Smells....

They say that smells can trigger more memories and emotions than just about anything else. I believe that. Whenever I smell lasagna cooking, I think of my Nana. She was such a kind lady, and although she was not Italian, her second husband was. She honed her Italian cooking skills to the point that I always thought she was Italian during my growing up years. Her food was that good. That smell always floods me with happy memories.

This morning greeted me with not such happy thoughts. After taking a shower and getting dressed upstairs, I came down the stairs and was greeted by a terribly offensive smell. Before I was even down the flight of stairs, I said to Matt, "Ugh...that smell! Disgusting!!" He said, "What? I don't smell anything!" I said, "Are you kidding me?" He wasn't. Before going any further, I must admit to a strange trait I have. It might be a family thing, as my sister Missy also posesses this strange trait. Neither of my parents or other sibling do, though. You see, we have a very heightened sense of smell, along with a habit of having to smell everything. I will smell things and Matt will stand there clueless, like this AM. Well, after fully coming down the stairs, I rounded the table to find 2 piles of dog vomit on the tile floor. Further searching revealed an unbelievable mess in our living room. My dog had diahrrea in about 8 spots all over the hardwood floor, in addition to the vomit. The last week she has only been eating the cats food. I think she must not like the food I got her (although she has had it in the past). I tied a scarf around my nose to block the smell. For someone who already smells things that others do not, I'm also pregnant which seems to make my stomach very sensitive to those smells. My mouth was watering already, as if I might throw up myself. The scarf mostly helped. I didn't puke, but I coughed and gagged, and my eyes watered, and my nose clogged. After 30 minutes of cleaning up and bleaching the floors, I was finally done. I boiled water and added cinnamon and cloves, and it really helped with the smell. I hope I don't have to deal with that for a long time!!

I think I've passed this trait down to my kids. Noah more than Rylee. Last night we were at a church dinner and I asked him if he wanted chicken. He said, "Can I smell it first?" I added a little piece to his plate and lifted it to his nose, fully understanding him. He inhaled, but wasn't quite sure. He asked, "Can I smell it again?" I obliged, and he ended up eating some. My oldest sister was there and laughing her head off at the whole exchange. "Oh man, you passed it on to him?" She laughed. Yes, my son has inherited my weird trait. This is the reason he will not eat cheesy popcorn. It smells to him. I agree it stinks as well. I mean, have you ever truly smelled it? The white cheddar is the worst. I love the taste, but the smell is enough to gag me. I even remember my brother getting frustrated when I was a kid. We were eating dinner, and I didn't start eating until I had smelled my fork. Why, you ask. I don't know, I just do it. He said, "Would you quit smelling everything and just eat, for goodness sake!" So, if we are ever at a party, and you catch me sniffing something (the cup, my shirt, the silverware, etc.), just know its nothing personal and something that I just do. Don't ask me to explain it, because I cannot.

PS-So sorry if you are eating breakfast while reading this. It was not meant to make you gag as well!