New Adventure, New Blog

Hey Guys!

I just can't believe it's happening. Florence is 5 days away. What?! Is this crazy town right now? Yes, a little bit actually, seeing as how I have been awake since 4:30 a.m. making my new blog all for my adventures in Italy!  Personally, I think it's pretty impressive for this early in the morning.  

Anyhoo, for the next couple of months I will be posting to my new blog, From Florence, With Love, until I get back to the good ole U.S.A. With this blog, who knows what I will be writing about, (hopefully lots of pasta, wine and italian men) so we are just going to be going with the flow here.  I doubt they will be as long as my posts on here, but who knows!

Tell your friends, and any prospective study abroad students so I can try to give them a taste of la dolce vita!

Here is the address for my new blog: masoninitaly.blogspot.com

Love Y'all!

Mason

An Amputated Leg and a New Year

Hello Again Lovely People,

It is the start of a new year, and that means there are all new adventures to be had. 2013 is going to be a huge year for me, and for all of us I feel like.  Things are changing, people are growing, and everyone is beginning to find their way.

Over Christmas break I have had a lot of time to spend with my friends and family, and it truly has been wonderful.  God shows me how lucky I am everyday, and I just want to make sure I don't take anything for granted.  Over the past couple of weeks the Burril fam has whipped out our holiday traditions, as well as making some new ones.  We we to Santa Brunch, where there was a new Santa because sadly the real Santa had to have his leg amputated, we made homemade chex mix and Neiman Marcus cookies, and we even decorated a real live Christmas tree.  Can you say tis the season?  However we also brought in some new holiday flavor.  This was the first Christmas in like six years that we hadn't traveled, and I have to say that it really was nice just getting to chill out at home.  We even got to have Christmas dinner with the Black family, and it was so fun!  This Christmas had to be one of my favorites, but my thighs are definitely happy to see it go.

It is getting down to the nitty gritty here before I jet off to Florence, and I couldn't be more excited!  I just have no idea what to expect, and it's really exciting, but it's also super nerve-wracking.  I feel like there are so many possibilities, and opportunities to do fun things, but I mean I don't want to have to do them all alone.  Everyone says that there are so many students over there, and you meet people all the time, but I just hope I can find some good friends!  When I first get there I am going to have a couple days to just explore Florence, and then I go on my first trip to Prague with a student travel group, so I am hoping that I can find some good peeps to hang out with then!  But please keep me in your prayers! I am also going to be starting a new blog for all my Italian adventures (hopefully filled with tall, dark men), and I'll be posting there regularly.  When I get the blog all supped up I'll put the link on here!

Until I get to Florence, however, I have been interning for WNC Magazine!  It has actually been really fun, I feel like the magazine world is definitely my kinda vibe.  There is always something different you are learning about, and there is so much people interaction!  I started on the 27th December, and I am going to be working until I leave.  So far, I have tackled the event calendar for our March/April issue, which was surprisingly difficult because many people don't plan that far ahead haha.  Also, I was calling everyone right before New Years, so there was hardly anyone in their offices. Other than that I have chosen a couple artists that might be featured in the next issue, and I have been updating the website.  I think the hardest part is waking up in the morning...haha. But I really feel like I am learning a lot here!

I hope you are all enjoying this glorious Wednesday!

I love you guys!

Mason :)

Time is Love

Howdy Wonderful People,

Life in the good ole peach capital of America has been nothing short of dull! There hasn't been any football games for three weeks, so people just get crazy 'round here.  As for me, I have been on adventures every weekend in October! First I went to Charleston, then I went on the Freshley Retreat, then I road tripped it up to Raleigh to visit Callen, and this past weekend I took friends home to Asheville for Fall Break!

Since it was Halloween weekend, of course we had to attend the blow-out costume party at Pac Tavern dressed up in the finest garb around.  We decided to go as everyone's favorite relative...Grandmas!  It was completely hilarious, and people all over downtown stopped us to ask for a picture! The Grannies busted a move on the dance floor, and of course had to end the night at the local Waffle House for some hashbrowns and chocolate milk.

It's Granny time.

Can't touch this

Took a brake from Bridge to boogie down

Back in Athens, I feel like I am just living life in fast forward.  There is only four weeks left in this semester, and it seems like I just got back to school.  I am going to start applying for Grady School of Journalism and Mass Communication and the School of Family and Consumer Sciences in November, and once I have finished that I get to focus on my next semester abroad in Italy! There are so many things I still want to do before I leave, but there just isn't enough time in the day. Along with working on my Grady and FACS applications, I am looking for internships for next summer.  I really want to stay abroad and get an internship in the UK because they speak English and it would be an amazing experience!  If you guys have any ideas let this girl know!

Despite all the mumbo-jumbo going on for the future, life in the moment is pretty sweet.  I have made some amazing friends here who love and support me.  I am constantly surrounded with people who are ambitious and driven, and that just encourages me to achieve my best.  

