A Trip to New Mex.....

So, Rich and I finally made our way out to New Mexico to meet the newest editions of the Baldonado family.  We both had a quick little weekend break in between semesters so we took the 7 hour scenic drive of mesas and cacti to the land of babyville.  I must say that we have only been home for a few short hours and I already miss all three of the boys.  Jacob and Noah are the cutest little babies ever and they have the most loving big brother I have ever seen.  Jeremiah constantly reminds his brothers how much he loves them by kissing them, talking to them, and holding their hands. It was a very, very, cute site to see.  Another site to see was Richard changing his first diaper... =)  Finally, the boy is willing to get his hands dirty...literally.  On another note, we were lucky enough to stay in the new Baldonado residence.  The house is just beautiful and Kristen and Anthony have done such a nice job decorating and turning into quite the home for the boys.  Anyway, when you get a chance check out the new pictures of the boys.  

CLICK HERE FOR THE PICS!

Shaq is classy.

Seriously Shaq...grow up.

EDIT:

G.I. Joe to the Rescue.

Shaq booted from sheriff's 'posse' for Kobe rap
Tue Jun 24, 7:02 PM ET
PHOENIX - Shaquille O'Neal will lose his special deputy's badge in Maricopa County because of language he used in a rap video that mocks former teammate Kobe Bryant.
Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio said the Phoenix Suns center's use of a racially derogatory word and other foul language left him no choice. Arpaio made Shaq a special deputy in 2006 and promoted him to colonel of his largely ceremonial posse later that year.

Dave the Cat. Pro's and Cons.

Cats. 

So many of us have them...and sometimes I wonder why. Take our cat, Dave, for instance. No, seriously, take him. Kidding, Dave stays...but I thought I would try to weigh some of the positives and negatives of having a feline around...specifically Dave.

Dave the Cat.

Pros: 

-Looks cute sometimes

-Plays nice with kids (Declawed in the front as well)

-Dances

-Kills and Disposes of Mice/Bugs

CONS:

-Sheds on everything, everywhere

-Hairballs frequently

-Pukes frequently

-Meows Frequently for No Reason

-Lays down at your feet, pokes you with cold nose, then attacks your toes shortly thereafter.

-Smelly Litter Box Requires Frequent Cleaning/Scooping

-Food Smells Up Kitchen

-Tries to or Sometimes Actually Sneaks Out When You Open the Door

-As of late, he passes gas. Not a joke. Cats Fart. 

...Ah, what am I sayin'. He is nice to have around...and he can be pretty cute/fun. Anyway, as long as we have some carpet cleaner, lint rollers, cat litter deodorizer, plenty of cat food, socks, and a closed gate at all times, we will be just fine! Good Old Dave...still pawin' along. He DID survive being hit by a car, however I think that contributes to his now excessively "loving" personality....and that's all I have to say about that.

-Rich

Twins!

As everyone already knows by now, my Sister had Jacob and Noah yesterday. I have posted pics and everything over at our website:

http://www.richardandmegan.com/RichardAndMegan/The_Twins%21.html

Can I just say how cool it is to have Noah's middle name be Richard? I am so proud and I'm proud of my Sister for carrying over 14 lbs of baby around for so long!

Twins! Congrats Sis!

-Rich

Summer So Far...

Summer at South River so far has been like a summer should be, relaxed. Up until June, we spent most all of summer so far in California and capped it with a trip to Hawaii. We began by making the usual long but always enjoyable Phoenix to LA drive. Shortly thereafter we attended a graduation and going away party for my good friend, also named Richard. He graduated Pepperdine Law and is now living and working in fabulous Las Vegas….as a lawyer of course. While at the party we had the privilege of watching him propose to his girlfriend Kyleen, We were two of only a small group who knew he was doing it so that made it pretty fun to watch. Here is a picture below of the happy new engaged couple!

After that we visited with Megan’s family for a few days and I have to throw in the fact that while we were sleeping one morning at her house a stained glass window literally fell out of its spot in the window 20 feet up. It just plain fell and crashed all over the floor. It was the loudest most effective alarm clock I have ever heard. Odd, isn’t it? Apparently it had been sitting in the same spot for 8 years.

On the Left: Stained Glass Window that DIDN'T Fall. On the Right: Empty Blank Glass Window

This is the window after it fell to the floor, hitting a stool on the way down. Not that much damage compared to what we THOUGHT it would look like based on the loud, loud, loud crash.

