I got married!!!

Blogspot is now at www.lifewiththesampsons.blogspot.com

Cant wait for my first post!

Three Days in PARIS

So it is my last day in the Netherlands and it has once again been too long since I have updated this thing. My next adventure after Berlin was going to Paris with a couple of girl friends. We had the most amazing time; I dont care who you are Paris IS a magical place. I think the reason it was so good was because the weather was incredible. My favorite time was probably just hanging out in the Tuileries Garden. It was so nice to relax and enjoy the sun around an amazing reflection pond and statues that were placed there in the 1400's. The Arch de Triumph at night was amazing as well because at the top the view of Paris night life was breathtaking. Climbing the Eiffel Tower was a three hour adventure but well worth the wait in line. Catholic Mass in Notre Dame was really interesting too, and the Cathedral is fantastic. It was fun also to go to Moulin Rouge although when I am rich......someday... I want to go to an actual show there! One of the other great things in Paris besides all of the amazing museums and sites was when Clare and I went out for real Fondue. It was so so good and the environment was amazing. The place actually had us drinking wine (coke for me) out of baby bottles. It was hilarious almost as hilarious as the look on the guys face as Clare attempted to explain to the non English speaking owner that I didnt like wine. He was so confused. There were also some slightly interesting unexpected happenings like a middle aged woman on the metro acting out some sort of scene about how her life is so difficult trying to afford somewhere to sleep and something to eat. It was a bit strange but at least she was attempting to entertain than just sitting on her but shaking a can. The metro was constantly full of musical acts and interesting people. That is Europe for you though. Needless to say this was the perfect finale to an amazing three months.

Brandenburg Gate!!!!

So this was obviously my favorite part of Berlin. The Brandenburg Gate was amazing. Trying to visualize what actually happened there just a few decades ago was crazy. It really was amazing and I am glad that we saw it when we did because there weren't that many tourists. I cant tell you how cool it was to actually be there. I think I will win when it comes to the coolest place you have ever kissed someone. You can't beat under the Brandenburg gate. I made Ben walk back at night because I really wanted pictures of it at night. It really is so breath taking. And it was totally worth the walk back, even though I know he wasn't all that enthused about it, but luckily the rain was lite so no big deal

Dont judge... I know I kinda look prego in this picture, but I promise it is just the coat. haha

Random Berlin Stuff

So Berlin was amazing and we had such a good time there. So far it is my favorite European city to visit because there is always so much to do and see.
I don't even feel like we made a dent into what there is to do there. Still, we did get to see a lot.


Berlin Bears are all over the place so this is me with one of them!! Its too bad I couldn't afford to buy one :( Oh well.




I am not sure if you can tell but the walking light up close is an appelman sign that in East Berlin and this street is right along where the wall was so the far side the walking sign is just normal. This was way cool!




Okay okay family I lowered my picky meat eating habits for a second and ate German sausages.... What can I say, it was strictly a cultural thing.

This was a way cool government building I forgot what it is called but it is really famous because the public can walk up this dome and look down on there government at work.

Lastly would be Ben with the worlds biggest rubber ducky! haha we thought it was pretty sweet! Hopefully I'll finish my blogging about Germany before I head off to Paris in 6 days! Woohoo!!

Our little hotel and the Cars of our dreams

So it ended up being cheaper and a whole lot nicer to spend the night in a hotel two of the nights instead of hostels. So this little place was so cute. The beds... Yes two of them... were basically just on the ground and the TV was on what looked like a stool. Furniture was super old and there was a random picture of a cowboy on a horse above the beds, strange. It was the best place though. It had a little kitchen which was nice because we cooked in one night instead of trying to find something cheap else where. It was really like a one bedroom apartment. It was so fun and a lot more relaxed than the hostels we had been staying in. The elevator was a little interesting. As you can see it only fit two people and it looks a bit dodgy but at least it worked. It was the old fashioned ones that you manually open the door when it stops at your floor.

So we went to a Pugeot store in Berlin and it was so awesome. There were lots of car shops like Ferrari, BMW, and Mini Cooper but this is where we both liked cars and were wishing we were millionaires.....maybe someday?? Anyway this is the one Ben liked best.


This is the one I liked best. You cant see it very well but trust me it was sweet!

