Umrah Mubarak!

I didn't realize Dulles Town Center is closed on Easter. I was planning to stop by Gardelina to have a garland made in honor of Zakaria completing Umrah. My mother had made the request. I tried to argue that a garland of chocolate bars might be more appealing to Zakaria than a garland of flowers. She insisted on tradition though and so I attempted to create my own garland out of some roses from Trader Joe's and a tasbih. It was pretty awesome seeing Zakaria after he spent Spring Break with his dad in Saudi Arabia. Kid followed religious custom and can rock a shaved head, just like his mother. Listening to him tell me stories about buying prayer mats for the cats and his displeasure with KFC made me realize how quiet the house had been without him. He also picked out an abaya for me and now has a new favorite type of date. 
My parents sent him flowers and of course I got flowers from them as well. This was mostly because I donated blood on Friday and let my mother know I was feeling lightheaded. This led to her sending me a blood pressure monitor (I now have three sent to me by her). I am perfectly fine and while she might think this will deter me from donating...I am O- and have seen first hand the need. Just will make sure to not reveal if I am lightheaded. However, what if I was lightheaded because of hearing about Pete Hegseth and his love of Signal? Or how I received a $30 gift card for donating? Trust me, INova, I would have donated without the gift card. I do like the hoodies you give out though.