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Assalamalikum everyone... ok, so its been awhile, Im sorry.. I just ordered some clothes from the sale on Shukr.. theres a denim jumper (as in dress thingy to those who jumper means something else) that ive had my eye on for ages.. alhamdulilah its finally in the sales. So i got it sent over to dee, cause i was talking to her at the time, wahey!! so cant wait for that.

So where was I?? oh yeh... it was sunday... bro A had turned up.. after visiting my grandparents I drove to st. helens to get the train to liverpool lime street. of course the train wasnt on so I would have to take the bus.. which wasnt due for ages and would take ages to get there.. So i decided to drive there, Ive never driven in liverpool city centre, alhamdulillah i got my practise out of these few days and i was pretty confident with it after that. Anyways, I was driving in, thinking.. ooh where am i going?? I phoned him and told him what i was doing, then decided to follow the signs to the train station as the hotel he was staying in was around the corner. As i was following the signs, I was noticing the changes (this was the first time I had been back since arriving in UK) and realising I knew what I was going past, just never knew that it would lead me to the train station. Isnt it funny when you never connect roads together... I was always doing that in Bradford. So i eventually get there, and i phone him.. tell him Im at the train station and to come meet me, then I could drive back to his hotel and then we could go eat. So he was like.. ok, Im in the train station.. so i told him to look at certain shops and tried to direct him from there... I think he was taken back that I knew exactly what he was looking at, I know it scares me when people do that to me. So i go.. see the glass doors, then i see him walking down talking into his phone but he still doesnt see me.. alhamdulilah he hasnt changed a bit. Hes like.. where are u?? lol.. then he sees me and i see a big grin on his face masha'allah.. so i drive around to his hotel.. we find a car park.. 5 pounds for the whole day.. I was soo shocked.. but anyways. So we parked up and then he handed me some presents.. masha'allah, hes so adorable.. He had picked me up somethings for a friend in Canada, she wanted some London sovernirs. For me, he got loads.. and i was soo surprised, in a good way of course. He bought me a salwaar kameez (+hijab) 4 shaylas (and i luv em all) cds, books, taped lectures, masha'allah.. there was a book of the prophets which ive started reading masha'allah.. its amazing.

Then we went out for food.. Italian.. it was nice.. we chatted, he showed me some things he had told me about over the phone.. So that was nice, it was nice to be in company and i felt soo at ease with him. I thought I would be really nervous, but alhamdulillah everything was like I had never been away.. although its been nearly 2 yrs.. I last saw him at my graduation july 2004.

So we prayed maghrib, it was nice praying with him.. I thought i wouldnt be able to concentrate but alhamdulillah i found myself concentrating more.. I can totally see why sisters say praying with your husband is very important.. tell me sisters... the man is supposed to pray jummah yeh? so is praying with his wife classed as jummah?? Just a question ive been mulling over for awhile. Anyways, it was getting late by this time so he walked me to my car and i left for my aunties house. I was staying there cause it was closer to Liverpool and there was noone there, my auntie moved to africa a few weeks before I left. I slept that night.. although I was up early the next morning.

Why was I up early the next morning? What did I do?? Hmm.. I cant really remember, I think I went round to my cousins to say hello, she lives down the road from her mum (the aunties house i was staying at) I got round to see bro A at about 11ish I think it was, he was checking out of the hotel cause there was a friend of a friend from London who he had been put in contact with who lives in Liverpool.. and he said he wasnt impressed with the hotel. Alhamdulilah there was something else there.. so he was tryin to get in touch with this guy to sort his stuff out. He was supposed to be coming to the train station to meet him and we were gonna sort it out from then. I had intended on taking bro A to manchester that day (Monday) but it seems like we might be stayin in Liverpool cause we couldnt get in touch with this guy. I prayed outside by my car while I went back to pick up something, which was nice.. to be outdoors... Then the guy phones him and tells us to meet him in the station, so we walk over and wait for him, he turns up.. seemed a nice guy.. it was funny they were all chatty chatty and didnt think as to where they were going, so i was confused.. where they were going, the only way you could get out was on a train.. then his friend realised and we turned around.. i held a little giggle in (being the child i am) and we went for coffee... I had worn my scarf today and i felt so proud, even if i was runnin to catch up. I was determined to not walk behind, like the oppressed muslimah.. but man.. they walked too fast.. both of them are like 6ft.. im only 5'4" so its a pretty big difference.. Alhamdulillah we got to the coffee place and had coffee (well i had hot choc cause i dont like coffee or tea.. yeh go on.. Im not a true brit! ) Then we decide that he will take his bag and we will go to manchester, alhamdulilah.. I soo wanted to see the masjid that i had seen the signs for in the middle of the centre when i was last there with my mum.. and of course, check out primark!! Hee hee... We got there and wandered around for a little.. ate some pizza... found some nice trainers in foot locker.. looked for some work shoes for him... and general stuff.. I kept pointing out all the hijabis walking around the city centre hee hee.. u just have to dont yeh! Then we went to find the masjid for Asr.. we eventually found it after asking a brother, he was really pleased to be asked. bro A was like.. assalamalikum brother, could you tell us where the mosque is here? he was like, erm.... well, i think its that way, how did you get this far? we told him we followed the signs from the centre and he was like.. Ive been told its just down there and to the left.. with a big grin on his face like he was proud to have been noticed as muslim. Alhamdulillah, then we had a big conversation about where bro A was from cause he noticed the accent.. so that was nice, cause now he was happy to have been noticed as being different without being frowned upon. So we found the masjid eventually and prayed.. there was a nice little sister area, i prayed sunnah then asr.. but then the imam called the prayer.. I was really confused, the time on the prayer sheet for there said it had already been... my prayer timetable gave a different day but then they were praying at a competely different time. Alhamdulillah, it was nice cause i got to pray more times

After that we went for coffee.. and chatted more.. it was just nice to be there, to be able to tell him things and see his expression rather than guess what face he was pulling. We went to Primark.. i bought 2 skirts for 4pounds each masha'allah.. They are soo stretchy and long masha'allah, i tried one on but cause i loved it i just had to get the other colour (brown & black) Then i went to find him in TKMaxx..another cool shop. The time seemed to fly by cause soon it was time to eat, we had walked past a lebanese place on the way to the masjid so we headed back there... when we sat down, we realised it was time for maghrib so we explained to the guy, he was cool about it. So we left to walk down, but it was shut we didnt know what to do.. I told him things would work out.. we thought we would eat then sort it out, he asked the guy at the restaurant if there was somewhere at the back we could pray, he told us the room was being renovated and was dirty and dusty. Alhamdulillah it was sorted.. hee hee, we prayed outside the toilet on the landing alhamdulillah. So that was fine.

Then we headed back.. was pretty late by then, we hadnt even realised the time it was so not important.. its nice when times are like that, when you dont have to worry about being back at a certain time alhamdulillah. When we got back to liverpool, we picked up his friend and I drove them back to his place. I realised he lived down the road from where I used to live in Liverpool which was cool. So then i went home to bed.. and slept!!