LEGO at the Sony Center

We actually did a lot more in Munich but I am skipping ahead to Berlin. The first day there we walked around a lot.... wait we did that everyday...anyway one of the places we went to was the Sony Center and right next door was a LEGO store and mini museum. First thing that popped into my head was Trey and Toby would love this. Then I remembered Ben's little obsession with Legos. He's an engineer I guess we will let this slide without too much ridicule. But first I had to take some pics of him next to the lego statues.

Einstein... okay that is kinda cool

This is Ben's I hate being ridiculed face...sorry babe I had to.

This was the last one, and I had to beg him to let me take it. This was the best statue though. It was ginormous! Actually really impressive. I think somewhere deep down he was secretly glad I was taking the pics. Haha, or maybe not but I had fun.

Castles in Fussen

So after our day of being tourists and walking around Munich we went to bed early because the next morning we were going to the Castles in Fussen


This is the Hohenshwangau Castle which means something like High Swan Castle. Swans were definitely the motif in this castle. This was my favorite because it was built truely like a romantic fairytale. It seemed so surreal that Maximilian II actually lived there and it was where Ludwig II grew up. I thought I would like the Sleeping Beauty castle better but this won was a million times better, its a shame its not more famous. This will probably always be my favorite place in the whole world and it was definitely a highlight of our travels



This is Neuschwanstein. Yes the one that Disney modeled Sleeping Beauty's Castle after. It was amazing completely breathtaking from the outside. The inside had rediculous decorations but we couldn't see very much of it because of the 60+ rooms in the castle only about 20 of them were finished and Ludwig died before it was finished so no one has ever really lived there. You could tell the difference in that sense between the two castles; Nueschwanstein felt a little mor like a museum than a castle. Still amazing though. Sorry the picture isn't that great because Ben had the best pics of this castle.


After a long day at the castles we finally got around to eating our lunch around 4:30 when we got on the bus back to Munich. The cheese and bread we got at the station was so so good. I think that is what I am going to miss most about Europe besides my bike of course, the amazing cheese and bread!

Munich in the Morning! Day 1 of Germany

So our first day in Munich we checked into the hostel then took off to see some sights. The first place we went was Konigs Platz (aka Kings Square). According to Ben the Germans are a little obsessed with Greek style buildings so they built some of their government buildings after that style. Now I think they are museums but we didn't go in because they weren't open at 8 in the morning when we were walking around. It was pretty cool though and the art museum Alte Pinakothek (aka old art museum) was really amazing.

Ben doing his best Greek Olympian Pose! HAHA I love it. No one was around and we were having so much fun just playing around

Crazy faces [ and crazy hair ] I didnt have a brush until the last day of our trip so the hair was a bit special, its a good thing Ben loves me anyways, cuz I was hating it. Behind Bens head the sign in German means Women so I had to take a few pics in front of it.

Night Train to Munich!

The very night he got to Europe we caught a night train to Munich! Not much of a break at all, poor Ben. He was beat. The night train was really fun though. If you have to go any sort of distance over about 5 or 6 hours I would recommend the night train it was really the best. The old man sleeping on top of my bunk was completely naked for a good portion of the night and only had his whitey tighty's on for the rest of it. I am glad I was out of the view of that but Ben got a clear shot as he was across from me on the other side. Haha, it made for a good story. These pics are great; the beds were tiny but comfortable and surprisingly long. Awesome night on the train!

Ben in Nijmegen!

So It has been quite a while since I have updated this thing but that is because Ben came to visit and we have been way to busy having the time of our life to blog about it. Now since he is gone I'll start recapping for everyone. Fair warning.... it will take more than a few blogs to update you.
So this was when he arrived in Nijmegen Netherlands! We were both so excited to see each other. When we finally found each other at the train station it was a bit strange. It had been building up for so long that when he got here it was sort of a shock that it was actually happening. We were traveling Europe.... together! It still seems a bit like a dream.

First thing on the To Do list was to have some real Dutchy food. So of course Frits was first. This is really just french fries with a ton of what they call Mayonnaise on top. Its not like our mayonnaise its really like a special frits sauce. I'll bring some home! I tried to talk him into a kroket but unfortunately he had already experienced them and knew to stay away. Instead we got a fresh Stroopwafel from the street markets. You can only get them on Mondays and Saturdays and they are sooo good. Ben had to take 5 bags of them home with him, haha.

6th file, 6th picture

So Tammy tagged me for this and it looked kinda fun.... My sixth folder sixth picture was this one....

