The Lentzes

Vote for Brittany!

2011-09-16T12:10:00.000-07:00

Brittany recently entered a travel photo contest for the San Jose Mercury News. She entered a few photos, but I'm betting her royal wedding photo has the best chance to win one of the prizes. Click HERE to vote for her. It only takes one click on the page. Thanks!

Some Catching Up To Do

2011-09-12T01:32:00.000-07:00

We're way behind on our blog, but I thought we'd just note the fact that we're alive and well, back in the US. When we finished our rotation in London, we took the entire month of July off to travel all over Europe. We have way too many photos and videos to sort through right now, but we just wanted to give you a taste of what's to come! We're getting settled back into "real life" in California--Sam at KPMG's Silicon Valley office; Brittany at San Jose State. As a bonus, we get to have her dad back in the Los Gatos Ward as the bishop after he served in the bishopric of the YSA Ward for over five years.

Here's a preview of what our next several blog posts will consist of...

Scotland - Highlands and Loch Ness (photos & video)

2011-06-30T20:40:00.000-07:00

We did an all-day bus tour of the Scottish Highlands. Our bus driver was Scottish, of course, and had a really good sense of humour. He was fun to listen to, which was good because our tour was about 12 hours long! The Highlands were really impressive. I thought Ireland was green, but I think Scotland has one up on them. I'm used to big, rocky mountains from the time I spent in Utah, but it was really cool to see how high up the green went on these. We also visited Urquhart Castle and did a little boat cruise on Loch Ness. It did get pretty rainy, but that was just part of the experience.
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Scotland - City of Edinburgh & Edinburgh Castle (photos & video)

2011-06-30T20:15:00.000-07:00

Brittany and I were able to squeeze in a tour to Scotland a couple weeks ago. It's a beautiful country, and I was surprised to find it even more green than Ireland. Go figure! We took a train up to Edinburgh, where they gave us a guided tour of the city. A couple days later, we also took a tour of Edinburgh Castle. I really liked the setting up on the hill, and our tour guide was pretty entertaining. (Probably one of the best accents I've heard over here, too.) The tour company organized for us to stay at a cozy, little bed & breakfast, and our hosts were very thoughtful and welcoming.

The highlight of the trip was getting to visit my friends from high school, along with their little son. Tom and Chandra were high school sweethearts and have now been married for five years. Their son Rory (about a year and half) is pretty adorable. I think Brittany's a little jealous that Chandra has a little model for spur-of-the-moment photo ops! We had a great time with them, though, and both wished we had more time to spend with them. We were kicking ourselves afterward that we didn't get a picture with them, but we'll have to settle for staying in touch on Facebook.
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Ireland - Day 3 (photos & video)

2011-06-28T19:44:00.000-07:00

Puppies! Our last day in Ireland was really fun--horseback riding through Kilarney National Park and cruising the Dingle Peninsula. Possibly the best part for all of us, though, was the puppies. I'm a little sad we didn't get a picture or a video, but there was actually a little runt from the litter than sprinted up to greet us as soon as we drove up. He would seriously fit in the palm of your hand. I think the hardest part of the trip was coming to grips with the fact that we couldn't take any of them home with us. We were also sad for Jason in his fruitless quest to find berries in Dingle. The coastline on the peninsula was very impressive, though. Very glad we were able to fit that in.
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Ireland - Day 2 (photos & videos)

2011-06-28T18:52:00.000-07:00

Our first night, we stayed in a 2-bedroom lodge at Blarney Golf Resort. It was really cool! We basically had a nice, big house to ourselves for cheaper than two hotel rooms would have been. We kicked off the morning at Blarney Castle so we could all kiss the Blarney Stone.
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Ireland - Day 1 (photos & videos)

2011-06-28T18:11:00.000-07:00

One of the highlights of our time over here in UK was a trip we took earlier this month with Jason & Krista to Ireland. We found cheap flights for a long weekend, and drove a car all over the southern half of the country. It was incredible! The landscapes were breathtaking, there were animals everywhere, and the people had an infectious sense of humour (yes, I used a 'u') that always made you smile. I was expecting everything to be green, but my jaw still dropped a few times seeing the cliffs, valleys, and so on. It was also fun to see so much wildlife and farm animals--a nice change of pace after living in one of the biggest cities in the world for six months.
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Tower of London and Kew Palace and Gardens (photos & video)

2011-06-27T17:30:00.000-07:00

Although Brittany and I had visited the Tower of London a year and a half ago, our membership to the Royal Palaces allowed us to back with Jason and Krista for free. We visited the torture room, enjoyed a tour with a Yeoman Warder (aka beefeater), and saw the Crown Jewels. Afterward, we headed out to the Thames to get a few pictures with the famous Tower Bridge--not to be confused with the more mundane London Bridge. We also made a brief stop in Westminster for a photo op.
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Dover Castle and the White Cliffs (photos & video)

2011-06-27T17:00:00.000-07:00

We then drove to southeastern corner of England to visit Dover. Brittany and I had been there before, but it was pretty disappointing. This time we got romp around Dover Castle and hike along the White Cliffs. I love castles like this that were designed as fortresses--not some frilly little palace. There was also a Roman lighthouse that was about 2,000 years old. The cliffs were pretty awesome. They drop hundreds of feet straight down to the water. The white cliffs made of chalk can be seen across the English Channel from France on a clear day, but it was never clear enough for us to see France. Our cell phones, for some reason, had no trouble "seeing across." We kept getting messages that we were roaming in France once we got down by the cliffs. We ended getting locked into the park because we cheated a bit with how far we walked out. After jamming to some blues on the radio, a ranger (or the British equivalent) let us out. By the way, if you hear the phrase, "Give me a boost!" scattered throughout our videos with Jason and Krista, you can ignore it. Just one of those dumb things that sticks.
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Windsor Castle and Jane Austen's House (photos & videos)

2011-06-27T16:32:00.000-07:00

Brittany's brother Jason and his wife Krista came to visit us in June. We didn't go easy on them, either. The very first day after they arrived, we rented a car and hit the road. It was my first driving on the "wrong" side of the road, so it may have been a blessing to have five months off first, getting accustomed to the reverse flow of traffic. I think I did okay, but they upgraded us to a big Volvo, rather than the compact we reserved. It was nice having the extra leg room, but they were some roads where it felt like the car was spilling over line on both sides.
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Hampton Court Palace, Westminster Abbey, plus Houses of Parliament and Brittany's Birthday (photos & videos)

2011-06-26T19:31:00.000-07:00

Between Easter, the Royal Wedding, and the Bank Holidays, I had two consecutive 4-day weekends. That's why we decided to do our trip to Spain and Portugal in April. To conclude this wonderful season of being untethered to my laptop or Blackberry, we visited Hampton Court Palace and Westminster Abbey. Hampton Court Palace was one of Henry VIII's primary residences, about 12 miles southwest of London. A lot of the videos I took of the interior were even drier than usual, so I trimmed a lot of it out. It was a really interesting palace, though. I think one of my favorite things was the plethora of chimneys. It was like THIS scene from Mary Poppins.
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Roehampton University, Shakespeare's Globe, and Arsenal Football (photos)

2011-06-26T17:08:00.000-07:00

I have finished my semester at Roehampton University. It has definitely been a different University experience than I am used to, but still a good one! I will miss some friends that I made, taking the tube and bus down to school (even if sometimes it was miserable), and just hanging around the beautiful campus. Sorry if this post is boring to most of you, but I just want to remember my university experience!
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Leeds Castle, Canterbury Cathedral, Dover (Round 1) (photos & videos)

2011-06-26T17:03:00.000-07:00

The day after the Royal Wedding, Brittany and I went on a bus tour through southeastern England. We first stopped at Leeds Castle. I hadn't really done my research on English geography because I was assuming Leeds Castle was in the city of Leeds. Leeds, though, is actually up north, about halfway up to the heart of Scotland. The origin of the name Leeds Castle is still debated by historians. Anyway, it was lived in until just a few decades ago, so it's still in pretty good shape. The interior was fancy and all, but the most impressive thing about it was actually the setting. The moat/lake really made the castle "pop." The gardens were nice, plus they had an aviary and a hedge maze.
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The Royal Wedding (photos & videos)

2011-06-25T17:40:00.000-07:00

In case you've been living under a rock for the last six months, Prince William married Kate Middleton on April 29, 2011. We were there! It took a lot of persuading on Brittany's part to convince me that it would be worth it to camp out for a good view of the procession. She was right. I was wrong. Yes, it was miserable before and after, but it was pretty cool to experience it. Plus, Brittany got an amazing photo of William and Kate in their horse-drawn carriage, basically waving right at us. If you want to see all the lead up, watch the first video in the playlist below. If you want to cut right to the Royal Family, skip to Part 2.
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Porto, Portugal (photos & videos)

2011-06-25T13:23:00.000-07:00

After we finished in Spain, we flew to Porto, Portugal to visit Brittany's uncle Chuck and aunt Liz. President and Sister Walton have been serving in the Portugal Porto Mission for the last two years, and are now headed to Angola to lead the missionaries in that part of the Mozambique Mission. It was so fun to spend time with them and see how much the missionaries in Porto love them! I had to split the video into two sections, so the playlist below includes both parts. (I'm experimenting now with Jump Breaks, so you'll need to click Read More to see the content of the post. I'm just trying to make the blog a little more readable, as we'll probably be having several epic posts this week.
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Madrid, Spain (photos)

2011-06-25T08:05:00.000-07:00

After Barcelona, Sam and I flew to Madrid! We stayed in this hotel that was right around the corner from the palace. Sam provided a little more information about our three days there in THIS post, which also includes a video.
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Barcelona, Spain (photos)

2011-06-23T12:21:00.000-07:00

Barcelona definitely had some interesting architecture, though it is not quite my taste. Sam loved it though! This will definitely be a picture heavy post. Sorry, I'm not in the mood for writing much at the moment. Check out Sam's previous post about our trip to Barcelona HERE. He posted the video and wrote more info about the city.
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Sherlock Holmes Museum, Abbey Road, Buckingham Palace, Dad's Birthday, and the London Eye (photos)

2011-06-22T12:39:00.000-07:00

My parents returned to London after traveling around the UK for a little while longer. After a few days hanging out with them again, Jeremy and Maria flew in from California! It was so nice to get to hang out with everyone together for a few days--a great blessing to share this incredible experience with those we love! Here is a link to the video Sam posted about these places a few months ago.
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Berrington Hall, Lambs, and Croft Castle (photos)

2011-06-21T08:07:00.000-07:00

After our whirlwind road trip of seeing family history sites and castles, we concluded our trip in Leominster. We visited an old manor called Berrington Hall. It is a beautiful old home, and the National Trust had restored it to its former glory. It was fascinating to see how this manor ran. Our tour guide was dressed as the head laundry maid as she explained her duties with us and took us around the exterior of the house and the servants quarters. HERE is a link to Sam's earlier blog post that includes videos for these places, too.

I believe this post marks the completion of our Wales/Midlands trip with my parents. It was so fun to get to travel with them!! Sam and I both had an amazing time with them. By the way, this trip happened in February... So I still have major catching up to do! My goal before we leave for our cruises (less than 2 weeks!) is to do a post a day so that we will be able to get a lot closer to catching up before we don't have really internet access for a month!
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Tales From Wales (and England): Benbow Pond, Castle Frome, and Bishop's Frome (photos)

2011-06-14T16:47:00.000-07:00

Sam and I had the incredible opportunity to go with my parents to see Benbow Pond. Ever since my mom told me about visiting Benbow Pond (probably about 10 years ago), I have wanted to go there. It did not disappoint. For those of you who have not heard about Benbow Pond and the church history there, I will give you a quick rundown. I actually got to teach a lesson about Wilford Woodruff's experience there when I taught Relief Society in Monta Vista Ward. Wilford Woodruff was an apostle and prophet of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. At Benbow Pond, he baptized about 600 members of a Protestant group called the United Brethren.

Two of my ancestors on my mother's side were actually baptized here by Wilford Woodruff. He stayed in that area for about 8 months and brought about 2,000 people into the gospel. To read more about this story, refer to the Teachings of The Presidents of The Church: Wilford Woodruff manual. The lesson is HERE, and it is a really wonderful read.

