Introducing Finn!

 Last Friday, the Olson clan grew by 4 more paws. Yup! We adopted a new puppy and he is wonderful. As a family, we thought Finley would be a great name for him, but wanted to have eyes on him before making the decision final. He's definitely a Finley (Finn for short) and has quickly worked his way to the center of our hearts. 

Before I go into the details of Friday, a little backstory:

A number of months ago, Eric turned to me (rather out of the blue) and said, "I'm surprised you haven't suggested getting a puppy with all of us home during the quarantine" My reply was rather matter of fact, "Huh! I hadn't really thought of it until now. NOW I am thinking about it!" After a number of conversations about the merits of adopting another dog, we decided to pull the proverbial trigger and reach out to the rescue coordinator who found Huck for us last year. We were very low-key about it, just that we were thinking Huck would like a buddy, so if a good fit for our family crossed her path, to please let us know. On July 27th, she reached out to me via text and told me about some lab/shepherd pups (in TX) who were going to need a home and wondered if we'd be interested in one of them. It all seemed to fall into place. Once we got confirmation that he was a healthy pup, we told the coordinator that we'd like to adopt him. We were put in contact with the pup's foster mom, who was truly wonderful and gave him such a great home for his last couple of weeks in TX. She sent me so many pictures and updates, for which we were (and are) so grateful!

Fast forward to last week:

Eric and I had kept news of the puppy from the kids, just in case anything fell through. We didn't want them to be disappointed. Our plan was to keep the pup a secret until I arrived home with him Friday night. A few days before pick-up day, I told Eric that I was thinking it might be good to tell the kids so they could help weigh in on names and because there are so few things to look forward to right now (hello, life in a quarantine) and anticipating a new puppy would be a lot of fun for the kids. That night as dinner began, Eric pulled out his phone and had a pic of the puppy on the screen. He ooh'd and ahh'd over how cute this picture was and when the kids asked whose puppy was in the pic, we told them the news that he'd be ours in a few days. Needless to say, the kids were over the moon. (I now regret that I didn't think to take a video of us telling them so we could capture their reactions ... oh well!)

On Friday (8/14/20), Conor and I set out on what was the longest drive either of us had made in MONTHS (if not all year.... again, hello life in a quarantine). We didn't go straight to Olympia, where the rescue transport was going to do the puppy hand offs. Instead, we "swung" through Issaquah/Renton to pick up a knee scooter for my sister who broke her ankle a few days before (hi, Suzanne!) and then headed to Tacoma to pick up some chocolates from Johnson's Candy (get well gift for said broken-ankled sister), a socially distanced wave with our favorite priest (hi, Fred!) and to have a socially distanced coffee with my best friend (hi, Kate!). Then, we were off to Olympia to pick up our new up. Unfortunate for Conor and me, traffic was horrific from the time we left the house until we got to Olympia We got to our destination about 20 minutes late, which when you're anticipating picking up a new puppy, seems like FOREVER!!!

Not long after arriving at our arrival at the designated location in Olympia, we masked up were handed our new pup. 

Having Conor with me was a huge help in terms of getting Finn home. Conor kept Finn calm and as relaxed as possible, which was no small task considering Finn had no clue who we were or anything about what was going on!

Needless to say, when we got home, we were greeted by a very excited crew! Annika could barely contain herself and Eric could barely contain Huck and his excitement!! 

One disadvantage to Finn's arrival was the smell that accompanied him. After transporting 3+ days with many other dogs from Texas, let's just say, there's a little "ripeness". We were given a heads up about this potential, so had anticipated he'd need a bath that first night. Fortunately, he's small enough that the kitchen sink proved to be the perfect place to de-stink him!

Over the past few days, we have helped Finn figure out how to be an Olson and he has reminded us how to be a puppy family. There have been lots of belly rubs, naps (the dogs, not us), and snuggles. 

Welcome to being an Olson, Finn!! 

A week of fun... and now I need a nap

Last Sunday, the kids and I headed up to Whidbey for the annual 3-day kids' golf camp at Useless Bay Golf and Country Club. Our kids adore going up to the island for this camp. They get an extended stay at Bestemor and Bestefar's house (win!), they get to go swimming (win!), they get to have fun playing some golf (win!), and they get to play with Bestemor and Bestfar's dogs for a few days (win!), Conor went trout fishing with Bestefar (win!), we celebrated Annika's birthday (win!), and I went salmon fishing/crabbing with Bestefar (win and win!).