I just got this camera for Christmas so that I would be ready for my travels but first I had to test it out with the kids. So in the afternoon we went to Ben and Tammy's to celebrate a little and spend time with the family. Ella got the game Pretty Princess for Christmas so of course I played it with her more than a few times. I loved this game when I was little because what little girl doesn't want to put on pretty princess jewelry and a crown! She was so cute and kept wanting to play over and over again. First thing to do when I get back to Boise is play this game with this little girl that I love so much! I miss you Bella!

I am tagging:
-Kelsey
-Amora
-Candi
-Jana
-Clarissa
-and anyone else who reads my blog

Milan and Lake Como!

It has been way to long since I updated my blog... sorry guys I've been pretty busy! So on the 25 of February I went to Milan Italy to visit Katie and it was so amazing. I took about 250 photos so its hard to decide which one is the best. I guess I'll just put a few up and tell you about my weekend.
The first thing I saw when I stepped out of the metro line was the amazing Duomo. I couldn't believe it was just right there in front of me. It took me completely by surprise. Its crazy to see something so incredible in pictures over and over again then be standing right there in front of it.

So after hanging out at the Duomo for a while Katie came and got me and we had a relaxed night with some awesome Italian pizza. Seriously the crazy American version of pizza is a disgrace comparatively.


The next day she showed me were she goes to school and it is so beautiful! the campus was really really cool; I just love all of the old buildings and awesome architecture.


That night we went out to an awesome club. Everyone stayed there till like six thirty in the morning but in order to do that you had to be at least a little drunk. Needless to say Katie and I called it a night a little early, so we were back by 4.


Next on the to-do's was the Saturday market! it was so great! I was going to allow myself to spend money in Milan because of course its the fashion capital of the world but thanks to the awesome market I came away with tons of stuff and didn't spend the money I was going to allow myself to spend. Plus I think we had way more fun here than we would have at the shopping near the Duomo. My loot was good but I am still jealous of Katie's 3 euro boots...what a steal!


After bring all of your stuff home we went back to the Duomo because they were celebrating Carnival and I just had to get a carnival mask.... Mine aren't as cool as Katie's from Venice but I like them and like her I walked away with two! Haha


The next day was Sunday, my last day, so we decided to go see Italy in a different light than fashion and industry that Milan has become. Lake Como was beautiful but it was foggy and rainy so the pictures really don't do it justice. We had so much fun there, taking crazy pictures, eating alcohol soaked candies(oops), riding the ferry, trespassing on private property, and exploring what seemed to be a ghost town.

I am sad to leave Milan because it was really amazing. In just four days though Ben will be here and I will have another adventure through Austria, Germany, Denmark to report on! I can't wait!!!

For my sister

So I know my picture taking skills are not so good but Candi wanted to see my boots that I bought because she might want me to get her some. They are the best ever! Almost totally flat, and comfortable, and they are really cute...I think. So Sue, let me know! Love ya

Nijmegen Branch

So Dad you wanted me to post some pictures of the Ward members so here are a couple. Sorry I didn't get one of the Branch President and his wife yet but maybe when I go to FHE with them this Monday I will take some.

On the Left is my main translator, he is really good. On the right is Bro. and Sis. Reimer. They are the ones who helped me move into my apartment and told me that I can call them anytime day or night if I have any problems. Bro. Reimer assured me that he sleeps with his cell on. So far I haven't needed it but I can't tell you how it makes me feel to know that he is there for me.

Token picture with the missionaries! They are really awesome guys and they both will be going home in 5 1/2 months and going to school at Utah State and University of Utah. I get to have dinner with them at a ward members house on friday so that will be really nice to hang out with some members for a change.

The Bike Ride Home

Every day I make the ride into town for class except on Wednesdays and Fridays but there is usually a reason for me to go to the City Center on these days as well. So a couple of days ago I was riding back by myself and decided to document my trip back home a little. So get excited...

Approaching the Bridge... the towers are currently under construction

Looking out over the bridge... The cars drive on the bridge you can see here

The train goes on the bridge that I do!

The First site of Lent..quaint don't you think?

Almost there...good and wind blown...Brrrrr!

Home sweet Home. Its kind of trashy but that is because it was originally made for refugees as free housing so naturally not the nicest place


This is my address!
Griftdijk Noord 16 C_215
6663 AC Lent
Netherlands

Just in case you want to send me something...Wink wink, haha