During a brief summer interval, it seemed safe to do a few-days’ jaunt to visit relatives. Traveling with siblings and visiting cousins, everyone vaccinated and practicing safety, we visited several sites.

Just when you think there is little of interest in a rural area, I was introduced to an archeological find, the Ashfall Fossil Beds. The Beds are located near the Missouri River on the Nebraska plain.

Can’t Expect the Unexpected

We need reminders now and then of how life is, and always has been, volatile for any living species. We work to be diligent in hygiene and immunization, protecting ourselves from a virus we cannot see. Still, the unknowns can take us by surprise.

My reminder was the visit to the Ashfall Fossil Beds. What was about to happen at that location could not have been known by any species hanging out at a waterhole 12 million years ago.

A Little History

So, this is what befell those creatures. A volcanic explosion around 1,000 miles west, in what is now Idaho, sent a plume of ash carried by the wind and driving downward over the lake. Many animals died instantly, the smaller ones first.

Birds, ancient breeds of horses, camels, rhinos and many more species of animals, most of which we would not be familiar with today, were suffocated in ash. This waterhole and the instant and near-instant death of the many animals is preserved as it occurred those many million years ago. The layers of ash preserved the site.

Then, one day in 1971, a paleontologist and his wife took a walk across gullies on a Nebraska farm and happened to see a rhino skull sticking out where a gully had eroded. After being unknown for these million years, their story unfolded.

The site is now the Ashfall Fossil Beds State Historical Park. One of the many incredibly interesting sites across rural America we rarely hear about.

The Nebraska State Park System built a huge barn over the area where university students and staff continue to excavate. A walkway allows visitors to observe as paleontologists and university students continue to work, carefully unearthing carcasses that reveal the detail of animal life.

In one case the fetus of a pregnant mother is visible, in another the contents of a stomach. New discoveries of fossils continue.

I came away from this extraordinary exhibit with some thoughts to share.

It’s Not All About Us

As I left that barn after looking at the preserved remains, I had a sense of being very small and insignificant. We humans are playing just a tiny part in the history of time on this earth.

Whether we are an ancient giant turtle, or a modern-day human, we can do our best to use our instincts, educate and protect ourselves and our family from the many dangers around us, but nature seems to get the last word.

We Never Know What Is Beneath Our Feet

Mother Earth seems to have many hidden treasures, some not too far below the surface. I’m thankful that I had the opportunity to experience the Ashfall Fossil Beds site.

What do any of us know about the land where we live. Who inhabited it 1,000 years before our arrival? How was the land used? Perhaps more curiosity about what is under our feet would encourage us to treat it with more care.

Are There Interesting Sites in Your Back Yard and State Parks?

Our National Park System in wonderful. I expect they get far more attention and more visitors than our state parks in each state. I expect there are more sites, archeological and otherwise, that are not widely publicized, located away from cities and towns of any size that would be ideal locations to visit during a time when we strive to avoid crowds.

Carefully planned travel with fully-vaccinated relatives brought me to the fossil beds. Should you be doing a drive across the Midwest, I encourage you to make a stop as well. Leave yourself time to take in this wonder. The small and carefully distanced number of visitors was ideal. The staff on site are knowledgeable and the ongoing work is intriguing to watch (although not an Indiana Jones in sight).

So how was your summer vacation? Were you able to do local travel or see local sites that you always intended to visit? What was the experience like? Would you do it again?

Chrishell Stause’s Camel Cardigan on Her Instastories

Selling Sunset 2021 Instagram Fashion

When she isn’t selling fabulous homes, Crishell Stause is selling us on her fabulous fashion. Such as this very cozy looking camel cardigan she had on her Instastories. It’s the perfect thing to wear to a night out at the movies especially if it’s the premiere of Cinderella. Thankfully there is still a little bit of stock of it left. The only catch is you have to hurry before the clock strikes midnight it runs out. But don’t worry if you’re too late because your fashion fairy godmother left some magical Style Stealers below.

