And the winner is.....oh, and be sure to look at the fish!

Ben just ran all of the names through his random selection generator...and the winner is....*drumroll please*

LEAH!!!

Congratulations, Leah!  Please email me by the 21st at this address: theophania at gmail dot com to claim your bottle of valor.  I'll ship it out to you so that you can enjoy this wonderful blend of oils.  If I don't hear from you, we'll pull another name from our "hat"! :)

Thank you all so much for participating in our first giveaway!  I have a few more bottles of this blend to giveaway, and we'll be hosting another giveaway soon, so come back to enter for that one!

As promised, I have the pictures from our day at the Monterey Bay Aquarium up and ready for your viewing pleasure!  Be forewarned, though, this post contains LOTS of pictures of Lilyana...and jellyfish. :)

Don't say I didn't warn you!

 Lilyana loves spending time with her daddy...especially when he reads to her!  Since he had to work while we went to play with the fishes, they spent quite a bit of time together before we left.

 Before we left the valley, however, we had to stop by and pick pomegranates!  Ben is getting some refreshment after picking lots of pomegranates.

 Even Lilyana was excited about the pomegranates!  She likes them, too!

 After munching a few seeds, Ben went back to work.  I was in charge of taking pictures and "bucketing" the picked fruit.  The boys braved the thorny trees to get the goods.

 Our crew minus Grandad, who is standing behind the camera.  Four of those tubs are sitting in my house waiting for me to peel them.  Once we finished up with the fruit, Ben went back home, Matthew went back up the hill for class, and the rest of us loaded up for the long trek to the Bay Area.

 Linds is waiting for something to swim by...but what can it be?

 Ahh!  It's the otter!  Lilyana thought they were pretty cool, but she didn't realize what else she was going to meet!

 Uncle Nic introducing her to some fish.

 Grandmum and Aunt Sara are petting the sea cucumber.  I like the sea cucumber..I want a pet one.

 Out on the bird deck, Lilyana sits watching the little birds freeze.  We snapped a quick picture and ran back inside where it was warm.

 Lilyana visiting with more fish.  She loved just sitting there watching them.  I wonder what they thought of her.

 Out on the big porch, we had a gorgeous view of the ocean and the purty sail boats.  Isn't my baby just the cutest little thing ever?

 Uncle Thomas, Aunt Lindsey and ?...the happy threesome.  

 The great octopus was calm and graceful.  After hanging out on the glass for a while, he decided to move.

 The ground looks a little more comfortable to me.  I want a pet octopus, too.

 Lilyana talking to some more fish.  They had a lot of fish....

 THE JELLYFISH ROOM!!!  This is one of Ben's favorite parts at the aquarium, and now that I've been there, I know why.  Aren't they pretty?

 Grandmum and Grandad showing Lilyana the jellyfish.  

 When she first saw the fish (any kind), she got a bit scared.  But as soon as she touched the glass, she was okay with the fish and had a great time watching them!  

 Didn't I say that there were a lot of pictures of Lilyana and Jellyfish?

 They are very interesting creatures, aren't they?

 After spending quite a bit of time with them, I want a pet jellyfish, too.

 Now...which kind do I want?

 Showing my bebe the shark.

 She was okay with the flat walls, but when it came to the bubble window that we sat her in, she was much happier out of it.

 Oh!  And then there are the seahorses!!  What amazing animals!  So many different kinds, and all so elegant and beautiful!

 This one almost looks more like a bug than a seahorse!

 And I loooooooove this one!  I'll add this to my collection, too!

Oh, and I'll take a sand dollar, too. *grin*

Ben and I are looking forward to taking Lilyana back when she's a bit older.  I think she'll enjoy it even more than she did this time!

Oh, and before I go, I want to wish you all a very Happy Thanksgiving!  Check back tomorrow for a recipe for the holidays!  And enjoy this video of my two favoritest people: