Random Thoughs 7/16/07

• IHOP is buying Applebee's, a Kansas City based restaurant chain, for about $2 billion. Applebee's has been my favorite "lower-end" sit down restaurant for several years. A couple can eat there for $25 or $30, which wouldn't even pay for my steak the Hereford House. There are also 18 Applebee's restaurants within 25 miles of where I live, so there's always one nearby.
• Heroes is back on TV September 24. Sci-fi geeks, hang on just another two months.
• I've been eying the Nintendo Wii for several months now. I used to be an ardent video gamer, but between my ministry and family I've hardly touched a video game in two years. But my boys are getting old enough to play games like this and I've been eagerly anticipating the family video game experience, Mom, Dad, and boys all together. The Wii might be just the system…
  
• For those of you waiting for the beginning of football season, we are putting together the sixth season of our Fantasy Football League right now. Keep the evenings of Monday, August 20 and Monday August 27 open on your calendar as potential draft dates. More information will be forthcoming.
  
• Our puppy, Sophie, is growing fast. She came to us four weeks ago weighing just 4 pounds. She's already closing in on 8 pounds. Some of you have asked about her name, we named her Anna Sophia Rose: Anna Sophia is a name that we've loved for years and might have used if we'd had a girl instead of four boys. But Tanner wanted to name the dog (his first suggestion was Tanner, after himself). So we allowed him to give her a middle name and he immediately came up with Rose, which we thought was pretty good.
• Oklahoma, where the wind comes sweeping down the plain, Where the wav-in wheat can sure smell sweet When the wind comes right behind the rain! We're looking forward to going tomorrow night to see Oklahoma! with some friends from church. They're both from Oklahoma and so they already know the words. That comes in handy at a musical where Oklahomans in the audience might actually stand up and sing along. It'll be fun.