I felt such an amazing spirit at Benbow Pond, and I am so grateful that I had the experience to go there. I feel so blessed to have such incredible ancestors who paved the way for me.
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Tales From Wales: Raglan Castle

2011-05-25T09:43:00.000-07:00

On a beautiful sunny day, we were able to tour through Raglan Castle. We have really been loving the castle ruins around here! Such a cool castle to explore. I love walking around, imagining all of the people who have been there before us. For more details on our explorations at Raglan Castle check out Sam's blogging and video of it HERE.
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Tales From Wales: Big Pit and Abersychan

2011-05-18T06:51:00.000-07:00

Sam and I had the incredible opportunity to go to the Big Pit coal mine with my parents in Wales. Two of my ancestors, Lewis and John Bowen, worked here. It was a very sobering experience to see the incredibly hard conditions they endured working there. Sam jumped the gun a little and posted about this tour about two months ago. (He is WAY ahead of me in posts!) See the video and his thoughts here.
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Madrid, Spain (video)

2011-05-15T15:53:00.000-07:00

Our next stop was Madrid, Spain. Rather than doing one of the standard tours, we just got a transit pass and wandered through the city at our own pace. We were nervous because the weather forecast called for rain the whole weekend, but we ended up having clear skies most the time. Although Madrid does have its share of history and culture, it felt much more like a city focused on business and government than tourism. I guess that's to be expected, being the capital.

The video below includes some highlights from the Royal Palace, the disappointing radio tower, and a relaxing day in the park. We also got to pop in at a sacrament meeting on Sunday, though we didn't stay for the whole thing as everything was in Spanish. I took a few years of Spanish in high school, but I only remember bits and pieces. It was enough to ask for directions or order food, but there was usually enough people close by that spoke English, too.
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Barcelona, Spain (video)

2011-05-14T09:52:00.000-07:00

So apparently, I was really trigger happy with the video camera in Barcelona--30 minutes of video, even after I cropped it down. We spent three days there and did one of the hop-on, hop-off bus tours. We were a bit nervous our first night there, because everything was closed. Even restaurants--at 6:00 and 7:00. Apparently, a lot of their restaurants don't open back up for dinner until around 7:30pm or 8:00pm. Normally, that'd be perfect for us, but hunger struck at the wrong time.

Luckily, the trip picked up quite a bit the next day, and we had a lot of fun touring the city. I think my favorite attraction was Sagrada Familia. It's a huge, imposing cathedral that stands out in a flat part of the city like Shaq at a concert of the Wiggles. It's been "in construction" for the last 130 years or so, and the original creator, Antoni Gaudí, wasn't even alive for half of that. The stained glass windows were abstract, but the colors were very vibrant and bright. The pope just dedicated it last November, but who knows how long it will be until it's "finished."
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Waltons in London (video)

2011-05-10T17:52:00.001-07:00

Finally got around to putting together a video from our adventures with the Waltons in London. Brittany's parents and her brother Jeremy and his wife Maria came to visit a few weeks ago. This video includes highlights from Big Ben/Parliament, the London Eye, the Sherlock Holmes Museum, Abbey Road, Buckingham Palace, and Trafalgar Square. Sorry I'm too lazy to spend time dressing it up. It's sub-PBS late-night documentary. Think more along the lines of local access cable. Then drop it down a few notches. At least the sets have been carefully and patiently designed by the British people over the last several centuries.

Brittany and I had gone up in the London Eye a year and half ago during the daytime, but it was kind of fun to go up at night to get a different perspective. I'm a sucker for city skylines, particularly at night. You'll probably see a recurring theme as I post videos of our other adventures later on.

The Sherlock Holmes Museum was interesting, but it did make us wonder for a bit, "Wait a minute... was this a real person?" I mean, the guy's house has one of those little blue plaques the Brits put up on buildings where famous people used to live. I was kind of thinking it was one of those situations where there was a real person named Sherlock Holmes, and the stories were just embellishments or something. Wanna know the answer? Look it up.

Abbey Road was one almost traffic accident after another, as tourists casually strolled across the street while sports cars and lorries came precariously close to recreating the scene from Meet Joe Black. We didn't get to spot the queen this time at Buckingham Palace, but I have since learned the system for knowing when the queen is at home. When she's out and about, the Union Jack flag flies atop the palace. When she's in da house, her royal flag is raised instead. Random fact: apparently she was recently watching her sons play on their iPads, and she ordered her iPad 2 immediately thereafter.

Over the next little while, I'll work on trying to get more videos posted. We spent three days in Barcelona, three in Madrid, and three in Porto with Brittany's uncle Chuck and aunt Liz. They're serving as the mission presidents there right now. It was really fun to visit with them. When we got back to London, we camped out for a good view of the Royal Wedding procession. That weekend we then visited Leeds Castle, Canterbury Cathedral, the White Cliffs of Dover, Hampton Court Palace, and Westminster Abbey. They still had some of the decorations up from the wedding, so that was kind of cool. More on that when we get there. For now, you can enjoy Brittany's teaser shot from the wedding. Cheers!

Chepstow Castle

2011-05-09T11:10:00.000-07:00

Sam and me in front of Chepstow Castle

Mom and Dad in front of the castle

We really loved this castle. It had a lot of walls surviving and it was so beautiful! I love to tromp around old castles and imagine all of the people who were there before me

The castle was originally built in the 11th century by the Normans

Visit to Seaton, England

2011-05-06T17:47:00.000-07:00

My parents took Sam and me on a trip around England and Wales. Here is part one of the journey! Our first stop was Seaton, England. One of my ancestors was a Reverend at a parish here in the early 1600's. He went to Cambridge before moving to Seaton. He left from Seaton to move to America and was the first of my Walton ancestors to make that trek. It was such a cool experience to walk to shores he walked and visit his parish.

Mom and Dad on the beach right in front of the lovely B&B we stayed at

Sam and me on the same stretch of beach

The whole Seaton beach was pepples rather than sand. The only two beaches I have been to in England are rocky shores. Not sure if they all are, but that is my experience so far!

This was the beautiful parish where William Walton preached

Mom and Dad in front of the church

The wall hanging that shows William Walton was a Reverend here.

My Dad giving us a sermon

Mom and Dad sitting in the parish pews

Me in front of this beautiful old church

London With My Parents

2011-05-03T15:41:00.000-07:00

So I definitely have some catching up to do, and I finally have time to do it!

We had SO much fun with my parents when they came to visit us! They came to visit us in London for a weekend, then they went to Portugal. After Portugal we got to hang out with them in Wales and the midlands of England. Then they went off on their own adventures, then came back to spend a few days with us in London before flying out. So here are some of the photos of our adventures with them that first weekend in London.

Sam and me in front of Kensington Palace

Sam and me with my parents in front of the palace

My Momma in me in front of the palace! By the way this is the palace where Princess Diana lived. It is about 3 blocks from our flat

Paige and me at the BYU London Centre where she lived while in London

My parents in front of Garfunkels

All of us in front of Garfunkels where we ate that night. It reminded me of a Chilis or something, which is a welcome break for me!

Banksy sighting in Notting Hill on our way to the amazing antiques market--Portobello Road

Royal Wedding Sneak Peek

2011-04-30T10:16:00.000-07:00

Sorry I have been on a blog hiatus lately!! Between school finishing and traveling things have been crazy, but they are slowing down now. Here is a sneak peek of our day yesterday waiting on the mall for the royal wedding route! We were on the first row of the crowd! I am still so excited that I got this picture!! More pictures of the wedding and our Iberian vacation to come!

Videos from Trip to Wales

2011-03-12T08:36:00.000-08:00

We took a trip with Brittany's parents last week to see where her ancestors on both sides lived and tour some of the medieval castles in Wales. We had a blast, and it was a very humbling experience to think about the rich heritage of this country and the legacy left from our forebears. Brittany capitalized on the experience for a class assignment on identity, so I look forward to seeing some of those photos signifying her roots on here soon.

Seaton
On Friday after work and school, we took the train from London to Basingstoke to meet up with Mark and Susan. We then headed southwest for Seaton, a town on the southern coast of England. Our hotel/B&B was literally across the street from the Atlantic Ocean. It was here in Seaton that William Walton was a vicar at the parish church in 1627. He was the one that later immigrated with his family to the United States. I apologize I haven't really edited these videos much, so there will likely be parts that are kind of boring for most of you. Maybe someday I'll actually put a little time into cutting it up into a more cohesive package. Anyway, on with the show.

Chepstow Castle
Saturday we drove up to Wales, with our first stop at Chepstow Castle. Although parts of it were in ruins, it was breathtaking on the cliffs of the River Wye. It was originally built in the 11th century by the Normans. Because of limitations on YouTube, I had to split the video into two parts. So here is a playlist that includes both parts in succession.

Big Pit
Later on we traveled to visit Big Pit, an old coal and iron mine in Wales where some of Brittany's ancestors on her mom's side worked. (It was primarily an iron mine when they worked there.) Although the mine is no longer actively mined, they still operate by the standard safety codes for mines because they provide guided tours there. It was a really cool experience. It was very humbling to learn how dangerous and difficult the conditions were there. We actually weren't allowed to take any cell phones or cameras down into the shaft because the batteries can cause sparks that would ignite the methane gas that's released from the coal. So this video is just on the surface above the mine.

It's a good thing they gave us hard hats, as my head hit the ceiling several times. I don't know how the workers' backs could have taken being crouched over so much day in and day out, let alone the strenuous physical labor they endured for around 72 hours a week. It was also sad to learn about the "pit ponies" that were used to haul the carts of coal back and forth. Once they went down the shaft, they pretty much lived and worked the rest of their lives hundreds of feet below ground in darkness. On rare occasions, they were taken above ground for a brief break, but would go blind if taken up in the daytime. Their eyes needed to adjust to sunlight more gradually overnight.

Benbow Pond and Wales
This is actually a collection of clips from our trip through Wales, including some of the churches in around Blaenavon and a visit to Benbow Pond. It was here that Wilford Woodruff baptized about 600 people from the United Brethren in 1840, including a couple of Brittany's ancestors on the Bowen side. The LDS Church now owns the land and has a little fence around the pond to protect it.

Raglan Castle
Raglan Castle in southern Wales, is a 14th-century castle that was ransacked during the English Civil War in 1646. Even in ruins, though, it still gives you a great sense of its former majesty and grandeur. I think this was probably when I've felt the most immersed in a medieval castle and could imagine archers defending the castle walls by the moat, and the residents and servants living and working here like a small city.

Berrington Hall
We later toured a neoclassical mansion in Herefordshire, built in the late 18th century. Our visit to Berrington Hall included a guided tour by someone portraying the lead laundry maiden, explaining what life would have been like for the servants of the estate. The home and the grounds were immaculate.

Croft Castle
This one was rushed, because we were running out of time before we had to head to the train station. We basically just ran in and took some pictures/videos of the outside. Croft Castle in Herefordshire was a different kind of castle, because it wasn't really designed for defensive purposes with walls, moats, and defense towers and turrets. Instead it was primarily a residence. A beautiful one, yes, but it wasn't quite as fascinating.

Leominster
Unfortunately, our trip finally had to come to and end. Not before Brittany and Susan had a chance to frolic with a flock of sheep, though. Just outside Leominster, we were driving past a farm where lots of young lambs were bounding through the field behind their mothers. They just couldn't resist. And who could blame them... the lambs were pretty cute. The second half of the video, taken at the Leominster train station right before we headed back to London, is rather odd. While we were waiting for our train, I saw some young people running from the police in a field just behind the station. We were watching from afar as the situation unfolded, and the teens kept trying to flee. Kind of random; probably not interesting enough for Real TV.

And with that, we bid farewell to Mark & Susan--for a week anyway. They're traveling up to Snowdonia and Scotland for a little bit before they come back to London for a few days. Their visit here will overlap with Jeremy & Maria's for a couple days, so that should be fun. Looking forward to it. After celebrating Jimmer Fredette's 52 points to help BYU finally beat New Mexico last night, now onto the Arsenal game versus Manchester United. Cheers mates!

Sam's 27th Birthday Celebration

2011-03-04T03:39:00.000-08:00

For Sam's birthday we went to see Usher at the O2 arena! It was such a fun concert! We were up and dancing the entire time.

Yes of course Usher had his shirt off quite often

Such a great production!

We were so happy that he sang a lot of his old songs too.

He also did a Michael Jackson tribute. It was incredible! For those of you who know Sam well.. MJ+Usher was like a dream. haha.

Sam and I in front of the arena!


Sam with his soccer birthday cake.

It is so weird to me that Sam is 27! Where did time go?? It seems like just yesterday I was making him a birthday cake at his Michael Jackson birthday party to get him to like me! haha. I love you babe. I am so grateful to be married to my best friend. You are the most amazing man. I am so blessed to be your wife. Thanks for making me laugh every day!!

Pictures of Stonehenge, Salisbury and Bath

2011-03-01T04:39:00.000-08:00

So Sam already posted videos of this trip, but I'll just follow up with some pictures!

