event: Oyster Race Training

Another new post on my adventure blog:

Look under Goodlettsville, October 18.

event: Yada Sisterhood and More Training

Adventure blog:

Look under "Jackson."

hike: Natchez Trace State Park

The Hiking Group at Hendersonville FUMC recently had our first camping trip. You can read about it and see pictures on my adventure blog.

Look under "Wildersville."

event: Oyster Race Training

I have added more posts to my adventure blog about our Oyster Race Training:

Look under Goodlettsville on the dates September 28 and 30.

event: Oyster Racing Series - Nashville

I am training for the Merrell Oyster Racing Series event in Nashville on Oct. 24. Please keep me in your prayers as I train. You can read about it on my adventure blog. Look under Goodlettsville, Sept. 25 for more details about the race.

event: Staff Fun Day

There's a new post on my adventure blog:

http://www.offexploring.com/mountainear

That site does not list my posts by day, but rather by location. To find the Staff Fun Day post, look under Hendersonville, TN and then click on Sept. 23, 2009. There is also an album of pictures there. Enjoy!

hike: Hamilton Creek Park

I have a new post on my adventure blog about Hamilton Creek Park. You can visit it here:

http://www.offexploring.com/mountainear/blog

Look under Nashville, September 20, 2009.

scripture: Psalm 37:4-5

"Delight yourself also in the Lord,
And He shall give you the desires of your heart.
Commit your way to the Lord,
Trust also in Him,
And He shall bring it to pass." Psalm 37:4-5

This verse has been coming up repeatedly for the last week. I feel like my life is in a really good place at the moment, so I'm not sure what this desire is. I know that I desire to always be growing in my relationship with God, and I have recently joined a Sunday School class at my church. For the last year, I have just been taking classes on Wednesday night, but that doesn't give you the fellowship that a Sunday school class does. I just know that generally when a verse repeatedly appears, you need to pay attention. God knows what we desire even better than we do.

Check out Rhythm's song "Delight" for a great song to go with this verse.

cupcake: Flamingos!

My mom loves flamingos (we have a long history!), so I made some flamingo cupcakes for her birthday. It's a variation on the "What a Hoot!" pattern in the book Hello, Cupcake! They were really fun to make!

song: On the Willows

I have had the song "On the Willows" from the musical Godspell stuck in my head for days now. A verse in my current Bible Study, The Way of Discernment, made me think of it, though once I fully recalled the song, it was unrelated to the verse I was reading.

The lyrics are:

"On the willows there, we hung up our lyres

For our captors there required

Of us songs and our tormentors mirth,

Saying, 'Sing us one of the songs of Zion.'

But how can we sing, sing the Lord's song in a foreign land?"

This song is taken from Psalm 137. Over and over again, the Hebrew people were placed in captivity in other lands. We find the Babylonians demanding joyful singing from the Hebrews, but they refused and hung their instruments on the surrounding trees instead.

I wonder if the Babylonians were drawn at all to the faith of God's people. What made them ask for singing? Was it for their own entertainment? Were the Babylonians mocking them? Did they want to know more about Zion? Did the Hebrews miss out on an opportunity for evangelism by refusing?

In a way we are all in a foreign land. We were made for heaven, not for this world full of pain, oppression, and hunger. But aren't we supposed to sing anyway? I know in my darkest of moments, it was music of worship that provide the greatest sense of peace and a vision for my next steps. Music also helps us remember our history, our covenents with God, His words to us. Music is one of our greatest teaching tools. I'm not saying it's always easy, but some of my most meaningful experiences with God have come when I am knealt before Him, offering what I can.

We are at a place in our story where there is a lot of uncertainty. We don't know what will become of our jobs, our security, or our nation. I think it is essential that we continue to sing even through our pain.

fragrance: Ralph Lauren Notorious

My choir is having a formal wear consignment sale this week, so last night I got out all my old dresses from prom, formal dances, recitals, and weddings. It was hard to believe I had so many! One of them in particular stood out: my silver movie star dress.

I wore that dress for a Broadway Revue while I was in college, as well as to a formal for my Christian service organization. That year I sang "Someone Like You" from Jekyl & Hyde if I remember correctly. My mom supplied some sparkly jewelry as always. I always felt so glamorous in that dress! Something about the shape of it made me think of old Hollywood, where the movie stars oozed poise, style, and elegance.

Inspired by memories of that dress, I decided to try out my sample of Ralph Lauren Notorious. Ralph Lauren's website desribes it as:

"The provocative accessory of modern glamour -- Ralph Lauren Notorious, the fragrance that silently commands the attention of the room. An addictive sparkling spiced scent designed to captivate with intriguing notes of deep black currant, decadent chocolate cosmos and sensual patchouli musk."

Osmoz describes it as follows:

"The Notorious woman is desirable and magnetic, audacious and voracious. Her smoldering but subtle sexiness creates an air of intrigue and danger, as personified by actresses such as Faye Dunaway, Lauren Bacall or Ingrid Bergman (who played in Alfred Hitchcock’s classic thriller Notorious)."

Now I don't by any means claim to have these qualities, but I was hoping the fragrance would capture some of the feel of that dress. It does have an oriental chypre feel to it, but it doesn't hit you over the head like Gucci by Gucci, another modern chypre. To me it is much more subtle.

It starts off with a little burst of citrus, which wafts in and out throughout the dry down. Though I wouldn't have identified it on my own, there's definitely some chocolate in there. Chocolate cosmos is a burgundy flower that actually gives off a scent similar to chocolate and vanilla. Imagine having that in your garden! Maybe men should start giving bouquets of chocolate cosmos for Valentine's Day...

I'm not a big fan of patchouli, but it's pretty tame here, and I think it keeps it from becoming too sweet. It does not smell like a bakery or one of Terry's Chocolate Oranges. Notorious is sophisticated in my opinion, but maybe not as bold as some of the personalities being linked to it.

I like it, but I don't think it's something I would wear with any regularity. It's just not me, though I might wear it if I was going out in the evening...perhaps in a silver dress. As a person who enjoys more gourmand fragrances, I think my friend Jennifer T. would probably appreciate it.

fragrance: My Gateway Back to Perfume

Since January I have been on a perfume kick. My mom has always said that I like potions, meaning perfumes, candles, lotions, etc. I have been a big fan of fig since 2005 when I tried Bath & Body Works' Simplicity Fig lotion. I could not stop smelling my skin when I tried it! As with all my favorites, they discontinued it. My sister, Jenni, knew my penchant for fig and pomegranate candles (though not mixed together!) and bought me some Bath & Body Works Brown Sugar & Fig lotion. While that was close, it was no match for the depth of my original love. Of course, they discontinued that as well, although you can now get it online from the Classics area on the B&B Works site.

I started searching around online for more fig fragrances to try and came across the wonderful blog "Now Smell This." It's a blog devoted entirely to fragrance: perfumes, candle, lotions, room sprays, etc. It has been several years since I wore perfume with any regularity, since I find most perfume counters to be intimidating. I am not a person who enjoys a lot of individual attention, and of course, I also didn't know what I was looking for. Now Smell This really helped me find fragrances with notes I wanted to try.

The best part? I found out that there are places where you can get samples and try the perfumes in the comfort of your own home! I often found that I liked a fragrance in the store, but after wearing it for awhile, it didn't jive with my body chemistry. I have learned so much through this site about fragrance notes, types of perfumes, sites for swaps and splits, and decanting (where you transfer the perfume into a smaller vial or bottle). It's becoming a really fun little hobby!