Backpacks, Books, and Bible Studies

I finally unpacked today. I didn’t think I had that much stuff… but between the suitcase of stuff I left here in November and the humungous (new!) suitcase I brought this time, I ended up with a dresser full of clothes, a closet full of more clothes, a bathroom full of toiletries, a cupboard full of jewelry, and two nightstands full of junk/electronics/books. It feels good to finally have everything organized. Last time I was here I never quite fully unpacked and settled in because I knew I would only be here for a month and a half. As I was unpacking, I snapped pictures of two Christmas/birthday gifts I’m excited about:

1. A hiking backpack. I told my brother I wanted one, so for Christmas he got me this awesome, multi-pocketed, waterproof backpack. It has a netted lift that makes it sit off of the small of the wearer’s back to prevent sweating, as well as all sorts of cool zippers and pockets and pouches. I can’t wait to use it and get it dirty. It will especially come in handy when I hike the Kalalau trail sometime in the next few months. If you remember my post about Hanakapi’ai Falls, I mentioned that the 4 mile trail continues past the waterfall for another 7 miles, ending at a beautiful beach. That’s the Kalalau trail, listed as one of America’s top ten most dangerous hikes. Don’t worry mom… I have a kickass backpack.

2. The book “Atlas Shrugged” by Ayn Rand. My friend Marcus (not to be confused with my brother Marcus) has quoted it for years, so I finally asked for this book for birthday, and will begin reading it as soon as I finish “Velvet Elvis.” So stoked. 

A few other random pictures:

Before I left Kauai in November, I cleared some old patio furniture out of my employer’s garage to make room to store my car while I was gone. Now I get to enjoy said furniture on my deck. :)

Yesterday I took a couple pictures of a girl riding her horse on Rock Quarry Beach, which I can see from my office. Looks absolutely blissful.

Other random news:

I got asked to lead worship for a ladies’ breakfast at my church next Saturday. It will be… interesting... to see how that goes.

I accidently walked in on two geckos copulating on the kitchen floor. Unfortunately, they got embarrassed and scattered before I could grab my camera.

Bible Study this week was relieving. We went over the material from last week’s Bible Study (remember, I was alarmed about our guest speaker’s claims regarding legalism) point-by-point and dissected each argument. A few days ago, Texas-guy (our guest speaker) had emailed both Ryan (our leader) and I a few academic articles supporting his theories. I read through them and felt confused. Ryan, luckily, had read through them and felt outraged. He typed his own rebuttal notes into one of the articles and added a full five pages to it. Obviously, we had plenty to discuss at Bible Study… I’m thankful for Ryan’s extensive theological/biblical training, as well as his general wisdom and the way he explains things so accessibly. It’s frustrating to sit through an off-base presentation and think, “That just doesn’t sound right, but I don’t know how to refute it,” but it’s liberating to witness someone debunk that same presentation both biblically and logically. It made me miss college and writing research papers. Maybe I’ll go to grad school after I finish working in Hawaii, couch-surf the U.S., and backpack through Europe.

           

We’ll see. :)