Think Pink

Showing my love for the color pink!
xoxo, Alex

Happy Friday & Outfit of the Day!

Happy Friday!!! This is a wonderful day in Islam. Today all Muslims are obliged to go to the Jumah prayer if possible which is where we have congregational prayer preceded by a khutbah (sermon) which is led by the imam. All in all, it lasts about 45 minutes. Not bad, at all! It's also great to get out and see everyone :) I love Jumah Friday! I also love Friday because it's the start of the weekend; and, who doesn't love the weekend!? This weekend is extra special, though, because I'm driving up to New York with my mom to pickup my older sister, Aleah, from school! Well actually, we're picking up her stuff from her apartment, but she gets to fly home because she has a tennis tournament the weekend she's coming home. So, she needs to be rested and a 10 hour drive is not ideal before a tournament. Anyhow, I'm SO excited for her to come home for the Summer!! Although she will be out and about at tennis tournaments from time to time, it's still going to be awesome!

This is my first OOTD so I hope you guys like it!
1. ANN TAYLOR STRIPED BUTTON DOWN SHIRT
2. CHARLOTTE RUSSE BLACK SKINNY JEANS
3. FOREVER21 BLACK CARDIGAN
4. FOREVER21 LEATHERETTE WEAVE SANDALS

I hope you all have a Happy Friday!!

xoxo, Alex

Heart of a Muslim

"Bismillah" --- "In the name of Allah"

I want to share with you all, the heart of a Muslim. It's such a beautiful religion/way of life. I hope you will take some time out of your day to read this! :)

Meaning of Islam: Islam is a monotheistic religion, and a way of life. The Arabic word Islam means submission and derives from a word meaning peace. In a religious context it means submission to the will of God. The word Allah is simply the Arabic meaning for God. The Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) received the Word of God. The Quran is the sacred writings of Islam, also sometimes transliterated as the Qur'an, Kuran, Koran, Qur’ān, Coran or al-Qur’ān. Muslims hold that the Quran is the verbal divine guidance and moral direction for mankind. The Five Pillars of Islam are five basic acts of Islam. They're considered obligatory for all Muslims. The Quran presents them as a framework for worship and a sign of commitment to the faith. They are 1. The testimony of faith 2. Prayer (Salat), 3. Giving Zakat (Support of the needy), 4. Fasting on Ramadan (Sawm), 5. The Pilgrimage to Makkah (Hajj). More about the Five Pillars here.
Meaning of A Muslim: A Muslim is any male or female person who believes in Allah and the Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) as His Messenger who then testifies to that belief to witnesses announcing his/her acceptance of Islam as his/her religion. Muslim should not be confused with Arab; A Muslim is a person who follows the religion of Islam and she/he can be of any race while Arab refers to a race of people. An Arab can choose to be of any religion or belief system.
Misconceptions about Islam:
MISCONCEPTION #1
All Muslims are violent, terrorists, and/or extremists. Yes some Muslims are violent, terrorists, and/or extremists. But, that has nothing at all to do with the religion Islam, itself.
MISCONCEPTION #2
Islam oppresses woman. In some Muslim countries they may have laws that oppress women, this shouldn't be seen as coming from Islam though. Many of these countries do not rule by any type of Islamic law, and introduce their own cultural standpoints on the issue of gender equity. However, Islam looks at a woman as an equal, mature and capable partner of a man, without whom a family cannot exist and teaches that all men and woman are all creation of Allah(God), existing on a level of equal value and worth. A woman must be treated with honor and respect. An Islam marriage cannot take place unless the female freely agrees to it. Islam puts priorities for the husband and wife. The responsibility for providing for the family is on the husband, while the responsibility to care for the house and raising the children is on the wife. And she can work outside of the house if she desires.
MISCONCEPTION #3
Muslims worship a different God. Allah is simply the Arabic word for God. Allah, for Muslims, is the greatest and most inclusive of the names of God, it is an Arabic word of rich meaning, denoting the one and only God and ascribing no partners to Him. It should be noted that God in Islam is one and only. He the exalted, does not get tired, does not have a son (i.e. Jesus) or have associates, nor does He have human like attributes as found in other faiths. MISCONCEPTION #4
Islam was spread by the sword and intolerant of other faiths. Many social studies textbooks show the image of an Arab horseman carrying a sword and the Quran in the other hand conquering and forcibly converting. This, though, is not a correct rendition of history. Islam has always given respect and freedom of religion to all faiths. Freedom of religion is laid down in the Quran itself: "There is no compulsion (or coercion) in the religion (Islam).
MISCONCEPTION #5
The Nation of Islam(NOI) is a Muslim group.
Islam and the so called "Nation of Islam" are two different religions. NOI is more of a political organization since it's members are not limited to a single faith. Muslim consider this group to be one of many cults using the name of Islam for their own gain.
MISCONCEPTION #6
Muslims don't believe in Jesus.
Well, here it says: "Many non-Muslims are surprised to find out that according to Islam, Jesus, the son of Mary, is one of the greatest messengers of God. A person cannot be a Muslim without believing in the virgin birth and miracles of Jesus Christ. Muslims believe these things about Jesus because the Quran says these things about him. However, Islam emphasizes that the miracles of Jesus, and all other prophets, were by "God's permission". Likewise, the Quran clearly says that Almighty God does not have a "Son" neither allegorically, physically, metaphorically or metaphysically since this would undermine His unity and compromise pure Abrahamic monotheism. Islam rejects Christian doctrines regarding Jesus, such as the Incarnation, the Trinity and the Atonement precisely because they did not originate from Jesus. In this way, Muslims feel they are the true followers of Jesus because they defend him from theological exaggerations and practice the same monotheism as Jesus himself."

