While cleaning out a closet recently, I came across a box of my late grandmas. Nestled inside were items she had lovingly embroidered. Along with these items came just a quick whiff of an almost lost scent: The scent of grandma's house. With this, memories of summers spent with her came flooding back. Immediately, I felt wonderful. Oh, the power of scent! It's a fantastic thing that can take you away, if only for a short time.

In an age of deadlines that must be met, children that must be taken to many an appointment, and cellphones that need answering, the power that a single scent can give you is overwhelming. And some times, much needed. A mini vacation of sorts. I started thinking, if I can't bottle grandmas house completely, what could give me a substitute to use when I needed a get away if only for a short time?

I later remembered a trip to Las Vegas, and the shampoo in the room was bitter orange. It was a clean invigorating scent that I fell in love with completely. I've always enjoyed citrus scents so I added this new smell to my growing "mini vacation" scents.

During another mini-vacation (the Internet), I found a few products that were actually scented with bitter orange. Agraria carries a cologne spray that can be used as a cologne or room spray! Its description sounds like the uplifting scent that I had found to be so delicious in Las Vegas. So I ordered it! And true to its description, it smells like a summer day while peeling an orange. And there it was! My mini vacation.

So on this winter day, as the snow blows outside, one quick spray of this cologne and I am taken back to a warm summer day and on vacation again. It is worth every penny for the relaxation it gave me, if not for a brief moment.

Mini vacations: I highly recommend them.

- Diana Melvin