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 :)

Intern Insights

Hey Guys!

So, it is finally starting to hit me that summer is almost over, and that my internship only has two weeks left.  It is definitely bittersweet, because I am so excited to go back to school and be with my friends, but at the same time, I finally feel like I've become part of the team here at Penske. 

Looking back on this summer I really have learned so much.  The work environment is really fun to be apart of, and there is so much opportunity to grow here!  But, at the same time there are people who are perfectly content with where they are, and they don't try any harder to move up.  But I'm just like, who just wants to sit around and do the same thing everyday!  Just by putting forth a little enthusiam in your work, people really notice. 

I have gotten to experience some really cool things by working here as well.  I have gotten to meet some really awesome people, like our Drivers, Senior Employees, important media, guys from the corporate office, security guards, and all kinds of engineers and mechanics.  It has been an eye opening experience, and a true test to my confidence and communication skills.  It was really intimidating in the beginning to be the youngest employee, nonetheless being the youngest girl employee when we only have 13 girls total in our 400 person staff.  But, as the weeks progressed I was less intimidated, and it has become a lot easier to walk around the shop. 

I have also loved getting to know my fellow workers in carpetland (the business/marketing part of the shop).  Every morning I love just walking around saying Good Morning, and chatting while sipping coffee, and then going back to my cube and going through my morning routine of reading the news, checking emails and such.  Everyday there is something new going on, and especially recently I have gotten to witness utter chaos in the office!  It's so fun! 

In other news, I have been getting really excited about this upcoming semester! I feel like sophomore year is going to be completely different from last year, and I just can't wait to get back in the groove of things.  I am so pumped to go back to Wesley, and to the football games, and to see all the new freshman wondering around lost...ahhh its going to be great!  I have picked out my planner and everything, so I am ready to goooo!

Complete with Pink Flamingos!

I want you all to be praying for Callen as well as she is doing work crew in Oregon!  I haven't gotten to talk to her in almost a week, and its killin me!

Love you and miss you all!

Mason :)

Back to Business

Good Morning World!

So, it has been almost a month since my last post, and I am devistated that I haven't been able to record all the crazy on-goings of my life.

Since my last post, I have been presented to society as a Lady of the Mythical Rhelm of the Rhodedenron, gone to 2 Nascar Races, and have expanded my knowledge of the marketing world to an amazing extent.  Along with that, I have finally gotten internet in my apartment! I guess my neighbor got it, and now I can get on an steal his WiFi! Woo Hoo!  I did go to Starbucks yesterday, and the barista was like "Long time no see!", and clearly he missed me sitting in the corner on my laptop, so I can't completely ditch out on him now.  So, I'll still have to contiue dropping by just so I don't hurt his feelings too bad.

As far as my internship goes, things have been going really well. I have gotten a lot more responsibility, and the people here have actually taken a liking to me.  On the weekdays I am still doing the regular trivial tasks such as, shipping, grabbing lunch, and running errands around the shop.  But I have also been helping with Press Releases, Quarterly Reports, and I am currently running point on the Sponsor Summit in Chicago in September.  Since it is in September, I'm still not sure if I'll get to go, but it has been really fun planning it all out and working on the details!  My next big thing I am doing is going to the Nationwide Race in Indianapolis on July 28th to help out Jason (one of our marketing/account manager guys).  I can't believe that it is almost over, and I really only have 3 weeks left until I go back to the life of a college student!

This is my lovely shirt I get to wear to the races...

When I first got to the Nationwide Race in Kentucy on June 29th we went straight to the Team Coach, and this was where I met Jeff!

This guy and his outfit craked me up.

My Wurth tour group getting pics with Sam Hornish Jr!

View from the track in Kentucky.

Jonathan, my boss, loves me so much he gave me an icecream sandwich.

Feet are wounded after walking in 104 degree weather all day!

Discount Tire suite in Daytona!

Nascar fans really impress me with their resourcefulness.

Awesome Hats!!

Jennifer came to visit me this weekend!! We are too cute.

In other news, life at home is still pretty excitng, Callen is about to head off to Oregon tomorrow, and then she is going to be gone until sometime in the first week of August! It's kind of sad how we are both going to be gone this year, but exciting at the same time because she is going to be with all my buds up at NC State!