Anyway, we were able to get out and go to Universal Studios Hollywood. We went on a weekday and there was literally NO ONE there. It was fun, we took some pics and they are up on our website. You can see em by clicking HERE. A few notes: It was cool to go on King Kong considering it is now damaged and who knows how it will turn out after the fire that destroyed a lot of the backlot. I now feel lucky to have seen that clocktower from Back to the Future. Sad that it had to burn up. The Simpsons ride is cool, but it got me very, very motion sick. I don't usually get motion sick but man this ride did it to me. Megan didn't feel so great after either. I don't know what it was, but we agreed we liked Back to the Future way better. Jurassic Park is still awesome. Besides the rides we saw some shows...and here is a little advice for them: Although the gag where the seat in front of you shoots water in your face is a good one, it doesn't need to be repeated FIVE TIMES during each show. We ate at the Hard Rock Cafe in Citywalk and overall had a great day visiting. 

On the 22nd we were off to Hawaii. We went to Waikiki with My Dad and Jane. It was a really fun trip, despite the fact that it was only about 4 days. To start, our hotel and an AMAZING breakfast buffet. I never eat breakfast really unless it is eggs or a diet bar. These breakfasts were unbelievable. So much good stuff. I miss it just thinking about it.

Waikiki Beach and Hotels

The first night we went to a Luau at Paradise Cove. Highlights included some fun activities and the Samoan Fire Dancer. I want to put up some vids of him but that will take some time. The next day Megan and I went on a tour based on the TV show LOST on ABC. Megan and I are big LOST fans and we had a great time. Not only did we see a lot of cool places where the show is filmed but we saw tons of the beautiful island that we wouldn't have otherwise. That night we had an always amazing dinner at Ruth's Chris. It was located on the second story of a very nicely made beach walk full of cool shops. The next day we snorkeled at Hanauma Bay for a bit. It was beautiful there as expected, and we got to see some pretty nice sights in the water. That night we took a Sunset Dinner Cruise which was highlighted by fresh whole main Lobsters. I don't know about you, but I think I learned I'm not really a lobster guy. By lobster I mean a whole lobster...staring at you...those beady eyes....but I digress. The next and last day, Monday, we boarded a Multi-Million dollar boat and took it to a cove where we got to do some more snorkeling...this time in deep waters. We saw more neat fish and a few sea turtles up close and personal. We also stopped by and observed hundreds of dolphins hanging out in the bay. Waikiki was really a good time. Megan and I enjoyed ourselves, as did my Dad and Jane. I know I made the trip sound short and brief but I didn't want to bore you with all the details. I tried to highlight the main stuff for everyone. There are a bunch of pics you can take a look at if you want to by clicking HERE.

Where we Snorkeled-Hanauma Bay 

So with that trip ended our "Summer Vacation" and we headed back to Tempe so I could start a busy summer session and Megan could start her graduate program! It's going to be a rough summer and Megan's first Arizona summer so it will be interesting to see how she handles the heat! Lucky for her she is already with such a 'hot' guy that she should be OK. Alright, I tried to keep this brief and as always you can check out our website for pics at RichardandMegan.com!

-Rich

Pets.

I thought I would take a few minutes and point out some of the pets that enrich our lives.

Most of you know my Dog, Billy, who has his own gallery here: Billy's Pictures!

Most of you do NOT know about a few of the other pets in our lives. We do not have a dog as cute as April and James, but is it isn't for lack of desire, we just can't keep a dog in our condo. Anyway, onto pet's.

First there is Dave. Dave is named after Dave Matthews, named by my sister years ago when we got him. He has lived with my Mom up until this past year until I made the decision to care for him. He has survived being hit by a car however after the car crash his level of "meow meow love me attention meow" has gone up exponentially. In this photo Dave is participating in a game Megan and I call "How Much Stuff Can We Put On Dave Before He Moves?" We play this game when Dave lays in spots he shouldn't and tries to bite us when we attempt to move him. 

In this next photo are Megan's really, really cute dogs from home. Her dog, Emmy, is looking at the camera while the slightly older and slower Cleo is on the right. They are really well trained, really friendly, just all around awesome dogs. After spending some time with them I have a feeling Bichon's will be the dog of choice in our place of residence. 

Last but not least is Megan's cat Missy Vera, seen here in a rare photo. Missy Vera does not allow many photos to be taken however there is speculation Vera may be on her way to Arizona sometime in the future. Missy has a lot of personality and loves to attack your toes while you are laying in bed. She is a siamese, if you please. 

...and that wraps it up. Just wanted to throw out the names of some of the animals that make our lives that much more interesting. For those of you who found stuff on Dave amusing...check out STUFF ON MY CAT. Click the link. Do it.

-Rich

Boys and Girls...This is your new teacher...

