The perfect day…with my enemy…
We all have lived the perfect storm, some of us daily. I thought for a moment what would be the perfect day?
1. Wake up at 5:00a.m. without feeling like a truck hit me.
2. Coffee has brewed and waiting for me, all laid out is my favorite coffee cup, sugar and 2% milk.
3. I blog, do not make typos and get it published before “the mister” wakes up.
4. Mister wakes up whistling because I gave him lots of snuggles the night before.
5. I get to watch the sun rise from blue to yellow and every color in between.
6.I get my 5 miles in before children are stirring. My daughter comes down the stairs with her wonderful greeting…”GOOD MORNING BEAUTIFUL MOMMA”.
7. Backpacks homework and lunches are ready by the door.
8.Stargazer lillies are in bloom right next to a Hydrangea bush, right next to the lemon tree and the scent is intoxicating.
9. Driving the kids to school we are singing, dancing, and laughing to the latest hip hop tune. (currently it is dynamite, by Taio Cruz and DJ got us falling in love, by Usher).
10. It is 79 degrees with mild humidity.
11. After the drop off I get a call that the B.F.F. caught an early flight and is at the airport waiting for me to pick her up.
12. Before I get her I fold the last load of Laundry and put it away to wonderfully organized closets!
13. I “put the top down” on the car and while driving home I get a call that the mister can meet us for lunch.
14. Food of any kind as long as it is prepared and served in a lovely environment makes me happy.
15. A cold front slowly comes in and suddenly you hear the shiver in the leaves and fall is on its way.
16. My friend and I uncork a bottle of champagne once home and plug-in a “girly” movie that we have been dying to see. We cry with happiness.
17. While watching the movie, the cleaning “Fairy” shows up and cleans the floors that I love to walk barefoot on until “someone” gets dirt on them.
18. Children come home singing Spongebob’s song “the best day ever”.
19. Friend and I think about showering but after a quick review in the mirror realize “we are still fresh”!
20.We eat our snack /cheese/ fruit tray…while the fresh fish is marinating for dinner.
21. “the mister” comes home excited about the accomplishment and promotion to CEO.
22. Laughter exudes through the rooms.
23. We snuggle all together in the largest bed ever for conversation and homemade popcorn without and “noisy interruptions”.
THIS IS THE PERFECT DAY WITH MY ENEMY….EGO…
PERFECT DAY TAKE TWO: I wake up Healthy of Body, Mind and SPIRIT, and the sense to know what to do with it! My FAMILY wakes up HEALTHY, and THE WORLD WAKES UP HEALTHY…
1. WITH ALL THAT HEALTH WE CHANGE THE WORLD TO THE PERFECT DAY ON THE HEALTHIEST PLANET KNOWING IT WILL BE PASSED DOWN FOR UNBORN CHILDREN TO REAP OUR POSITIVE MOVEMENT!
When ego takes hold of us it can strangle the world…we all have enormous power, to make a difference.
LOVE AND LIGHT,
Suzen
www.head2zen.com/blog
SIMPLE AWE…
Simple wonder can do more for us than all the vitamins and cups of coffee in the world. Author unknown I enjoy hearing the sounds of the birds chirp in the morning. The dew still on the blades of grass. I enjoy watching the clouds all puffy pass by. I like watching people in their various tasks and endeavors come and go. Life can be as simple and complex as you lay title and desire to it. I love finding heart-shaped rocks that I never knew existed until my dear friend Ken introduced them to me. Life is full of AWE! Breathe, Pause, Review, and Enjoy. Photograph it often whether in your mind or through a lens.
Love and Light,
Suzen
head2zen.com
Caterpillars to Butterflies…
Begin with the end in mind. Words to ponder even from a day-to-day discovery. These past two weeks I have committed myself to a “total Fitness program”. One self designed which includes a minimum of 5 miles of cardio 4 times a week. Two weeks ago, on my run, I crossed paths with what seemed to be a large amount of caterpillars. Ten, at every step I took. ..Going somewhere as fast as they could. It was ridiculously hot and I thought perhaps they were all on their way to shade . Over the course of time I have continued to see more and more caterpillars going somewhere. Yesterday, I noticed how “juicy” and plump they all were as compared to 14 days ago. I concluded that these caterpillars are on their way to make their chrysalis. They will eat, nest, and come out a gorgeous butterfly and spread their wings to new and exciting pastures.
I wondered to myself, trying to distract my mind from the pain in my side, if they knew what kind of wings they might “ADORN” before they entered their cocoon or if they are aware of the change at all? Were these “moth” Caterpillars or “butterfly” Caterpillars at my feet? The dictionary states the difference between the two being that moths do not have a bulbed antenna and wings appear drab like. Moths are more nocturnal and their wings lay down flat.
