Today marks our eighth year anniversary as a couple, and I find it serendipitous that it coincides with my second blog entry.

I remember being so clueless when when me and my husband (then-boyfriend) first got together. It was my first time to enter into a romantic relationship, and I never kept track of any “relationship milestones,” which some of my friends judiciously took note of.  It turns out there's a celebration for the day you first met, the day you first went out, the day you first held hands, the day you officially got together, and the list goes on. When we finally exchanged, “I love yous,” I never had a clue what the date was. I remember my then-boyfriend confirming the date afterward, and he never forgot to remind me until I finally got the whole “monthsary” thing all figured out.

And since part of celebrating an anniversary involves going a trip down memory lane, I’m going to do just that for today’s blog entry. Here are my top 5 dates with my husband, and the valuable lessons that made them extra-special:

(Photo by Tamaki Sono via Flickr Creative Commons)

When it comes to reading articles about fashion, I'm usually very good at remembering certain facts and tidbits, no matter how seemingly unimportant or obscure they are. Hand me a fashion magazine, and I'll read every fashion-related story (credits included) in it. Leave me alone with my laptop, and I'll gladly exhaust the unread posts on my blog feed (which, as it happens, consists primarily of fashion blogs). To make a long story short, I will gobble up any written piece of work that's remotely related to fashion. You can quote me on that.

Beauty, on the other hand, is an entirely different thing. While I appreciate the wonders makeup can do to a person and while I'm all for following a rigorous skincare routine, I'm also a firm believer in sticking to the tried-and-tested methods and products. Articles that investigate modern beauty breakthroughs or track the creation of a certain makeup product just don't appeal to me the same way a news piece about John Galliano's replacement at Dior or H&M;'s new designer collaborator do. Not that I don't care about what's happening in the world of beauty—I just want the simple, abbreviated version of it (and not the lengthy explanation peppered with jargon I can't wrap my head around).

As TIME.com reporter Maia Szalavitz says, "Witnessing cuteness is basically instant Prozac." If I need to get happy and fast, I usually visit The Daily Puppy or scroll through FN's past Cutest Pet Contest entries for an instant mood boost. Cuteness in any form is definitely a happy pill, and when you're exposed to it for two hours (or more) in the form of an animated film, it's guaranteed to make the smile on your face last all day--or, at least, that's how it works for me!

Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted opened earlier this month and instantly became a box-office hit. While it's already the third installment in the movie franchise, it's still as fun and colorful as its predecessors. But I think its appeal largely lies with Alex the Lion and the rest of the gang who pepper the movie with cute moments and funny lines.

Whether they're warm and furry or slippery and scaly, animated animals all have their appeal. I've watched my share of cartoons over the years--and will probably continue watching them even when I'm old and gray--so here's a list of animals I've found the cutest so far. From dogs and cats to hamsters and fish, this gallery has them all.

Who would have made it to your own list of cutest animals, FNites? Share your thoughts in a comment! Don't forget to drop by our "Which animated movie dog should you own?" quiz, and find out if your pet should be Scooby-Doo, Dug, Tramp, or Bolt..


(Photo courtesy of Dreamworks)