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Just got back from time with our families and slowly getting used to the quiet and the grey days. Hope you guys have been well. Can’t wait to catch up!

Lots of love.

Three years

Three years. Three whole years, without you in the same world as us.

You are everywhere. Your advice and your words live in our heads. Your love, your shelter surrounds us in this house that is our home now. Your memories, your life is everywhere we turn, in photos and videos, in the things that surround us, in these roads and this city. Your values and your thoughts, live in the words you wrote, and live through us and in the persons we become. Thank you for everything Papa.

Miss you. May Allah bless you in that next life and may we be reunited in Jannah¹ inshaAllah.

Thanks for reading.

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FYI

¹Jannah. The Arabic word for Heaven and commonly used by Muslims.

Best of 2014

Here’s a recap of the blog from the last year. Thanks so much for following along.

Shared Celebrations

Anya's pre-birthday party in Islamabad // Her 3rd birthday celebration at our home // The husband's big day // Our backyard Eid dinner.

Shared ideas/inspirations for

Making Eid special when you don't live in a Muslim majority country // Raising bilingual kids // Urdu specific link for bilingual kids // dads // moms // Ramadan

Thoughts on

Human strength in the face of adversity // Dis-connected lives // Anya's relationship with her khalas // What lies within us // Faith and our journeys // Scents and Memories

Shared some spots Around Seattle with

Mt Rainier Scenic Railroad // Japanese Gardens // Snoqualmie Waterfall // Mt Baker // And all that is to love about this country we call home

On Motherhood

On doing it all or not // Why I don’t share her face here // On giving our kids the best of two worlds // Anya starts school

Shared glimpses from Pakistan

Fun City at Centaurus in Islamabad // Pakistan Monument in Islamabad // Saidpur Village // Lok Virsa and Folk Museum // Why it still always feels like home // On embracing your roots

Some Photo Projects

A Toddler Family Album // Family Yearbooks via Blurb // A new gallery wall in our house // A Family Photo wall in the hallway // Shadow frame in my dad's memory // The annual Fall photos tradition with our girlfriends.

Started these series

MONTH IN PHOTOS // CONVERSATIONS WITH ANYA 

Thanks for reading and lots of love!

Happy New Year

Wishing all my lovely readers a happy new year.

May this year be a year we dare to dream big, a year we focus on our insides more than our appearances, a year our faith in God and humanity gets stronger, a year we choose to be better than our own selves and what we were a year earlier, a year we choose the healthy over the not so much, a year where we put the people in our life before our devices, a year we get time to reflect and take things slow, to evaluate ourselves and our lives.

May 2015 be a blessed year for you and your loved ones.

Sharing some inspirations:

- 2014, a good year for some feminist conversations

- On new year resolutions for those that find it hard to follow through

- New Year with Kids: Making some family resolutions.

- Great way to look back on each year with older kids.

Thanks for stopping by. Lots of love.