Puppies, Puppies, Puppies!

Palm tree & coffee table just aren't cutting it, we're about to venture upon what every family goes through... adding a puppy to the family! This past week we've been going back & forth on when the best time to get a puppy would be & on what kind. Here's our dilemma... Ben has always dreamed of having a BIG dog like a golden retriever. I, however, want to be able to snuggle with the puppy on my lap. So, we've come to a compromise that as long as we get an actual puppy (about 7 weeks old) then we can get a golden retriever or a lab & it can grow up to be a big dog.
There are all kinds of things to take into account before getting a dog. For instance, who will take care of it when we go on our life-long dream trip to Europe? Also, can we afford a dog because we can barely feed ourselves? Should we get it now so that it will already be potty-trained by the time we travel with it over Christmas or should we just wait until next spring or summer? What to do, what to do. Does anyone have any advice or suggestions? Oh, & here are the long-awaited pics of our new pot rack & freestanding shelf that we got from IKEA.