Oneness of Mankind:

• People are created equal in the sight of Allah. There is no superiority of one over another for any reason except piety and righteousness. Muslims are required to respect the dignity of mankind, regardless of religion, race, nationality, or place of birth, all of mankind are honored.
• People are not to be judged on factors that they had no choice over, such as gender, color, size, race, health, etc. Islam teaches that human diversity is a sign of the richness of Allah's mercy and the beauty of His creation. Prophet Muhammad said: "Surely Allah(God) does not look at your faces or your bodies, but looks at your hearts and your deeds".
• In Islam there are no priests, priesthood or holy men, and no one has special access to sacraments, there are however, scholars who are knowledgeable of Islam, and their duty is to truthfully explain Islam to others. However, they're just advisers.

Source #1
Source #2
Source #3

For any further questions, leave a comment with your email and your question and I will get back to you ASAP! Thank you all so much for all the love and support!
Assalmu Alaykum - "Peace be upon you" :)
xoxo, Alex

Blog Makeover & Happy Hump Day Wednesday!

Hello Loves,

Tonight I was skimming over blogs and in the back of my head was the thought of how bad my blog layout/design was. So I did some research and figured out what I had to do to change that! And as you can tell, I did a blog makeover!!! I did it all by myself. Ahhh-I have to say, I feel very accomplished! It took almost 2 hours. What do you guys think!? Feedback would be greatly appreciated!

Hump Day is my favorite, other than the weekEND of course!! Hump Day refers to the idea of Wednesday being the middle of the work-week, meaning it's "over-the-hump" when this day is over. This is the Wictionary definition which you can see with your own eyes, here.

Happy Hump Day!
xoxo, Alex

Top 5 Dream Destinations

1. Victoria Falls - Zimbabwe, Africa
How beautiful is that? God's creation is truly wonderful :)

2. Dubai, United Arab Emirates
I am in love with Dubai. Everything is so sleek and slim---love it! I have always dreamed of going. One day I will. You watch and see!

