You don't understand what I'm up against. This is a force more powerful than anything you can imagine. Even *Superman* would be helpless against this kind of stench.

I used to be a perfume freak.  I remember the first perfume I got was Love's Baby Soft from my Aunt Mary.  She gave it to me at the Platte Christmas Party and I put some on in the car on the way home.  I put a lot on. My mom had to open the window.

Since the first gift of perfume, I've always loved perfumes.  The smells of them remind me of different occasions. I can't smell Eternity without thinking about standing in the bus line in 8th grade with Sandy Jackson.  I can't smell Beautiful without thinking of my stinky apartment in Provo.  Champs Elysees makes me think of my wedding day.  Perfume is so pretty.  And cologne.  I love cologne.  Doesn't Drakkar take you back to high school boys?  And Escape makes me think of Chris on our wedding day.

But something happened to my nose during my last pregnancy.  I couldn't stand perfume or cologne or any strong smell be it good or bad.  No air freshener.  No strong chemicals.  No candles.  Nothing.  The only smell that didn't bother me was citrus.   I thought it was just a pregnancy thing.  I figured that after Teddy arrived that my nose would go back to normal.  

It didn't.

The problem is more that just "I don't like it."  It literally makes my nose hurt to smell a strong smell.  Chris can no longer wear cologne.  When someone sprays strong chemicals to clean toilets or the kitchen, I have to leave the room.  If I hug someone wearing perfume, my nose hurts.  Yesterday, Chris sprayed cologne in our room while I wasn't there.  When I got back to the room, I had to open all the windows and clear out the smell before I could be in there.  He sprayed our vacuum bag with cologne.  I can't be in the room when he vacuums.  It's so stinky!

I don't know if my nose is broken or what.  But it's really sad.