So this title might confuse you, but I promise... it will all make sense. First of all, this past weekend was HBU's homecoming game and bonfire! I must say, it was a very good weekend for beginning new traditions and continuing old ones. I was rather excited to continue my own personal tradition of taking an annual homecoming picture with our beloved mascot, Kiza!

One of my favorite homecoming festivities is the annual organization chili cook-off. Now, there was some good chili at most of these tables, especially at one of my favorite organization's table: BYX.

Some of the BYX guys cooking their chili

Mike and Andrew: BYX VP and President 2010

Mike was a great chili chef... I approve!

Stefanie, Grace, and Me...two of my beautiful and amazing suite-mates! Love them!

Well, homecoming was a great success... we won the game by a lot, and it was full of fun and tradition. Job well done, HBU.

Now, for the hurricane part I earlier mentioned, one of my FAVORITE bands, Switchfoot, came out with their new album on Tuesday called "Hello Hurricane" (hence the title,) I am SUPER excited. I will be getting the record tonight, and I suggest you do the same! Awesome. As for other music news... Dashboard Confessional just came out with a new album, as well as John Mayer. I've heard both, and you should definitely check them out for yourself. Lifehouse comes out with a new record this month! Super excitement. Lastly, a local band, Crash 45, consisting of HBU's own Kollin Baer and John Wethington, dropped a new debut album a little less than a month ago, Definitely a winner and worth the listen. Check them out on itunes!

Posted by Tara at 1:52 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Hey, hey!

So there's this camp I work at during the summer time that is BEYOND awesome... just sayin'. Anyways, its called Pine Cove and I love it! They actually came out to recruit today here at HBU, and we had 25 students come to interview! SO incredible! I have a picture of some happy students that had just finished applying... see for yourself!

OK, so its backwards... but I took it with my laptop so forgive me! But it doesn't change the fact that they were ecstatic! Check out the website, its a great way to share the love of Jesus with kids and families all while having a blast!

Blessings,

Tara

Posted by Tara at 4:16 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Hey guys! Well, it's October... but sadly here in the great city of Houston it feels like July. That's OK because I'm sure tomorrow the weather will be different. Houston weather tends to be temperamental, but I like the element of surprise anyways.
So, it is almost 2010. Times are changing and we see media left and right everywhere we look. There is always some type of new technology, or social networking site. Today, I am going to tell you about one of those networking sites; it is called Twitter. Have any of you guys ever heard of Twitter? It's fairly simple, I'll explain: Basically, Twitter is a constant status update you can give via web or cell phone. I know, at first I was like, "That's lame. Who wants to constantly update people about their life?" Well, I tried it out, and its awesome! You can use Twitter in whatever way you want, for example, you are walking along the road by yourself, minding your own business, when suddenly a pack of squirrels start chasing you. You escape, but no one was around to see the amazing event that just took place, so what do you do? "Tweet" it, which means submit it to Twitter by texting a short message such as, "I just got attacked by a pack of viscous squirrels... what?" Simple and fun! So, what does this have to do with coming to HBU? Well, I will tell you... HBU is awesome, therefore, it has a Twitter! As soon as you sign up, or if you already have a Twitter account, follow HBU's Twitter! They update about all the awesome stuff going on!

Awesome! OK well, I'll be updating again soon... so be checking up!

blessings,

Tara

Posted by Tara at 10:32 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

So many of you that have read my blog before have seen me talk about the band I'm in here at HBU. I never have really dedicated an entire entry to it before, which is interesting... so I thought I would do it now.
Refuge, in a few words, is best described as "stinkin' awesome." I love getting to hang out and play music with the really cool and talented friends that are members along with me. Its such a blessing and a privilege to be able to come together and use the gift of good music to glorify God through song. Each member had a unique and specific talent that only they could bring to the table, and it all fits together so well. God certainly is and has used this ministry to deepen my relationship with Him, and also to spread the gift of His grace to our campus and surrounding Houston churches. It's incredible.
We are really starting to get things moving as far as the band is concerned. We're trying to book more places to play, and getting the word out. We recently updated our website, which has all of our bios, history, and gig dates. Check it out! We might be playing somewhere near you.
Well, I'll post again sometime this week, so be checking up!

Blessings,

Tara

Posted by Tara at 2:22 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Hey guys! So today I thought I would dedicate an entry to all of the reasons I love HBU and the city of Houston. Let's take a look...

HBU provides good friends...

Refuge on our retreat

Sweet friends of mine: Alisa and Sally

Houston provides fun things to do with your good friends....

Like Astros' games! Me with some awesome guys, Andrew and Mike.

Or the butterfly museum with my camp friend, Meg!

These are just a few of the many things you can do in this wonderful city, and only a few of the awesome people at HBU... so keep checking in for more awesome-ness because it is most definitely coming!

Peace!

