled with good days, bad days, scary days, happy days, sad days, fun days, crazy days, exciting days, and every other emotion/emoji filled day.

Looking back, I can’t remember exactly everything about 2014 – which is a shame.  But I can remember a few things.  Things that stick out.  I remember getting my lasik surgery done, and how scared I was before I went in to get it done.  I remember the month after when I would look up and be able to clearly see things – the happiness and excitement I felt.  I remember losing a very important person to me and the sadness and the anger over it – the many sleepless nights I had trying to rationalize why it happened.  I remember a whole month of happiness because almost all of my family came for a cousins wedding, and the fun we had – all the great memories we made.  I remember vacationing in Florida with my family.  I remember trips to Dallas and Austin.  I remember my friend getting married and moving away.  I remember so many things.  So many happy memories and so many sad memories.  This is life – and the actual beauty of it.  Our moods and emotions and feelings are what make life actually worth it.

Here’s to a beginning of a new year – hope it’s just as draining and worthwhile as the last. CHEERS.

Catch up

I hope everyone had an amazing Christmas/Holiday!  This year feels like it just flew by, and it's hard to believe that the holidays are over!  It's been a while since I posted.  Last time, I told you guys about the fun little bachelorette trip we took to Austin.  Here are a few snip bits of my life since then.



Went to my friends wedding and had a great time. I'm so very happy for her.  She made a gorgeous bride - and I told her so.  And she comes back with, "Ya, as if you're going to tell a bride she looks bad on her big day."  And of course I came back with, "I was talking about the clothes, not the face."  But in all honesty - as I know she won't be reading this - she looked gorgeous, top to bottom.   The wedding itself was very small and intimate and exactly what she wanted.  She has lot of friends, she does.  But she just wanted it to be her very close friends and family.  It was at this really gorgeous country club.  I do admit to ditching the wedding halfway through to go explore the area.  I also got to meet some of her friends from across the world - she was skyping them while eating dinner.  It was very funny actually.  Picture this:  New husband sitting on your right eating his little heart away, photographer taking pics of you and your husband and scolding you for not paying attention.  A group of friends standing around the table trying to take selfies with you, and you sit there skyping with people.


BY THE WAY.  I helped with decorations.  I'm not completely useless.  This was for the Dholki - dance partay.  We did go a bit crazy.  None of us are actually good at dancing, but we dominated the dance floor.  And none of us are really good at singing, but we sang out hearts out. fun times.





 







While I wasn't at the events or generally being lazy.  I was trying to meet up as many friends as I could during the Holiday season. Got to finally meet up some of my old High School friends.  We try to do a reunion every now and then.  I remember once saying we should do a hang out once a month - for all the people still in town, some friends have actually moved out to different parts of the world - and i remember everyone saying how they were always busy.  I get that everyone is busy - believe me, I do.  But we hang out with our other friends regularly - friends we've made in college and university and at work, we could take a day out of that and meet our old friends.  I like doing that and being in touch with them.  I don't want it to be one of those things, were we see each other in the future and just smile at each other and turn away because it becomes awkward.   But we did meet up - and had a great time just catching up with each other.  PLUS, JUST LOOK AT THE FOOD.  YUM!

















I was sick for a few days, and stayed at home to rest.  But my dear friends couldn't survive that long without bothering me and just showed up at my place.  It was very cool though, we stayed in and watched movies.  I also had a baking day and made some cinnamon almond cake, Mexican wedding cookies, and peppermint hot chocolate.




 Altogether, my holidays were perfect.  I had some time for just myself, time for my friends, and some for my family.  How were your holidays?  Let us know what you did!

Bachelorette Partay

 Well, it wasn't really a party.  More of a one day trip.  Me and my friends drove down to Austin, TX for a friends Bachelorette.  It was just four of us, but I think that's what made it so much fun.  The drive to Austin was just loads of singing and dancing and yelling at 6 in the morning.

The first place we went to see was THE CAPITAL.  We parked out front on meter parking for an hour and ran to the building.  We took loads of pictures.  And even climbed the gates - we got in trouble for that one.  But hey -  we got the picture! It really was very beautiful! We got a bit carried away in the building and kind of forgot that my car sat outside the capital, in front of a police station. We freaked a bit when we noticed that it had been well over and hour, and ran back to my car.  Thank anything and everything that my car was there and no tickets!

