Time flies...

when life is fun.

I recently came across a blog where they did an iphoto dump day, so I copied;-)

From baseballto feeding cows to face masks (a joke picture I sent to my dad about germs and Tessa flying in an airplane for the first time)....it has been a great Spring!

Clearly, everyone loves Kayden.

Mother's Day at preschool.

his favorite thing-talked about it for a week!

can.sleep.anywhere.

Grandma and the girls.

Smells like roses

A while back, I wrote a post on the Soundtrack of My Life, and how certain songs can instantly take me back.

Following is Part Two.

Josh often teases me because I have a very strong sense of smell. Even the slightest off-putting odor will drive me crazy. Cigar smoke, onions, rubber burning, and musky floral perfume top my list of most annoying.

Originally Titled, Smells of My Life....a particular smell can instantly transport me to a certain event, albeit fond or insignificant.

In no particular order:

Sawdust. My dad spent much of his free time assembling model airplanes during my youth. Replaced lately by playing XBOX with his 'over 50' friends, his days of cutting plywood and molding it into shape have long passed. I rarely smell this anymore; but if I do, I fondly remember watching TV in my basement and the deep sense of security that came in knowing my dad was right around the corner.

Window Clings. Freshly peeled off the sheet, I can vividly recall the strange smell of window clings. You know the kind that you peel off and place on your windows to depict a certain holiday theme? My mom rotates clings through the holidays, and I am sure it is much of the reason I love seasonal decorating. Every holiday was celebrated and made exciting. I can't wait to pull down the Halloween box and put brightly colored window clings on our back slider. I am pretty sure they are thought of as the "poor man's decoration", but just the sight of them as I pass by a window makes me happy.

Exclamation perfume. Conjures up middle school insecurities. Longing for true friends, self confidence, identity, and (as my mom would tease) a little color in my wardrobe. Naively, I thought that if I wore black from head to toe it would make me less noticeable.

My wedding chest. The first Christmas Josh and I were dating, a good friend of ours sent me a huge trunk. Lined with beautiful vintage paper, the silver antique finish became the perfect spot for storing the thick letters passed through the mail during our year-long long distance courtship. She had tucked pink rose potpourri inside before I started loading it with memories. Anytime I open that box, I immediately recall anxiously awaiting a letter in the mail, sitting on the ground next to my parents computer and waiting for the dial up to load the newest e-mail. The Santa Monica Pier, where we took our first official picture together, the stickers Josh sent me from a photo booth at the mall, and the Anne Geddes cardboard decorative box full of Hershey's kisses when I had a rough week.

Wet paper towels in a public restroom. Not any old paper towel, but the brown kind that are no longer used (probably aren't environmentally friendly:-) When I was 5 years old, I really wanted to be a Freedom High School cheerleader. That is a legitimate job, right? I longed to grab the ginormous Burgundy and white pom poms and prance next to the older girls in their twirly skirts and matching sweaters. Often, if I made myself known on the sideline, an invitation would follow to briefly cheer next to them. During halftime, all cheerleaders (and said pom poms) would congregate in the locker room to add more makeup and gossip about boys. A mix of must, sweat, and mostly wet brown paper towels, that locker room represented my childhood dream and looking up to the older girls.

There is a certain detangler that I have used for the past few years. Much cheaper than the "It's a 10" leave in conditioner they always try to sell me at the salon. I gravitated because it actually worked, and costed far less money. Last summer in the hospital, the one and only time I would stand up during the day was to take a 10 minute shower. My hair was always in knots because I was forever laying on it. It also took a long time to dry, so the smell of that detangler was always on my pillow. As I use it daily, it reminds me of hospital bedrest, fear, angst, and ultimately the answer we had been praying for.

So many more come to mind- the smell of soap in the NICU, vanilla candles burning in our house in Redlands, gasoline over water and spending summers at the cottage on Hess Lake.

How about you? Am I the only one that has this strange connection with smells? What are your triggers?