Tara

Posted by Tara at 12:23 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Hey all! It's about that time again... school is starting back up, and I'm back to blogging. All the new freshmen seem to be settling in pretty well. Beanie wearing is officially over now, so I'm sure they are thankful about that! This year I am in Refuge again, but I have a little bit of a different role. I have been blessed to share the lead role with one of my great friends, Michael Razmandi. It's going really well, and I'm excited to see what God is going to do through Refuge this year at HBU and surrounding Houston churches. I'll keep y'all updated about when we have gigs so if you're close, you can come check us out if you so desire! Well, I'm gonna start talking about different subjects each month from student life and organizations to Houston area attractions, so y'all tell me what you want to know about! Thanks for reading, and have a great year!

-Tara

Posted by Tara at 3:51 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Hey all! Sorry, it has been quite a while since I've blogged, I apologize, but finals are coming up... along with many other things that have to happen before I can begin my summer vacation. This past weekend at HBU, an exciting annual event took place, and it is called "Island Party." Y'all have seen me write about BYX (brothers under Christ) before. They are the Christian guys' organization here on campus, and every year they put on two pretty big events. Java Jam is done in the winter months, and Island Party, BYX's even bigger event, is put on in April every year. This year, we got rained out of having Island Party outside, but that didn't stop us from having a party! They moved all the activities and food inside McNair Hall, and we had a blast! There was barbeque, desserts, t-shirt sales, and even some live music. Some friends of mine are in the bands that played Island Party. One of the bands was a jazz band called "Blackberry Punch," and Will Vickery (my friend and the drummer for Refuge) plays drums for them, and my other good friend, Jeremiah, sings and plays keys. They were amazing! The other band that played was called "Crash 45," and they are more of a rock style band. The lead guitarist is my good friend, Kollin, and the lead singer, John, is another good friend of mine. We were privileged to have Dr. Sloan bring a very amazing message, and also have a few BYX guys share their testimony. Overall, even though the rain kept us inside, Island Party was still really fun and blessed. I took a few pictures! Enjoy!

THE Brothers Under Christ

Me and Sarah enjoying Island Party!

Blackberry Punch!

Jeremiah was singin'!

Me and the MC of the night, my good friend, Andrew the BYX VP

Needless to say, me and Mike were really excited for Island Party

Crash 45 was awesome

John singing!

Kollin and John of Crash 45

Boys will be boys....

Me and my good friend, Jake, demonstrating 100% Pure Energy. We discovered it is possible under the correct circumstances.

Me and The BYX... such good guys!

Well, I had a blast at Island Party, and some prospective students did as well! It was preview weekend too, and to all you seniors, I hope when Island Party 2010 comes along, you'll be there!

Posted by Tara at 10:13 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

How many Shakespeare fans do I have out there? Anyone? Well, if you are a fan, I have good news for you... HBU has some pretty sold out theatre fans! I will admit, I am actually one of these theatre people, and I love it! Though Houston Baptist doesn't offer a theatre major, there is a club called the Rex Flemming Readers. I am a member of this club, and also have a part in the upcoming play we are putting on May 1&2: the very popular Shakespearean Comedy "A Midsummer's Night's Dream." I am pretty excited and my good friend, Andrew, who plays the part of Oberon, took some pictures of a rehearsal. Enjoy!

Helena, Hermia, and her lover, Lysander.. or me, Grace, and Corey!

Oberon and Puck, or Andrew and Lucy (who is also our director and president)

Kyra and Christina play fairies that will tend to Scott, who plays Bottom

Puck and Oberon tamper with the Hermia and Demetrius, who is played by Carlos

Christina and Sam act as some of the comic relief in the play

And here is most of the cast, all piled on a little HBU golf cart! We have fun together.

Well guys, if you are interested in pursuing theatre after high school, but might not want to study and major in it, then HBU and Rex Flemming is a great place for you! We are excited for next year to see what new talent comes in, and it might be you!

Posted by Tara at 2:13 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

As you know, there are many campus activities that I have previously blogged about, and I am going to blog about yet another one: Dodgeball. The most epic of all non-competitive-competitive sports! I have some pictures, enjoy!

OK, I won't lie, I had a favorite team: THE War Pigeons... some fierce guys! :)

My favorite fraternity on campus, BYX (Brothers Under Christ) They came in 2nd!

Two of some pretty cool guys, and good friends of mine, Andrew and John

After the dodgeball tournament, we played some ultimate frisbee on the flooded soccer fields! Amazing!!

Posted by Tara at 12:02 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

OK guys, its been a little while, I apologize for that too! I had pretty busy spring break, but I'm back at school now and I wanted to post a few pics of random places I've been over the past couple of weeks! Enjoy...

And THIS, my friends, is my favorite spot in Houston. Minute Maid Park, home of the Houston Astros. I got to take a tour of the entire field for my birthday! Its beautiful!!

I got to sit in the Astros' dugout! :)

Me, Sarah, and Brianna at a gig in Humble, TX (Brianna's hometown)

Me and Will on the way to his birthday dinner with Refuge!

Happy Birthday to Will!

My best friends from Baylor came to visit me and we made cakeballs! Yum :)

These are the delicious cakeballs before they were coated in chocolate!

Well, as you can tell, my spring beginnings have been sort of random, but exciting nevertheless. I'll post again soon!

Posted by Tara at 6:26 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)