Danica Dow’s Black Cold Shoulder Top

Vanderpump Rules Secrets Revealed Fashion

We all know Danica Dow manages managed the SUR staff aaand we know that she manages to find herself in the middle of some drama as well. We’ve gotta give her some credit though because at least she does it all in style. For example her black cold shoulder top was perfect from this scene from tonight’s Vanderpump Rules season 8 Secrets Revealed because 1. It’s cute (obviously) and  2. It’s perfect for giving the ole cold shoulder to a certain ex & employee. And even if she may have made LVP mad at her for crossing the line a bit in last week’s season 8 finale, making us want this sold out top is pretty much the worst thing she’s ever done in our book

Sincerely Stylish,

Jess

Her Black Jesse Cold Shoulder Top is Sold Out at Urban Outfitters

Originally posted at: Danica Dow’s Black Cold Shoulder Top

This morning I wrapped up an article about a new friend, Susan McNamee. Susan, 67, lives here in Denver. In her teens, all she ever wanted to do was be a mom.

She was a (self-described) “unpopular pudge” in high school. As was common at the time, she got married right after graduation and immediately had two kids.

A Change in Plans

After several moves with her family, she found herself living in California in 1968. The beginning of her true life trajectory began when she was pregnant.

A close friend with more funds punted for lessons with a personal trainer. Step classes, boxing, they all began to shift Susan’s idea of what she could do with her body, which had never been her friend.

Susan was also training at home with the inimitable Jack Lalanne and later Jane Fonda videos.

Not to stay at home forever, she began working in the nascent cable industry. She rose through the ranks at Lifetime Network, then became Red Robin’s national marketing director.

At 40, Susan began running. She just wanted something else. She began with a local running group called A Snail’s Pace, which allowed her to not only take baby steps, but also to find a family of like-minded folks who shared her love of physical movement. This was the start of her finding her emotional home.

A Love for Training Hard

That “something else” swiftly evolved into marathons. In fact, Susan started what would become a lifetime habit of training for the hardest, a marathon, which would make the odd 5k or 10k race a breeze. When she signed up to run a marathon, that was the motivation to put the time in.

During the years she and her family lived in California, her husband supported her runs, but due to a heart condition wasn’t able to participate. In the meantime, Susan began to blossom.

In 2002, the family moved to Colorado for her job. By this time, Susan was ready for a break from marathons, and turned to bicycles.

She found one for $400. She laughs about it now, but at the time she was shocked at the price. (Nowadays, racing bicycles can easily run up to $10-15K). Today she has five bicycles for racing.

Susan also hired a personal trainer, who was an Ironman veteran. Good thing too, because the first time she took a group ride she was in for a shock.

“We were sitting at a light. The moment the light turned green, everyone else was GONE. I was sitting there in the dust.”

Not for long. Soon, Susan was competing in lengthy Colorado mountain bike races. Many, if not most, are fund raisers for excellent causes. She would enter a race, which would then push her to train hard.

By 2010, Susan was ready to return to the marathon world. In just a few years, she ran the New York City, Chicago, Marine, and Colorado Marathons.

And burned out, as we sometimes do.

Diving Deep…

But she needed movement. So, she turned to the pool. Well, of course she did. The first time, she could barely make a single lap. But given Susan’s nature, she was soon no longer hanging onto the kayaks which are placed in the water for exhausted swimmers. She was ready to start triathlons.

She was 60 at the time.

Susan signed on for the Wisconsin Triathlon when her first try with the Ironman flamed out. Her trainer grinned and told her, “That’s the third hardest in the country.”

But she persisted – and finished. In the meantime, she started up a performance nutrition company in 2014, and began nutritional coaching for athletes.

As someone who had received coaching from multiple sources, Susan wanted to give back and be of service to others in her community. A community that loved her back, for now she was exulting in being popular in the world she had entered in her mid-40s.

However, no amount of achievement can prepare us for life’s shocks. Her husband of 29 years filed for divorce in 2017, leaving her “in a fetal position for three months.”

… and Rising Hard

Yet, barely six weeks after her divorce, Susan had found a fellow athlete on Match.com.

Susan has qualified and run in two International Ironman Half Marathons in 2018 and 2019. This is her joy. These days, she has a partner with whom she travels, runs, and bikes at events all over the world. Her performance continues to improve with age.

Effervescent, happy, this one-time I-only-want-to-be-a-mom woman is now an international triathlete. She doesn’t always win, but that’s not the point. She’s winning at life, and helping others do the same.

It doesn’t matter when you start doing what you love. All that matters is that you begin it, and follow your heart. Susan is the perfect example of a woman living her dream – and setting an example for others to follow.

