Sometimes, waking up at 4:45 is beyond worth it...

On Tuesday morning my friend offered me an amazing chance to head down {super bright and early!} to the NBC Plaza in Chicago. Her aunt works with NBC and told her that Al Roker was in town filming his weather segments for the Today Show, and she wanted a few DG girls to be in the background.

My friend's blue sign said "Hi Mom, if you're reading this, SEND MONEY!" Too bad the message didn't show up on TV because I think she's still waiting haha

When my alarm went off at 4:45 a.m, only after falling asleep a couple of hours earlier, I would be lying if I said that I didn't consider skipping the trip downtown in place for a little more rest, but ultimately I decided to jump out of bed and take advantage of this opportunity, even if it was freeeeezing!

Not only did we make a cameo on the Today Show and the local news, but we also were fortunate enough to head inside, get a tour of the studios and meet a couple of the morning news anchors, all of whom were extremely welcoming. 

While we were wrapping up our day, we happened to run into Jesse Spencer from House & Chicago Fire {and MK&A Winning London, obvi}. He was extremely nice and I offered to help out on his show if they ever find themselves needing an extra character, specifically his love interest. He laughed. I see big things in my future everyone, big things. 

Overall, it was a super fun morning adventure and I'm so thankful to my friend and her aunt for sharing this opportunity with my friends and I. 

And let me just tell you, I was nothing but a blast and a half for my three classes that day. By the time I got to my last class of the day at 3, I felt like I hadn't slept in days, but I just kept reminding myself how unique and fun my morning was, which made everything better. I would do it again in a heartbeat :)

With Love, Ellyse

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Product Review: Erin Condren Life Planner

Over winter break, I splurged and bought an Erin Condren Life Planner, partly because I like to mix things up {I was previously using a Lilly planner} and partly because I wanted to see what all the hype was about.

Pretty personalization, inspirational quotes and my own personal touch to the back cover

Right off the bat, I love the fact that you can customize and personalize the cover of the planner. I love Lilly patterns, but I love personalized things just a tiny bit more ;). I went with a turquoise and pink combo, which turned out so cute!

// Birthday and Anniversary section where every day has a line to write down special events // The weekly calendars are split into morning, day and night sections // The monthly calendars have plenty of space for important events // Goal and to-do lists along with an inspirational quote come with each monthly calendar //

// Party and game day stickers // A pouch in the back of the planner allows me to stash sticky notes, business cards and receipts. Plus it came already stocked with personalized stickers and calling cards as an extra little bonus! // Another folder for holding larger papers // PLENTY of birthday stickers, which are sure to come in handy throughout the year //

What I like:

- All the goodies and little details that came along with it. I love all the small touches, plus I'm a sucker for an inspirational quote, so it's a good thing there's plenty of them in this planner ;)
- Overall quality. Things such as the metal binding and the laminated tabs makes it seem more durable to me than the Lilly planner. 
- TONS of note pages and blank pages for doodles! I was running out of note pages in my Lilly planner towards the end of the year, but this E.C. planner gives you so much more space to jot down notes and sketch out {genius} ideas, with 10 pages of both lined and blank space.
- Stickers! There are stickers for every event imaginable, including birthdays, parties, hair appointments and vacations. There's also a sheet of blank stickers, that I use to mark when I have exams and quizzes. 

What I wish was different:

- I wish the pocket, storage envelope and stickers were at the front of the planner. It just seems to me that it's a little bit easier to get to, but this is not a huge deal in my book.
- At the moment, I don't care for how the weekly planner is split up into time of day. I liked my Lilly planner because each day provided you with many spacious lines to write down homework assignments and to-do's. I'm sure I'll adjust just fine though and my dislike to this new style is probably just because it's different from what I've been used to using for the past year.

Have you ever used an Erin Condren planner or do you plan on buying one soon? I would love to know what you think!

With Love, Ellyse

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Tea, Please!

I've been on a tea kick lately. My mom and my sister are both super into tea, like multiple cups per day into tea, and when I was home for break, I joined along and got hooked. It's just so comforting to wake up on a chilly morning and brew yourself a cup or snuggle into bed at the end of the day with a steaming mug. 

I also like it because it won't dehydrate you like coffee will, but you can still get the benefits of caffeine, especially with green teas. If you're looking for a healthy, warm drink in the winter, tea is perfect! My absolute favorite flavors are the Tazo Zen Green Tea and the Celestial Sleepytime Vanilla.

Are you into tea? What are your favorite flavors?

With Love, Ellyse

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2013 Will Be the Year I....

- {hopefully} jetset to London for four months!

- try something new that I've always dreamed about

- turn 21 :)

- become a senior in college {super scary}

- stop caring so much about what other people think

- do what's right for me and my goals 

Happy New Year everyone! I'm so thankful for all of you that care enough to read my ramblings. Hope 2013 is great for every single one of you :)

With Love, Ellyse

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