It seems like life is just flying by, and I don't want to miss out on anything. There is so much that I want to do, and I just need to realize that I need to take it one step at a time, and sometimes I just need to stop and smell the roses. This summer has been so eye-opening to life because I have been exposed to the real world, and now I am just ready to go after it! I have ambition to conquer my dreams, and I just have to figure out my path to do it.

Movin' On Up

So, I haven’t gotten to write in a couple days because I have still not gotten my internet set up the the apartemente. I am beginning to think it’s just a lost cause, and the peeps at Starbucks would miss me hanging out too much haha.

Anyway,work is definitely getting better! I sat in the department meeting yesterday and it was really cool to be involved with some of the upcoming events and promotions we are doing. I actually found out that I will be flying to two races!! I feel so proud that they “need an extra person” and they chose me!! Yay! haha I am literally just flying down and coming back the same day, but hey, they still need me. I’ll be attending the Nationwide Kentucky Race on June 29, and the Nationwide Daytona Race on July 6. Woot woot!

Other than that, I have just been doing random tasks for people all over the office. Yesterday I typed in reciept information into a spreadsheet for like 3 hours...my eyes could barely open after that haha. But today I get to sit in on a conference call with one of our sponsors to see how we conduct sponsor involvement and such.

It’s nice because I am finally becoming familiar with the peeps in the office. Ann and Greg are both in the Licencing, Merchandising, and Branding Department and they are pretty fun. Ann just had a baby, and Greg is from New Jersey (nuff said there haha). Actually funny story about Greg, I was originally going to have an office instead of a cube, but before I moved to “carpetland” Greg stole my office and I got stuck with his cube! Hahaha what a goof.

Oh I also have to tell you guys that Mrs. Cathie asked me to go to a movie with her! She is so sweet haha. I think she just feels bad that I don’t really have anyone to hang out with. But the only thing is she wants to go on a weekend, and I’m not here haha. I’ll have to let her down gently or drag her during the week!
Anyhoo, things are definitely looking brighter in Mo-town, but I’m ready to be home for the weekend to see my peeps!

Here are some pictures of the cube and my beautiful name plate!

Penske Internship -Day Seven

I finally made it to the big time, the cream of the crop, the little nuts on top of a hot fudge

sunday... “Carpet-land”! I was so excited to finally do something productive, and be able to be
apart of the serious game-making of Penske Racing! I was going to get my own office, but some
guy named Greg thought that he should get the office instead of me (he has been working here
for over two years, but come on now, everyone knows the summer intern definitely deserves
her own office!), so I got a cubicle haha. It is comes complete with a desk, a rolly-chair, a
phone, a desktop computer, and something that connects my laptop to the computer (super
high-tech here)! The only thing that was missing was a trash can haha.

My day began with getting all my stuff set up, you know, gots to make it cute. Then I proceeded
to ask Sasha, my advisor for the week, what I needed to do. She said that I could sit in on the
Merchandising meeting, and then I would be typing up receipt numbers into a spreadsheet. The
meeting proved to be really interesting, I never realized how much it takes to sell stuff in a store,
online, and in a trailer. They have to count everything a billion times, and they are constantly
having to update prices, look at what is selling, and search for new products. It’s a lot to handle
my friends.

After the meeting, I sat around waiting for the receipts until lunch time, and put in dividers and
labels for the 2012 Graphics Book. These are pretty much just for the sponsors so they can
see how all of their logos are displayed on the cars, drivers, and pit crew.

Then came time to type up the receipts...this was pretty much the most mundane and tedious
thing in the world. It took me like 2 hours to get all the numbers typed in, and when they all didn’t
add up properly, I had to go spend another hour to re-check all the numbers. So. Boring. By the
time I was done, I could barely open my eyes, and my voice sounded like I just turned 97.

Once I finished, I showed Sasha, and we both agreed that receipt balancing is the worst thing
ever. All in all, it was a good first day in carpet-land!

Confess the Dress

I have to say that dressing for work was probably one of the parts of my Internship that I was most excited for!  I have looked forward to dressing in business attire ever since I can remember.  So, pre-internship my mom and I hit up the more professional stores and we bought pencil skirts, blouses, slacks, flats, and heels! Ahh my dream right there!

