Yeah, I know, I claim to be Risible Girl yet I act more like mushy-reflection girl. That's why this blog is called MOSTLY risible. While on the 'risible' topic, does everyone here know what risible means? There. Now you do.

It's that time of year, the time where people typically look back on their lives and reflect. Some make resolutions (yeah, we'll get to that maybe tomorrow), some don't. I wasn't going to write one of those reflective New Years Eve posts, but something hit me today like a ton of bricks.

I don't often buy People magazine, but I was at the store today shopping for the grazing festival that was to take place at our pad. It included boys, video games and football. Since my laptop has a fried motherboard, I despise football, and I don't like video golf, I thought I'd better find some sort of mind numbing activity to occupy my time. There it was. People, the best and worst of 2004. Perfect!

It was all fun and games until I got to the article, "Honoring the Fallen". It started, "Since the war in Iraq began, 1,293 U.S. soldiers have given their lives. Here, in the order of their passing, are the names of 832 brave men and women who died in the line of duty in the past year." And so went the list. The name and age of all of the fallen soldiers this year. Most of them just babies. Babies younger than my two sons.

Seeing that list sucked the breath right out of me. I turned the page. Two more pages full of names in tiny little letters. It was all so, so stark. I'm not sure if that is the proper word, but it was like a slap in the face. It brought me to tears to think about these boys, these babies; and to think about their families. Families who were spending the holidays without them.

I thought about my oldest son and his friends. They were all very angry after 9/11. Some were talking about joining the army. I have to be honest, that very idea scared the hell out of me. I am so thankful for the brave men and women who have served our country, and I am very proud to say that my brother is included in that honorable group. However, it devastated me to think of my son joining those ranks. My son didn't join. But some of his friends did. They went in knowing what they were up against. Those are very brave young men.

Then there were the boys who joined the reserves prior to 9/11. They joined so they could make a little extra money, or get help with college tuition, not even knowing what they were getting themselves in to. They were called to duty, and it scared them. It scared me. I can't imagine how it worried their families. I have to wonder how many of those boys on that long list of names fell into this category. It just makes me so, so very sad.

It all brings everything into perspective. I don't think that I'm necessarily someone that needs perspective, because I'm one of those polly-anna type of people who look around and count all of my blessings on nearly a daily basis. It hasn't always been like this, meaning there was a time that I didn't feel so lucky. I really wasn't very lucky and this enables me to look back over my life, how it was, and compare it to how life is now. It is very easy for me to see how blessed I am.

My boys are happy, healthy..... and alive. I am married to a wonderful man who is a partner in every way. I enjoy my job tremendously, and we both make enough money that we are never in need. I have wonderful friends and truly wonderful family; old and new.

This year I finally got a diagnosis for the liver problems that have been plaguing me since 1986. Believe it or not, I consider that a blessing as well. Because now I'm being monitored a lot closer, which means that I am more likely to receive a liver transplant in time. The whole thing is much less scary to me now.

So, even though it wasn't my plan to leave this year on a reflective note, I did.

While reflecting, I'm so happy for the new friends I've made through my new hobby; my blog. I've been enriched reading about your lives and thoughts. Oftentimes very thought provoking. Thank you for sharing yourselves with me.

I wish everyone a safe and healthy 2005, and for me, I am looking forward to getting my little buddy back. (that's my laptop... whimper...)

I'm on hold with the Dell folks hoping that there's an easy solution for my plight. It appears that my laptop has died. It won't turn on and it doesn't look as if it's getting any power when the ac adaptor is in. Normally there's a little light on my laptop that shows there is power, even if I have my laptop turned off.

I'm seriously upset. Interestingly, I was watching a rerun of Sex In The City last night; the episode where Carrie loses everything in her laptop and she's scolded by many that she didn't back up. I thought to myself, hmmmm... self, you know it has been a while since you've backed up your laptop. Then I heard, tra-la-la....