Stonehenge

LOVE sheep! They are just so cute! I take after my Mum with my love of little lambies!

Salisbury


World's oldest working clock

Bath

In front of Jane Austen's home in Bath

Costco/Ikea Trip, KPMG, and Portobello Road Pictures

2011-01-25T04:43:00.000-08:00

At the Costco here! It was a nice little taste of home. Looks just like the one at home, yea?

Loved their Costco food court. So many more options for me! I had some Cottage Pie and it was fantastic. Sam had BBQ Chicken pizza, a Jacket Potato, and a hot dog....gotta love Sam's metabolism..haha

Loved these Cadbury Creme Egg storage jars!!

Sam on the tram on the way home from Costco and Ikea. That was his load to carry and I had the suitcase. I think I got the better end of the deal!

Sam at the KPMG offices. Such a cool and modern office building!

KPMG building from the outside. The Queen actually came to dedicate the building. So cool!

We met up with Paige Knudsen at Portobello Road market!

Sam eating the rest of my delicious (and GIANT) donut. For more details on this donut and other aspects of our Portobello Road trip see the video below.

Sam holding our new shopping trolley. I liked the Give Way sign.

Stonehenge, Salisbury, and Bath

2011-01-24T15:38:00.000-08:00

Last Saturday we took a bus tour into the countryside. We visited Stonehenge, which was basically just one of those things to check off the list. It was interesting, though, to think that the stones had probably been in the same exact spot for over 4,000 years! I always wondered how the stones on top had stood so strong for millennia. Like many "magic" tricks, the answer is surprisingly simple. Much like the way your hip joint works, there's basically a ball and socket. (In nephew talk, it's like a giant Lego.) They sculpted a round knob on several of the bottom stones which stand vertically, and then sculpt a socket out of the stone that lays flat across two of the bottom stones.

Next we visited Salisbury, which is not the birthplace of Salisbury Steak! It is, however, very rich in history, and is home to one of the largest cathedrals in the United Kingdom. Salisbury Cathedral is spectacularly beautiful. The intricate Gothic architecture, combined with its sheer size is pretty captivating. We also enjoyed some delicious fish and chips for lunch at British pub The Cloisters, which has been operating since the 1750s.

Finally, we visited the Roman baths and the Jane Austen center in the city of Bath. Don't pronounce it like you're taking a "bath," though. It's more like "bawth." Unfortunately, we didn't really have any time to go through the Jane Austen center, so we had to settle for a quick stroll through the gift shop. We did, however, walk over to Jane Austen's house, where she lived for a few years in her 20s. There's now a dentist's office there. Anybody looking to open a dental practice in England? (hint, hint)

Portobello Antiques Market

2011-01-20T18:46:00.000-08:00

Last Saturday, we made a trip up to Notting Hill to Portobello Antiques Market. We had actually gone there in 2009 when we visited London, but we really enjoyed it, and now we've got a little more time to relax and enjoy everything going on around us. Supposedly, it's actually the largest antiques market in the world. And yes, the movie Notting Hill was filmed in the neighborhood. The market has 3 main sections--antiques, food, and a flea market. We picked up a few things in all three areas.

I apologize for the quality of the video. As much as we love our new little camcorder, I have not yet matured into an Oscar-caliber cinematographer. I think I learned my lesson not to go crazy with the zoom without a tripod or something. Anyway, below is a video of our little jaunt north to Notting Hill and a little antiques reconnaissance work for Brittany's parents when they come visit.

The video is about 13 minutes long (I just combined 17 shorter clips together), and here are some of the highlights:

Brief tour of our neighborhood in Kensington and some of the shopping just down the street
Tube ride to Notting Hill (only one stop down, actually!)
Me getting politely asked to turn off the camera
More old Singer sewing machines than you can shake a stick at
One very large donut
An education on how to pronounce "admiral"

Loving London

2011-01-20T17:45:00.000-08:00

I know I still need to play catch up with all the things that happened before we moved, like Disneyland, San Diego, Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas. As you can probably guess, things were a bit crazy. Between school and work, life has been a little insane. I will catch up on those things eventually, but so I don't overwhelm myself right now, I'll just show you guys a few pictures of our flat here. I'll post some pictures of things we have been doing lately tomorrow! Our flat:

The view from our living room... I'm so in love with this garden!

Our cute little living room with our couch that does not fit two very long adults

Where we spend most of our time

Another look at our amazing view

Our cute little hidden washing machine/dryer. Yes it does both in one machine! Didn't know that existed until we moved here... Unfortunately it takes like half a day to do a load!

Our kitchen. It actually has quite a bit of storage space, since we don't have a ton of extra dishes and appliances. Love having a gas stove again!

Our bedroom! We have a full bed, which is what I grew up sleeping in. It is a little small for us, but if my parents could have a full bed for like 15 years, we can handle it for 6 months!

Our bathroom... I was a little disappointed we don't have a bidet, but we will have to make do! haha.

We love you and miss you all!!

First Week in London

2011-01-09T15:03:00.000-08:00

Well, we made it! We're getting settled into our new flat on Kensington Square and enjoying our new surroundings. Our one-bedroom flat isn't the biggest place in the world, but the location is spectacular. It is to be expected that square footage in the heart of London comes at a premium. It's definitely sufficient for us, though, and we should have enough room for people to come visit, as well.

We have had to make some adjustments, including...

Most Everything Is Smaller
Tiny dishwasher, mini fridge, smaller beds, narrower hallways, and a little laundry machine that serves as both a washer and a dryer. The last one kind of made us laugh when we discovered it, but it's definitely an improvement to be able to do laundry in our own home now!

Weather
The weather is different, obviously, from sunny California. The transition was actually much more gradual than we expected. It was cold and rainy during our last few days in California, and it was sunnier and warmer than usual here our first two days. It's since cooled down a little bit, but it hasn't been bitterly freezing cold yet. I'm sure that time will come, but I haven't had occasion yet to break out my overcoat, so I think we've still got some wiggle room. We have had a few hints of sunshine, but the sky is typically pretty gray. The days are also shorter here, given the higher latitude. It's usually pitch black here by 4:30 or 5:00pm.

Public Transportation
Not having a car means having to work to shop and get groceries. As much as I love driving and the freedom to go pretty much wherever you want whenever you want, we both have very manageable commutes to work/school (35-40 minutes each). London does have a really great transportation system. We also live just a block away from a really great shopping district, so we don't have to carry groceries too far. Our flat is on the 2nd floor (which would actually be the 3rd floor in the States--they don't count the ground floor as the 1st floor), so lugging up four 70-pound suitcases upon our arrival did catch me a little out of breath. Our flat came "fully furnished," but we ventured out to Croydon to get a bunch of household items at Costco and IKEA to fill in all the gaps.

Our Costco/IKEA run was pretty hilarious. We were brave and decided to try public transportation over renting a car. Maybe a foolish choice, but we felt like superheroes when we finally made it back. We looked pretty funny to any observers on the tube, bus, or tram--Brittany wheeling my old suitcase stuffed with an inflatable mattress, a 4-pack of pillows, and a bunch of sheets and kitchenware; me struggling with a little plastic luggage cart toting several awkwardly large boxes strapped down with twine that nearly toppled over a few times when boarding and exiting the train.

Cash Over Credit
Cash is usually a much better option than paying with credit. In the US, we pay for everything with our credit cards in order to get reward points. I also like being able to track all of our budgets and spending patterns on Mint.com, and we avoid interest by paying everything off before the end of the billing cycle. When you use your credit card overseas, though, most credits cards charge a "foreign transaction fee" of about 3% on every purchase. They say it's to cover their costs of exchanging currencies, but basically it's just an excuse to charge bogus fees. So, with a few exceptions, we've started paying cash for just about everything. Certain banks like Barclays allow us to withdraw cash at their ATMs at a fair exchange rate without any fees. It is kind of annoying to have to carry cash around, but it is kind of fun to do the math with their notes (bills) and coins.

Staying Connected
Staying "connected" has certainly been more challenging. We're used to being able to make calls, check email, and surf the web any time, any place. One week without a fully functioning iPhone? How did we survive?! I got my Blackberry from work now, and we unlocked Brittany's iPhone and got a family plan so that we can talk anytime for free. Unlocking her phone was a nerve racking experience. We tried going to Apple in the US and the UK, and they said they couldn't unlock it. We tried AT&T in the US and every single carrier in the UK, and none of them said they could help us. Finally, we went to one of those shady corner shops to unlock it.

You hand them the phone, they take it into the back room to tinker, you wait nervously for about 40 minutes hoping you didn't just get scammed, and 15 GBP later, you have an unlocked/jailbroken iPhone. We then took it to Vodafone, and Brittany was back in the game. I wanted to wait to unlock mine until we see how Brittany's turned out. I actually hate my Blackberry, so I'll probably end up using it just for calls and work email, and then use my iPhone for everything else. At least now I have ammunition any time a Blackberry user starts trash talking on the iPhone.

We do have digital cable TV and wireless internet in our flat. We also discovered that Google Voice still works over here, so we are able to call US numbers for free as long as we're logged into our Gmail. So, if you ever need to talk and don't want to pay the international rates, just have us call you back. It'll be completely free, and the call quality's surprisingly good. Even if we call your cell phone, we'll be calling from a US number, so you still won't get charged international rates.

Roehampton University
Brittany had her orientation on Friday to get familiar with the campus and the university system. She had to work extra hard to get into the right classes for school. Roehampton University doesn't allow international students to pre-register for classes, and none of the classes she requested in her study abroad application were granted. We were nervous for the first hour or two that she wouldn't be able to take any classes that would help her get closer to her degree at SJSU.

There was a point in time we were seriously considering the possibility that it might not make sense for her to even participate in the study abroad program. Thankfully, we were able to catch the convener (think "dean") responsible for the photography program to discuss her situation. After a good share of explanation and negotiation we were finally able to get all three of her desired modules (think "classes"). Each module is the equivalent of two standard classes in the US, so she should be kept pretty busy this semester. She does only have classes Tuesday through Friday, but marks (think "grades") here are almost entirely comprised of one or two big assignments--either a huge paper or exam.

Working at KPMG
KPMG has a beautiful new office in Canary Wharf where I had my first day of work on Tuesday. Working in an urban setting definitely has a different feel to it. The office is amazing, though I'm still adjusting to having such an open floor plan. There aren't any cubicle walls, so it's challenging not get sucked into all the conversations and phone calls going on around you. I'm excited to get into the full swing of things this week, though, and it looks like I've got some exciting work ahead of me over the next six months.

Hyde Park Ward
Our ward here is much more, um, American than we were expecting. The Hyde Park Ward meets in a nice part of the city that's home to lots of famous museums. It seemed like over half the people there, including the bishopric, were from the States, though. There are a lot of other young American families here temporarily for work or school. We were actually looking forward to hearing lots of British accents at church, but I suppose the Yanks will suffice! The ward typically has a lot of visitors and tourists, including some of the students at the BYU London Centre. They actually labeled us as long-term residents, given that we'll be here for six months! So, over time, we should have plenty of opportunities to meet lots of different people and hear some interesting stories and accents.

Sorry for rambling on so long. I should probably have smaller, more frequent posts, rather than the occasional epic. If there's anything I skipped, though, feel free to leave a question in the comments. We love and miss all of you, and we look forward to seeing many of you over here in the coming months!

All Packed Up and Ready to Go

2010-12-31T19:11:00.000-08:00

As you can probably guess, it has been a crazy time for us, moving right after the holidays. But Christmas is over (I am hoping to blog that in the near future), our apartment is cleaned out, and the storage unit is packed to the brim. We are currently at the airport waiting for our flight to depart! Happy New Year!!

Christmas Card 2010

2010-12-23T17:26:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from the Lentz family! With the crazy couple of weeks we're going to have, we thought it best to send a digital Christmas card this year...

We had a wonderful 2010 and have great expectations for our next chapter as we move from Los Gatos to London in January. We’ll live in the beautiful Kensington area while Sam completes a six-month rotation with KPMG. Brittany is majoring in art (photography) at San Jose State University and will be doing a semester abroad at Roehampton University. Before we return to California in August, we’ll take a month off to do some traveling—be sure to check our blog for updates! Wishing you all the best in 2011!

Cheers,
Sam and Brittany Lentz

One Week 'til Christmas, Two Weeks 'til London

2010-12-19T01:18:00.000-08:00

The countdown is officially on. Both of them, actually. This week is Christmas; next week we’ll fly out to London. We’ll literally be flying right into the face of the new year. Who knows, we may even be 30,000 feet over New York City when the ball drops in Times Square. Brittany sends her regards, as she’s battling a cold that has limited her opportunities to celebrate the end of her semester at San Jose State University (SJSU). I must say, I am SO proud of how hard she’s worked and how well she’s done. I think her GPA is going to be phenomenal this semester. More importantly, we’re discovering how talented she is as an artist. I always knew she was a great photographer, but some of her paintings were shockingly brilliant.

