Today is Sunday, a day of rest and relaxation--and we pretty much did that.  Of course, we also watched the SAINTS beat the San Francisco FORTY-NINERS at the Dome.  We also watched LSU beat MS State yesterday.  Looks like our Louisiana teams did alright this weekend.  Yay, LSU and SAINTS!

Bec, Randi, Cade, Carly, and Ciara (a friend of Carly's) arrived yesterday around 2pm to spend the night with us.  We had been told they "might" do that, so we were hoping they would follow through with their plans--and they did!

The first thing we had to do when the got here was get them some food.  Sid and I had thought they would stop on the way here, but they didn't, so it was off to Burger King for them.  Unfortunately, they had a bad experience--their order was wrong, AT LEAST twice.  Yep!  It was wrong; Bec asked them to fix it; they supposedly did, but actually didn't. It was Cade's burger, but he managed to eat it anyway, after removing all the stuff he didn't want.  Later on, he had ice cream, so I think he did OK.

The 4-wheeler was put in motion a lot over these past few hours.  The adults took turns bringing the kids out to ride, with Becky doing most of the honors for the adults.  They had not been here since Gustav and Ike, so they were surprised to see all the trees down on the ground.  Sid had gone out there earlier, though, to make sure they had a path that would not cross over fallen trees or big branches, so we knew they were safe out there.

Because we thought they were eating on the way, I had not cooked lunch; however, I did cook some chili for supper last night and we had hot dogs/chili/chips at that time.  I must say that the chili was pretty good, and I think everyone enjoyed that meal.

Today was relatively quiet again, but 4-wheeler riding took up a good bit of our time.  Sid and I went to NR to buy pizza for the kids.  We went to Sonny's, our favorite place in town for pizza, but apparently, they have not opened yet since the storm.  So, we ended up at Pizza Hut, where they had a really good deal on one of their specials.  The kids ate well, so that was a success.

Bec was in and out all day during the game, taking one group or another out for a ride.  Right before the end of the game, they took off for Lockport. It was really nice having them here, even though it also involved us buying some stuff from one of their school's money-raising project.  Actually, I usually get something from them as much as possible, so it was fine.  Since I figured Ty and Rett would also be selling something since they go to the same school, I also chose a couple of items and sent them a check for those.  Bec will make sure that they get the check and that they know what to order for me.

Sid has been busy working on school stuff for tomorrow.  Randi is still here; she decided to stay with us, and her Mom will pick her up next weekend.  It'll be nice to have company during the day while Sid is at school.

Sandie sent an e-mail saying that she had received a very unexpected call from Ben.  Unfortunately, he--and a lot of the other young men--are sick right now.  Must have some bug going around the base.  Hope they're all doing better before too long, 'cuz I would imagine that things don't stop for them just because they have a cold or even a sore throat. 

Josh called this afternoon, and we spoke for a good while.  He's already planning for Cameron's birthday, which is on the 28th of October.  Josh will be the cake baker, and he's trying to figure out how he will make this birthday's theme cake.  I won't say what it is, just in case Cam doesn't know about it yet.  Everything out there is fine, so I was pleased to get that news.

Joey sent a couple of e-mails this past week.  He's doing fine, too.  His trip to Oregon to visit with friends and to celebrate a friend's birthday was terrific.  Joey has good friends from his college days, and they still try to get together on occasion--and this was one of those occasions.

Just a reminder:  Tomorrow is my cousin Reid's birthday, and I want to wish him a terrific day.  HAPPY BIRTHDAY, Reid!

That's it for now.  Have a wonderful evening and a super week.

HEARTFELT BLESSING:  "Right now you are one choice away from a new beginning--one that leads you toward becoming the fullest human being you can be."                                        --Oprah Winfrey

NOTE:  Choices--every day, every hour, every minute, every second--we go, we stay; we laugh, we cry; we give in to anger, we reach for peace; we hold on to pain, we think positive thoughts and become happy again; we love, we hate.  WOW!  What power we have!  We truly can determine what form our lives will take.  Remember:  YOU have the power in your own life.  Use it wisely.