DAY ONE

So, my first day of work was a huge deal. I was going to debut my style to the entire office (and garage full of guys), and it was going to tell everyone at Penske what they were in for.  I emailed my boss to check with the dress code, and he simply said "business casual"...umm can we be a little more vague?  Are dresses a no-go? Should I wear heels? So many questions going on in my head.  But I finally just decided that I was going to go with something I was comfortable in, and something that would say "Yes. I am awesome."This combination turned into this master piece below...

From top to bottom:

-Orange Blouse (tjmaxx)

-Kaki Pencil Skirt (Banana Republic)

-Brown Belt (Goodwill)

-Nude Pumps (Target)

-Gold Oval Earrings (Gift from Nana)

-Pandora Bracelet (Gift from Aunt Weezie)

Sadly, this work of art was only worn for half a day because I turned out spending my first day working in the warehouse stacking boxes.

DAY TWO

Since I was going to be working in the gift shop for the rest of the week, I was going to have to hold off on my heels and pencil skirts and stick to slacks and flats.  But is that going to stop me from barging through the fashion frontier? I think not!

Top to Bottom:

-Coral Scarf (Stolen from Callen's closet)

-Navy and White Striped Shirt (Forever 21)

-Black Ankle Length Slacks (Target)

-Gold Skinny Belt (J. Crew)

-Nude Flats (Target)

-Pandora Bracelet

DAY THREE

It was finally time for me to get the official "Penske Logo Work Shirt".  I just had to stick the the uniform for the remaining week in the gift shop, but of course I was going to add my personal touch.  

Top to Bottom:

-Penske Logo Work Shirt (complete with a half-zip at the collar!) (I-ZOD)

-Red Ankle Length Slacks (Gap)

-Chetah Print Flats (Target)

-Gold Oval Earrings (Nana!)

So, this was pretty much the standard outfit for the next two days as well.  Woot woot for uniforms!

DAY SIX

Today was the day I was moving to "carpetland"(aka office spaces), and I was back to my business casual!  I wish the camera on my computer could capture the awesomeness of my pants, but sadly it doesn't.  They are high-waisted ankle length HOT PINK pants! So awesome haha.

Top to Bottom:

-Light Pink Silk Blouse (J. Crew Factory)

-Cropped Navy Blazer (Forever 21)

-Hot Pink High-Waisted Ankle Length Slacks (Banana Republic)

-Nude Flats (Target)

-Creamy Colored Shell Earrings (H&M)

-Pandora Bracelet

DAY SEVEN

This is the projected outfit for tomorrow. We have had some major rain, and so I figure that it was time to break out the boots!

Top to Bottom:

-Navy Blazer (Forever 21)

-Collared Blue Button-Down Dress (H&M)

-Brown Belt (Goodwill)

-Brown Zip-Up Boots (Target)

Penske Internship- Day Four

Today I was in the gift shop pretty much allllll day. There were so many people in today! We had over 300 in the store, so that was really exciting. Also, A.J. Almendinger came in the shop today for some reason, and just talked to some of the fans for a while. He was really nice, and actually pretty cute too, im not gonna lie (too bad he is married to a model haha).

There was another exciting moment when I got the honor to go get lunch for everyone today! It actually took a little bit longer just because there was so much traffic from all the fans and other lunch-goers. I went to subway for April and Mrs. Cathie and then went and got a smoothie from McDonalds for me! This is the first day I have eaten something other than what I packed for lunch, and I think Mrs. Cathie and April think I’m kinda crazy for it haha. Mrs. Cathie always asks what I brought, and when I tell her peanut butter, celery, and apple, and a granola bar, she just can’t believe it haha.

Oh and just so you guys know, I got my official Penske employee car today! They spelled my name AMason Burril though...so I’m not sure if its a typo, or its something for interns haha. But at least I’m on the records somehow!

Penske Internship- Day Three

Today was a big day because I had my new employee orientation! I learned all about hazard communication, and I even took a quiz. Hopefully I passed! Other than that, I also got my picture taken for my id badge, and my finger scanned to clock in and out. So, pretty much, I am totally legit now.

