The Cupcake SAGA - pt 3

If you are just stopping in and haven’t read the first two parts of the Cupcake Saga click here for pt 1 and here for pt 2

After leaving Albuquerque and the cupcake blessing, we were pretty excited about this cupcake adventure.  I was still praying and believing for an answer to the Cupcake Wars dilemma, but at this point it was turning in to way more than whether or not I was going to be on the show or not.  I mean when you pray about something for months, feel like God has given you clear direction, then you are obedient to what you feel He is saying, and then it resurfaces months later in a huge way, including random ladies giving you cupcakes, you begin to wonder what is going on!!!

We were on to Phoenix, where we had hotel reservations for the night.  We knew we would be late getting there and we wanted to leave early to head into San Diego, we were really getting excited for the beach at this point.  We had been told, by a friend, about a restaurant in a little, unheard of town, so we decided to stop in and get some of the wonderful food he spoke of.  

OH MY, I am not sure what I was expecting, but not what we found.  It was an old route 66 town, a little speck on the map, but I was still shocked.  This place was not only tiny, but when we entered, it was so run down, it didn’t appear to be too clean, there was only one or two other groups in the whole place, and it was Friday night dinner time.  I really wanted to turn and run, but considering, what looked to be the owner, was sitting right inside the door in a booth AND she saw us and greeted us the minute we entered, it would have been a little awkward.  There wasn’t really anything else around, so saying we were in the wrong place, was out of the question.  Here goes then, a torn up booth in the corner and pray really hard over your food.  Note to self:  Have a long talk with, and never take the advice of the friend with the great dinner idea!!!  We ordered what the waiter said was the most popular and prayed!!!  I have to say though, we were VERY pleasantly surprised, what this placed lacked in charm and appearance, they made up for in food.  It was really good.  We were all stuffed by the time we left, the only negative, they didn’t have cupcakes anywhere in this TINY town!!  During the meal, the waiter told us there was a bad storm coming in and recommended a different highway for us to take.  Apparently the way we had mapped was somewhat dangerous on a good day, the road he preferred would be WAY safer.  Thank you Jesus for protection!!

WITHOUT cupcake in hand, we headed out.  We did find a neat little place - WigWam Motel - Just like The Cozy Cone on the movie Cars.

We traveled lots of twisty roads, in the dark, and I am pretty sure Dan’s right arm was bruised by the time we got out of the mountains from me either PATTING it or grabbing it to say “Slow Down”.  I’m not too big on those two lane mountain highways and this was the safest way, the way with the least curves and hills!!!

We made it to Phoenix, checked in, and crashed.  Up early, breakfast, and hit the road.  We had the first cupcake place of the day picked out.  We didn’t have a lot to pick from because once we left the city and surrounding suburbs, we would be in heavy desert for a LONG time.  We mapped the bakery, and then found out they wouldn’t be opening for a couple of hours, WHAT!?!?!  We were discouraged, but we headed out of town and decided we would google cupcakes all the way to our hotel in California and see what we came up with.  It was quite a ways so we just knew there would be several. Unfortunately, as we drove through the desert, and all the border check points, we didn’t find any cupcakes.  What’s up with that, don’t border patrol officers eat CUPCAKES??  

It was kind of weird driving down the highway with the US on our right and Mexico on our left.  I couldn’t believe it is really just separated with a black fence.  This fence ran beside the highway for miles and miles!!

I really couldn’t believe the randomness of the desert.  Miles and miles of nothing and then a house in the middle of nowhere, why would anyone pick this place to build or “move in” a house?  It would be a day trip just to get groceries and it was 110°.  Dan was sad for them because they obviously couldn’t buy ice cream very often, LOL!!  I thought it strange enough that there would be a random house miles from civilization, but I was really shocked at the Arby’s sitting way out in the desert, no where close to a city or anything else for that matter.

Random houses in the middle of nowhere, and 

these weren't even in the extreme desert parts!!

I loved this one!!  The house was again in the middle of nowhere, but they had built a church on the hill behind the house and it appeared it was only for them!!!

The cactus were huge and everywhere!!

We were driving through the desert and out of nowhere we were in the midst of some major sand dunes with a beautiful blue stream running between the dunes and the highway.

We made it to Del Mar (a small town a few miles from San Diego), and to our hotel.  We checked in and immediately asked how far to the beach!!!  We were told about a half mile up the street we would run into it.  We headed out on foot since we had been in the car for days, we walked and we walked and we walked.  Eventually, I said, did he say half a mile or a mile and a half???  We kept walking, finally we asked a guy directing traffic and he said, “Oh, you are almost there, just keep walking up over that hill and you will be able to SEE it.”  I think this would be the point I realized miles are longer in California!!  The JOY, we finally rounded that corner and could see the ocean, boy were we excited.  

Our first glimpse of the beach!!

Two of my very favorite things, Dan and the ocean!!!

I think this picture is really cool.  I love how you see our complete reflection in the wet sand!!

After a little time on the beach we headed back so we could find something to eat and grab a cupcake at the local cupcake shop we had already mapped!!!  The plan was to return to the hotel long enough to rinse off our sandy feet and head out.  During the rinse off, I dropped my iphone in the tub, thank the Lord it only got splashed since there wasn’t any standing water.  We dried it off, checked it out, and headed to dinner.  California Pizza, YUMMY!!  We were anxious to get to that cupcake shop, we hadn’t had one ALL day.  The great part was it was in the same shopping strip with the restaurant, the bad part was it was CLOSED!!  Okay, all the cupcake doors were closed today!!  Didn’t gain a lot of cupcake competition info today, but I did realize that these bakeries open and close at random times and if they sell out they close instead of making more!!!  Interesting!!

With some minor cupcake withdrawals, we headed to the hotel and to bed.  Unfortunately, when I tried to set the alarm on my phone, it wouldn’t light up anymore, UGH, maybe it got wetter than I thought!!!

Big plans for tomorrow, get my phone fixed, for sure find some cupcakes, and spend time at the beach!!!

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.  And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.  Phil. 4:6-7

More on the cupcake saga at the end of the week.

Don’t forget tomorrow is Why I Count it all Joy Wednesday!!!  Grab my button, make your list, and don’t forget to come back and link up!!!  

Counting it all Joy!!