Our next stop was Mount Bonnell.  This is one of my favorite places in Austin.  You can hike up to the top and the view is gorgeous.  I love climbing up and through the trees.  I have some pictures below, but trust me when I say, the camera does the view no justice.  We sat up there and played charades for a long time. And then we hiked back down to the car.  One of my friends, of course refused to go down the trail and she came down the stairs - they have stairs there for those who don't want to hike up. The drive it self around that area is beautiful. 

We had a quick bite to eat - all of us wolfing down our food and no one really talked for those 30 minutes. I had a chicken shwarma wrap (YUM!). We went down a mile or two and just hung out at a Starbucks for the rest of the time.  Had a nice chat and just talked of random things.

It was honestly a great day.  We sang and danced back home all the way.  Actually - we ended up at one of my friends houses and hung out there for a while. 

It wasn't a typical bachelorette party, but I had a lot of fun!  Let me know some fun adventures you've been on lately.  Or share some bachelorette party stories for us here. 

Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed!

 

Holiday Lunch

'tis the season to be JOLLY *FA LA LA, LA LA LA, LA LA LA*

Where am I being this Jolly?  At my work Holiday Lunch.  Okay - that is a lie.  I am not all that Jolly, but it was still fun. We had our Holiday Lunch on Tuesday for a couple of hours during lunch time and then we were free to go home and enjoy.

My Company went ahead and kept it at a beautiful ballroom of a nearby hotel.  Once we got in, we received a raffle ticket for one of the bigger prizes. *Naturally, I did not win*. After getting some punch, we were seated in the nicely decorated ballroom.  Had an introduction speech and were told to dig in by our beloved CEO.  We all dug in and enjoyed a three course meal.  We had some bread and butter, very delicious pumpkin soup with breading on top and iced tea, a lovely mozzarella stuffed tortilla with rice or steak for the main meal (depending on what you want) and lastly dessert with coffee.  And with that came conversation with the people we were sitting around.  In these events, they like for us to mingle and get to know new people.  So there I sat, me and my anti-social self, sitting next to some random people.  I sent a quick prayer up to God to save me and smiled politely at everyone at the table.   Thankfully, I was spotted by a girl who sits in the cubicle next to me in the office and she joined me at the table.  I let her do most of the talking smiling and nodding here and there.  I added some input on some things.  Mostly, I ate my food.

Once we finished our grand meal (It all looked very grand).  Came the entertainment and the prizes.  We had the directors of two parts of the company come and host the event.  They were really good.  They were making puns and and jokes left and right.  I quite enjoyed their hosting.  We were then greeted by the holiday committee, that put time and effort in getting the entertainment together for the lunch.  They performed a riveting recital of 'twas the night before Christmas (Actually to be honest, it was really funny and very exaggerated, kudos to the performers!  They did a great job in adding a humorous twist to it!).  Once they completed that, the hosts came back up to give away a few prizes *Didn't win any of these either*.

Once again the performers came up and performed a dance to show diversity in our company by performing a few different styles, genres, and language songs.  It was nicely done and seemed like they put a lot of effort into it.   After that, the hosts were back up with other prizes *nope - no winnings for me*

The entertainers were back up with a dance group (I'm sorry, I forgot what the dance group name was)  They were were good, dancing and signing and getting everyone in the holiday spirit! The hosts were back up with more prizes *once again - i didn't win*  They also did a quick trivia game, that was to be done with the table mates *didn't win that either*

And we were then dismissed to go home and enjoy the rest of the day.

It was a very nice holiday lunch.  I really enjoyed myself.  The entertainment was good, the food was good, and the whole atmosphere itself was great.

Thank you for reading.  Please share you Holiday Party stories or please leave a link below to your blog.  I would love to check it out.  Thank you!


PS. I have no idea, why I only took the below pics.  And not of the actual food.  I think once the food came I was just too interested in eating to take pics.  I'm sorry about that. 

my view

ignore my work phone

......................................................

hmm

Spurrin' like a Pro

Holla dear blog readers,

In a few radical spur of the moment decisions, I did a few things. (Is spurring a word? - I just googled, apparently it is).  I took a few days off of work after Thanksgiving, so I had a whole week off (bless everything).  I decided that I was going to do something spontaneous or something out of my comfort zone each and every day.  And 'lo and behold, I actually did it!