Other than the ole school life, my friends and I are still doing a lot of cooking!  Our blog, collegecontessas.blogspot.com, has been getting a lot of traction.  It has just been so fun exploring the world of food, and it is something that everyone has in common too!  This past weekend we tore it up in the Burril kitchen, and it was probably one of the best meals ever if I do say so myself. We will be writing all about it on the College Contessa blog within the week!

Cornbread and Chicken y'all

It the midst of all the crazy it is always nice to sit back and write to you guys.  I think looking back on the recent events always gives you a good perspective of where you are in life.  From where I am sitting there is so many flavors of life I want to try, and this is the time to taste-test them all!  I just have to keep praying and know that where I am right now is where God wants me to be.  

Time is Love,

Mason :)

Midterms? Say what?

Hello Dears!

Fall is in full swing, and life is only getting more exciting day by day!  Midterms are running rampant around campus, and the lines at Jittery Joes are proof they are no walk in the park.  But I actually kind of like midterms to be honest because it really is a bonding time with everyone haha.  It's a time where you meet up with random people from your classes and unite in the quest for an A.  This semester I only had two midterms, and they really weren't that bad.  One was in Spanish and one was in Italian, luckily they were like three days apart, so it wasn't too cray.  

Warning: Midterms may cause you to steal peoples scooters for joy rides.

What is more mind blowing for me than my actual tests, is the fact that this semester is already half-way done!!  Like seriously. Time needs to slow down.  I am savoring every moment of being here because I am studying abroad in Florence, Italy next semester!!!!--Words cannot express my excitement people.  I have been watching every documentary I can find on Italian culture and Italian history.  There are some pretty good ones on topdocumentaryfilms.com.  But if you guys have any suggestions PLEASE let me know! I want to be fully prepared for some extreme Italian adventures y'all.

In other news, I took my first road trip of the year this past weekend to Charleston, SC to visit Looie, Michelle, and Mary Alice at College of Charleston!!  It was around a five hour drive, and it was so nice to just have some peace and quiet amidst the midterm hubbub.  However, when I got to Charleston there was not much sitting around!  I stayed with at Looie and Mary Alice's house (which is soooo cute might I add), and we were right in the heart of Charleston.  We literally walked to King Street everyday, and it was so nice to just soak in the beach air.  The first night I was there we went to meet some of Looie and Mary Alice's friends, and they were all so nice! 

It was really cool to see how College of Charleston was compared to UGA with like the social aspect and everything.  At UGA there are pretty much just rager parties with tons of people all over the place, but in Charleston they normally just have house parties with friends.  It was so nice to be able to walk everywhere too, and it wasn't like any normal stroll.  Everywhere you look you see beautiful buildings, carriage rides, and families on vacation.  In Athens, we really are just living in a bubble of college peeps, and it was nice to be reminded of the real world.  

On Saturday, Looie and I went to the farmer's market, and it was nothing short of ADORABLE! Literally loved it.  We walked around and ate every sample there was, and we bought pumpkins for a pumpkin carving party we went to that night with Looie's track team.  We also hit up the beach, and of course got some fro-yo, because no vacation is complete with out having fro-yo at some point.  Then Saturday night we watched the depressing UGA vs. USC game where we were pretty much beaten to a pulp.  It was definitely a devastating blow, but I will never lose faith! --Oh, and the next morning I found my car's UGA tag I have on the front ripped of and thrown on the ground by those chickens!! Real nice.

C of C Track Pumpkin Carving Party!

Sunday morning, I went to Michelle's house for breakfast where we were reunited once more!  Then I met up with Looie and we went to her church, it's called City Church and its in this awesome music hall.  Then after that we met up with Mary Alice and Emily, their roommate, for lunch.  Then after yet another decadant meal in chuck town, Looie, Michelle and I ended my trip with a stroll through town.  All in all, it was exactly the weekend I was needing.  A reminder of the wonderful people I am so blessed to have in my life.

Now after my weekend of vacationing at the beach, life is back to it's usual frantic ways.  Today and tomorrow is the Study Abroad Fair (which is soooooooo fun to go to), Wednesday I have a big meeting for ADPR Connection (a big event I am a Committee Head for), Thursday I am going to see Luke Bryan, and Friday I am going on the Freshley Retreat (I went on it last year and met all my friends haha)!!! So needless to say, this girl is straight up occupado. But that's how I love it!!

Us at Freshley Retreat last year!

I love and miss every one of you!! Please email me, call me, text me, smoke signal me, or throw a carrier pigeon my way, I would love to hear from you guys!

Peace and Adventures,

Mason :)

Pumpkin Spice and Everything Nice

Hello Beautiful People!

