Dim Sum? Yes, please!

Went out on a date today with my Ricky.  We've long been fans of dim sum, and have introduced many people to the event.  It's a very unique eating experience, and can be very intimidating to a newcomer.  It's almost always a packed restaurant (and if it's not busy, LEAVE) and most of the time no menu in sight, save for a lonely checklist for the things you consume. To get food, you decide on sight from the many carts wheeling around the restaurant.  These carts hold a variety of dumplings, rice blends, spring rolls and other various goodies.  Not knowing ahead of time what you enjoy is hard without guidance from either other members of your table or a very understanding server (and as I mentioned previously, the restaurant is BUSY, so they have little time for chit-chat).  There are so many items I like in dim sum; the shrimp spring rolls are great, pork ones are good as well.  Siu mai (pork dumplings) are a staple, and the sticky rice is amazing.  I could go on about the stuffed green peppers, the shark fin dumplings (not actual shark fin- it's a dumpling sealing technique), baked BBQ pork buns, ha gow (shrimp dumplings)....but you get the idea.
Rick and I always leave FULL, often $40+ dollars poorer, and usually with leftovers for lunch the next day to lengthen the experience.  :)  I love it.  Rick and I had such a good time together.
Dim sum, though, is not an event I think Erika is ready for.  It takes a while to eat, and often we wait for favorites to come rolling around and sip piping-hot green tea in the meantime.  Patience is not Erika's strong point at this point in her life; especially when hungry.  She does very well with Asian foods, as Rick often cooks these at home, but I'm hesitant to take her "dim sum-ing" quite yet.  Enter Auntie Amber.
My sister came over, and they had a blast!  Erika played and played and played, (and ate and ate, apparently) and loved every second.  They also took some fabulous pictures as well; they say a lot.

Damn, Erika hasn't given me a smile like that for a picture in FOREVER. She won't even hold still for me.   Later on, when I was speaking to Amber on the phone after she went home and Erika heard her voice, Erika said to me "Auntie Amber and Erika friends." Awwww!  Thanks, A.

To make today even better, my parents got home today after their lengthy stay in Texas.  So excited to see them this week!

Today was awesome.