The comparisons of caterpillars to butterflies are metaphorically endless. I think about my summer with my children and how I attempt to make the time relaxed, easy and fun. Sometimes we eat ice cream for breakfast or have backwards day that we eat dinner in the morning and end the day with pancakes. We eat a lot in the summer. When they begin school I have to retreat to my own Cocoon of exercise to be made whole again. I think my children retreat in their own way as well. They decide they don’t want to go anywhere or do anything for a time. I figure it’s their way of re-charging. Secretly, I wonder if the question crosses their mind…when rested will the outcome be butterfly or moth? Ultimately they will have to make their own decisions but genetically they might have been given the drab color of wings. I create discussion for my children when I ask out loud ”if you could be anything, see anything, or do anything what would it be”? Then following it up with, “What is keeping you from that dream”? Finally, “how can I support you to give the leg up you need to succeed that goal”?
Then I ask myself daily, if today were your last day, what would you do, what would you say, how would you spend it. No matter what your answer, beginning the day with the END IN MIND helps us keep focus on what is vital and most important that we may lose on our way. Maybe we start with dessert in case we don’t make it to dinner. Maybe we finish a task that is most important to our family and loved ones. Maybe we give our last dollar to charity or to help someone in need. Whatever end you have in mind for yourself it is up to you. Knowing we all have the opportunity to spread our wings…what pasture will we make our home? Never “IF”…but “WHEN” allow us to fulfill any achievement. New beginnings happen every day just like my chubby caterpillars on my run. 
EAT, REST, DO SOMETHING WONDERFUL…OR DO SOMETHING FANTASTIC, THEN EAT, THEN SLEEP! FLY FROM YOUR COCOON…
SPECIAL THANKS TO AMY HUNSINGER OF SING PHOTOGRAPHY. FOR THE GIFT OF HER FRIENDSHIP AND TALENT! www.singphotography.com/
LOVE AND LIGHT,
Suzen
head2zen.com
SHORT and SWEET…
1. I love talking…and listening… I’m not very good at one of them.
2. I love that “the mister” makes bacon and M&M pancakes EVERY SATURDAY MORNING!
3. I love cooking.
4. I love laughing.
5. I love pretty clothes and slipping, for the first two seconds,…on a pair of gorgeous italian shoes!
6. I love that my daughter notices every time I do something “pretty”.
7. I love that sometimes my son is late for school because he has puckered up for a goodbye kiss and can’t find me…but always does!
8. I love Blogging.
9. I love that I teach YOGA every Saturday morning…(before the pancakes are made.)
10. I love that everything goes right on Saturday, because of Yoga…while looming is a sweet smell of syrup the rest of the day.
11. I love that my Lilly dog can’t wait for me to sit so she can lick me in hopes for a good rub down.
12. I love hearing the stomping noises of the teenager coming alive (hours later) for pancakes, bacon, and syrup.
13. SYRUP is a funny word.
14. The M&M man was given to my son by an ex-boyfriend.
15. “The Mister” puts up with my past!
16. We all have our “GIVE and TAKE” !
17. I LOVE SATURDAY!
18. I love when my kids say…”MOM, can I HAVE A SLEEPOVER”?
19. I love that “I” am their sleepover every other night with only 6 inches of bed to sleep on with all of their toes and arms covering me.
20. I love COFFEEEEEEEEEE.
WORLDS BEST BACON:Black Forest dry rubbed Salt Cured Bacon made by Wellshire.
You can only get it at Whole Foods around here. Worth any drive and stocking up! Get the THICK SLICED.
M & M pancakes:
Basic milk based pancake mixture. (homemade is fine or packaged but don’t use WATER.)
Have an M&M man in case your “mister” needs one to inspire him…but the kids love it too. (Also doubles as a reward for potty training…THIS ONE DID.) I have washed it since then.
Add M&M’s to the pancakes after you ladle it onto the griddle. Drop in 5 – 10 and flip.
KISS THE MISTER FOR BEING SO WONDERFUL. LET HIM PAT YOU ON THE BOOTY IN RESPONSE TO THE KISS.
ALL IS WELL!
Love and Light…and bacon and chocolate…and coffee and Yoga….(another contradiction!)
Suzen
head2zen.com
DATE NIGHT AND DIAPERS…not what you think!