Just to start off, I just want everyone to know how excited I am about fall being here.  Seriously, I was walking to class the other day, and I got a wiff of the crisp fall aroma and I went weak at the knees haha!  There are just so many fun and exciting things going on all around campus and in life in general that make this such an exciting season. --Not to mention Pumpkin Spice Lattès are back!!

Can you say delish? Delish.

First things first I have to tell you guys all about this new blog my friends and I are doing!  Since we are all off the meal plan we have had to learn so serious cooking skills, and we have turned our passion for the kitchen into something people all over can share!  Our site is called The College Contessas, and we cover all things from experimental recipes to restaurant critiques.  All the things we cook are made in little apartments with limited ingredients and kitchen appliances, so we show everyone how you can make amazing dishes easy and on the cheap!  You can't miss out on this little gem... collegecontessas.blogspot.com  You might as well jump on the bandwagon now, because it's going to be BIG!

College Contessas on the way to the tailgate!

This is only a portion of our elaborate spread

College Contessas with a UGA Legend--if you can't tell, there is an old man with a bulldawg painted on his head in the middle of us haha

In other news, we had our first big game this weekend! We played Vanderbilt, and it was more of a beautiful display of our football finesse than an actual game because we smashed them 48-3!  But the actual football game was only a mere shadow to the epic tailgate we held beforehand.  The Burril family did it again.  We seriously had enough food for Sanford Stadium.  But hey, I'm definitely not complaining!! As a poor college kid I was pumped to get some free chow fa show. But of course this grand-ole day did not go without some trials.  My car got towed and I got a parking citation!! So right now I am in the works of getting those taken care of haha...football parking is serious stuff down here!

Over-excited selfie...

Tailgating with Danielle!

Please don't overlook Areshia...

Burril Fam (minus Callen) Beaut

Something else I want to tell you guys about is ADPR Connection.  This is a huge networking event that is put on by UGA AdClub and PRSSA(Public Relations Student Society of America), and I was chosen to be a Committee Head of Host & Registration!!  This is a great opportunity for me, and since the event is October 23rd, I won't have to worry about being gone next semester.  We are going to have over 100 professionals and a boatload of students, so getting everyone registered and taken care of is a HUGE job!

Other than that, I am still really involved with The Wesley Foundation.  We had our first big event on Friday, where we put on "The Freshley Olympics!" There were all kinds of events freshmen competed in, and the one I worked was fencing.  Please do not ever ask me how to explain it, because I am still confused.  But hey, they had fun!

Oh and I have to tell you guys something exciting that happened today!! So today was like the first day it has been chilly, so of course I went all out and wore all fall clothes haha.  But a girl in my italian class  liked my outfit so much that she took a picture and is going to put it on some UGA fashion thing!! --I'll have to tell you what it is exactly later, but isn't that awesome!?!?  I'm telling' ya, conquering the world one outfit at a time is not just a catchy subheading...it's real life.

I hope everyone is doing well, and I hope to hear from you soon!!

Football and Watching Leaves Fall,

Mason :)

Swing On, Sweet Sophomore

Hello Lovely People,

School is officially in full swing here, and life is back to normal.  Late night studying, extreme dress up parties, and FOOTBALL!!  I have to say, that despite the workload, this year has been completely awesome.  It is really cool coming back and feeling used to everything.  I feel like I have found my place here at UGA, and now I get to really invest myself.

First off, my friends and I have started a supper club!! It is so adorable.  We get together every Sunday night and have a big themed potluck.  Last Sunday we had an Arabian themed night, and the week before we had Gladys Knight themed with chicken & waffles (DELISH).  This coming Sunday we are having Italian night! We are required to wear cocktail attire, and we are going to be dining on real plates accompanied with wine glasses for our chilled beverages (this is a big deal for us college kids).  I am making mom's spinach and artichoke dip, so basically my dish is going to be the best of the night haha.

In other news, this past weekend the fam came down and it was nothing short of exciting! It started off with the big Phi Slam party on Friday night, where Callen and I dressed up for the nautical theme.  I was a pirate complete with a tattoo sleeve and a nose ring, while Callen took the more cruising tourist look.  The party was a total rager! There were over 4,500 kids that were there if that says anything.

On Saturday we all went to the first home game against Buffalo, and it was so exciting to see Athens on gameday again!  The game was at 12:20, so it was right smack dab at the hottest part of the day.  At the beginning of the game the stands were completely full.  We walked all over the student section and there was not a single seat, so we went to the part underneath the jumbo-tron. These are Callen's exact words, "I can't even see the game because sweat keeps pouring into my eyes!!!" It was crazy.  So, as sad as I was to leave the student section for the first game, it was so much better up sitting with the parents!!  

Sunday the Burril family traveled to the ATL.  Dad and a friend went to the race, and Mom, Callen, and I went to Younglife Night at the Braves game! It was so fun! We got to see all the Younglife peeps from the ville, and they let us walk on the field!  It was totes legit.  