For one of her assignments (above), she was to paint something about herself that contained multiple elements. Although there’s no point putting more holes in the wall right now, this will be one of the first things I hang on our wall when we return to the states. The background, obviously, is the Union Jack—the flag of the United Kingdom. The figure at the bottom is a silhouette of the London skyline, including Big Ben, St. Paul’s Cathedral, and the London Eye. I love the twilight sky fading into the deep blue of the flag.

You can also see more of her artwork on her website she created for her digital media class:
http://dma.sjsu.edu/art74_1/09_bkl/

While we’re in London, she’ll be taking a semester of photography classes during a study abroad program at Roehampton University. We both get a kick out of the fact that this will her fifth college (West Valley College, Foothill College, BYU-Hawaii, SJSU, Roehampton). She’s very excited to explore London and around Europe for inspiration for her photography. When I’m not working, I’ll tag along with the camcorder Santa Claus is delivering later this week. Hopefully, I’ll be diligent in posting some of the videos so that you can share in the fun.

We also found out where we’ll be staying in London. We’ll be in a nice apartment in Kensington Square—a really beautiful, safe location. We’ll actually be just a few blocks from Prince William’s and Princess Kate’s palace after they get married in April. Brittany’s considering camping out to get a nice view of the wedding processional as they parade through town. We’ll also be close to Brittany’s friend Paige, who’s doing a semester abroad at the BYU London Centre. We’ll be able to walk just a few minutes to the tube (subway) station, lots of shops, restaurants, markets, etc.

Each of our daily commutes should only take about 30-40 minutes, which was tough to pull off. KPMG’s beautiful new office in Canary Wharf is on the east end of the city, while Roehampton University is on the southwest side, close to Wimbledon. Our Sunday commute to the Hyde Park Ward will be much shorter, though. The church building is only about a mile away, right next to the Victoria & Albert Museum (V&A). One of the biggest reliefs will be to have a washer and dryer IN our apartment. It’s funny how you take that for granted, but for two years we’ve had to trudge up and down stairs and wait in line for our turn to use the shared laundry facilities. Now if we spill something on a shirt, we won’t have to wait two weeks until we’ve got a full load to wash.

It’s getting increasingly more difficult not to think about this next stage of our life. I've just got a few days of work left in the US, and craiglisters are quickly picking away at the furniture we don't want to put in storage. I even listed my car for sale to see if I can get any bites. We just figured the less we have to pack, move, and store, the better. We’re going to get a storage unit for our things, we just don’t know how big it needs to be yet. If things don’t sell, no biggie. Just means we’ll have to figure out what to do with it until we get back at the end of July.

Brittany should be done with most of her classes in early April, and my work assignment in London will wrap up at the end of June. In addition to taking some weekend trips throughout that time, we’re taking advantage of the opportunity to do some traveling free of work or school for the last month. Any suggestions on where we should go or what we should do/see during July?

Hi, I'm Sam. I'm a Mormon.

2010-12-19T01:13:00.000-08:00

The LDS Church recently created a new way for members of the Church to share their faith with the world, and for those interested in the Church to get a better feel for who we are and why we are they way we are. I decided to take a closer look and was surprised at how much fun it was. You basically just create a profile that tells people about how you joined the Church, how you live your faith, and answer as many "frequently asked questions" as you like. You should try it out!

Here's a link to my profile:
http://mormon.org/me/2YR2-eng/Sam

If you'd like to get started on your own profile, here's the link:
http://mormon.org/create/

Utah Trip

2010-11-10T13:26:00.000-08:00

Sam and I had the fantastic opportunity to go to Utah for Labor Day weekend. He had a recruiting event to attend at BYU. I wasn't planning on going (due to school and work) until I got an invitation to my sweet cousin Whitney's wedding that same weekend! What a co-in-ki-dink! I was so excited it worked out for us to go to the wedding and spend time with both of our families!

Sam and me at the new Draper Temple

Some of my Bowen cousins who were at the wedding

Some of my beautiful girl cousins!

Me and one of my closet cousins Lindsay (also the sister of the bride)!

At the BYU football game! ....apparently I picked the wrong time to take a picture...

Watching the game

Much better time to take a picture...

Hooray we won!!

Sam with his dad and our nephew Hyrum

Mmm a trip to Utah is not complete without Spoon Me! Definitely my favorite FroYo place!

Sam and our niece Rachel. SUCH a cutie!

Sam teaching Rachel about the joys of the iPhone... I think they were playing the popping bubble wrap game.

On Labor Day, Sam and I got to go up Provo Canyon a bit with Brendon, Stephanie, and Henry Holmes! Brendon is Sam's old roommate from college, and it was actually the first time I got to meet them after hearing about them for years! Such a fun day! We went to Bridal Veil Falls, played bocce ball, played Ticket To Ride (LOVE that game) and Monopoly Deal (I did not fare so well in this one...), went to University Mall, and played pool! Beautiful scenery, fun games, shopping, and good company?? That is my kind of day!

Their baby Henry is ADORABLE! Such a fun little boy to play with.

Ice Skating

2010-11-08T13:03:00.000-08:00

Recently a few of my brothers and my dad have started a hockey team. Unfortunately, Sam only recently started ice skating, so he's not quite ready for the team. (Hopefully next year!) Everyone has been going ice skating more lately to practice, so Sam and I joined in one night. Good times with the fam!

This one doesn't really show how much better Sam has gotten at ice skating since he first went! But he has!

Daddio skating like a pro!

Look at how graceful my dear mother is out there!

Chillin' on the side

Love my man!

Precious!

Love my daddy!

Jeremy and Maria

Me, Maria and Mom

Sam and me after skating

Love my parents!

A Soccer Wife

2010-11-01T14:52:00.000-07:00

So a lot of you probably didn't know me in middle school, which is pretty much the only time I have ever "played" soccer. Played should be used loosely because I would usually just be somewhere on the field making daisy chains, which was also my activity of choice during the baseball section of PE. Needless to say, I have never been a big fan of soccer. When Sam and I started dating, I would go to some of his games. I would play on his iPhone a bit, look up every once in awhile and kind of cheer him on... hey I was there right?!? Haha. As our relationship progressed, so did my relationship with soccer. I actually watch about 3/4 of his soccer games now and only on my phone for about 1/4 of it! haha. I also watched as many world cup games as possible this year! Crazy huh? It's amazing what love can do.

Sam plays soccer with his KPMG office team. It has been a great outlet for him, and a great way for me to get to know some people he works with. For the last few years, he has kind of been in charge of the team, which in turn makes me the team mom! haha. I have had a lot of fun cheering them on, bringing treats (orange slices!), and making sure everyone signs the roster and gets a jersey every week. It's good practice for me to prepare for our kids who will inevitably take after their father and be amazing soccer players! (Hopefully our girls will be volleyball players or cheerleaders though...haha). Here are a few pictures of him playing and of his team!

Go KPMG!

Oh dear, I love that man!

Strike a pose!

One of Sam's teammates, Jed.

LOVE Sam's expression in this one. hehe

Carol Hannah Whitfield

2010-10-08T12:26:00.000-07:00

A few months back Sam and I got to meet Carol Hannah from Project Runway season 6 at a bridal shop. She has been far and away my favorite designer on all the seasons of the show. Seeing her ruffly, very feminine designs made me want to get into sewing. So fun to get to meet her. Here are a few of her designs:

She made this dress out of paper!! Isn't it INCREDIBLE??:

Me and Carol Hannah!!

Rambling thoughts from a cheap husband

2010-09-25T21:22:00.000-07:00

Hello, blog. My name is Sam. It's great to meet you.

Kidding aside, I'm glad I have a wonderful wife that puts so much time and effort into our blog. I used to feel like I always had to the be the one at family events and trips to take all the pictures and do stuff like this. Brittany is a great photographer, though, and always seems to have her camera with her. So, I leave most of that to her now. I'm willing to sacrifice having a girly family blog (as in the brown & pink damask, ribbons, and polka dots surrounding this post) because I know I have no room to complain if she's doing all the work! With Brittany at the Relief Society broadcast and me wallowing in self-pity at home with a headache (mostly unrelated to yet another BYU football loss a few moments ago), I figured it would require much less physical energy to write a blog post than to start the laundry. So, here we are!

At some point in the not too distant future, Brittany and I would like to own a house. It will not be for at least another year, because we'll be living in London for the first half of 2011. (Yay!) I'll be on a long-term assignment for work with KPMG, and Brittany may end up doing a study abroad program or find a part-time job. Even though the economy indicates it's one of the best times ever to buy a house, we'd like to find a place that will last us for a while. We need some more time until we'll be ready financially to take on that kind of commitment. We don't need a mansion, but we'd like a place that can keep up with our family as it grows. (Brittany's not expecting or anything, so don't read too much into this. :)

We really love living in the South Bay, but property definitely isn't cheap. I'm constantly thinking of ways we can work toward our financial goals, sometimes at the expense of being a cheapskate. Luckily Brittany is patient with me and does a great job herself making wise financial decisions. From a business perspective, saving money makes a ton of sense. Profit margins vary widely by industry, but let's say you own a business with a 10% profit margin after all your taxes and expenses. Passing up an opportunity to save $100 would mean you'd have to work to get $1,000 in sales to make up for it. If that was a monthly opportunity, that means you have to work $1,000 harder every month. While the numbers aren't usually as pronounced, this principle applies to individuals and families in a similar way. When you consider taxes and other expenses, it almost always requires much more work to make another $100 of disposable income than to save $100.

Our current position as resident managers at our apartment complex is a huge help, because it has allowed us to accelerate our savings plan so that home ownership does not seem like a hopeless, unattainable goal. We've also tried several other things that have been helping us financially.

Netflix
I fought this one for the longest time. It just seemed wasteful to spend an extra $12 every month for something I thought we didn't really need. Here's the kicker, though... it's been saving us 4-5 times that in money we don't spend on movie tickets, DVDs/Blu-Rays, and other movie rentals. Knowing that we could put almost any movie at the top of our queue and have it in our mailbox within a couple days means we're a lot more disciplined with what movies we buy. We also used to go to the movies once or twice a month, with every trip to the theater costing us about $20. That's almost two months of Netflix for one movie!

Yes, going to the theater is fun for our favorite new movies--for Brittany, read "anything Twilight;" for Sam, read "expensive special effects." But now when see a movie that looks interesting, our standard response of "Hey, let's go see that!" has been replaced with, "Hey, let's add that to our Netflix queue." We can usually wait a few months to get the Blu-Ray in the mail or watch in online using the Wii, our laptops, or even our iPhones. Last night, we had a half hour until our table was ready at the restaurant. We actually took our buzzer with us out to the car in the parking lot, plugged Brittany's phone into my car stereo and watched an episode of "Better Off Ted" with surround sound. For a geek like me, it was one of life's finer moments.

Cheapest Cable Package
Almost all of the shows Brittany and I enjoy are available online somehow. With Netflix and Hulu, plus all of the networks' websites, the shows we can't watch anywhere, anytime are becoming few and far between. Our Comcast cable package is only about $18/month and provides us with all of the local channels, plus a few extras like Discovery and HGTV (which has been fun, as we contemplate home ownership in the next couple years). We don't have a DVR, but we get a lot of the channels in HD. I don't always get to watch the sporting events I'd like, but maybe that's a good thing. If watching TV isn't as convenient or there's "not a lot on right now," it motivates you to find something more productive to do.

Limiting Dining Out
During the first year of our marriage (two years this November!), there were times where we ate out 2-3 times per week. Eventually, we decided we wouldn't eat out more than once a week, and we generally eat at places where we won't spend more than $20-30. We used to heavily overestimate our appetites when we sat down and looked at the menu. We'd order way more food than we needed, and we'd sometimes end up being full before our main courses were brought out. Now we'll often share one appetizer and one entree. The shocking part is that we'll usually still have leftovers.

I also try to take lunch to work with me, rather than eating out, and Brittany's purse is usually like a clown car of snacks when she's at school to save her time and money. $10-20 doesn't sound like a lot of money, but if you multiply that by twice a day, 4-5 times a week, and 4 weeks a month, that can save you several hundred dollars a month. (i.e. perhaps $1,000 worth of gross income!)