I have the day off today, so was looking forward to reading all of my favorite blogs with my feet up on the table and my laptop, well, in my lap.

Now I'm forced to use hubby's desktop. Sitting at a desk... not my style.

So, if you'll all hold your breath and hope that it's something dumb that can be fixed TODAY, I'd very much appreciate it.

.....wimper...

Update: Dell's customer service is FANTASTIC. Sounds like it's the motherboard (figures... it's the *mother* part that always gives me problems.) They're sending me a new one AND a new processor just in case. And coming to my house to do the whole thing Monday afternoon!

I'll not be as active in posting or commenting on my regular boards. Hmmmm, maybe I'll actually go see what the outside world is like.

I was over visiting The Sneeze last night and read his latest entry. It was about kissing.

I knew I'd have to blog about it because I found myself all mushy-like and getting dizzy and stuff. You see, I'm the lucky person who married the best kisser on this earth. If there are kissers on other planets, I'll bet he'd win the title there too. Really, I know what I'm talking about here folks. I've been a kissing afficionado all of my life. Ok, well, since third grade anyway. That's when I got my first kiss from a boy.

His name was Reuben. I really don't remember much about him except that he was my third grade boyfriend, we held hands and walked around the track at recess. Oh, and kissed. Nothing too extreme (that's for any pervs out there thinking otherwise). I was in third grade, for Pete's sake.

Fast forward to high school. That's when I really got to try out lots of kissing techniques. I feel kind of bad for the boys that I practiced on because I was very much a goody-two-shoes. I could kiss for hours, but kissing was all they got. Now that I'm older and wiser, I've heard stories of what that does to a guy. Oops.

My roomates and I used to like to kiss the guys who lived across from us in student housing at BYU. Looking back, I really don't understand what that was all about. They were almost like brothers to us, but we were all broke and had nothing better to do. Well, I suppose we could have read scriptures or something..... Nah, this was way more fun even though we all were truly just kissing. OK, maybe it was just me that was having fun.

My first husband was a HORRIBLE kisser. What was I thinking? Let's just say his saliva glands were working just fine. Ten years of that. Gag. I need to clear my head now. Yuck... I was just re-reading this to make sure I spelled everything right and had all of my t's crossed. Still seriously gagging. Heavily.

The boyfriend between the first husband and hubby didn't like kissing. Eight years of that. Can you imagine? Me? The kissing afficionado being with someone who doesn't like kissing? Shudder.

....cue in harp music and angelic sounding voices....

BJ... sigh. I remember our first kiss like it was yesterday. I get all mushy every time I think about it (and I think about it a lot!). We'd been on several dates before it happened. During those dates, I'd lust after those lips of his. I could tell that they would make for heavenly kissing. I was soooooo right. We were watching a movie, something we'd both find romantic. Stargate- (the movie!) Have I mentioned that we're both a couple of geeks?

The movie was done and we both just looked at each other, and then those lips of his turned into a couple of pillowy magnets. It was everything I'd imagined. After that kiss we both looked at each other and at the same time said, "wow". Really, we did. And it was. It was totally WOW.

It's still wow. I've been kissing those wonderful lips of his for two years and two months now and still can't get over how lucky I am that *I*, RisibleGirl, married the best kisser in the world.

...lucky me.

(have I mentioned how lucky I am?)

....sigh

While traveling, should you notice that you forgot your special conditioner and then notice after washing your hair that you also forgot your hair smoothing products, don't have any "good idea's" that include using hotel hand lotion in your hair.

Trust me on this one.

Really.

I just got a call from my sis. Apparently she got a new phone and hasn't had the time to figure it out. I had two scary scenarios on my previous post:

1. She was duct taped and being held hostage.

2. Lying in a ditch somewhere.

Who knew there would be a possible third, yet even scarier scenario?

3. My sister functions at a lower intelligence level than I previously thought.

Sigh....

*snicker*

I love you sis!