In other news, the gift shop was busy again today. I learned how to work the cash register, and I restocked the floor with new merchandise! I am finally getting acquainted with all of our products, so I am more of a help when customers are looking for specific items.

For lunch today I packed a grilled chicken wrap with green peppers, mushrooms, and hummus that I made last night! Yes, my dears, I am becoming quite the little chef over here in Mooresville. George Foreman and I are hitting it off smashingly. In fact, for dinner tonight, I marinated a chicken breast in italian dressing, then grilled it, and topped it off with a smoked mustard sauce; and for the sides I cooked up some mushrooms and broccoli on the stove. Mmmmm so tasty!

Penske Internship- Day Two

Today, I woke up with a lot less anxiety, mostly because I knew what I was getting into for the day. Jonathan told me to walk straight into the gift shop, and just spend all day there. Pretty simple.

So, I got up around 6:15. I was a little tired because I couldn’t resist staying up to watch the Bachalorette. I told myself it was a useful thing to watch because Emily, the Bachalorette, wanted to film in Charlotte (20 minutes from where I live). Then after I was dressed and ready, I grabbed my coffee and headed to work. I got there around 7:50, and from there I helped Mrs. Cathie set up the shop.

Since there is a race Saturday, there is a big influx of racefans in town this week, and so our store is especially busy. Today we had around 200 customers (normal is around 20 haha), and there were some serious characters.

Most of the people that come in are here for the week, and so they are hitting up all the race facilities (Hendrick, Kyle Busch Racing, and some others that I can’t remember the name of). Anyway, these customers just love racing so much and they will spend at least an hour going on the “fan walk”(a catwalk in the garage where fans can watch the guys work on the cars), and going over every piece of merchandise in the store. That part, watching them get excited over a little plastic racecar, is actually really fun for me. I love watching people get excited, and I love seeing people happy, so that is one of the best parts of this job.

Some of Brad Kaslowski’s family actually came it today, twice, and they were great! They were so excited to see Brad’s name on everything, so they pretty much bought everything with his name on it, which is like half our store haha. They were probably in our store for over two and a half hours. That’s family pride right there haha.

Anyhoo, I had a better day than yesterday because I didn’t have to go home at lunch and change!

One of the bad parts about moving is being lonely. This is my fourth night alone, and it’s kinda getting old. I am definitely missing my friends and family. After work I don’t have anything to do, so I just go to Starbucks to use the internet for a while, then I come home and cook dinner for myself. So, if anyone has a free night and wants a home-cooked meal, come visit me!

However, I know that this internship is going to help me learn a lot, and I can’t wait until I get to be in some of the real action! I really am lucky to work with such kind people, who put up with my incessant questions all day long haha.

Penske Internship- Day One

Last night I stayed up until around 11:30 picking out my outfit, packing my lunch, and getting all of my materials together. The most nerve racking part about this internship was not being prepared, and going in without really any racing knowledge at all. I am not a racing fan, so I spent yesterday trying to study up on racing details just so I would be able to keep up with what people were talking about around the office.

So, this morning I woke up around 5:45. Reason number one being that I was really nervous, and number two being that I wanted to get to Starbucks so I could do a little more research before I had to arrive at work at 8:00 (I don’t have internet in my apartment until later this week). So I put on my tangerine blouse, kacki penicl skirt, and nude heels and hit the road. I got to work around 7:45, and Jonathan Gibson (my boss) came and got me around 8:10. We went back to his office where he gave me the low-down of what was going to happen this summer.

Since there is the Indy 500 this coming weekend, and the office is just crazy, Jonathan said that I would be working in the merchandising and apparel department (aka the gift shop) this week. After this week, I’ll get my own office and I’ll move into “carpet-land” (aka business stuff). From there, I will spend time with Marketing, Branding, Licensing, Hospitality, Sponsors, and Public Relations. They want me to get a broad spectrum of the business, so I’m going to be with pretty much every department except building the car haha.

After the synopsis of my summer, Jonathan toured me around the facility to see all the departments, and introduced me into a bundle of employees. That part I really enjoyed, because everyone seemed so nice, and super personable. I could tell they all wanted to help me learn all I can.