"Just the Essentials" Month
Distinguishing needs from wants is often much simpler than we make it. Sometimes it's pretty funny how we rationalize purchases we really could have done without. Several months ago, we decided to have a month where we were each limited to only 3 "wants" for the entire month. I was shocked. It really worked. It was a lot easier than I expected it to be. We didn't even use up all of our allotment, and our "wants" were only $5-10 each. We saved a lot of money.

Even though our goal wasn't to start doing that on a sustainable basis, I think it really taught us both a lot about what we could do without. Brittany and I laugh about that fact that the longer I spend thinking about buying something, the less likely I am to buy it. It's convenient, too, when we divide and conquer a store like Ross or TJ Maxx. I'm generally done looking through my section pretty quickly. After adding a few things to the cart and then following Brittany around for a while, most of the things I picked out usually vacate the cart before we make it to the checkout lane. While that new shirt might be nice, I really don't need it right now. Just gotta keep thinking about making that down payment on a house!

Public Libraries
If you know me at all, you probably know that I don't like to read books. I really enjoy reading news articles, and I think I do a fair job of staying informed of what's going on in the world. Maybe it's an attention span thing, but I just get really bored staring at a book for extended periods of time. I also find it difficult breaking it into pieces, picking it up and putting it down. So, this one wasn't really an issue for me.

It's a sacrifice Brittany has made over the last couple years, though--using the public library to find most of her reading material. A lot of the books she reads are volumes in a series, so once you ready one, you want to read them all. Even finding bargains on Amazon.com, bills can still rack up. Using the library, she doesn't have to worry about spending money on a lemon, and we avoid the issue of finding more space to store a rapidly expanding library. Between the Los Gatos library and the Santa Clara County library, she usually has pretty good access to most of the things that perk her interest.

Well, I guess I'll step down off of my soapbox for now. Hopefully, this won't be the last time you hear from me. My online presence typically just consists of brief comments on current events on Twitter and Facebook. This was kind of nice to have more than 140 characters to express myself.

Hanging out with some nieces and nephews

2010-09-20T23:28:00.000-07:00

I think I can speak for Sam, too, when I say that hanging out with our sweet nieces and nephews is absolutely one of our favorite things! We are so blessed to have the cutest/most awesome nieces and nephews!! We have gotten to see a lot of them lately, and a few more to come in the next few weeks! So fun!

My parents live next door to my brother and sister-in-law, Chris and Jamie. We live just a couple miles away, so we get to see them at least once a week since we are all in the same ward. We have so much fun playing with them! They are all such sweet kids. A few weeks ago my sister-in-law Melissa and their 3 awesome kiddos came to play too! We had so much fun getting to see them all. They are growing up so fast! It is crazy! Here are a few pics of all the cute kids!

Mom with some of her grandchildren (minus Beck and Gibson)

Dad Carrying Sean-O

Oh man we were laughing so hard! Sean seemed to be really enjoying it too!

Sean is proud to be a real live nephew of his Uncle Sam

Sean giving his sister Kate kisses!

So sad we missed seeing Scott, Emily, Beck and Gibson in Utah a couple weeks ago! We miss you guys!!

We also got to see Sam's brother Derek and his wife Tanya and their 4 kiddos last week. I can't believe I didn't take any photos!! I guess I was a little too lazy that weekend! I think I only got a couple pictures of the whole trip. Eek!

Can't wait to see the Spendloves in a few weeks!!!

Youth Temple Trips

2010-09-20T23:12:00.000-07:00

Sam and I have had quite a few incredible trips to the temple this year with the youth! I love going and helping with the baptisms. You can really tell that these kids are feeling the spirit, and it is so special to be a part of. Last time we went (these pictures are actually from the trip in July, but we just went again about 2 weeks ago) I was talking to the temple matron, Sister Hunter about youth baptisms. And she was saying that watching the youth get baptized and confirmed is her favorite ordinance to watch in the temple. This conversation had me looking at these ordinances in a very special light, and I am so grateful for the spirit we feel at the temple and for the opportunity we have to work with our wonderful youth!

Fabulous Fourth of July

2010-08-07T00:04:00.001-07:00

Our family started a new fourth of July tradition last year of making floats for the RC Cars! We missed it last year since we were in Pennsylvania for the 4th last year, so we were very excited to participate! The theme for the float this year was loosely based on movies!

So we made a float for the movie "Up"

I made pinwheels the day before. I never even knew you could make pinwheels! So fun.

Our float! Check out the video below to see it in action.

Yes, that is the theme song to "Up" playing from inside out float...We are so proud of it! Excuse me chasing after Sam at the end of the video..hehe.

Jeremy and Maria's float of the Epcot Center

Jason and Krista's Pool Party float

Dad's "Root Beer Float"

Mike and Stephanie's Fight for Freedom float

Sean is such an expressive boy!! Such a cutie!

I love writing with sparklers! ..that is a heart in case you couldn't tell...hehe

I love this one of Sam's RC car coming out of the fireworks!

Sam's Uncle Sam car. How cute is that? I bought the hat for Sam to wear on the 4th, but I think he wisely chose to have his car wear it instead.

Brian writing with sparklers

Kate making designs with the sparklers

Love having such cute kids around to take pictures of!

RBI with KPMG

2010-07-29T14:42:00.000-07:00

KPMG (the firm Sam works for) has this great program called RBI--which stands for Rebuilding Baseball in Inner cities. They usually pair up with major or minor league baseball teams for the program. We were working with the San Jose Giants. Such a cool program! Sam and I got to volunteer together for a couple of days, and it was really fun to get to know these sweet kids! Here's a few pictures of our time up in Morgan Hill!

Sam playing catch with one of the girls

These girls were my little buddies... Shhh don't tell but I totally taught them how to make the flower necklaces/crowns, as that was my activity of choice when we played baseball in PE, and I was put in the outfield... haha.

Sam being such a great first base coach!

The whole group!

Yea... we have fun together!!

Some Recent Projects

2010-07-22T16:54:00.000-07:00

A few ruffle bum onesies! These are one of my favorite things to make! I just made a polka dot ruffle bum onesie with a matching tie onesie for twins (forgot to take a picture of those)! So much fun!

One of my first projects with my sewing machine! Love all the colors in this little sack! It's primary purpose is for packing shoes.

I made this quilt for one of my best friends from high school who just had her third baby! I got to see him yesterday in the hospital! Such a handsome little baby boy!

Another picture of the quilt with a coordinating burp cloth

Some decorations for a young women's party

(this side is actually the reversed side that wasn't shown at the party)

This is the side of the banner that was showing during the party. The letters were done on paper so they were just taped on. It was a graduation party for our graduating laurel Jenae!

The banner was up on the window too, but I didn't get a chance to take a picture of it before it was taken down! I LOVE these tissue paper pom poms... so easy to make too!

It's been a busy few months crafting and sewing!! More project pictures to come!

My Birthday!

2010-06-24T14:48:00.001-07:00

So grateful for my sweet husband and for him always making my birthdays awesome! Although this birth week of mine didn't start out exactly as planned, we still made the best of it. Two days before my birthday I woke up to unpleasant sounds of Sam in the bathroom throwing up. Poor baby!!! I hate hearing him throw up, it makes me cry pretty much every time. We were under the impression that he had food poisoning, as he ate some pretty old mushroom ravioli with alfredo sauce... So of course I was doting on him like crazy. Kissing him, hugging him, etc.

As we were going to bed that night, though, I started to get the feeling that it wasn't food poisoning he had. I was up the entire night just waiting for the sickness to come on. It was torture. Finally at about 6 am it began for me, too. Poor Sam had to take care of me while he was still feeling wretched. So needless to say, on my birthday we took it easy. We ended up going out later that week for dinner. We had a LOT of nice dinners in my birth month, thanks to all the birthday clubs that I sign up for!

I can't remember if the roses were from Mother's Day or my birthday (they both kind of combined together with us not feeling well). My hubby knows the way to my heart is a scotchmallow! hehe

BUUUUT... I got the greatest present of all!! Sam bought me a SEWING MACHINE!!!!!!!!!!!! It has been SOOO much fun learning. I have now had my machine for over a month and have made so many projects with it already!

Unfortunately Sam went out of town on Monday for work, so I've been spending the week all alone at our place. On Tuesday night I was sewing late at night. It was this big project with ruffles, jersey knit, and a few layers so it was a little tough to keep things all together. All of a sudden, my sewing needle went into my finger and broke off. I didn't realize what happened at first until the pain set in, and I noticed the needle had gone all the way through and was poking through my nail! I started totally balling and had to call Sam. He felt so bad that he wasn't there to help me get the THICK needle out of my finger, so he ended up calling my dad to come over and help. Felt like the good old days of my dad taking care of my wound. So sweet of my daddy to come over so late at night. So grateful for the wonderful men in my life!

Tahoe Part 2

2010-06-16T15:50:00.000-07:00

Continued photos from our trip to Tahoe! It was one of the last days of the season, so the snow wasn't fantastic, but it was definitely better than expected!

Sam did such a great job boarding! So proud of how quickly he has picked it up! Thank you for wanting to share my hobby with me babe!

Backside at Northstar! Love it!

Haha check out the lack of snow....We were a little late going up this year...hehe

This is the my grandpa and grandma Walton's old cabin. We grew up going here every winter and some summers. I have so many memories here, and I know my siblings and cousins do too! So many good times here. I am so grateful to have had such wonderful grandparents who wanted their family to have fun with each other and be close!
This is our old toboggan run! I so vividly remember the rush as you stood up at the top of that hill to go down!

Tahoe Part 1

2010-06-03T21:16:00.001-07:00

Tahoe has always been one of my favorite places to go. I love that feeling when you are on the top of a mountain and ready to drop in... sigh... doesn't get much better than that! Love teaching my hot husby how to snowboard. He did AWESOME this trip!

Michael Bublé Concert

2010-05-26T10:59:00.001-07:00

Most of you out there know that Sam and I have a deep love of Michael Bublé's music. We listened to it all the time when we were just friends, and even more when we dated. On our wedding day, our first dance was to Michael Bublé's "Everything." We were both SOOO excited to hear that Michael Bublé was coming for a concert in Oakland! Tickets for his concerts are more expensive than I am used to for concerts... but SOOO worth it. Wow. By far the best concert I have ever been to, and that really is saying a lot. We were dancing the whole time! Someday when we are rich and famous we will get front row tickets to a Michael Bublé concert... but until then, enjoy our pictures from the nosebleeds!!

Video of him performing Crazy Love:

You're A Good Man, Charlie Brown!

2010-04-26T14:34:00.000-07:00

Sam and I have had so much fun being involved with the youth. It's been so great to really get to know them and participate in their lives. A few weeks ago we got to see one of Sam's Deacon's (Kaden) and one of my Beehives (Christina) in Fisher Middle School's production of You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown! Kaden was playing Charlie Brown and did such a good job!! Christina was a school girl! She looked darling!!

Easter

2010-04-22T14:14:00.000-07:00

I'm not going to lie, my best memories of Easter are always when Easter falls on conference Sunday! I was SO excited it was going to be that way this year. There is just something about lazily finding your basket at my parents house that morning (and not having to do it quickly before church), and laying around in pajamas with your family... mmm LOVE IT! It was such an amazing conference session, I feel so grateful that we get the chance to listen to our leaders in that setting, especially on Easter Sunday. It makes it that much more special. I sadly did not take many Easter pics, but here is what I did get:

Mine and Sam's Peep Easter baskets! Didn't get a picture of our basket from my parents though! But that was soooo delicious!

My dad gave me a bundle of closed daffodil stems, and they bloomed into these beauties! They are such a happy flower! Love them. Thank you Daddy!!

I blew out a few eggs and glittered and bedazzled them! Sooo much fun! It doesn't translate in the photos so much, but these eggs were gorgeous! Ahh I love glitter!

I also made these babies! They had 3 or 4 jumbo marshmallows covered in this caramel concoction I made, then covered in melted guitard chocolate.... soooo rich, but soo good! I forgot to take a picture of all of them together on my platter before they got eaten, but I managed to get a picture of one of them!

February Fun

2010-04-19T11:26:00.001-07:00

FEBRUARY!!

Valentine's Day! We went to Don Giovanni's in Mountain View (Sam's dish was AMAAAAAZING.... mine was kind of disgusting, but we are totally going back and I am ordering what Sam had... YUM), then we went and saw Valentine's Day (the movie). So grateful I have a built in Valentine! hehe. Love you sweetheart!!

Sam and I had the incredible opportunity to go to Kaitlyn and Meghan Shea's baptism. They are two darling girls that are now in our ward. Sam got to baptize Katie who is one of my young women! LOVE these girls!

Happy birthday Babe!! (Feb 22)

Sam eating his banana cupcakes!

