How We Met
Q: How did you and Ali meet? Post wedding pics!!
Please forgive me for taking pictures of our photo album...working scanners aren't as easy to come by as I thought they were!
A: Ali and I met during our final year of college. He attended UCLA and I went to USC and we were rivals! But we didn’t let that stop us since neither of us really care a lick about football.
We were engaged about a year after we met and despite the fact that we were 23 and had no clue what we were getting ourselves in to we got married in June of 2000.
As tradition dictates we ate the top layer on our first anniversary. I only had a few bites because I was convinced I would get food poisoning!
Q: And what was it about him that you fell in love with?
We had 420 of our parents' closest friends at our wedding. Ali and I knew about 5% of the guests.
A: Here is my 100% honest but shallow answer…Ali had a convertible and an unlimited budget and he spoiled me like I’d never been spoiled before. He threw me a birthday party for a dozen friends at a rooftop restaurant 2 weeks after we met. We hit all the best restaurants in Beverly Hills and Hollywood and splitting the bill was never even an option. He invited me to Hawaii a few months after we met and even though my parents naturally said “no way” I was pretty excited to be invited anyway.
My dad bought his first and only tuxedo for my wedding, and nearly a decade later I think he is still complaining about how expensive it was.
Here is my 100% honest but not-so-shallow answer…Ali sat through Great Expectations on our first Valentine’s Day even though he likely thought my preoccupation with Gwyneth was a bit scary. He catered to my ridiculous requests like driving to In-n-Out to get me a hamburger and then driving to McDonald’s to get me fries because I couldn’t have one without the other. He let me buy our first condo even though he had no idea where it was or what it looked like because he was working in France for 3 months before we got married. Talk about trust!
After all these things how could I NOT have married him?
We got married at the Regent Beverly Wilshire and after the ceremony we took pictures outside on Rodeo Drive and Wilshire Blvd. It was pretty neat when tourists started taking pictures of us taking pictures!
Q: What does Ali see in you?
Ali with his parents...his dad wore the same tuxedo to my sister-in-law's wedding last year and it fit perfectly!
A: Do you mean besides my obvious charm and easy-going nature? Well, I organize his life, plain and simple. I mean where would Ali be if I wasn’t around to remind him to take his phone and keys with him? How would he eat if I didn’t cook for him every night? And who else would be patient enough to field all his bizarre questions and cater to his indecisive nature? (I just undid all the nice things I said in the previous answer, didn’t I?)
This is the only decent picture I can find from the reception Ali's parents had the day after the wedding. In typical Ameena fashion I am no longer wearing the beautiful but extremely painful earrings my mother-in-law gave me. And in typical Mom fashion my mom appears to be rushing off somewhere!
Q: How did you know he was the one?
We were walking down the stairs and someone stepped on my dress and it ripped. In this picture Ali is shooting an angry glare at the culprit.
A: There is no simple answer to this question but I’ll leave you with this….ask yourself if a guy would put his jacket over a puddle for you to walk over so that you don’t ruin your shoes. If the answer is yes then I say there is a pretty good chance that he is the one.
And just to clarify I have never asked Ali to do this but I am 100% sure that he would if I ever asked him to.
I looked pretty crafty even back then, didn't I? It's a miracle Ali puts up with me.
Book Review – House Rules
House Rules
by Jodi Picoult
About twenty times a day I think, “If I only I knew then what I know now.” For example, today I thought:
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I probably could have accomplished more at the age of 34 if I’d watched a little less MTV and studied a little more during college.
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I regret counting calories and not eating more french bread slathered in Nutella on my trip to Paris last year.
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What was I thinking when I decided to channel my inner Madonna back in the 80’s by sporting very unattractive stirrup pants and big floppy hair bows?
Considering that I have my share of regrets it probably seems odd that I also recently concluded ignorance can be bliss.
I am a professional worrier. I am the type of person who worries about how I’m ever going to clean the freezer if the sponge keeps sticking to it? Or better yet, how am I going to fill up my gas tank when Ali took the gas card with him to NYC? Since I obviously worry about the most ridiculous things, you can imagine how much more I would have freaked out about Maya if I’d known more about autism and the potential link between vaccinations and autism.
My already gray hair thanks me for not knowing.
In Jodi Picoult’s latest book House Rules: A NovelHouse Rules: A Novel
House Rules we meet Jacob Hunt, a teenage boy with Asperger’s Syndrome. As a high functioning autistic Jacob is brilliant academically but is unable to handle most social situations. Among other symptoms, Jacob finds it difficult to make eye contact, to form emotional connections, and is very sensitive to things like bright lights and loud noise. He takes everything very literally and needs order and routine in order to function. As a coping mechanism Jacob immerses himself in the world of forensics and begins to “help” the police solve cases. But things backfire when Jacob finds himself on trial for the murder of his social skills teacher.
