Sunny Slide Up

best organic sunscreen

A baby changes you. Your mother having cancer for no reason scares you. Your family members having to have pieces of their skin cut out because of sun damage scares you.

With that said… this mama is making changes. We eat healthier, we exercise regularly, we live a balanced life, and we do research as to what some of the best sun protection lotions, sunscreens, SPF clothing, and beach gear are. We do the best we can with what we can and we protect our families, our babies, and ourselves the best we can.

I have done some research on what I feel would be safe for my kids and for myself. Note that I am not an expert, just a mom that has talked with other moms, read online and done some research on what I would feel comfortable using myself.

Badger Balm Beauty Counter MyChelle alba cool Vanicream

in one month i will be driving across the country

by heather | adventures, personal

Exciting news! My little sister is moving to Portland, Oregon next month and I am going to drive with her to get there. Of course, I am a little sad that she is moving so far away to the west coast, but I am so excited for this new adventure for her.

I have always wanted to drive all the way across the country. Definitely an item on my bucket list. I have been to the Southern California many times and a few cities in between, but have barely seen the mid-west/north-west. Little did I know my sister would bust out the news a few months ago that she was moving across the country! I quickly jumped on the opportunity to make the trip with her. And did I mention her sweet one-eyed “Jack” is going to make the trip with us… he is the cutest!

We have planned our trek, booked our hotels, booked my flight back home and we are ready to explore! Last month we spent the morning at a coffee shop with maps, a computer and calendar. We used my favorite road trip planning guide – Road Trippers. You can set your destinations and search on the interactive map for extraordinary places, unique hotels and sightseeing must-sees. Then, you can pin your stop to keep up with milage, timing, etc. To keep a 3,000+ mile trip interesting, you want to see some cool stuff for sure! Here is our planned trek as of now…

Some of the highlights we are planning to see along the way…

(image source)

St. Louis Arch. Showing you this at night because that is how we will see it when we roll into town. Trying to drive all the way the first day here from Charlotte. That’s over 700 miles. Wish us luck….and no traffic.

(image source)

The Corniest Stop we will make goes to the Corn Palace in South Dakota. Because, why not. I mean, I’m sort of excited about it.

(image source)

Prairie Dog Town USA. Can you believe their is such a thing? I can’t wait. According to this website, they will eat peanuts out of your hand! Cue cuteness overload!!

(image source)

Mount Rushmore. How can you not take a trip through South Dakota without seeing this magnificent rock sculpture!

(image source)

Dinosaur Park in Rapid City, South Dakota. This vintage road side attraction is a must for some great photo ops!

Yellowstone National Park. This is definitely one we are really looking forward to. Driving through Yellowstone is going to be a dream! Hoping to see this amazingly beautiful Grand Prismatic Spring. Mandi’s sister has been traveling through Yellowstone this past week (on her way to Alaska!) and has shared some crazy cool photos. I need to chat with her and get some road trip tips for sure.

From Yellowstone, we are pretty close to Oregon. We will stay over one more night and see some cool roadside sights like this giant red wagon slide….

(image source)

Can’t wait to see Portland too! I have never been and neither has my sister. Pretty exciting and brave of her to move to a city she has never been to, right? Love it! I am so proud of her. She rules.

(image source)

And you had better believe we are planning some sweet road trip tunes and lots of entertaining activities for the car trip….

So in just about a month, my sister and I will hit the road for this very exciting trip! More details to come on how you can follow our adventure on Instagram. And if you aren’t already, be sure to follow Sunny Slide Up on Instagram so you don’t miss the photos!

Have any travel tips or places not to miss to share? Please comment below and let us know!

Cheers to our adventure sister!

wedding pictures are worth it

by Mandi | personal, sunny slide up

If you have read the blog for a while, you will know that I have a strong opinion on photography. Engagement, Wedding, Maternity, Child Births and Milestones. I have even gone as far as encouraging you to hire a videographer.

Well, I knew that photography was going to be one of the main “must haves” for my wedding. After all of the planning, all of the details, all of the check lists, phone calls, and decisions, the day comes and goes. It is almost like you blink and then it is gone.

We recently celebrated 2 years and I can honestly say that am so thankful for my photos and my video. Except for our memories, that is all we have left!

My wedding photographer, Crystal Stokes, is one of a kind – she made us feel so comfortable in both our engagement photos as well as our wedding photos. I wouldn’t have traded our experience with her for anything! The pictures below speak for themselves… Every moment, every detail – all captured perfectly! Below are a few photos from our special day.

This wedding was filled with special moments. I hand designed and hand painted (with the help of my sister) my invitations, my mom and sister made the butters as party favors, instead of one wedding cake our aunts made their favorite cake or desert, and I hand wrote all of the signage and party favor tags. It was filled with love to every inch!

To our surprise over the years a few blogs have picked it up and featured us as a “DIY Bride“, a “Vintage DIY Wedding” , “Shabby Chic Colorful Wedding“, and a “Crafty Floral Wedding” I would say that those words definitely describe it! I wanted bright, fun, vintage, and hand made to show through and I guess it did!.

Thank you to the amazing blogs that all have our wedding featured on it. I was honored with some of the large names that chose our wedding.

I can’t end this post without thinking my amazing photographer, Crystal Stokes. All of the photos used in this post are a thank you to her!

The amazing flowers are by Springvine Design, planning by Magnolia Events, and the wedding was at the beautiful Brawley Estate.