Going Galt
I’ve been asking for a dog for over a year. Ask anyone. Friends, parents, siblings, even random acquaintances know it: Marissa wants a dog.
It probably started with Shacka, a rescued German Shepherd taken in by our friends, Rex and Sharon.
Shacka the dog
Rex’s daughter, Stephanie, ended up being the perfect parent for Shacka, but I seriously considered taking Shacka home. Nate and I visited the King County Animal Shelter on a couple of occasions, and while it’s a heart-warming experience to see how well these animals are cared for, it’s also a heart-breaking experience to learn about how they were abandoned… So many of them were pit bulls, over-bred and under-wanted.
Last summer, Nate looked at me after a returning from a trip to Texas and said, “I’ve been thinking… If you still want a dog, we can get one.” But the funny thing was, I didn’t really want a dog at that moment. Summer was upon us, and I wanted to pursue other things.
Then last weekend, as the fall colors and cool weather made it known that Autumn was squarely upon us, it hit me again: I want a dog! So we talked about it. Nate even went to the shelter again; too many pit bulls. And then I saw it on Facebook (the best medium for convincing one’s husband that everyone is doing it and we should too): Molly Smith picked out a golden retriever puppy from a litter of eleven. HOW DO I GET ONE?!?
To my surprise, Nate helped me contact the Smith’s, and Bob and Pan gave me the 4-1-1 on the breeder, the litter, and the their choice of pup. We were at the breeder’s within 2-days, picking out ours.
Ladies and Gentlemen, meet Galt:
Galt the puppy
Let’s hear it… Awwwwwwww!!!! I know. Too cute, right? Nate picked the name after a character in Atlas Shrugged: John Galt. If you didn’t know it already, Nate’s a bit of an Aynn Rand fan, libertarian values and all. He has another blog that he created and contributes to regularly: www.CallingJohnGalt.com <Leftist liberals beware! Content may ignite anger and frustration! –I should know. And I don’t even read it.>
But back to the puppy… err, puppies. HOLY MOLY, are eleven puppies cuuuuuttteee! The litter is five boys and six girls. Mom was looking trim and spry, especially for having birthed so many babies seven weeks prior.
Nearly weened, the puppies were all housed together in a warm shed. They’re up for adoption, but new parents will wait one more week before they can be taken home.
Since the Smith’s had picked out one of the boys, we had four boys and all six girls to choose from. “Galt” was already the determined name, so we chose our little boy, and damn is he a sweetheart. I’m sure he’ll grow up to be a well-behaved, masculine golden retriever (fingers crossed–we’re taking names for good trainers in Ballard), but for now he’s our sweetheart.
We bring him home on Friday. I can’t wait.
(Video disclaimer: the breeder calls our pup “Zeus,” so that’s what I’m calling him. This dog already has a history of strong names… and he’s only 7-weeks old!)
Almost off Oahu
We’ve had a great three days on Oahu.
- We’re staying in the Hilton Hawaiian Village Vacation Club, thanks to a birthday gift from my mom.
- We’ve had amazing meals with friends and family: pupus, some of the best Vietnamese food ever, delicious Korean BBQ, and Laoatian/French cuisine.
- We’ve swam in the Pacific Ocean at every opportunity.
- We’ve driven to the North Shore and sampled all sorts of ice cream and shave ice along the way (and swam a little there as well).
- We’ve hiked 5 miles through the Honolulu hills.
- And we’re off to Kona tomorrow for another 7 days
I am so thankful for the fun times, the great company, and the tons of memories that we’ve collected. Here’s some more pics and highlights.
- Matsumoto Shave Ice. Just as we stepped into the shop, it started to pour down rain. We have good timing
- Lilikoi shave ice with ice cream and red beans on the bottom. It’s amazingly delicious!
- As our afternoon on the Northshore came to a close, we were greeted by the most amazing rainbows. Yes, it rained, but doens’t this make it worth it?
- Today we went on a hike with Anders and Molly. You have to ask them the name of the hill… it had a lot of vowels in it. Something like Nuu’ala… yeah, I don’t remember.
- Gorgeous views from along the hike, looking out onto Honolulu.
- And the mountains in the distance, covered in the clouds that would soon come and rain on us. It was awesome and so fun!
- Wild orchid at the top. We ate wild strawberry guava, picked fragrant ginger flowers, and admired the beauty. Then we turned around just as the rain hit and hiked down in the warm tropical rain. Good day.
31 in Hawaii
It’s been a loooonnnng time since I’ve posted to our blog. I’ve neglected to post about anything in regards to our awesome summer… the trips to the cabin, the purchase of a Toyota Tacoma (a failed attempt at cashing in on cash for clunkers), my painful back spasms… but I’ve turned a new leaf. For my new year’s resolution, I vow to post more often, beginning with these pictures from our first days in Hawaii. What a great way to ring in my 31st year!
Ice Cream at Bubby's: Tanya and Chris joined us for a birthday dinner. After too many tapas.. sorry, pupus... we went out for ice cream. YUM.
Beachside of our hotel. Everyday thus far we've gone for a morning swim.
Dole Pinapple Plantation: It was meh. Ice cream was good.
Pinapple fierceness
Flora and fauna at the Dole Pinapple Plantation Gardens.