Sincerely Stylish,

Jess

Click Here to Shop Her Cult Gaia Cardigan

Click Here To Shop Additional Stock

Photo Credit: @chrishell.stause

Originally posted at: Chrishell Stause’s Camel Cardigan

Whether you’re VIP or Rouge, it’s pretty much impossible to miss the big Sephora sales. These days have some of the best deals around. But did you know Sephora has a 2021 summer sale right now that’s low-key hidden? It’s not advertised largely on the homepage so you might not know it’s there. But it features some of the lowest prices we’ve seen all year. It’s worth taking a second — and third — look.

Anyone can shop this sale whether they’re a rewards member or not. The deals won’t last long, though. We spotted nine on-trend shades of Fenty Beauty’s Mattemoiselle Plush Matte Lipstick for just $7 (that’s more than half off), as well as Marc Jacobs Beauty foundation, eyeliner and powder. Looking for skincare instead? Don’t miss Sol de Janeiro body oil and Sephora Collection face masks.

Shop now and get free shipping with code FREESHIP at checkout. Get started with our faves, below.

Our mission at STYLECASTER is to bring style to the people, and we only feature products we think you’ll love as much as we do. Please note that if you purchase something by clicking on a link within this story, we may receive a small commission of the sale.

Sephora.

Fenty Mattemoiselle Plush Matte Lipstick – $11 Off

Stock up on this ultra-affordable favorite with a soft matte finish.

Sephora.

Sephora Favorites Give Me Some Lip Balm Set – $9 Off

This lip balm set already has a retail value of $65 and it’s only $21 total. We especially love the full-size Pat McGrath’s Nude Venus! 

Sephora.

Marc Jacobs Beauty O!Mega Glaze All-Over Foil Luminizer – Very Merry Cherry Edition – $25 Off

Ignore that this gorge highlighter is technically for holiday. The warm, peachy gold hue looks great all year round.

Sephora.

Fenty Beauty by Rihanna Killawatt Foil Freestyle Highlighter – $18 Off

There are three gorgeous cream-powder highlighter duos on sale for half off.

Sephora.

Makeup by Mario Glam Eyeshadow Quad – $10 Off

Mario Dedivanovic’s brand is flying off the shelves so we’re surprised to see these eyeshadow quads on sale — and don’t expect them to last.

As I’m working with women over 50 who are looking to redefine in some way, I’m often met with a version of the question, “Am I too old to _____.” It typically is phrased something like, “I’m _____ (insert age here). Do you think this would be a good time for me to _____?” Which is essentially saying, “Am I too old to ____?”

The answer is NO.

But the one thing that we are too old to do after 50 is to spend our days reacting to the requests, demands, needs, etc. of all of the people and roles in our lives every day all day. We are too old to idly surf social media or putter around without joy or purpose, and before we know it the day is gone.  

We are too old after 50 to end each day looking back on the past 24 hours and wondering where they went. Day after day.

When you know you want to do something for you, but you just aren’t sure what it might be:

Journal

Find a quiet place, set your timer for 30-45 minutes, pour a glass of wine or a cup of tea or coffee and write. Reflect on the following:

What You’ve Done Up Until Now for Your Career and in Your Life

Then, reflect on what you loved about it and what you didn’t love as much. This can help you figure out what your priorities are as you move forward on your journey.

I am a mom as well as a behavior analyst working with kiddos on the autism spectrum. What I loved about my job was:

• working with the kids and their families;
• the flexibility it offered me, which allowed me the ability to truly put my family first;
• the writing aspect. I was the person in the company who crafted and edited the emails, helped write brochure copy, and I never minded writing treatment plans.

What I haven’t liked about it lately is that, because of the arthritis in my neck, the job has become more difficult to do, and this has robbed me of some of the joy that I used to get from it.

