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!

Part 6: My Trip to Virginia

Our next stop was the very scenic Pollak Vineyards. I'm not a big wine drinker, so since they didn't have any sweet wines, I didn't try theirs. They did have a nice, large wrap-around porch and large outside seating area.It was on the side of a hill/mountain.

A big storm was coming in.

Music: Chris Tomlin: Is He Worthy?

This new song quickly became one of my favorites. The words are so powerful and touching. I love singing it in my car. Enjoy!

Part 5: My Trip to Virginia

My friends suggested us doing a hop on wine tour through Cville Hop on Tours.

It was such an easy way to see several wineries without having to drive. Our driver, Sharon was great!

My friend picked wineries for us to visit from their Instagram profiles. The first was the beautiful Veritas Winery. It was so scenic and offered lunch. The wines weren't sweet enough for me, but the views from the extensive porch were idyllic.

Perfect Storage for Bracelets

I love jewelry, but my favorite is always bracelets. I joke that I have a bracelet addiction, which isn't far from the truth. Previously, I didn't have an ideal way to store my bracelets, let alone an easy way to access them. After looking for better storage, I found exactly what I needed; the Joyus 3-Tier Bracelet Bar. What made it even better was that it was on sale and it's clear, so it looks really classy. What was also cool was that it was super easy to put together.

Look at all my bracelets

Here's the whole new set up.

Sephora: New Concealer and Concealer Brush

I switched from my normal Clinique concealer to Too Faced, Born This Way, Naturally Radient Concealer in the color cool medium. Cool medium is described as: "light medium w/ rosy undertones."
The concealer is the perfect thickness and cool medium is a great shade for me.

While getting that at Sephora, they suggested the Kat Von D, Lock-It Edge Concealer Brush. I'm not massively into make up and thus don't buy things unless I'm convinced they'll change my life. The sales ladies said it was super soft and would get right up to my eye. Let's be real; I love it! It really does get up to my eye and is super soft. I use it everyday.

Music:Wedding Medley (Marry Me, A Thousand Years, All of Me, Bless The Broken Road) by Anthem Lights

I love sappy music and medleys, so this is the perfect mix.

Enjoy!

Sephora: New Favorite Eyeliner

Over summer, while at the Kansas City Country Club Plaza, my friend and I went to Sephora. There, I saw and splurged on a Lancome Drama Linqui-Pencil long wear eyeliner in the color, Ampoule. It's a rich raspberry/cranberry color that's metallic. It says it's purple, but it really isn't. I've found myself reaching for it most days and have gotten some compliments on it. It's such a versatile, fun choice. I definitely recommend this as a cool new option to bring some color into your makeup routine!