So after the tour, I headed to the gift shop where I hung out with April and Mrs. Cathie and they just showed me basics of the merchandising part of Penske. Then April took me back to the warehouse where we packed, moved, and shipped merchandise to the driver’s trailers, and various internet orders. This part of the day was especially difficult given I was still in my pencil skirt and heels haha. By the time lunch came around, I was ready to saw off my feet. April and Mrs. Cathie told me that I could go home and change during my hour lunch break, so I was all over that haha.

So I rushed home and scarfed down some lunch, and changed into a button down, jeans, and tennis shoes. When I asked Mrs. Cathie if jeans were alright to wear, she said ok, so that was definitely the go-to after the morning my feet had haha. So I got back early, and went straight back to work! April had me doing all kinds of things, especially now that I could move quicker haha. But on our walk back over to the warehouse she said that jeans weren’t allowed, soI told her I asked Mrs. Cathie, and April quickly told me that Mrs. Cathie is deaf in one ear, so she will sometimes just say ok to things she can’t hear. Hahaha! What are the chances?

Anyway, for the rest of the day I worked the desk in the gift shop, I restocked the floor, labeled clothes, and greeted all our race-fan customers! I also got to spend some quality time with Mrs. Cathie and April, which was really nice. They are both really smart, and they have a lot of experience with Penske.

All in all, this was a long, hard day full of new people, knowledge, and experiences. I just hope the following days get a little bit more comfortable, and hopefully I will make some new friends!

A Workin' Woman

Hey Everyone!

So, I am finally here. I am living in Mooresville in my own apartment!  Mom, Looie, and I moved all my stuff in on Friday, and it still didn't sink in that I was actually going to be living there.  I have been telling people about moving to Mooresville for the summer since Christmas, but I don't think I ever really thought it would happen haha.  

Mom and I came down last Monday to check everything out in the apartment, and to explore the town, and thats when we realized we had a LOT of work cut out for us.  When we first walked in the apartment, it smelled so terrible, like I was holding my breath it was so bad.  We got a furnished apartment so we wouldn't have to move furniture, and the furniture consisted of not one, but two recliners, a coffee table, two lamps, a tv, a toaster, and a bed.  Seriously minimal stuff here.  However, I was still excited because that meant that we could really do whatever we wanted!  

Here are the before pictures:

With a little bit a creativity, and some paint and nails, we spruced this place up! So here are the after pictures:

 

The Wardrobe Room

The Relaxation Station

La Cocina

Sleepin Space

My first night sleeping there was last night, and it was nothing short of weird.  I have been going non-stop since I have gotten home from school, constantly surrounded by people and things to do.  But last night I got home from Callen's state track meet, and I literally had nothing to do.  I was just alone.  I immediately had to turn on the radio just to get rid of the silence, and after dancing around I felt better.  I spend like three hours unpacking, and organizing, because I just needed something to do.  So, once everything was perfectly organized, I finally had to just sit down and chill.  I thought I could make some dinner, but I really wasn't hungry.  I actually haven't really had an appetite at all since I got here, but I think its just the nerves about my first day tomorrow.

The internship I am starting tomorrow is with Penske Racing, and I am going to be working with their PR, Advertising, and Business departments.  At this point, I really have no idea what I am going to be doing, and I think thats the part that scares me the most. Since I'm not a die-hard race fan, I am kinda scared that I will just look dumb because everyone else will know so much about racing.  Thats why today I have been studying up a storm on everything NASCAR and racing haha.  If you guys have any input help a girl out!

On a separate note, I mentioned that Callen went to the State Track Meet yesterday.  She made it all the way to State in TWO EVENTS! (thats really good by the way)  She competed in the Triple Jump, and the Pole Vault (she was the first place conference champ in both, the third place regional champ in the triple, and the first place regional champ in pole vault--pretty much she is a beast).  Anyhoo, after the move in on Friday, Mom, Looie, and I all went to Greensburo to meet up with Callen and Dad for the State Meet.  Because we were so proud, Looie, Mom and Dad, and I all made posters for our little champion!  

Callen ended up not doing as well as she wanted, but in the end it was a win because she met the guy who tweets #polevaulterprobs!! I am so proud of Callen, and I just can't believe there was a Burril who even made it to State!  That is an accomplishment in itself.

