Friday, April 16, 2010

Velvet Cloaks in May in Atlanta Do Not Make You Look Nice In Graduation Photos

You know, I just haven't felt like blogging much lately.  It's been so hectic since getting back from my trip, then the boys coming home and trying to catch up with work.  Plus, the weather has been so amazing that whenever I am not at work, I try to be outside as much as possible.  I have really gotten into gardening lately, and want to really make our backyard a cozy welcoming place for our family.  I feel like we're getting there slowly, after having somewhat neglected the yard for the past two years, as we have been working on the inside of our house. 

So, this post is basically going to cover the time period from when I got back from Karachi in 2006, until my graduation from law school in May of 2007.  Having already received and accepted a job offer at the firm where I currently work, my third year of law school was basically sitting in a holding pattern, making it through my classes with semi-decent grades and preparing to move to Texas to take the bar and start work.  Also, by that time we had set the date for our U.S. wedding for August of 2007, so I was starting to work on preparations and plans for ANOTHER wedding! 

My last year of law school was great solely for the reason that I was a research assistant for one of my favorite professors, Professor Abdullahi An'naim.  He is a professor of Islamic law at my law school, and I worked with him, helping to edit his latest book on Shar'iah.  His classes and my interactions with him really have shaped my own faith and interaction with the world as a Muslim.  As a lawyer and a Muslim, I really agree with the principles he sets for for governance of predominantly Muslim countries.  He is an amazing mind and an inspirational person, and I would highly recommend checking his stuff out if you have any interest in progressive Islamic government and Shar'iah.

In May of 2007, my parents came out to Atlanta, and attended my graduation, along with my sister and some of M's relatives who were living nearby.  My sister was graduating from nursing school at the same time, so it was convenient for them to come back East for both graduations at once.  As I was hooded, I really felt like I was getting ready to move on to the next stage of my life.  And I was, we had just a few days to pack up all our stuff, finish negotiating the purchase of our first house, and get to Texas.

In which I embark on the next major stage of my life in a floppy purple velvet hat with a gold tassel.