"Merry Bling Bling"

So when Santa went looking to see what was on my Christmas list, all he found was gifts and good thoughts for everyone else. It's been a rough year for my Habibi and so when I wanted to get him something good to let him know that I'm proud of his hard work and new and improved life change and since he's been staying home ALOT more I thought I'd make the home more conducive to fun and get him an Xbox system.

We had one on loan term loan for a while--it was his cousins. He bought games for it and everything and then bought it off his cousin. Cousin turns around and decided no he wants to bring it to Morocco--so Bye, bye Xbox! So I thought he still had all the games but no my good hearted guy gave them to his cousin.

So I bought him a bunch of soccer games for it and bought a Soprano's card trivia game. I wrapped the games up and put it inside the Sopranos game tin box. So when Habibi opened the box, he thought it was Soprano dvds, then I played it off like they had sent me the wrong stuff. Then I said hey, why don't we get an Xbox and pulled the one I got for him out of my magic hat.

He was so surprised, he couldn't believe it. But he's happy and that makes me happy too. In the midst of him setting the game up, he slips a small box into my hand. It's a beautiful wooden box that opens up to what was once my engagement ring set with a "Moroccan"diamond. He replaced the "Moroccan" diamond with something a little more precious in gem--not sentiment.


When he gave me the ring 3 years ago, he promised that every 5 years he would replace one of the diamonds in my ring. (In Morocco you get two rings-the usual engagement type ring and then an accompanied band usually with "diamonds". I had a solitaire and a thin band with about 8 "diamonds" on it. So you figure in 45 years I would have a complete diamond set. I'm not a bling bling girl at all--heck, I'd wear a macaroni bracelet if he made it for me. Even though I loved and was proud to wear my Moroccan diamond, I have to admit that it is a bit nice to have something a little traditional and "real" nice. I always feel sometimes that I'm not or we're not where we should be in our relationship. We don't have a house, a car, a dog, I don't have a real ring, we didn't have a wedding yadda, yadda, yadda. Now I feel a little bit sad that my Moroccan diamond has been replaced but my Moroccan jewel hasn't. I think now I will appreciate more the untraditional gifts I have and not worry so much about what others have.

I've especially been feeling that way lately with SIL being here and getting all new furniture she got really nice wedding gifts from the family--maybe I should say she got gifts unlike the American DIL who got a pepto bismol pink lamp from an unknown distant relative. I didn't get the 24K tea glass set with tray, and teapots. Or the dinner plates or the very nice necklace and matching earrings. Plus they just got a complete bedroom set. I realize that yeah she has this all in my house, not her own but I feel a little well, left out. I'm not venting--I have some nice jewelry pieces and everyone always treats me with respect--I just wished they would treat me like they would if I were a Moroccan DIL and not a stereotypical American, ya know?

But today is a good day, a happy day and I'm back with more crazy adventures in