Goodbye to My Riley Hanover Kimble

This has been an extremely hard week and not like worked sucked or I didn't get enough sleep; my family's last golden retriever, Riley passed away.

At the end, you think of the beginning; my first memories of my sweet boy were of Riley walking out from under a porch with his siblings in the summer of 2004. We were on a farm in the middle of nowhere looking at puppies for the first time after our first, beloved golden, Franky passed away suddenly and took with him our hearts. I picked up Riley and he cuddled into my arms, melting my heart instantly. He had such soulful eyes. His little tail just drooped downwards, so sadly. Meanwhile, my parents had met Max and were won over with his sweetness. I told them to hold Riley and tell me we weren't bringing him home and that's how we ended up with two puppies.

Once the puppies were old enough, we brought them home. Potty training those two took forever. I thought Riley would never be house-trained. He was so stubborn. He'd hide under my parent's bed, then growl and nip if you tried to bring him out.

Our Riley was a giant from the start. He had the biggest paws that he did eventually grow into. He was a giant of a dog and had the heart to match.He did have so many health issues in recent years; an enlarged heart, many food allergies, cancer, paralysis, a tie-back issue, etc. In the end, he wasn't getting enough oxygen and we couldn't let me struggle for breathe.

Here's what I shared on Facebook about my baby:
Our sweet Riley Hanover Kimble passed away about 1:07pm at home, Monday. He was so gentle, sweet, had the most beautiful eyes, had the biggest bark, and had the biggest paws ever. Our hearts ache, but we know you’re running with Max. We send all our love to heaven with you.

Here are some of our beautiful boy's photos:

Max & Riley together

Riley the Christmas after Max passed

Christmas break after Max passed

Christmas time; missing Max

After Max passed, Riley got to go on errands with mom. Ran into them one day.

2016-Riley's vet visit where we learned of his enlarged heart

Family outing

Riley always loved a good nap

Riley visiting Grandma

Riley at the tree lighting. Everyone wanted to pet him.

Riley Hanover Kimble
May 28, 2004-June 17, 2019
Forever in our hearts

Shoes: Sofft Mirabelle

I decided that I needed a new pair of sandals as I'd had all of mine for 3+ years. I wanted something comfy and versatile.

I recently discovered Shoes.com and have already gotten a few pairs of shoes from it.

So, first I ordered a pair of Dr Scholl's Sheena strappy sandals. I loved the perforated look. They look fabulous on, but unfortunately they were too narrow for my flat feet. Broke my heart!

I decided to try out Sofft's Mirabelle sandal. The next challenge was picking a color. Now, I normally go towards silver, but I read a review which said that it looked weird. From there I was deciding between cork and the medium brown. My mom said she heard that lighter colors help to elongate the leg, so I went with it. It has some gold in it which is really cool. The bottom of the sole is really cool too with roses on it. I'm obsessed with cork now. I've received several compliments on them and they're definitely my go-to sandals this summer! They go with everything!

Part 7: My Trip to Virginia

The last winery from our tour was King Family Vineyards. The King Family brought polo to Virginia. We were hoping to see their scheduled polo match while there, but due to the rain, it was cancelled. We still walked around the grounds and to the stables to try to see some of the horses.

They also had a restaurant, but we'd already eaten. They had cute items in their little gift shop area. I didn't try their wine, since they didn't have any sweet wines. :(

Overall, a beautiful place, though I wish we could've seen a polo match there.

Here are some snapshots from my time there:

Love this unique chandelier!