The Sickmiller Express

So last week was really long and stressful for me. Luckily there were a few bright spots. I received my box from Rebecca (my swap partner) and clearly I got the best partner! I loved everything in that box. She wrapped up everything in brown paper and decorated them with beautiful quotes. It was so much fun to open and I got it when I really needed a little pick-me-up. Here are the pictures of the package. Of course I had to re-create the first one because I opened it at work. I check the mail after lunch on my way to work. There was no way I was going to be able to wait until I got home at five.

Posole, chile peppers, red chile sauce, birdies on a beautiful beaded string. I can’t wait to hang these up in my sewing room. They are so fun and inspiring!

Last but not least. This beautiful red apron. I love red and that must be one of her favorite colors too. I always wear an apron when baking and I love to bake.

Thanks Rebecca!!!

Ok I love vacations. Adam and I travel so well together and we always have the best time. Whenever we go anywhere I think, now THAT’S the best one so far. NYC was no exception. It also doesn’t hurt to share it with some of your bestest friends. Staying with Chris and Tracie was just what we needed. They are great hosts.

We did a lot of the usual trip to New York City things. We went up the Empire State Building, saw a Broadway show (Wicked), strolled through Central Park, ate some Brooklyn pizza, went through Times Square, bought candy at FAO Schwarz, walked through St. Patrick’s Cathedral and went to TV show tapings (Conan O’Brien and The Colbert Report). It was so much fun. I went once in high school and this time around everything seemed so much smaller for some reason. As in the buildings, the whole city itself, and the crowds all seemed smaller. The studios were small, especially Conan’s. It was actually comically small. Conan in person… AMAZING. He’s way better looking in person (I think Tracie can back me up on that one). The Colbert Report was hilarious. I love Stephen Colbert. He was still fighting his cold when we were there and we had to wait FOREVER to get in but it was still really fun. He blew a kiss to Tracie during the show and I am going to forever pretend it was to me

We went through the Brooklyn Botanical Gardens. I don’t think it was peak season to visit but we saw some pretty cool things. It was boiling hot. I’ve only lived out of the humid zone for a little over 3 years but man, you really get used to living without it. It wasn’t even technically that hot and we didn’t even need the AC for sleeping. Yay for their awesome apartment with a nice breeze.

Don’t worry we definitely took advantage of NYC cuisine. We treated ourselves to delicious dinners out. Of course, we had burek, which wasn’t very good but the restaurant was just perfect. Very Balkan. We had burritos, German barbeque, and Yum Yum Bangkok 3 (the one with tablecloths ; ) See how I closed those parenthesis with a smiley face. I’m so clever. Oh and we had a great lunch at a diner on the upper east side where we saw some actresses. Right Chris? Specifically I think they were soap opera stars but I might have added that myself.

Sigh. What a fun vacation!!! It’s their turn now! Skiing in February.