This was (I think) the kids' 4th year at golf camp. Each year, they have so much fun, get to meet new kids, and they grow as golfers. This year was no exception. On Monday, they swam for almost 2 hours and then did golf camp for 2 hours. Whew! Tuesday's weather wasn't as cooperative, so they opted to skip the pool that day. (I was grateful for the overcast sky because it meant sunburns weren't an issue.) On Wednesday, the sun was back, so out came the sunblock again! Conor is a huge fan of hitting balls at the driving range. Annika liked being out on the actual golf course for the first time ... it made her feel like a real golfer!

Entertaining themselves with the "Coca Cola Went to Town" song

Pool fun

Conor at the driving range

Our little golfin' dude 

Annika at the driving range

Great swing!

He hit a 150 yard drive!!!

Bestmor and Bestefar gave Annika an incredible birthday gift ... a scrapbook from their trip to Ireland! For each day, Bestemor wrote a short summary of the day's events, included photos, and a few mementos. Annika LOVED the book and we love seeing her smile from ear to ear as she looks through it and remember her amazing trip with her amazing grandparents. She giggles are things remembered in the book, and tells us so many stories that the photos and write-ups remind her of.

Annika reading her bday card

Looking at her scrapbook

On Tuesday morning, Bestefar and Conor hit Deer Lake to go trout fishing. From what I was told. things started off reallllllly slowly. Not a nibble or a bite for a long time. They wound up catching 2 trout the last half hour (or so) that they were on the lake, though, so all was not lost! (Thanks for catching a future dinner for us, guys!!)

Conor and Bestefar say "WOO HOO!"

 I worked from the island Mon-Wed and took Thur-Fri off to go salmon fishing with Eric's dad. I'm pretty sure it was his life's goal to have me catch a salmon. He's taken me out a number of times over the past few years and the only thing we ever caught were dogfish, a flounder, and rocks. This year, he was determined to change my salmon fishing record.... and we did!! We were up very early both mornings and at the boat launch no later than 5 AM. The only thing we caught on Thursday was a crab (yum, but not exactly what we'd hoped for in the big scheme of things). Friday was our day! We wound up with 9 keeper crabs in the traps. I also caught a pink salmon (hooked and reeled it in myself - boo yah!), and Jack hooked a king salmon that he had me reel in. In addition, Jack caught one heck of a ling cod (40-ish pounds!) that we threw back after taking a few photos.  Talk about a fish putting up a fight!!!

Early mornings

Jack navigating to good fishing spots

That's one BIG ling cod!!!

My king!!

:Look at my pink!

On the ferry heading back home ... with our annual "post golf camp" ice cream treats

After fishing and cleaning up the boat on Friday, the kids and I repacked the car and headed home. We were tired, but in a good way! (I'm sure as soon as we headed up the driveway, Eric's parents were in their chairs with half-closed eyes!) Unbeknownst to the kids and me, Eric sneaked down to Tacoma the day before to bring home our new pup (Huck). The original plan was I'd pick him up on Saturday after Annika's Irish dance competition, but Eric had an even better plan in mind! Talk about a surprise!!!! The kids had NO idea that we were adopting a new dog ... I had no idea he'd be at the house waiting for us! 

Annika and Conor meeting Huck

Isn't he cute??

Huck checking out the back yard

As if spending 6 days on Whidbey and bringing home a new pup weren't enough, Annika had her first feis (Irish dance competition) on Saturday in Tacoma .... AT BELLARMINE!! So, we were (once again) up bright and early so we could check in at 8 AM. Annika had quite the cheering section - Fr. Fred, Troy/Staci/Kat/Ian, Drew/Sandy, and my best friend Kate were all there to watch her dance! She walked away with 2 bronze medals and a trophy for 2nd place. Not too shabby, if you ask me!

All ready to dance!

Annika all ready to jig

After the feis and lunch at The Spar with Troy/Staci/Kat/Ian, Annika and I made a quick stop at Johnson's Candy (DUH!) before driving back home. I'm pretty sure I would have been a lump on the floor upon arriving at home had I not been welcomed home by a very waggy little puppy who likes to nibble on ears that are within reach. :)