Hike in Elfin Forest

Now, I'm sure from the title of this entry you are thinking, Did they hike through a forest with elves?

Sorry to disappoint, but there were no elf sightings on our hike. There was, however, a unicycle sighting...in fact there were 8!!! That's right, halfway up the mountain we witnessed not one-not two-but eight men on unicycles riding down the mountain! Mind you this is not a hike through the hill country of Texas, but up a steep, rocky mountain in the middle of several little mountains surrounding Lake Hodges. At the peak of the mountain we could see Lake Hodges and the surroundings in all its beauty! Thank goodness the water was too cold for swimming as we have heard it through the grapevine that there is a monster in the lake named Hodgee!

The more we discover the areas around us we realize how blessed we are to live in this beautiful patch of God's creation...ahh, Southern California...

Nessy Burgers

During our first couple months of married life the budget has been pretty tight. As a result, red meat has been scarce at the Waller house. While this was not that big of a deal for Lisa (she would prefer tofu most days), Bryce has missed the beef. One day, however, on our way back from a garage sale in Fallbrook, we came across Nessy Burgers...

The Loch-Ness Monster is the joint's name-sake, evidenced by the pictures, newspaper clippings, and information about Nessy on the outer windows and walls of the one-room shack. There was no indoor seating, just a couple picnic tables under a tin awning in front of the order window from which you watch the cars pass by on Old Highway 395 while you ate your burger. They also had free pickles and jalapeños--another plus.

Now to the burgers....Well, it was no Chris Madrid's, but it wasn't half bad. Even the Hamburger Princess of San Antonio approved (see smiling photo). In any case, they gave us our red meat fix for awhile and definitely enticed us to come back. I hope, for their sake, that they find some demonstrable proof for the Loch-Ness Monster one day. That would definitely put Nessy Burgers on the map.

The Months of Change...

"Confusion is a word we have invented for an order which is not
understood." Henry Miller

I think this quote probably best describes Bryce and his thoughts of women (in particular, this woman!) after our first three months of marriage! What patience he has demonstrated with me while I sift through the various trials of moving back to America, into a new apartment, and into someone else's daily life...

After transitioning into not only marriage, but a new home and church we are finally semi-settled. We have encountered so much change in the past 3 months, and though there were times we both felt discomfort, our marriage is so much stronger now as a result. Praise God that He continues to transform us (in our case, through transition) into the likeness of Him!

Aristotle once said, "Change in all things is sweet." I couldn't agree more. We are finally in a place where the change has dissapated and the wonderful, fun part of "newlywedness" has set in to the Waller household. Sometimes I look at Bryce when he isn't watching and think to myself, "Am I really married to this man?" It is the biggest blessing the Lord has given me-this man named Michael Bryce Waller.

As Christmas draws nearer and we enter the holiday season we continue to celebrate new changes and new "firsts" as a married couple- our first Christmas tree, our first trip home for the holidays together...It is indeed a blessed time for us and we are constantly grateful most of all for God's gift to us in his Son Jesus Christ, our amazing Savior, the reason we celebrate this season.

Below are several pictures of the our past few months of change...








our new apartment!





our first Halloween and Christmas tree, and what B will look like after finals!

Saturday in Julian

This past Saturday we drove out to Julian (or up to Julian I should say!) to get a taste of true Christmas weather. Mountains, cold, hot apple cider, warm apple pie and an adorable town adorned with Christmas lights and all the fixin's! It was great to be in the cold for awhile and enjoy each other during the holidays...

"It was one of those March days when the sun shines hot and the wind blows cold: when it is summer in the light, and winter in the shade."
-Charles Dickens

(Dickens summarizes well what winter is like in Southern California...or what Bryce likes to call
"the land of eternal sunshine.")

Waller's First Thanksgiving

This year was our first Thanksgiving together and we were blessed to have my parents and brother celebrate with us. From dining in San Diego, strolling along the boardwalks at Mission and Solana Beach to sitting by the water in La Jolla we had such an amazing time.



Our favorite time, however, was simply being together as a new family within the walls of our new apartment. Bryce started prepping the turkey early and we popped it (albeit upside down) in the oven before going to a wonderful Thanksgiving service at church. We heard many share of what they were thankful for, most significantly the Lord God, the Giver of all good things, and the gift of His Son Jesus.


We sat down to eat in the late afternoon. The turkey was delicious and everyone raved about Bryce's unbelievable upside-down bird! We had great sides to compliment and a bit of pie afterwards. Sadly we burnt the caramel pumpkin pie we had prepared the night before(we are in severe need of Michael Waller's cooking skills for next year...if we got our wish it would be in person!)


But alas, all was well with the Wallers and Madrids despite the lack of pie as we rallied up for a couple of games of Yahtzee to end the wonderful evening. Mom won, of course. When does she not?


We give thanks for a wonderful first Thankgiving together!!