LOVE this shirt on him now! Sigh...

HECK-I-LOPTER! ...so it's already out of commission, but we will get it working again soon! hehe... It is fun while it works though!

Sam made a new body for his RC Car! Isn't it beautiful? I love watching the boys race these things! They are so cute... like little puppies or something.

Seaworld With The Spendloves!

2010-04-14T19:00:00.001-07:00

Sam and I had so much fun going to SeaWorld with Sam's sister Kathy and their kids, Summer, Spencer, Nephi and Benson and Kathy's sister in law Sarah. That place is so amazing! We now have 2-year season passes, so we are very excited to go back again soon!

Sam riding the Jellyfish with Spencer and Nephi

Nephi loves his Uncle Sam!

Summer took a quick break from playing with the starfish to pose for me!!

I think that is the only picture of baby Benson we got! You can see him behind Nephi. How did we not get any pictures of Sam's awesome sister Kathy?

Such a good uncle!

A tired Nephi! Love this cuddlebug!

Sam, Spencer and Summer waiting for the Shamu show to start!

We got to be SO close to these beautiful creatures! It was so fun!

Shamu! Shamu! Shamu!!

Baby Benson's Blessing Day

2010-04-05T18:23:00.001-07:00

In February Sam and I got to go down to San Diego to visit Sam's sister Kathy's family! We had SOOO much fun!! We got there Saturday and hung out with the kiddos for a while, and had so much fun catching up with them! Then on Sunday we got to be there for their new baby Benson's blessing. It was such a sweet day. We loved getting to sit with our nieces and nephews during church, and getting to listen to the sweet blessing.

A proud Uncle Sam with our sweet new nephew Benson!

Such a sweet little boy! ...Benson too... haha

Me and our beautiful niece Summer!!

Sam and Nephi!

Sam and Spencer!

Me and my cuddle buddy Nephi!

Needless to say we left San Diego wayyy more baby hungry! (or at least I did... haha) We cannot wait til the next time we get to visit their family again!!

Next up: our trip to SeaWorld

Brotherly Love

2010-03-31T13:59:00.000-07:00

Ohhh good times. The pictures say it all. All I know is I was laughing REALLY hard while all this was going on. Gotta love slapping fights with brothers. Pretty darn entertaining!

One of my favorites...Love Emily napping while all this is going on!

Grandma Walton's Funeral

2010-03-30T13:32:00.001-07:00

This was a really tough day for our whole family. One of the many WONDERFUL things our grandparents gave us, was a very close extended family. All growing up we had Sunday dinners at Grandma and Grandpa Walton's house with all of our cousins. Great Grandma and Grandpa Dahlin would come sometimes, too. It has been an amazing thing to be so close.

Growing up, I thought that was completely normal. I thought that everyone had their cousins live within 8 miles of them. I love that funerals, though such sad days, bring families back together. I also love that facebook and blogs help me keep up with my cousins' lives. I'm so grateful to have such a wonderful family. Here are a few pictures of the day:

Our family, sans spouses

Two of my beautiful cousins--Jessica and Courtney--and me

Our aunts and uncles, sans Uncle Chuck (He is currently a mission president in Portugal.)

All of the cousins!

The girls!

The boys! (Man, there really are a LOT more Walton boys than girls!)

Heart Attacking With The Young Women

2010-03-18T22:17:00.000-07:00

For those of you who don't know, I now have the incredible opportunity to be in the Young Women's presidency. I am the 2nd counselor, so I am over the Beehives. Also, Sam is the 2nd counselor in the Young Men's presidency! So its been a lot of fun lately! We both absolutely love working with the youth. I couldn't imagine better callings for us right now.

This year, we decided to heart attack our incoming Beehives. So much fun! LOVE these girls!

(Hehe and the hearts are courtesy of my new vinyl cutter!! SOOO EASY!)

Christmas Morning!

2010-03-18T22:05:00.001-07:00

(I know I know crazy late...but I'm almost caught up!!)

Santa came!!

Our stockings were hung by the dvds with care

With hopes that a vinyl cutter soon will be here! (yay for my new silhouette)

Sam and his beautiful new golf clubs!!

Merry Christmas To All And To All A Good Night!

Our Christmas Eve Dinner

2010-03-02T18:10:00.000-08:00

Sam and I finally used our china for the first time! I can't remember everything we ate, but I do remember that we foolishly decided to have steak on our china... hehe I had us cut it on separate plates before. I reminded myself of Monica from Friends when they use their china for Thanksgiving dinner.

"In fact I think that everyone should cut their food like this." (Monica holds a turkey leg up in the air over the plate trying to cut meat off with a knife) "Now see, this way you protect the plate... and lets face it, you have fun!" hehe. Isn't it beautiful though??

Thank you to all of you who gave us our beautiful fancy dinnerware!! hehe.

Christmas Eve Eve Celebration

2010-03-02T17:58:00.001-08:00

We have a little bit of a different tradition in the Walton family since siblings have gotten married. We always have a Christmas Eve Eve celebration, so we never have to fight for Christmas Eve. There have been talent shows, Nativities, Romanian brothers gymnastics, etc... but this Nativity was problem the most extensive costume-wise! We usually like to have the Nativity be just the grandkids, but this year the only family with kids was Chris and Jamie's. So Brian and Kate played Mary and Joseph, and Sean of course played baby Jesus. (Pretty big for a "newborn!") Jeremy, Mike, and Jason played the wise guys. Sam and I played the part of shepherds, Krista and Maria were angels, Stephanie was in charge of our wonderful costumes, and Jamie directed! Lots of giggles throughout this experience, but Brian and Kate took it so seriously!!

Jeremy with his myrrh

Sam and Brian with their weird wigs.

Maria and Krista!

Oh my goodness. Sean is so stinking cute!!

The sister in laws that were there that night (missing Emily and Melissa) and mom

Such a fun night! I love my family!!!

Christmas Decorating

2010-02-25T12:23:00.000-08:00

One of my most favorite things in the world to do is decorate for Christmas! Sigh... I love the smell of Christmas trees, I love vintage and new ornaments, I love buying decorations, and I love making new decorations! Sigh...

Sam already fulfilling his role of daddy by putting a star on our tree. This is a new tradition for me as our family Christmas tree never had a tree topper! We used to buy trees so tall that we would end up cutting off the top (which I got to use for my play house Christmas tree) so that we could hang the tree from the ceiling.

Love going shopping with my mom to buy new decorations! All of these are courtesy of her!! Thank you mom! I am absolutely in love with our new nativity! She knows our style well! Gorgeous!

Us with our tree during our family progressive "lights on" dinner. We go to each others' houses to have a treat and see their cute decorations! A new favorite tradition!

....and yes I know Christmas passed awhile ago, but I am trying to catch up! And hey only 10 more months right??

Traditional Cable Car Ride

2010-02-23T16:48:00.001-08:00

One of my favorite things to do around Christmas time is to go up to San Francisco and carol on the cable cars with my family. We didn't get to go last year, so it was definitely fun to ride the cable cars together with Sam!

Anniversary in Half Moon Bay

2010-02-23T16:21:00.001-08:00

Sam and I got to celebrate our anniversary (Thanksgiving weekend) up at Half Moon Bay! We stayed at this incredible hotel, The Ritz-Carlton Half Moon Bay. It was the first hotel I have been to that seriously deserved its incredible ratings. On arrival they had amazing banana bread and apple cider for us. The SOFTEST robes and towels I have ever felt, etc etc! Plus it was my first time ordering room service. It was so great to spend the day there in Half Moon Bay, it is such a gorgeous place!

SOO beautiful! That's our hotel in the background!

Mmm Sees and Jewelry...yes my husband knows me well! haha

Thought it was so funny to see a Book of Mormon in a non-Utah hotel!

We danced in this gazebo to our song...sigh. I love my husband.

The cake place we used for our wedding (Sweet Passions Bakery) gave us a free cake top for our one year anniversary, so we didn't have to freeze it! Delicious banana cake!

What an incredible first year of marriage. Here is to a great second year!

Christmas Tree Hunting

2010-02-18T20:02:00.000-08:00

The traditional family christmas tree race!

My Mom with Brian and Kate

Our beautiful Christmas tree!

Yes, he is just that strong!

Turkey Bowl

2010-02-18T19:59:00.000-08:00

The traditional Walton Family Turkey Bowl was held again this year. It was Sam's first time participating, since it was 2 days before our wedding last year!

Bradford and Catherine's Wedding

2010-02-18T19:53:00.000-08:00

Sam and I had the wonderful opportunity to go to Bradford and Catherine's wedding. Sam was a groomsmen in the wedding party. Man I love weddings! I love being able to dance with my husband! Brad and Catherine are such a beautiful couple! Congrats!!

France Day 6

2010-02-18T18:55:00.000-08:00

On our last full day in France, we actually slept in pretty late. Sam was feeling really sick with a cold, and I was starting to get one. After the delay we headed to Paris anyway all bundled up in warm clothes! We went and saw the Musee Rodin. We walked around the grounds looking at all of his incredible statues.

The Thinker

We tried going to see Napoleon's tomb, but it was closed. Sam was pretty bummed, but we still took pictures! hehe.

Sam's newly beloved "Ponce" pose

We went to a few souvenir shops and Sam bought me a DARLING red and black purse and some other trinkets.

After, we went to the Eiffel tower again at night to enjoy the sparkling of the tower. We sat underneath and ate some delicious French pastries! As we were basking in our love, these guys kept coming up to us with mini eiffel towers (we already bought like 6 from the souvenir shop). It was hilarious, they were like drug dealers! They kept coming up all slyly asking if we wanted any. As we were walking away... Sam kind of kicked a pigeon that got a little too close. hehe. I think it was on accident...? ("Not a chance." - Sam)

And that sums up our last night in Europe. Sad day for the Lentz family! And yes, I am finally done blogging our trip!

France Day 5

2010-02-18T18:24:00.000-08:00

We went to the Arc de Triomphe, which was really cool to see. We walked up these circular steps all the way to the top... yea, I was gasping for breath by the time we got up to the top and had to use my inhaler... haha. I'm pathetic, I know. As we were going to walk down again, we saw this elevator. So we just hopped in. The attendant told us that we couldn't go in because it was only for handicapped people, so I whipped out my inhaler and tried to tell him in French that I needed to and he actually let us! I was so stinking excited!

(And yes it kept going and going and going!!)

Next we went to Notre Dame. We had a wonderful time there. It was extra special for me thinking that that was one of my Grandpa Walton's favorite places to go!

The next stop was going to be the Musee D'orsay, which has a lot of impressionist work (Monet, Renoir, Manet, Van Gogh, etc), but we got off on the wrong Metro stop. We were already closer to the Louvre, and it was pouring rain. So rather than walking to the Musee D'Orsay, we just stayed at the Louvre. There was so much to see there, it actually worked out fine. It was so cool to see so many paintings and statues I have learned about my whole life.

France Day 4

2010-02-18T16:59:00.000-08:00

Our main thing on Tuesday was going to the Chateau De Versailles. Sam had been there before, but it was my first time and I loved it. First of all, they have SO much damask in the Chateau! I was in love with it! We waited outside in the rain for awhile to get tickets and these guys started to drive Sam nuts with their smoking and umbrellas.

This one guy kept poking Sam with his umbrella (which is why I am not allowed to carry an umbrella around him... I have almost poked him in the eye too many times.... haha) ...so anyways he was already a little annoyed going into the line to get our headsets. Then this man behind us kept trying to sidle up in front of us. Then as we were waiting for a desk to open, he jumped the gun and took our spot, pushing us in the process! We then had to wait a while, because there was family that wasn't really getting headset concept. As we were leaving the line, Sam "accidentally" gave him a little bump and he turned around and started SCREAMING at Sam in broken English. Everyone in the whole palace entryway started staring at him. Sam chuckled and calmly insisted that the man should take the spot in line because it was obviously very important to him. "It is a gift from me to you." Then as we walked away he kept screaming "WHAT IS YOUR PROBLEM?! WHAT IS YOUR PROBLEM?!"

We finally got past the annoyance of the crazy European man, and started to enjoy the incredibly lavish palace. I can't even describe how beautiful it was so I'll just post pictures.

Sam posing with his ancestor Charlemagne

The palace grounds...

Marie Antoinette's Petite Trianon...

More of the grounds...