All in all, it has definitely been an exciting weekend! I am going to try to blog as much as I can about my life this summer, so stay tuned!

I'm not quite sure what my mailing address is yet, but I will be sure to let you guys know as soon as I find out!  I love you all, and please keep me in your prayers!

Peace and Adventures,

Mason :)

Ready, Set, Don't Go

Hey Guys!

I am in shock right now.  I only have 6 more days of class as a college freshman. How did this even happen?  It seems like I was just lofting my bed with Areshia yesterday.  But now, I almost have an entire year of college under my belt!  It has been so cool to be on this crazy adventure.  Being a college freshman is such a unique experience, and I'm getting really sad that it's going to be over in 6 school days!

There are a few things that I just want to reminisce on about my Freshman Year:

-Going to the first UGA home game as a student, and feeling totally out of the loop
-Knocking on all the girls doors on my hall with cookies, and getting denied
-Having to scan my hand to eat in the dining hall, get in the dorm, and go to the gym
-Being able to walk around the dorm and seeing a zillion familiar faces because we all live 5 minutes from each other
-Going to the bathroom with Ke$ha blasting in the background
-Going to my Econ test and forgetting my calculator and Student ID
-Having to introduce myself to every single person down here, because no one knew me beforehand
-Gaining 5 lbs in the first couple months because of the delicious dining hall cookies
-Having to learn to turn in all my assignments online, and realizing how your have to make sure there isn't an error before you go out so you don't get a major point deduction
-Learning that coffee is it's own food group
-Watching all 7 seasons of Gilmore Girls in one semester is completely possible
-Learning that there are amazing, friendly people everywhere
-Always trusting in the Lord that he will provide

Ahhh I could just go on forever haha

But I want to make sure I tell you all about some of the exciting things going on right now!

1. I signed up to be on leadership with the Wesley Foundation (aka Freshley, the group I went to Jamaica with), and I got my first choice of doing Freshley Fellowship Events!!  We had to interview and go through a whole application process, so I am realllllllyyyyy excited!  As a part of Freshley Fellowship Events, I get to throw all the really fun parties and activities for freshman next year.  This year I went to almost all of the Freshley Events, and they are always so fun, and my team members are all really great people!

2.  Yesterday, I went to go hear the editor of Glamour Magazine, Cynthia Leive, speak about her job, and the impact that social media has had on it.   She was so inspirational, and you can tell she is a woman that means business.  She started early with her career, and so it was really cool hearing her tips for us as future journalists.  I have to also mention that she had on the cutest outfit.  It was a black and white flowy dress, paired with charcoal platform pumps. So cute. This lady had it going on. I just hope someday I will be able to be as happy as she is with her job!

3. Last night I went to my first rodeo ever!! Oh my gosh.  It was so hilarious. I don't think I have ever seen that many rhinestone belt buckles in one place.  I felt like I was back at home with the good ole' country folk.  But second to the entertaining people, the rodeo action was so intense! There were bucking broncos, barrel racers, rodeo clowns (those guys run around and try and distract the bucking horses from running over the cowboys, they are crazy), bull riders, and there was even a miniature horse!! Personally, I think the miniature horse stole the show haha.  But while we were there, we did what any rowdy cowgirls would do. We bought cowboy hats and funnel cakes, and yelled GIT-ER-DONE all night!

 

4. A bunch of my friends wanted to go on a road trip next weekend before we get down and dirty with our textbooks for finals, and they all decided they wanted to come to Asheville!! So, next weekend I am going to have around 10 girls come back home and stay with me! We are probably just going to do the whole touristy thing, but if you are in town you guys should drop by the house one night and meet everyone.  I think we are going to be coming on Friday afternoon and leaving on Sunday sometime. So just let me know!

There are so many things going on down here, and I just wish I could write about every single one! But if I did that I think I might fail my classes haha. I think it is safe to say that life down here is pretty great right now, but with finals coming up it's about to get real intense.  I hope that all is well with you guys, please keep me updated about life back at home!

I love you all, and I hope each and every one of you have a fantabulous day!

Cowboys and Comfort,

Mason :)