3. Cape Town, South Africa
Lots to do, beautiful beaches, beautiful sunset...how can I say no!?

4. Paris, France
Beautiful city, amazing places to see, delicious food, and of course the Eiffel Tower!

5. Bora Bora, Tahiti
Bora Bora is, perhaps, one of the most magical places in the world. The first time I saw pictures of it, I was stunned. From the exotic and mysterious name to the beautiful blue lagoon, I knew right then if I had a chance to go anywhere in the world just once, Bora Bora would be where I would go. I mean, I have never seen a more amazing place in my life. I could gush over it all day if I wanted to, but I don't want to bore you guys! This picture isn't the best of Bora Bora, so if you want to see more if it, click here.

What are your top 5 dream destinations?
I wish you all a great weekend!
xoxo, alex

The ABC's of Me!

Sweet Carolina Girl did this and I thought it was a fun idea so I decided to do it, as well!

A-Age: 14

B-Bed size: Twin

C-Chore you hate: Washing dishes. BLECH!

D-Dogs: Shih Tzu: Cassie (I will probably blog about her sometime in the future, she's my LOVE)

E-Essential start to your day: SHOWER.

F-Favorite Color: Pink & purple!

G-Gold or Silver: Depends on the occasion...usually gold but I love silver too!

H-Height: 5'1"

I-Instruments you play: None...yet!

J-Job title: Student and Babysitter!

K-Kids: None

L-Live: North Carolina

M-My mom's name: Anna

N-Nickname: My mom calls me Allie sometimes, and my God sister always calls me Al

O-Overnight hospital stay: Never

P-Pet Peeve: Broken promises...by far.

Q-Quote from a movie: "I'll never let go" ~Titanic (My favorite movie EVER by the way)

R-Right/Lefty: Righty

S-Sibling: Two older sisters

T-Time you wake up: 8:30-9ish

U-Underwear: Charlotte Russe

V-Veggies you dislike: Cauliflower, ick!

W-What makes you run late: My mom, usually. (Love you mommy, if you're reading this!)

X-Xrays you have had: None

Y-Yummy food you make: Spinach Feta Turkey Burgers

Z-Zoo animal: Honestly, I don't really think about it... But now that I am, I love Monkeys, Panda Bears, and Elephants!

Will YOU try it? Please comment below and let me know if you do!
xoxo, Alex

My Newest Obsessions!

1. The first time I saw a crop shirt I thought, ew. But I grew to LOVE them! And now I can't possibly get enough of them! I'm obsessed!! 2. I am newly obsessed with RUFFLES! I think they're are so feminine and girly! Love them!

3. Adele's album "21". I LOVED Adele the very first time I heard her sing which was in 2009 on the Grammys! She had/has such an amazing voice! My favorite songs from her new album are: 1. Set Fire to the Rain 2. Someone like you 3. Take it All and 4. Turning Tables (a little repetitive but still love it.) 4. Sunsets! Kinda weird right? Somehow I became obsessed with sunsets! They're so beautiful to me. I could sit and stare at these picture for hours.

5. PENCIL SKIRTS!!! Completely absolutely definitely actually literally OBSESSED. If I have a chance to wear one, it will be worn. They're just soooo cute!!

6. I love cooking. And my good friend Meriel loves it, as well! She always talked about the show Chopped and I never knew what it was until last week when I decided to sit down and watch it...

I love it! It's so fun to watch! I wish it came on everyday :)

What are your newest obsessions!?

xoxo, Alex

A Shot at Photography!

I played around with my friend's camera in the few moments that she allowed me to and I realized that I love photography! I'm not the best at it yet but you gotta start somewhere right!? I edited all except the Newboyz picture... Hope you guys like them!

What do you guys think!? Feedback would be appreciated!

xoxo, Alex

Much-Need Vacation at Virginia Beach!!

I went to Virgina Beach last weekend and had SO much fun! It wasn't warm enough to swim, but it was so beautiful and so relaxing!! I can't wait for the many beach trips to come this Summer. Here are some pictures from the trip...

Hope everyone has a wonderful week!

xoxo, Alex