I am not a casual acquaintance kind of person; I respond to the friend that lays down their life. I never had a great female friend until my mid 20′s. I was more like a tomboy and kept to myself. I liked wrestling, basketball, and trains. All I wanted for my sweet 16 was a tent and a Coleman stove. Sometime after my 16th birthday I found fashion and friends! I value my female bonding and enjoy talking to them no matter what the topic. I have a B.F.F. that I speak with almost every day! I have evolved but my roots are still very much alive. I still love boys, mine in particular, I have a strong passion for camping and hiking. I also have lots of fancy shoes to match party dresses and not enough opportunity to wear them. I am a living contradiction! Life is “A” changing, wheezing, disagreeing, crazy ride, full of inconsistencies.
The other day my B.F.F. and I were having our almost daily check-in with each other and she said something that made the “MILK FLY”! This is the term I use when it’s so darn funny you absolutely have zero self-control. The discussion on the table was husbands in general. I was complaining that “the Mister” was rather “ho-hum” about the plans I had made for date night this week. I am going to hold my ground on this and declare I AM THE PLANNER of our relationship. ”The Mister” PAYS…I PLAN. On the phone that day we did our normal “he said, she said” commentary and I paused for a moment realizing we could continue the rant and rave just a little longer but what’s the point? I love talking to her about other stuff why waste it on the “husband drives me crazy topic”. After a short pause I said,” do you ever…” and she jumped in without hesitation and said…”EVER WANT TO PUT ON A DIAPER AND GO AS FAR AS THE GAS TANK WILL LET YOU”? Honestly the funniest thing I have heard in a REALLY LONG TIME!! (Remember that woman who drove from Texas to Florida to break up a love triangle or something and worked for NASA? Of course, I realize ALL CRAZY WOMEN live in Texas at one point or another, like my B.F.F.) I could barely get my self together to continue. MORE MILK FLEW when it really sank in. I replied with…”I was thinking more along the lines of…wish you could just leave with big fat ZERBERT flying out the window, but sure… the DIAPER scenario works too!” I swear she makes me laugh. When the world seems like it is just spinning around and nothing makes sense, I go stay at her house. She welcomes me with flowers on the night stand and a basket full of all the trashy magazines with one YOGA or GREEN periodical mixed in. She is my sanctuary and balance! My husband adores me and is my beloved. I love him from top to bottom with a little jab to the stomach so that he stays in line. He never stays in line. He is like a Bull in a safe way. That’s why I married him. She is sweet and patient, funny, and agreeable. That’s why she is my B.F.F.
The living contradiction dwells in many areas of my life. The date night and diaper conversation is just a small example. Tonight “the Mister” and I will dine while illumined with candle light and share a delicious wine. We will reconnect and share stories about the things that make us people, (not parents)but people. We will gaze into each others eyes and say how blessed we are. It may be the drive home, it may be when we crawl into bed, or if I’m lucky , tomorrow or the day after that…but he will do something that makes me want to silence him. Something so objectionable, insufferable, revolting, or loathsome that I will once more ponder the DIAPER ESCAPE. I will at least for a moment, then I will pause, laugh out loud and be grateful that both of these special people are in my life. The one that challenges me that I call LOVER and the one who helps me make sense of that committment, that I call Friend. It is in all of our differences that we find stability somewhere within our contradictions.
Here’s to “DATE NIGHT”!
SUZEN
Head2zen.com
The Clown Bowl…
This kid here… works me over! 
His heart is golden, his mind solid, and sometimes he is as stubborn as a BULL. He can pester, and get under my skin more than anybody, he is a teenager. He is my first-born and for that reason I have loved him longer. I have shared more with him, I have more stories about him, he is my miracle. I can honestly say that without him I would not be the woman I am today. I almost lost him when he was born. I sometimes forget who I’d be without him. My husband and I had an Epiphany this summer while he was away for a month. We started to see personalities alter in the other kids with “BIG BROTHER” not here. We were off-balance, the middle child started pestering his younger sister it wasn’t pretty. We concluded that our family dynamic needs him, the good, the bad and the give and take of him, no matter what. We need the surprise, the party hats, the looks, and even the sass! He pushes us to our best, to not take a moment for granted and sometimes the wish to turn back time. He is the toughest and I am always trying to be a better parent to him. We are all lost a bit when he is not around.
This kid melted my heart yesterday. (You really have to be paying attention at this age.) I was present in my thoughts and I captured the entire photographic moment in my mental memory book. My daughter had her first day of school on Tuesday. I needed a little help with getting them both breakfast. My son without delay asked if he should give her the “clown cup” to put her cereal in. The clown cup was his cereal cup of choice from the age of 2 years old on. 
I haven’t seen the clown cup in a while. I still had it though, for some reason the silly Ringling Brothers clown cup made in Taiwan has lasted longer than my “everyday” bowls. He filled the cup with her favorite cereal and passed on the tradition, one that had been an every morning ritual…only yesterday. It wasn’t yesterday though it was 13 years ago but to me it all converged. I dropped the big freshman off to school and the one beginning kindergarten. I started to reminisce in the car for just a moment and began to sob. I love these kids, each with their own personality, and their own challenges and their own journey. I’m so glad I get to participate even if sometimes it’s just from the sidelines!
I wish you all a CLOWN CUP DAY!
suzen
head2zen.com
ARE YOU LISTENING?
What would not just please me , but what would make me REALLY,REALLY, REALLY, REALLY, HAPPY?
The question is so much deeper than one can answer completely in a spontaneous second. I, like so many others have a whole repertoire of things that bring me joy. I have a list of “all of my favorite things” to use a line from Julie Andrews. Just the sound of my kids yawning while they sleep I find absolutely precious, but does it make me happy? I love seeing birds fly and roses in bloom, but do they make me happy?
To get a little deeper as James Lipton would say…”What sound or noise do you absolutely hate”? “What sound or noise do you love?”…”If heaven exists, What would you like God to say to you at the pearly gate?”
We forget to look at a moment and really embrace that second. Our reflection of our life is more lasting than our pure focus and appreciation for the HERE and NOW. What I loved about the book “EAT PRAY LOVE”, was her simple call to be present with everything that she did for this one year of her life. She still had to reflect on her moments to jot down the notes for the book she had promised to write. The reader feels caught up in her desire to make you present and her appreciation and thoughts in current time. We as western “idealists” are not taught or encouraged to meditate which often is the only way we can be still long enough without letting outside stimulants distract us. I loved a line I have heard both by the author of this book and C.S. Lewis who said “praying is talking to God, and meditating is listening. ” We forget to wait, pause, position our thoughts on just being open to the voice of God. Only when we calm our mind and quiet our thoughts do we open our heart to the amazing gratitude of everything around us. Gratitude for our breath, our body, our heart, our amazing mind, the sounds of birds, or the life with in us and the life around us. Observing the present, living in the silence, allows you to understand clearly what is your truest purpose. Understanding contentment comes from your soul, where the divine speaks to us. Perhaps you can answer THE question hopefully in present tense and not past or future. The challenge is not in only the answering but in the living with every moment of a day with a new openness to be present minded. It is such a glorious feeling and so child like to just be gracious and captivated by even the mundane. To really taste food like it was your job to describe every detail of your experience, or watch your children in slow motion as if you are a film maker about to wrap the scene or have one more “take” to be sure the moment translated well. (I love to just sneak a peek at my kids so that I can observe them moving about not realizing anyone is watching, able to enjoy them in their rawness.) We all need to be more aware, not a second earlier in our minds without mentally moving on to the next thing, but being in the acceptance as it arrives. Perhaps, then, we can know what does make us really, really, really HAPPY. It is my belief it is already in your fiber. With God holding our hands in a quiet moment he will enlighten you to a path bigger than your most hopeful expectation. Be still, Be quiet, be GRATEFUL for your moments, in the morning, in the car, in the quiet of your mind! Give God a chance to speak to you! More importantly, give your self the opportunity to listen.
“Be still and know that I am God” – Psalms 46:10
Listen to my voice in the morning, Lord. Each morning I bring my requests to you and wait expectedly in silence. – Psalms 5:1-3
May my meditation be pleasing to him, as I rejoice in the LORD .- Psalms 104.34 NIV.
Love and Light,
Suzen
head2Zen.
Thank you GOD…I have friends who like to EAT!
Last night I invited 13 friends on the 13 day of August to my home for an Italian dinner and girls night out . This wasn’t supper or a buffet it was a Glutton’s delight! I had tomatoes and basil, fresh rolled mozzarella and aged balsamic vinegar with a little drizzle of olive oil. An arugula salad on a bed of field greens combining cucumbers and fresh shaved parmesan cheese. An antipasto appetizer with mediterranean olives and salami. Fedelini pasta was my choice for the Caprese recipe. (This slightly thicker version of spaghetti holds up well for olive oil based recipes). We had roasted chicken marinated with lemon juice rubbed with poultry seasoning. Finally, Farfalle or bow tie pasta, with a la Panna sauce that combines alfredo and tomato sauce collaborating the two flavors. There were still more sides of slices of grilled chicken, sweet italian sausage, sun-dried tomatoes and toasted pine nuts. A very light and healthy option served as a side was simply blanched asparagus. The evening was paired with gorgeous mouths savoring all the delicacies while sipping italian wine and digesting all the dialogue being exchanged. We rushed off in a scuttle to catch the 7:00 viewing of EAT, PRAY, LOVE staring Julia Roberts. Some had finished the book, while some had just begun and some not at all. I described the movie to my husband as a hamburger and fries, you enjoy it but feel a little overwhelmed until it settles. The book was tenderloin and baked potato a little more refined and in-depth. I enjoyed the viewing and our evening of indulgences.
