Farewell to 1826!

Yesterday I went to the now empty 1826 with Ajee to meet with our new Realtor who will help us put it on rent. While we waited for the her,  I looked at the empty rooms, bare walls (except for the nails and the really low pencil scribbles n the Master Bath walls thanks to Yusuf) and furniture indents on the carpet. The emptiness reminded me of the same time exactly 10 years ago right before our wedding when we purchased this brand new townhouse. The thought that I will not be living here anymore saddened me as this place has always been so blessed and has witnessed so many happy moments of my life that I have experienced from  a young, energetic college girl to a grown (not so energetic) mother of 2.
I still remember walking in to 1826 (which was still half done) with Ajee, Amma, Abba, My Abba and our Realtor at the time to choose the upgrades, paint colors, wood flooring etc for our future house. It was so exciting to be starting my new life with Ajee (and the many more Saiyeds) in this new place. I just couldn't wait!! The day finally arrived when I walked into this house as a bride and was greeted by tons of Saiyeds. Needless to say I was nervous but comfortable as I knew I was now a part of   an extremely welcoming (and loud) family. After a couple of days when the wedding rush died down a little bit, we still had 10 people staying at 1826 for the next 3-4 months, which included, Amma, Abba, Nani Amma, Phuppi, Khudeja Aaapa (Ajee's maternal aunt), Mamma (Ajee's late paternal aunt), Asim, Hasan, Ajee and I. As I was done with school and couldn't find a job (thanks to the beginning of the market crash), with zero responsibility and lots of time (seems surreal now), all I did was sit and chat with everyone especially Nani Amma and increase my Saiyed knowledge. I am still thankful for the quality time I got to spend with everyone as I am not sure if there ever will be a time like that again. 
Isa's first day at 1826!
Soon after everyone left for Pakistan except for Asim, Hasan, Ajee and I.  With no one looking after us, I slowly but surely was growing up and learning to be an adult.  I had to do  tasks that I never had to do before including working, cooking, cleaning, grocery shopping etc.  However, it was still an extremely fun time -1826 had transformed into a college dorm with just us 4 young adults with no rules and no major responsibility. 
Responsibility followed 3 years later when our first miracle sweet and tiny Isa came into our lives and joined us at our home. I was now responsible for another human being. I thought I had the mom thing down until 5 years later when we were blessed yet again with our feisty little Yusuf. 


Asim's B-day 2009 at 1826!
Needless to say there have been many guests, celebrations, birthdays, anniversaries and other memorable moments (some mentioned in previous posts), that have occurred at 1826 with the kids growing up and the many members of our family.
I am not happy to see this place go but am satisfied as this is the right move for our family.  Plus I am super- excited to make many more new memories at (7 Seas Ct ) our new home! 

Comments

  1. MaggieJune 27, 2012 at 6:01 PM

    With every door that closes, a new one opens! This time, literally for you! May your new home be blessed with joy and the sound of family laughing together always! (PS - thrilled to see you post again, please have a follow up post of your first few weeks at 7 Seas Ct soon!)

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

A Tribute to My Abba !

Image
I just spoke with my dad - My Abba after almost a week. He called me from the Jeddah Airport as he was on his way to India to visit his ill older brother, after completing his Hajj Mashallah, which is not a minor accomplishment. (The Hajj  is the largest pilgrimage in the World to Mecca, Saudia Arabia.  It is one of the five pillars of Islam, a religious duty that must be carried out by every healthy Muslim who can afford it at least once in their life time.  Although, I don't live with him anymore I can definitely feel his absence. He is a regular visitor at 1826 who seldom comes empty handed. He always has his hands full with the best juices, fruit, cookies, chocolates etc. He is known for having the best taste in almost everything from groceries, to women's clothes to jewelry. However, his best quality is his kind and welcoming nature. Mashallah! No matter whom it is, and how much space he has his door i...
Read more

Just Another Manic Eid Day..Continued..

Image
Although we arrive on time, the rush is crazy at Al-Farooq (Mosque) as Eid is on a Sunday this year. There is no parking so Ajee drops us off by the entrance. This takes a few minutes. Abba helps me get Yusuf out, while Amma gets Nani Amma out, Phuppi is carrying the bags and shawls. As I am getting the diaper bag out, I rip half of my right thumb nail..OUCH!!!..The officer wants us to hurry up as there are many cars behind us. So I take the baby from Abba, with my diaper bag (Thank heavens it’s a backpack) on my back and Isa holding my hand with the throbbing thumb and make my way to the ladies section with Amma, Phuppi and Nani Amma. We take off our shoes. Nani Amma and Amma take the elevator; Me and Phuppi decide to take the stairs as the line is too long. We finally make it upstairs and re-unite with Nani Amma and Amma. There is absolutely NO Space. We all try going from ro...
Read more

A Nap...Ain't Nobody Got time for Dat!!

Image
When I went home yesterday, I was dead tired and just wanted to snuggle into my comfy bed, relax, and possibly take a nap. A nice, refreshing, stress free nap..hmmmm, sounds so easy to some, but to me its a feat that cannot easily be accomplished. As I was dreaming about sleep,  Yusi came running, screaming "Oto Boos, Oto Boos" and showing me his new drawings (scribbles) of balls. "Wow!!! Yusuf that is just awesome!" Yusuf drawing balloons He said "awchum" and continued to follow me upstairs. As I was going to my room, thinking about my bed, the motherly guilt kicked in and made me go into Isa's room instead. He was just sitting there day dreaming with only half his work done. "Isa what's wrong, why are your spellings not done?" " Amm-mmma I can't find a pencil so I couldn't do my spellings" Eighty percent of the time, he does not have a pencil, or its not sharpened and for all of you judging me as a parent an...
Read more

A Night at 1826!

Image
It is 11:45 P.M at the Saiyed Residence on a Thursday night, I have been trying to put Yusuf down for the last hour or so but have not been able to. Ajee (My husband) finally comes in to the room and I hand over the baby to him to get a break and go down for some water. As I head down the stairs I see Hasan (Ajee's youngest brother) jumping up and down in his sweats infront of his computer in Ajee's Study (which is in fact a dining room). He is actually copying a video of the P-90 X excercise routine, Hasan's new obesession for the month. Meanwhile, Amma (Ajee's mother) is squatting sweeping (for the 2nd time today) the carpet and the foyer floor with a small hard broom ("tinke wali jharoo - specially imported from Pakistan), and a soft regular broom simultaneously. Abba is waiting for her to finish as he needs help finding something upstairs. Phuppi (Ajee's paternal aunt) just finished washing the dishes and is now watching an Indian ...
Read more

Isa's Holiday Concert!

Image
 Last Friday evening I came home from work and hear Isa singing, or rather yelling “RUDOLPH THE RED NOSED REINDEER, HAD A VERY SHINY NOSE” and then I hear an even louder Hasan yelling “RUDOLPH KI LAAL LAAL NAAK THEE AUR WO CHAMAKTI BHI THEE!!” (translation of the Christmas Carol in Urdu).   I go up quickly to see what the commotion is all about and then come to know that Isa has a holiday concert in school that is coming up and Hasan is helping him prepare for that, but is forcing him to sing it in Urdu, while Yusuf is dancing with one arm up in the air (Which is what he does at any sign of music).   The next few evenings go on to be pretty loud and disruptive with the constant practicing of this song in Urdu, in English and sometimes in both languages at the same time.      Chillin on Hun Chachoo after practice!!  It is Thursday evening; the night of the holiday concert is finally here.   I am home late and Isa is so excited that he is already...
Read more