Thank you all for the wonderful suggestions!! I have been taking and digesting, slowly, the first few episdoes of almost all the recommended series and thus far Magic Knight Rayearth is really putting a smile on my face :).... It is way more immature than I typically am a fan of, but it is stylistically such a throwback to when I started enjoying anime it has actually proven to be thoroughly and enjoyably nostalgic (even though I have never seen it before...)..... I can't tear myself away... I NEED one episode before work each day like I need a cup of coffee upon cracking my eyelids..... it reminds me of how I had to get up early to catch Dragon Ball before school when I was but a mere youngin'.
Thanks again everyone, and by all means, keep em coming!