As with most of this author’s work I enjoyed Jodi Picoult’s extensive research into autism and Asperger’s Syndrome. I also found her exploration of the potential link between vaccines and autism both thought-provoking and worrisome, and her court scenes were as thorough and impressive as always. But even I, as a non-expert, can say that the author misrepresents “aspies” throughout the book. I mean how can someone like Jacob, with so many debilitating symptoms, still function at such a high level? I also had issues with Jacob’s mom Emma. It is a mystery why she never outright asked her son if he committed the crime! And since I guessed the book’s “twist” early on in the story I was quite disappointed in the sloppy, loose ending. For the first time I actually found myself wondering why I’d bothered to read a Jodi Picoult book at all.
I fear that Jodi Picoult is going the way of Danielle Steel, i.e. her cookie-cutter books are beginning to lack the heart and soul that made me fall in love with her writing in the first place. While I was okay with cutting ties with Danielle Steel’s sub-par books years ago, I would definitely be sad to eliminate this talented author from my life. I do hope she gets back on track with her next book.
What are your thoughts on the link between vaccinations and autism? While I understand there is no concrete proof that a link exists, I definitely would have staggered Maya’s vaccinations as a precaution, knowing what I now know.
What Does it Take to Silence a 5-Year-Old?
I’ve often wondered why I bothered going to college. I mean, I really didn’t need a degree in finance to sit around and field ridiculous questions from Ali and Maya all day long. Plus, if I’d stopped at high school I could have saved myself a lot of energy studying and my dad a whole lot of money on tuition.
The questions started bright and early this morning with Ali’s “So, what’s for breakfast?”
The good wife/mother that I am I whipped up a batch of pancakes from scratch and threw in some scrambled eggs for good measure. Cooking didn’t provide me with immunity from questions though, as I’d hoped…
Ali – I’m going to New York this week. Do you think I should I fly into La Guardia or JFK?
Maya – When is breakfast going to be ready?
Ali – I need to have some clothes dry cleaned for my trip. What time does the dry cleaner close today?
Maya – I’m really hungry. Is breakfast ready yet?
Ali – Do you think I could get some kind of discount if I bundled my flight and train ticket together?
Maya – How much longer until breakfast is ready?
After I cleaned up the last sticky drop of maple syrup I assumed I was safe from the barrage of questions for at least an hour. But lo and behold, about 45 minutes later Maya asked, “I’m hungry, is it lunchtime yet?”
Why certainly Maya. Who doesn’t eat lunch at 11:30 am?
We actually had food in the fridge for once so I made up some turkey/avocado sandwiches for Ali and Maya and while I cleaned the kitchen up for a second time in less than 2 hours I continued to answer questions…
Ali – Should I catch the Friday night flight from NYC to LA at 5:30pm or 7:30pm?
Maya – Can I have some water?
Ali – I’m not sure if either flight has internet, what do you think?
Maya – I need a napkin. Can I have a napkin?
Ali – What hotel should I stay in when I’m in Boston?
Maya – What’s this green stuff in my sandwich? Can I have another one?
The latter part of the day continued in much of the same manner. I was a bit worried I’d lose it and go postal on everyone. That is until I got the brillant idea to ask a question myself…
Me – Maya, where is the tape?
Finally…silence.
On to more important “Ask Me Anything” questions…
What is the food you miss most that you cannot eat now?
I definitely miss some good sourdough bread with tons of butter on it! No gluten-free bread can even compare.
What are your favorite snacks? what do you typically eat for breakfast/lunch?
Breakfast usually entails a very haphazard bowl of oatmeal or cream of buckwheat with maple syrup, made in the microwave. Sometimes, when I’m feeling especially fancy I throw some raisins on top. Lunch is often scrambled eggs with a brown rice tortilla or a random concoction like quinoa mixed with salsa, spinach, and black beans. I’ve learned that salsa makes anything palatable and I go through it like its going out of style. I don’t usually snack but if I need some energy I’ll have a couple of dates or some dried apricots.
Sorry my meals are so uninteresting. Allergies can do that to you!
More answers to come…
While I'm not going to win Mother/Wife of the Year Award anytime soon, I haven't killed anyone yet or shot myself in the head. And that, my friends, is how I calculate success these days. 
FANCY THAT FANCY THIS 