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!)

• 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.