10. Pumpkin Pie ~ Everyone talks about tradition around this time of year. Some people are terribly upset if their Thanksgiving holidays don't go just-so, with the turkey, and the cranberries, and the stuffing that's been made from the same recipe for three generations, etc, etc. Me? I just want some pumpkin pie. Every year, various family members, myself included, went through different levels of vegetarianism. Some years, we had Thanksgiving lasagna, and absolutely no turkey whatsoever. Some years we had more or fewer or different family members than other years. And the location of Thanksgiving dinners has definitely been different from year to year. But every year, I have a slice of pumpkin pie, and I must say, I'd be mighty sad if I ever had to miss it. It was delicious this year! Man, I loves me some pumpkin pie!

09. Finishing college applications ~ Oh sure, everyone is all preoccupied with family and slaving away in the kitchen, etc. But for many of us out there -- the college students of the world -- this time of year will always be thought of as Application Season. And I've just finished the majority of mine this evening, in fact. As of tomorrow, I'll only have one more to finish (due date is in January). When it's all said and done, I'll have sent applications to (sing it to the theme of 12 Days of Christmas if you like) three UCs, two CSUs, and Moorpark's Teaching Zoo. Hooray!

08. Therapy ~ I love my therapist! My sessions have been fantastic. I always enjoy them more than I think I will! My therapist is easy to talk to, she's able to show me different perspectives on my life, and she always makes me feel great about myself. I really like therapy!

07. Getting wonderful emails ~ The holiday season seems to spark a lovely little trend in getting really kind emails from friends and family. My dad sent a really sweet message out to the family on Thanksgiving Day, and since that's kind of unusual for him, it stuck out in my mind. I think it's awesome, and it's nice to see emails like that from him! The rest of my family sent out Happy Holiday greetings, too, which was wonderful. And, I got a few nice notes from friends (including one from Misti!)! I'm grateful for all these lovely people!

0.6 Talking to friends on the phone ~ I called Angela on Thanksgiving and she was there! I am so excited I got to talk to her! We shared holiday plans and caught up on each other's lives a bit. It was great, she is fantastic, and I adore her!

05. Talking to family on the phone ~ I called everyone in my family as Joe and I drove down to Monterey on Thanksgiving Day. I didn't get a hold of Derek and Heather, so I left them a message. I did get to talk to everyone else, and it sounds like my whole family was having a wonderful time celebrating the day. I'm so happy everyone is happy and healthy!

04. Visiting with Family ~ Joe and I drove down to Monterey to visit his sister, her husband, and their daughter. They flew in from Illinois, and it was so good to see them! They're visiting us again on Sunday! It's funny, because I must admit, I was a bit apprehensive about seeing my niece again. She's two and a half, and I wasn't sure how she might be. The last few times I saw her, she had a tendency to shriek and shout with little provocation. Now, though, I'm happy to report, she's fast becoming one of the cutest people in the whole wide world. She's adorable and I love the way she talks! I love that she talks! It was so frustrating when she'd just scream and make noises. Now, you can have conversations with her, which makes her incredibly fun!! Also, she calls me "Mi-Agg" (as is "Ag"-riculture), or "Mee-Og" (rhymes with "blog"), which is so darling, I could just melt. I mean, just this morning, right when she saw me, she waved her whole arm really hard and said, "HI, Mee-Og!!!" How could I possibly resist? I love her!

03. Animals at the Monterey Bay Aquarium ~ and all over the world. But today, I saw the ones at the Monterey Aquarium, so I mention them first. Especially the otter, who swam super close to the glass where I was standing and yawned several times, proving to the world that otters are, in fact, one of the cutest animals ever in the universe!

02. Joe and the kitties ~ Where would I be without them? I love, love, love my little family! I just can't say it enough. LOVE! Joe and I have had a really nice holiday together so far, and we've just been laughing and having a lot of fun together, as usual. I love him more than I can say. I love my cute kitties, too. See? LOVE!

01. Coming home to the cute apartment, nice soft bed and foam pillows! ~ The hotel we stayed at only had ONE foam pillow, and like a million down pillows. I am terribly allergic to down in any form. Sad, but true. To add insult to injury, their foam pillow was crappy and thin, and when I asked them to bring me some foam pillows, they brought me two more down pillows! AAAHH! Also, the mattress was super firm, which made it not rank so high in the "comfortable" department. It was kind of weird. Not comfy, like home. Ah, home. Where TiVo lives. And Santa! And the kitties! And my beautiful bed. The soft bed, where Joe is snuggled up right now. And where I'm heading myself for a good night's sleep...