I reveled in the appreciation and gratitude these women had for a table well set with crystal and china. They fawned and awed at the food and I loved watching them decide selectively what they were going to come back for the next time around. Good women, great food, and wonderful entertainment = a perfect evening.
Caprese (secret family) recipe:
8 ounces of Fresh mozzarella cheese (cubed in bite size pieces)
8 ounces of fresh parmesan cheese (grated)
5 ripe Roma tomatoes chopped
4-5 garlic cloves chopped
5 T of fresh slightly chopped basil
3/4 cup of olive oil
16 ounces of Fedelini pasta
Boil pasta per directions for al dente outcome. Blend ingredients in separate bowl tossing gently. Combine all ingredients together coating well with olive oil if still needed. Serve hot. You may add sautéed mushrooms and or roasted chicken as well.
Delicious Alfredo sauce:
Cook choice of Pasta in this case Bowtie according to package directions
1 ½ C of Heavy Cream
1 t of fresh nutmeg
6 T of unsalted butter
1T of sugar
1C of freshly grated parmesan cheese
1C choice of nut, pine nut or walnut or both
In medium saucepan stir one cup of heavy cream, sugar and butter over medium heat stirring to blend through
Toss in nutmeg and parmesan now at a very low heat stirring until sauce thickens.
About 1 minute. Remove and plate on large serving platter with drained pasta
Add salt and pepper to taste with a little remaining cheese for show.
Enjoy the art of doing nothing but while consuming your reward.
Love and Light,
Suzen
head2zen.com
PASTA, JAPA, AND COMPANIONSHIP…
What are Alfredo and Caprese doing on your “fine China”? They are about to be consumed by a bunch of hungry women before going to see a movie. Eat, Pray, Love comes out today and I am putting on a delicious Italian spread in hopes of quieting our stomachs during the show. I have invited some friends and yoga students over to my house for a pre-party. I am so excited to re-live this fantastic book all over again. I first read the book when it came out 4 years ago. I chewed on its words like savoring the first licks of a summer gelato. I was totally immersed and delayed the last chapters knowing it would end like a high school summer romance. I loved this book. The travel imagery alone is worth the investment but to throw in food, romance and the BHAGAVAD-GITA well it just doesn’t get any better!
Following yoga tradition, this evening I will share my japa-mala beads with my guests. I will ask as they are passing them from one hand to the next to announce the things they are grateful for prior to our feast. I have downloaded some music including the famous Gurugita or the “Git” as Richard from Texas refers to it in the book. I am so honored by their company and fellowship. I look forward to seeing this screen rendition of such an awesome read. No matter what any critic might say I am certain this movie will not disappoint. I have no expectation other than camaraderie with my fellow female and suspense for the succulent meal that we will share together. Anything that follows will be “extra cheese on our pasta”!
If you haven’t read the book take time to give yourself this treat. It’s fun and creative and you might just end up with some insight about your self or the backpacks we all seem to carry. Tomorrow, I will post some of the recipes and photos of all the delicious food we created and consumed.
EAT,PRAY, LOVE and make your day complete!
Suzen
head2zen.com
Color outside the lines…
This week my two oldest children are back in school. Our summer was short and I am failing forgetting so. This week I am having a princess week. I have spent the entire 5 days exploring and enjoying life through my 5 year olds eyes. I even put aside blogging for a couple of days to give her my undivided attention. Dishes were not even the priority. Today we hiked 648 steps up and 648 steps down to an amazing waterfall here in Georgia. It is one of the most serene and wondrous things to do only an hour away doorstep to doorstep. Seeing her move and step to the beat of her own drum and active level was something of GLORY! If you ever get the chance to hike to Amicalola Falls it is worth the exit.
Yesterday we had movie day. We did all the “off the diet” items at the theater and saw Ramona and Beezus. If you have not seen it you have missed the meaning of LIFE! I’m not kidding you. I went to a children’s movie and got so touched and cried that I had to call my best friend to tell her it is a must see.
For now that is all I’m going to blog…Go see the movie and enjoy life as it merges both fantasy and reality with just a little hanging over the line!
LOVE and LIGHT,
Suzen
Head2Zen.com