Then to complete the labor day weekend we all went to the World of Coke! Someone from Coke Corporate came to speak to my New Media Seminar class this past week, so it was really cool to see what she was talking about put into action.  Plus we got to gorge ourselves in every kind of soda imaginable! I paid close attention to the soda I tested from Europe for when I am in Italy next semester!!

Speaking of, I have my study abroad advisement on Friday, so I will be able to tell you guys all about it as soon as we hash out the deets!  The more I learn about studying abroad, the more excited I am getting! (as you can see from my excessive exclamation marks in this paragraph haha) But in every meeting I go to, every speaker I hear from, and even on the morning news they all talk about how the world is getting smaller.  This global education is a necessity these days.  With the industry that I am getting into, it is vital that I learn how to travel, and how to communicate and live in other cultures.  Ahh such exciting stuff!!

In closing, I just want to say that I am so thankful to be here at UGA! Everything going on here gets me excited about life, and there is just so much opportunity out there.  God really does want you to live out your dreams!

Beaming and Dreaming,

Mason :)

Classic City Staying Classy

Good Evening Folks!

I am back! My second year of college has started, and I cannot tell you how much fun I have already had!  Coming back to school as a sophomore has seriously been a total blast. You want to know why?  

1. I actually know where I am going this year, and I am not lost trying to get around campus.

2. I am already involved in so many things that keep me busy, like the Wesley Foundation, NewsSource, PRSSA, and Athens Church.  I already have responsibility, and I love it!

3. Everywhere I go I see people I know!  It is so refreshing to walk around campus and see so many familiar faces! It really makes a difference, and it makes me feel like I belong here.  It shows me that Athens is my home again.

4. Since I am living on campus again, it is so nice to be able to walk out my door and make it to class.  All my friends that live off campus have to drive, and worry about parking, so it's great that it is so convenient. Also, I am living with random roommates again this semester! I am telling you, this random roommate thing has been awesome for me!  I am living in a 4 person on-campus apartment, so I have 3 other roommates.  Two of them are in the Redcoat Marching Band, Chloe and Katey, and they are so nice!! They are both juniors, and we get along really well!  Then my fourth roommate is a Japanese foreign exchange student! Her name is Serina, and I have already learned so much from her.  The other night, we stayed up late chatting about food...and slowly I realized I wasn't helping out America's reputation as a unhealthy country haha.  I told her all about my favorite American restaurants like IHOP, Waffle House, Chick-fil-a, so she will definitely get her share of American good eatin'! --she already told me she loves the fried chicken haha

5. Even though I am living on campus, I chose to not do the meal plan.  Reason being that all my friends chose to forgo the meal plan, and I didn't want to bare the shame of having to go to the dining hall by myself.  This was SUCH a great decision!!  I have loved cooking with my friends, having dinner together, and talking about recipes...we are totally ridiculous about it haha!  Even my roommates are cooking too, so I've gotten to show them all my tricks with the good ole George Foreman Grill (seriously love that thing).  

6. My classes are finally moving away from prerequisites, and are becoming classes that I really want to take.  This semester I am taking Spanish, Italian, Natural History of Georgia (the only drab class...), News Writing and Reporting, and a New Media Seminar Class.  I am going to be killin it with my foreign languages, and hopefully that will help me next semester in Italy!!  Also, my News Writing class is going to be really interesting.  I am taking the Public Affairs lab that goes with it, and that focuses a lot on speeches and politics, so that should be great with this presidential election we have coming up!

All in all, I can just tell that this school year is going to be one that I am really going to enjoy.  There is so much adventure and excitement coming my way, and I cannot wait to see what I can make of it.  

In other news, CALLEN BURRIL HAS STARTED COLLEGE!!  I never thought I would see the day, but she a full-fledged college student.  But of course, she cannot just go to school and be a normal college student.  She has to go and have a fractured hand and wear a gigantic arm bandage/cast thing.  Way to go sis haha.  Other than that she has been living it up at NC State, and I could not be more proud.  She is such an amazing person, and I know that she is going to throw Raleigh for a loop.  

I just want to throw a shout out to all those college freshman, and tell them to hang in there! I promise that even though it may be hard at first--which it will--do not give up!  Embrace the akwardness, and know that everyone feels the same way (even if they act like they don't).  This is your time to do whatever you want, and you should explore all your options (not neccessarily the illegal ones...), but use this time to find what you really enjoy!  It may not be something you expect; so go to that Anime club and live it up (why the heck not? It would definitely be entertaining)!  The first couple of weeks are only the beginning to a great time!  

Don't forget that I still love mail!!

My new address is:

Mason Burril

519A Building 1512

365 River Road

Athens, GA 30609-4205

Peace and Fried Chicken,

Mason :)