What are you doing with the rest of your life? Are you living to the fullest and following your dreams? How? What are you doing to give back to your community? Please share in the comments below.

Have you got a stack of yogurt containers, microwave meal bowls or a shelf full of empty jars? Most of us keep food containers as we hate to throw them out. We figure that eventually we’ll find a use for them.

Maybe we think a use will miraculously present itself. Or that we’ll meet someone who needs them. Regardless of the reason, we seem to hang on to things that have already fulfilled their original purpose.

So, instead of hanging on to this junk, waiting for some kind of enlightenment, we need to do something with it.

Here are 7 good reasons why we need to reuse, repurpose and recycle when we’re over 60.

Our Homes Are Full… So Reuse, Repurpose and Recycle!

Getting rid of clutter makes us feel lighter, less stressed and more at ease. When we are outgrowing our homes because of the stuff we have, it’s time to get rid of the stuff, not to move to a bigger space.

I don’t mean finding storage space, I mean doing something with it all. The emotional benefits from having a leaner home far outweigh the need to keep things in case we find a use for them.

If your home is jam-packed, you could be experiencing anxiety from the clutter. Check out my Sixty and Me article on Going on a Home Diet in Your 60s for the emotional benefits of downsizing.

When your home is full, it’s time to reuse, repurpose and recycle, to claim back your space and peace of mind.

The Plastic City in the Pacific Ocean Is Enormous

Recycling is so important. It ensures that the items don’t end up in garbage landfills or in the mass of plastic in the Pacific Ocean. When I googled the size of this mass, I found it’s double the size of Texas!

That’s incredible. I definitely don’t want to add to it, and I’m sure you don’t either. Recycling ensures that the items are broken down and used in other products. It keeps them out of landfills and from being duped in the ocean.

Helps Reduce Our Spending

Most of us live on a budget. We shouldn’t spend our money when we can reuse something we already have. Why buy containers when we can use yogurt tubs? Why buy plastic bags when we can reuse the ones we have?

There is a wealth of ideas online on how to reuse so many things, like plastic containers, glass jars, toweling and bedding.

These are just a few of the common things we hang on to, long past their due date. We can save money and reduce unnecessary spending by finding ways to reuse and repurpose.

Keeps Us Busy

You’ll find you’re never bored if you look for ways to reuse and repurpose items found around your home. There are many websites full of ideas, along with videos on how to easily transform the items into more usable things.

It Gives Us Something to Talk About

Talking about repurposing items makes great conversation starters, even with strangers. There are endless interesting and creative ways to make something useful, and it’s fun to talk about this.

Such discussion and the sharing of ideas usually sparks more discussion on how to transform other things. And this gives fuel for continuing and new conversations, and new ideas, and more discussions…

Provides an Opportunity to Be Creative

You’ll surprise yourself with your ideas on how to transform your clutter. Let your creative juices flow. Maybe you’ll never actually transform the objects, but you’ll have fun thinking about it. You may find that your creativity is uplifting, and that you enjoy coming up with creative ideas.

You may even start to feel very proud of yourself for being so innovative. Being creative is a wonderful way to help reduce depression, loneliness and stress. We can all use a lift as we get older. A bit of positive energy goes a long way to make us feel good about our day.

Connects Us with Others

There are so many groups and clubs trying to help reduce our garbage footprint. If there isn’t a group in your area, start one. Put up a sign in the local supermarket, senior centre, or on a local Facebook page. Find others trying to make a difference.

You’ll be surprised at the number of seniors interested in helping out. It’s a good reason to have a weekly meeting at the local coffee shop, to come up with ideas, plan activities, and make a difference.

You could even prepare a presentation to give in your neighbourhood, maybe at a nearby senior’s home. Share suggestions for reusing and repurposing to enlighten others on how they can get involved and make a difference.

We all need to get involved with this. When I think about how much I love yogurt, I now have visions of towering stacks of my used yogurt containers.

It’s mind-boggling when I realize the garbage footprint I’ve had on the planet. My own garbage would probably be a mass the size of a city. It’s like science fiction when I think about this, but it’s not, it’s all real.

I’m trying as much as possible to reuse and repurpose, and to recycle my waste. I’m making cat and dog toys with discarded clothing and bedding, making grocery tote bags from dry food packaging, and composting all my food waste to use as fertilizer in my garden.

How do you recycle, reuse and repurpose? Are you committed to reducing the amount of waste in your life? Are there any community groups in your area focused on recycling? Please share any tips you have found helpful in your journey to recycling.