Thursday was Thanksgiving day! Yummy food and killer deals. And after all the moaning and groaning, I joined my mom for Black Friday shopping. I bought my self some really nice combat boots, and the rest bought things for the house.  Please see my Black Friday post, for more details on that horrifying experience.

Friday, I COLORED MY HAIR.  To some, that may seem like a normal thing, for me it was not.  I have never colored my hair.  This was a first for me.  I always wanted to get red tips - because that is the coolest thing in the world.  But I decided for my first time, I should calm down and do something that will still be new for me, but nothing too crazy.  So I went and got my hair colored a very light brown/blondish.  I'm working it - i think.

Saturday, I ventured out to the GALLERIA MALL.  For a very-in-my-head person, that was a very scary thing to do.  Go out to the Galleria on one of it's most busiest days.  But I powered through and even purchased a few things from HM.

Sunday, I decided to drive out to Dallas. My sister lives in Dallas, she's usually the one who comes down to visit.  I just felt like getting out - so just picked up my bag and left for a few days.

Monday, I splurged at Kate Spade.  I'm not one to mindlessly spend on bags, but I was there, and their was a sale and so I bought things.

Tuesday, I went to Walmart and ate Chinese food (does this count ? - by the way, this thing keeps telling me I misspelled Walmart - but HOW can one do that.  I'm sure I know how to spell this word!)

Wednesday, I drove back home.  And hit traffic.  and then more traffic. the traffic never ended.  Finally made it home.  AND GUESS WHAT ARRIVED IN THE MAIL.  Cards Against Humanities - oh yes, I made that purchase too.

Here are a few pictures of my week - Oh and somewhere in between all this, I stopped at in&out burger, contemplated getting a job there as they pay $10.50 an hour and give paid vacays and FREE IN&OUT WHENEVER YOU WANT, saw Tyler Oakley in a magazine, bought 15 loaves of bread and fed it to ducks and birds in the park.

Kate Spade 1

Tyler Oakley livin' the dream

'tis the season

anyone need a job?

no words.

Kate Spade 2

Got bread?

Black Friday

It is once again that time of year.  After giving our thanks and filling our bellies with yummy food, we run to department stores and stampede over each other to get our hands on that 1 item in the store that is unbelievably cheap for just those short few hours.  BLACK FRIDAY SHOPPING *queue the dun dun dun*

I usually don't go for black Friday shopping.  I in general don't really like shopping all that much.  I love dressing nice and fashion and all, but I cant stand to shop.  It hurts my head.  So - I usually avoid black Friday shopping like the plague (that it can be).  My sister and mom however, they are fanatics.  My sister is no longer living with us - she is in a different city, a different time.  So of course - she couldn't go alone, and there is only one other girl in the house who would be patient enough to with her - 'tis I.

We got to JC Penny around 5:00pm (ON THURSDAY...?)  and the doors opened *DUN DUN DUN*.  There were some very nice employees standing around the doors and handing out 10 dollar coupons.  My mom and I ran to the cooking appliances and got whatever my mom needed in around 5 minutes - and then we proceeded to stand in line for an hour.  Fights broke out among other shoppers, check out machines decided they needed a break on this day and broke down, employees had melt downs, and I stood there watching it all go down.  It was an experience, a traumatic one.  The guy in front of me and my mom was standing in line with one pair of jeans and his coupon - that was all.  He saw a lady cut in the front of the line (who had a few items) and he went mad.  He began yelling, saying that, this wasn't fair that he was standing in line for so long, with just one thing to purchase and he had to wait, while other people were cutting and the employees were doing nothing.  Now,  it is not nice to cut in line PEOPLE.  Not nice at all.  BUT at the same time, it is not nice to yell at the poor employees, who have to work during the most busiest and traumatic times of the year.  These people had to leave their families, and their lovely dinner to come work.  (Anyone here worked during black Friday hours? - if so, please leave your traumatic stories below!)

After finally getting to the check out - I started talking to the lady checking us out, and allowed her to vent her frustrations out on me, while she rang us up. I thought it was only fair - poor thing was going through awful things.  After checking out, I ran to my car and took a deep breath  - and my mom said - on to Macy's now...GREAT.

Macy's however was not as crazy - don't get me wrong, there were LOADS of people there.  But, I think they had many more employees.  Things were moving faster.  I still stood in line for about 40 minutes.  But didn't witness any fights!

In all this - I actually purchased nothing for myself.  Just for the household.  *sigh*  I'll live, and shop another day.

How was your black Friday experience?