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 :)