Kirk informed me of my birthday present early, since he said he wanted to get it in place either this coming week or even this weekend. (My b-day's this coming Thursday, on the 18th.) Hm. I wondered what it could be. Then he gave me a one-word clue that caused me to jump up and down in my chair and start hooting and hollering with excitement.

And the word was: Access.

Our living situation hasn't been conducive to online access, so we've been forced to hunker on down to the library, or to Panera, or to a retreat center nearby to get online. Kirk's lucky, since he can get online at school. I, on the other hand, used to check e-mails and blogs at work during my breaks or lunch period, which was pretty convenient, but decided recently to stop. That whole "being above reproach" thing. But that decision, in a word, has been hard. Especially because when I get home from work I have absolutely no desire to go sit in the parking lot of the library to check e-mails and try to update this blog. So you suffer, and so do I.

Kirk's birthday gift to me, then? A wireless internet card that gets you online anytime and any place, so long as it's a place your provider gets access. We're going through Sprint, who is our cell phone provider, and we get great access from them around here, so we should have no problem.

This is a great blessing, indeed. It means I can be more regular on my blog. It also means I can respond more promptly to e-mails from those of you with whom I dialogue on a deeper level. Needless to say, I'm thrilled.