After visiting the Chateau, we went to Gordon Ramsay's restaurant in our hotel: Gordon Ramsay Au Trianon. We got in and both decided to each order an appetizer--the least expensive things on the menu, still starting around 40 Euros--but we got WAY more than we bargained for. First of all the waiter kept coming by with different types of bread for us to try. And for the butter they had this cool butter and pepper tower! While we were eating our bread, they came and put these weird silver spikey things. We tried to figure out what to do with them for about 15 minutes until they came and turned them over and put some buttery cod mousse with mini breadsticks. Then they brought out a platter of beef tartar (think raw meat popsicles with wasabi, not tartar sauce). I ate one that Sam wouldn't try (that should have told me something), and he, in turn, tried one that I wouldn't try.

Then they brought out our meals--braised pork and lobster ravioli--which were both delicious! Later they brought out this INCREDIBLE sorbet that was mint with pineapple and green apple chunks... sounds weird but sooo good. Then they brought us these things that look like Ferrero Rocher candies but they actually ice cream. They brought them out in this container with dry ice that filled our whole table with a mini cloud of fog! THEN they brought by a candy cart! We could pick out any of these delectable homemade goodies to eat. Then the waiter came with our check and gave us this gift bag filled with a really good loaf of lemon bread. So, to sum up, we got 7 courses even though we only ordered appetizers!! How cool is that? Good work Gordie!

France Day 3

2010-02-18T14:43:00.000-08:00

Ok, so this is going to be done in bullet point format--there is just too much to cover for this day! And I am so behind on blogging!

Bike tour through Paris (again, best way to tour a city!)
- Eiffel Tower
- Montparnasse Tower
- No rain on the bike tour! (We were blessed in London to have no rain, but it rained about the whole time in France.)
- Napoleon's tomb
- Dome Church (one of Sam's favorite landmarks--an icon for the French revolution)

- Invalides
- Musee D'Orsay
- Alexander III bridge and the discotheque beneath it (Did you know they actually use that word? I always figured it was just our high school French and Spanish books from the 80s. ¿Dónde está la discoteca?)
- Ecole Militaire

- National Assembly
- Place de la Concorde
- Luxor Oblisque

End of bike tour... now the rest of our journeys of the day:

- Shopping on the Champs Elysee
- We went to the view points at Montparnasse Tower and saw the Eiffel tower looking gorgeous at night. There was a little tourist attraction to take a picture in front of a green screen (then they would set the backdrop as a view of Paris), but Sam was wearing a green shirt and apparently it was close enough to the same color that the picture was pretty funky. It seemed like an inconvenience at the time, but now we seriously regret not getting it. Hindsight's 20/20.

- Dinner at Montparnasse Tower (For those of you who don't know, this is the only skyscraper in Paris. After they built it, everyone hated it and thought that the Eiffel Tower should always be the centerpiece of Paris). We got to watch the tower sparkle while we ate!

- At dinner Sam ordered escargot (snails) and made me try it. It was my first and last time eating it--that is for sure. I had the oddest lasagna that was primarily made of cabbage and carrots. (I think Maria would have loved it! hehe) We had an incredible view of the Eiffel Tower during dinner.

France Day 2

2010-02-18T14:17:00.000-08:00

The Versailles Ward was completely in French. We got to wear these headphones that looked like black olives and a missionary translated for us and the other English speakers. It was pretty entertaining! I was really surprised at how big the ward was. I was expecting the Versailles ward to be more of a branch.

We then went to the laundromat. (I know, I know laundry on a Sunday--but we were desperate and traveling!) As we were doing our laundry, it started to sprinkle outside. I suggested we call a cab to take us back to our hotel, but Sam insisted that we would be fine. ("I'm such an idiot." - Sam now thinking introspectively) By the time we started walking it was pouring. Sam put his coat on over our laundry bag, so there he was in the POURING rain walking in his church dress shirt down the streets of Versailles. It was about a mile away. By the time we got back, we were both wet and miserable, and sure enough Sam agreed that we should have called a cab... hehe. He started to catch a cold the next day too... no bueno! (Brittany, I'm pretty sure that's Spanish.)

When we got back to our hotel, we found out all the elevators in our building weren't working--along with our room phone. So Sam worked his magic and got us upgraded to the other building, which was SO incredibly nice. I had never even stepped into a hotel that was that chic! Plus the view from our new room looked directly into the Chateau Versailles' gardens! Lots of little sheep to look at all day! So gorgeous... wow.

Finally, we went down to the pool and steam room. I soon realized that steam rooms do not mix well with my asthma!

Some photos of our hotel:

(Not gonna lie I thought these padded walls on the elevator were awesome!)

The view from our hotel room looking out in the gardens of the chateau:

First Day in France

2010-02-18T14:05:00.000-08:00

We took the Eurostar train from London to Paris REALLY early in the morning. We took a cab from Paris to AMAZING Versailles. The drive was beautiful! I was trying really hard to conjure up any French I remembered from high school, and realized it was not going to get me very far at all. We got to our hotel and headed straight to bed for a nap.

When we woke up in the late afternoon, we walked through the streets of Versailles, which were absolutely gorgeous. We stopped at the Quick Burger (which I definitely remember talking about in high school French class), then went to a bakery and picked up the best loaf of bread I have ever had, as well as some desserts that were to die for. Sigh... I miss their bread.

(The pathway we walked everyday into town!)

Old Lentz Family Films (no sound)

2010-01-18T19:01:00.000-08:00

A few years ago, my mom (Eileen Lentz) had our family's old Super 8 film reels put on DVD so that we could all watch them. Because they were Super 8 reels, of course, there is no sound, and the quality going from Super 8 to DVD to iTunes to YouTube isn't incredible. It's better than nothing, though! At some point, I'll have to have my parents narrate the videos so that I know who everyone is.

These videos probably don't mean anything to anyone outside our immediate family, but I thought I'd embed the playlist below just in case.

Kudos to Brittany for documenting the UK portion of our trip. She did a great job, and I think the France travelogue is on its way soon.

Last Day in London (Day 8)

2010-01-14T12:55:00.000-08:00

We decided to take a bus tour up to Warwick Castle, Stratford-Upon-Avon, through the Cotswalds, and over to Oxford.

First stop was Warwick Castle. For those of you who haven't been there, it is a castle that is fully put together and furnished. My parents suggested we go here first before going to castle ruins, so we could see what they should look like. We had a lot of fun here! It was a tad overdone for Halloween, but it was definitely cool to see the castle. I think Sam's favorite part was definitely the Trebuchet. Warwick castle actually has the world's largest trebuchet! It was pretty cool. Because it was Halloween, they launched a pumpkin in it! It went pretty far!!

We toured the whole castle, except for the dungeon. Sam really wanted to go down and see all the torture implements, but that REALLY creeps me out. So he skipped it for me!

Next our bus headed to Stratford-Upon-Avon, which is Shakespeare's birthplace. We toured the home he grew up in then went to the park to have lunch. Sam and I had a few pasties (not to be confused with pastries). Pasties are definitely one of our favorite English foods! I think I am going to make them one of these days. If you've never had a pasty, they are DELICIOUS!! We had fun watching ducks take bread from people, then we started noticing a few seagulls posing as ducks so people would feed them too! It was pretty entertaining!

After leaving Stratford, our bus headed through the Cotswalds. I am in LOVE with those houses! We then arrived at Oxford College.

We toured a few of the different colleges, which was really interesting! SUCH a beautiful campus! It's been fun since then to notice the campus in some movies such as Golden Compass and the Harry Potters!

After finishing the bus tour, we had a pasta and salad buffet at our hotel. It was a monumental occasion for us, because it was the first time that salad was Sam's favorite part of the meal!

London Day 7

2009-12-15T12:33:00.001-08:00

Thursday was a busy day! First we went back to the Tower of London to take a tour. I was really dreading coming here, because I thought it would be all about torture implements... but that was definitely not the case! It was pretty cool! I think Sam figured out what he is going to be when he grows up... a beefeater. haha.

One of the beef-eaters took us on a quick tour of the castle. We ended up at the Tower of London Church. Apparently there is a step coming out of the church that people tend to trip on, and he joked to the crowd saying that he would catch the girls who fell. Sam and I were hanging out a little longer in the church seeing the tombs that were still in there (including Anne Boleyn and Catherine Howard). We were the last to leave the church, and as we were passing the dubious stair, the beef eater kind of hugged me and whispered, "You should have fallen." Hehe. Sam and I laughed pretty hard, it was a tad creepy, but funny nonetheless!

ANYWAY... Sam and I split up for a bit to divide and conquer. He went down to the dungeon, and I went to view the crown jewels! Sam was a little disappointed because they didn't have many torture implements down there to see. The crown jewels were beautiful! I really wanted to get a replica from the gift shop, but they were ridiculously expensive!

We then went to see the Henry the VIII: Dressed to Kill. It was pretty cool to see all his suits of armor. They were actually his! Isn't it awesome that we still have his armor and weapons?! We were laughing pretty hard because a few of his suits of armor were VERY anatomically "correct"/generous. A tad awkward!

(This photo was actually in the gift shop. We weren't allowed to take photos in the Henry VIII exhibit! But trust me, it was cool!)

Afterward, we went to the Tower Bridge. We had fun walking all the way up and across the bridge! It was pretty cool to be up over the Thames like that!

(The walkway across the Tower Bridge)

Next we headed over to the British Museum--which has NOT lost its charm. We saw SO many amazing artifacts. Did you know they actually have the remains of the Parthenon there?! We got to see the Rosetta Stone as well as those cool Easter Island guys! And of course lots of cool mummies.

(reenacting our Easter Island pic at the PCC in Hawaii!!)

Sam might have more to say on these subjects. I was pretty dead by the end of the day! hehe. But all in all a very productive day!

So I have more pictures of the British museum... but I think they are all on Sam's computer! So we will probably be adding more pictures to this post!

London Day 6

2009-12-07T17:45:00.000-08:00

Wednesday morning we took the bus over to the London Eye. We got a banana covered in chocolate and sprinkles as we waited in line... which I didn't think was very good, but Sam sure seemed to enjoy it. The line was pretty long to get up there, but once we got in the pod, it was worth it! So cool to see the city like that! It would have been much more romantic if there weren't 20 more people in there, but at least we had someone to take our picture!

After the London Eye, we took a ferry down the River Thames. It was pretty fun! We stopped at the Tower of London and the Tower Bridge, but decided to come back another day when we had more time to look around as it was already pretty late in the day.

Confession: Prior to visiting London, we were both in the vast majority of people that mistake the Tower Bridge for the London Bridge--which is actually a pretty ordinary bridge just west of the Tower Bridge. For hundreds of years, London only had one bridge crossing the Thames at any given time. As one would was destroyed, another one was built. Whatever bridge was in place at the time was referred to as "London Bridge."

(I saw this Ben and Jerry's vending machine while we were waiting for the Ferry. It made me happy! haha)

We took the ferry all the way to Greenwich. Don't make fun of me, but for some reason I always thought Greenwich was in Switzerland... not sure why. Haha. So it was a surprise to me we could go there! We actually got there after the Observatory was closed, but we still got to see the huge green laser that shows the path of the prime meridian. It was pretty awesome! I think my favorite part was when I asked Sam what time it was when we were walking back to the river. He said it was probably about 9:30 or so. Then we saw a clock and it was only 5! It was quite dark outside!

We then went back to Canary Wharf where we got to see one of the KPMG offices (the company Sam works for) at One Canada Square. Though it is soon to be surpassed, it is currently the tallest building in the entire United Kingdom. Canary Wharf also has some great shopping. Man I LOVED the shops in London!

One Canada Square is the one in the middle with the point on the top.

London Day 5

2009-12-07T17:23:00.000-08:00

(The walking trail from the train station to the temple)

On Tuesday, Sam and I had the incredible opportunity to go to the London (LDS) Temple. It was such an incredible train ride out. We loved getting to see the English countryside. The next time we go, we will definitely spend more time out of the city! It was a pretty good walk from the train station to the temple. We walked most of the way, and had fun going through people's backyards on the walking trails! We ended up catching a cab, when our feet started to hurt a bit! I also ate at the temple cafeteria for the first time ever. I was pleasantly surprised! The food was amazing!!

We went to the temple to do some sealings, and we very nearly ended up in a French temple wedding! The temple worker thought we were with their group, so they ushered us into the room. We were some of the first ones there, so we didn't even realize anything was amiss until the room was completely filled, and we were the only ones not speaking French! Everyone there probably thought we "must be from the other side of the family." After some reverent chuckles between us, we quietly made our exit before the happy couple arrived.

We loved this tudor-style house on the temple grounds. Does anyone know if this is the London South Mission home?

We had such a wonderful experience here! I just love visiting the different temples when we travel! It makes our memories of our trip that much more special to us. After catching a ride back to the train station from two sweet temple-goers, we took the train back to the city.