Reflecting on all of this led me to my decision to take my counseling and behavior analytic skills as well as my love for writing and start a blog to help women like myself move forward with a productive and joyful life on the “right side of 50.”

What Your Ideal Day and Week Might Look Like

Dream and write all of the things down! Don’t let your brain censor you! Free writing about your ideal day/week will give you some clues as to what your next steps might be. And remember… you are NOT too old!

Schedule Your Time Proactively Rather Than Reactively

This can be very difficult for those of us who are used to putting everyone else’s needs before our own. Start with blocking out an hour each day devoted solely to spending time on your redefinition. Treat this time as you would any important appointment. Put it on your calendar and plan around it.

Put your phone in another room and close all tabs on your computer except for the ones that have to do with your project. Set a timer for one hour and put your head down and do the work. This can be anything from researching next steps, taking the course you need to take, starting your exercise program, finding other people who share a similar vision, and the list goes on.

You will be amazed at what you can get accomplished in an hour when you decide not to react to what everyone else needs. And you’ll still be there the majority of the day to attend to the various other roles in your life.

But when you look back on the day, you will know that you did something to move you towards your vision.

Take a Good Look at Your Morning Routine

Our morning routine sets the tone for our entire day. This is where the keystone habits happen – those seemingly small habits that have a domino effect on how we feel and how we spend our time throughout our entire day.

Getting up when the alarm goes off and not hitting snooze, journaling, meditating, making the bed, exercising, etc. are all examples of keystone habits. These can mean the difference between getting up and floating through the day or getting up and having a clear path of how the day is going to go.

This does not mean that we have to “be productive” or “be successful” or make millions of dollars each day. But we have to look back on our day and know that we spent part of it doing something that brought us joy and passion. We have to look back on most of our days and not wonder “where they went.”

Are you trying to figure out what you’d like to do moving forward? Do you find yourself at the end of the day wondering where the hours went? What keystone habits to you engage in each and every day?

No matter how many years I’ve worked in beauty, no matter how many hairstylists have blessed my hair and taught me their skills, I still struggle with getting a smooth blowout at home. My naturally wavy hair ends up looking puffy with flyaways all around my roots. Luckily, Dyson heard our struggles and launched another one of the cult-favorite Dyson Supersonic Hair Dryer attachments: the Flyaway Attachment.

Because I’m always running late, I tend to take a flat iron and smooth down my flyaways with heat, which can wreak damage to strands. This new attachment smoothes down flyaways without that heat damage. That’s thanks to Dyson’s Intelligent Heat Control that measures air temperature over 40 times a second and regulates the heat.

What actually smoothes down those flyaways is the Dyson’s Coanda effect – first engineered for the Dyson Airwrap styler. It attracts and lifts longer hairs to the front while pushing flyaways through the tress and out of view. This brings all the strands together and increases shine. It mimics the effect of a hairstylist using a round brush to blow out your hair and leave it ultra-smooth. Plus, you’re getting some Airwrap technology with your regular Supersonic dryer.

Our mission at STYLECASTER is to bring style to the people, and we only feature products we think you’ll love as much as we do. Please note that if you purchase something by clicking on a link within this story, we may receive a small commission of the sale.

Dyson.

“I think we can all agree that flyaway frustration is real!” said Jen Atkin, Dyson Global Styling Ambassador, in a statement. “Nothing feels as good as that salon blow-dry finish. The trick to tame annoying flyaways is a core skill for a stylist. However, we want our clients to now be able to get that same glossy finish at home. Dyson’s latest attachment does exactly that – it allows smooth seekers to get a super sleek finish, on their own, not just from the salon.”

If you already have a Supersonic Hair Dryer, you’re in luck. You can just grab the Flyaway Attachment on its own — if you can get your hands on it. Or, starting today, you can shop the entire system with the Flyaway Attachment. It might look a little scary but I promise, it’s really easy to use — much easier than nailing the whole round brush blow-dry salon trick. We’re not all hairstylists, here.