That night we headed to the west end to see Jersey Boys (for real this time)!!! We got to our seats and realized they were literally the best seats in the house! We were just a few rows back from the stage so we could see everything, and directly in the middle. Right in front of us sat Tom Chambers (not Tom Chambers) who was in a few British shows and won Strictly Come Dancing (which is the UK's version of Dancing With The Stars). We got his autograph...hehe. Also next to us was apparently a very famous British actress, but we never figured out who it was! We were in the "celebrity" section! Pretty fun! haha.

If anyone has the opportunity to see Jersey Boys we highly recommend it! It was such an incredible show! Sam and I are still singing the songs. For those of you who don't know, it is the story of the Frankie Valli & Four Seasons. All of the songs in the show were their songs! It was the first musical in which Sam actually loved the songs!

All in all, one of my favorite days in England!

London Day 4

2009-12-01T16:49:00.000-08:00

(Royal Albert Hall)

On Monday, we went for a bike tour of the city. Such an awesome way to see the city, and your feet don't hurt at the end of the day!

Our tour took us through all of the gorgeous royal parks. Fun fact: Did you know it is illegal to kill a swan in England? They are all owned by the queen!

I could spend so much time just walking around those parks! Can't wait to go back and have a picnic!(Hyde Park Corner)

While riding over to Buckingham Palace, we saw a motorcade approaching. We got a look at the car right next to us and it was actually the queen!! How cool is that? I was pretty excited about it. If you blow up the picture below and zoom in you can see her silhouette. It's a little like digging for buried treasure, so you'd better give it a shot.
We were a little disappointed that they didn't have the traditional palace guards in front of Buckingham. They just had soldiers there in normal uniforms.... sigh...

We saw pretty much everything there was to see in London on our bikes including (but not limited to) Hyde Park Corner, Westminster Abbey, Parliament (and heard some DISGUSTING torture stories here), Princess Di Memorial, Trafalgar Square, and The National Gallery. Such an exhausting, but fun day!!(Princess Di's Memorial)

(Westminster Abbey)

London Day 3

2009-12-01T11:04:00.000-08:00

(right outside the Church)

Sunday in London!!

We had so much fun going to church in London! We went to the Hyde Park Ward, which is actually my sister-in-law Maria's old ward! Pretty fun! There was a seriously cute little boy in the pew in front of us! He reminded me of one of the little hobbit children from Lord of the Rings--from the smile, down to the curly locks! hehe. So fun!

The V&A is basically next door to the church, and we had high hopes of going, but we were both so tired. So, we went back to our hotel and took a nap!

We went to the restaurant in our hotel for dinner that night called Chino Latino. It was quite good! We had ribs, so they brought this cool bowl of lemon water for us to cleanse our hands in. Luckily, the server instructed us what it was for, because neither of us had a clue why it was put there on the table. That said, it worked brilliantly. I think we need to start doing that at my dad's house when he makes his amazing (and messy!) beef ribs.

London Day 2

2009-11-30T13:21:00.000-08:00

I was so excited for this day to come! Sam planned most of the trip, but this was one thing I was insistent on--antiquing at Portobello Road! I know that probably sounds weird, but man, I was excited! Portobello Road is just past Notting Hill Gate. For those of you who have seen the movie "Notting Hill" (and who hasn't?), that is the street just in front of his book shop and the market he walks by all the time.

We saw soo many beautiful things! Gorgeous chandeliers, candelabra (...are you a candle-a-bra?? Think Amazing Race.), amazing vintage costume jewelry, silver tea sets... oh man, I was in heaven! After a few hours of walking down the amazing stretch of the market, we finally settled on an amazing silver candelabra! It is a smaller version of one my parents got from England that I have always been in love with!

After walking along Portobello Road, we headed over to Oxford Street for some more shopping! It was so overwhelming!! We had no idea where to start. We of course headed over to H&M, as well as Top Shop, Selfridges, and Accessorize... all stores I am now in love with! Then we headed over to Harrod's. We so wish we had more time to spend in Harrod's, but we got some cool Christmas decorations!

After finishing up at Harrod's we had to rush over to the Prince Edward Theater in the West End to see Jersey Boys! We got turned around a few times after getting off the tube, and got a few conflicting sets of directions, but finally got to the theater about 5 minutes late. We thought we'd be ok, but they said they couldn't find our tickets! We were so upset! Sam pulled out his phone to show the email confirmation of the ticket purchase, and they pointed out that the tickets were for the night before! We couldn't believe it! We were both so exhausted and frustrated, Sam just collapsed from mental exhaustion in the middle of the lobby! The people who worked there felt so bad for us they offered us AMAZING seats for the Tuesday showing for a really good price! So off we went feeling a bit better about ourselves.

Next we had plans to go to the Franz Ferdinand concert later that night at the O2 Academy in Brixton. Sam had already purchased tickets for that, as well. Unfortunately, when we got there we were met with even more frustration. The clerk at Will Call was being very difficult, and wouldn't even talk to us half the time. Finally, we figured out that our credit card company cancelled our tickets without telling us! (Apparently lightning DOES strike twice.) They thought someone had stolen our credit card! How ridiculous is that?! But this time we were still able to get tickets for that night at the box office. We had so much fun at the concert! They really put on a great show!

London Day 1

2009-11-30T11:57:00.000-08:00

First of all, Sam had about 2 weeks in London before I came, and he will blog about those later. So the next few posts will be about our trip in London together!

Have any of you ever flown Air New Zealand? It is a phenomenal airline if I do say so myself! Big fan! I had the whole row to myself, so I got to do some serious napping!

After touching down in London, I was anxiously awaiting seeing my sweet husby! I found him waiting for me with a sign and an old man's cap! hehe. What a cutie!!! We had one of our ridiculously public and romantic airport reunion scenes... my favorite!

Sam had to go back to work after picking me up from the airport, and I had high hopes of going down to Oxford Street and shopping.... yea, that definitely did not happen. I crashed on the bed for a few hours and slept through my alarm! I had to meet Sam at his office to go out to dinner with his coworkers, so I had to hop on a few buses and finally got there! I LOVED meeting Sam's British coworkers! Such fun and sweet people! We went to a pub and hung out for a bit before heading to an "ordinary" part of town for great Indian food! It was my first time having real Indian food, and for those of you who REALLY know me it was a big accomplishment... haha. I gotta say, not a fan of kebabs!

Sorry no pictures of Day 1!

London and Paris

2009-10-22T00:11:00.000-07:00

I am leaving for London tomorrow morning to meet Sam! We will be there for a week, then Paris for a week! Hooray! There will be fabulous European posts in a few weeks!!

New Favorite Picture of Sam

2009-10-14T00:17:00.000-07:00

Hehe couldn't resist posting this! You just can't help but smile while looking at it! That is Sam with Sam the dog (his brother's mini schnauzer). SO cute. Sam and Sam bonded quite well on our Utah visit!
Sam around puppies...possibly one of my favorite things!

WoW! What a day...

2009-10-14T00:11:00.000-07:00

Man everything goes wrong when your hubby goes out of town doesn't it? Today just seemed non-stop! I can't believe I was so excited for the rain to start!! Haha.

Rain is not so fun when you manage an apartment complex aparrently! Apartments flooding, hallways flooding, parking lot flooding, slippery stairs, slugs (ok that was just me that was creeped out by that I think...haha), etc...The lights were flickering all day. SOOO nervous they were going to go out. Normally I love it when the power goes out...NOT when Sam is out of town though! Half of Los Gatos was out...so I am seriously glad it didn't hit us! I don't know what I would do without lights and a TV with him gone. haha. But alls well that ends well I suppose.

Anyone else enjoy the storm as much as me? I suppose I should count my blessings because at least we didn't have any major tree branch problems! I hear that was a big thing today! Can't wait for Sammy to be home!

Heading To Europe!

2009-10-08T08:30:00.000-07:00

The Lentz family is heading on our European Adventure! Hopefully we will fair better than the Griswold's! (Btw did you hear they are making a new "vacation" movie?!?!) Sam is heading over to London for work so I am going to meet him there! He is leaving me on Sunday for TWO WEEKS (longest we have been apart since I was in Hawaii...sigh), then I get to meet him in fabulous London! We will be staying about a kilometer away from EVERYTHING in downtown London! So excited to shop on Oxford St. and Portobello Rd...Oh and probably see some cool sights too. haha.

We will stay there for a week then head to...PARIS! We will be staying in this absolutely gorgeous hotel in Versailles. I have been brushing up on my french....haha...We could not be more excited!! Although I have to say I am seriously dreading the two weeks alone....any good craft project ideas????

(and yes I know there are a ridiculous amount of exclamation points in this post, but hey! We are excited!!!)

Paramore and No Doubt Concert!!

2009-09-22T18:41:00.001-07:00

Sam and I got to go up to Shoreline Amphitheater to see Paramore (one of Sam's favorite bands) and No Doubt! It was incredible! We had sooo much fun dancing and singing (not too loud...) along!

Millersburg, Pennsylvania!

2009-09-22T18:26:00.000-07:00

On to Sam's hometown of Millersburg! It is such a cool little town! Definitely the smallest town I have ever spent time in! I think my favorite part was driving "downtown". I saw this guy riding a bike, and as a joke I said, "Hey do you know that guy?" and he said "Yea...he was a really big jerk in high school..". I laughed so hard. I could randomly pick out someone and he actually knew them! Small small town!Sam in front of his elementary school play ground.
His old baseball field!
I LOVED the town square! Such a cute gazebo. Reminded me of Gilmore Girls!! hehe
Sam's old house!!
His high school! Millersburg high represent! haha
Me and Sam with his nana!
Sam, Nana, and Uncle Andy!!
I thought this was so cool! Yes, that is Sam's grandpa! He was a state senator, and implemented this freeway. So awesome!!

And yes this is actually the end of our trip! We had such an amazing time! I'm so glad Sam got to share his old stomping grounds with me!! Thanks babe!

Hershey PA!

2009-09-22T18:10:00.000-07:00

Even though I'm not a huge Hershey Chocolate fan...It is still the chocolate capital of the US! haha so we HAD to make a stop to Hershey's Chocolate World. We had SO much fun here! We took a ride through the "factory", took a chocolate tasting course, and explored the town.

These singing cows were hilarious! "Hershey's chocolate, hershey's chocolate, hershey's chocolate world!"

These street lights were awesome! Such a cool little town!

Lavish Lancaster!

2009-09-22T17:51:00.000-07:00

Ok...so this town is definitely not lavish...but hey its alliteration! We had SO much fun here, and not just because our hotel was super close to 2 fantastic outlet malls! For those of you who don't know, this is the heart of Amish country! Sam grew up about an hour and a half from here...that explains a lot...haha. A few pictures of our stay there:

I know I know we are so immature...but it made us laugh.
#1 Greatest Sign All Time!

SOOO beautiful!!
Buggy!

Philadelphia, PA

2009-09-22T17:27:00.000-07:00

Still trying to catch up on posts from our trip before our next big one!

Our next stop was Philly! We had a great time seeing the sights!

Liberty Bell!

So I kind of fell in love with this little house! Loved the red shutters and red door!
Supposedly these are the best cheesesteaks in Philly...not quite sure if I agree on that (I personally prefer my dads) but Sam loved his!

Outrageous Ocean City Beach, Maryland

2009-08-21T00:40:00.000-07:00

Our next stop (yes this was a jam packed trip so I am breaking it down into days/cities) was Ocean City Maryland! It was fantastic!! We drove a about 3 hours (from the DC Temple) and got there about midnight. We were so excited to get to our romantic beach hotel, walked up to the room, and saw 2 twin beds....awesome. Sam was so bitter, and spent about an hour and a half on the phone with hotels.com and the hotel management...not so fun. And no we couldn't push the beds together...they were bolted where they were! So yes, because I can't sleep alone anymore, we slept in a twin bed together. Haha I woke up so refreshed and slept so well, and Sam had a pretty horrible sleep. Love the difference between men and women haha! We hung out at the beach in the morning! It was my first time in the Atlantic Ocean!

I always like writing our names in the sand at the beach. I just think it is fun!

We laughed pretty hard at that street sign! Sam made me pose with it! hehe!

My Heaven on Earth right here. Not only was I engulfed in all of this delectable candy, but the colors in there were spectacular. Bright pretty colors can cheer me up no matter what. Loved this store!! We got some really good salt water taffy here!

We had a terrific time walking up and down the Ocean City Boardwalk. LOTS of people watching which I always love. That picture is of the boardwalk from the pier. It was pretty long if you can tell!

Sam eating some Dip n' Dots...there are the ice cream of the future you know. Although I think they have had that title for a long time now...is it not the future yet??