Some pretty big news that I am proud to announce. Megan was recently accepted and has now begun the Masters/Teaching Graduate Program at Arizona State University. It is a VERY intense one year program that earns her not only a Masters in Education but gives you the credentials you need to go out and start teaching. To give you an idea of the difficulty…last year 22 students were accepted and only 11 finished. She knows way more than I do about it but it is very exciting and she is going to be realllllly busy over the next year but I have no doubt she will finish and be an amazing teacher!

Good Luck Megan!

-Rich

Seriously Disney?

This movie won't hurt the fact that I want an annual passport to Disneyland, but this movie makes me glad I don't own Disney stock haha. Maybe they just ran out of ideas after High School Musical 3. Oh well, at least there is a Toy Story 3 on the way soon! Enjoy.

Bye Spring. Hi Summer.

Let me start by saying I am so glad the Spurs/Suns series is over, it is never an enjoyable time of year for me. I say time of year because it seems to happen EVERY YEAR. That's enough about that, onto other things.

It is starting to get hot. The kind of hot where you get in your car and your back sweats in under 30 seconds. The kind of hot where its so bright your sunglasses have to wear sunglasses. The kind of hot where I abuse my Mom's pool! Megan hasn't really been around an AZ summer yet so it will be interesting to see how it goes over. 

Speaking of hot...the pool at our complex has been closed due to people letting in non residents to swim. The only way they will open it is if there is a "pool gate monitor" that stands and makes sure that the gate is closed at all times. Is it just me or do you imagine whoever gets this job to be a really nerdy ex-hall monitor? I can't wait to the gate monitor. Hopefully he/she has to wear a sash and has a megaphone or something.

Megan and I took a trip to Vegas with our friends at the end of April. We had a good time and we took a lot of pics. We put some of those pics up on our website if ya wanna check em out (www.richardandmegan.com). We hung out with our friends Ryan and Tasha and just kind of caught up since we hadn't seen them in a long time. We also got to watch the Spurs get killed in game 4 on a HUGE screen at ESPN zone. That really is an awesome place to watch sports, even if the sport you are watching involves a 30 point blowout. We drove home and got some good pics of Hoover Dam. Not just the dam, but the dam police, the dam traffic, the dam bridge, the dam speed limit, and the dam parking lot. Enough about the dam pictures though.

I am closing out one of the best semesters I have had academically. It comes as no surprise that the semester Megan moves out is the semester I do better than ever. This further shows what a great person she is and it is definitely a good sign that she brings out the best in me.  I will be taking summer school both sessions at ASU in order to keep speeding through. 

My sister is getting so close to having her twins and I am so excited for it. I admire her so much for the courage and strength she has of being a full time Mom while carrying two more bundles of joy 24 hours a day. I know it is hard and she gets tired but she is doing a great job and is also already doing an amazing job of raising my awesome nephew. 

Mother's Day is coming up. I like Mom and Dad's Days, it is always nice to give them a little extra recognition. We all know they deserve it! 

In some other boring news, I was not really pleased with the Niner's drafting this year. I think I am in for another disappointing season and that sucks. At least I will get to see them during Monday Night Football in the desert this year! For some reason they always find a way to beat the Cardinals. I wish that they wouldn't do that so they would get a better pick and we could see some playoff football here again. 

Til next time-

Richard

DBacks Game!

HEEEELLLLOOOOOOOO LAAA LAAA LAAA
(For all you Seinfeld fans...that's for you)

Hi ALL....It's Megan. Richard has been bugging me to create a post in our blog so here I am...I promise it will be shorter than the last post and maybe not quite as intense (love you baby)
So last night we were very fortunate to be invited to the D-backs vs. Padres game at Chase Field by Mike and Ashley. First off, I'm new to AZ, as most everyone knows, so this trip was my first time to downtown Phoenix, Chase Field, and seeing the D-Backs. First impression=WOW.

To start off, we left for the game at 5:30 and we made it there by 6:00. I'm still amazed that you can drive places in this town without having to leave 1-2 hours ahead of time. Being from Los Angeles, you hit traffic no matter what time it is day OR night so this is one perk to AZ that I am falling in love with. So after taking a little detour down Van Buren street (kidding) we pulled into this hidden VIP Valet parking right next to the team buses. OMG....I felt like a celebrity or something. I even had my own paparazzi (aka...Richard taking tons of pics with his digi...hehe) So we basically had to walk 50 feet and we are already inside the lower level of the park. Of course, we go and check out our seats first and I think I fell a little behind because I was amazed on how huge, clean, and nice the place was. We then find Aisle K and start walking down the stairs to our seats and I swear we just got closer and closer and all I could think is any farther and we are going to be on the field. The seats were UNBELIEVABLE!!! I don't think I could ever thank Ashley enough for the incredible seats that were perfectly situated just a little to the left of home plate.

So, no joke the first thing I do is sit down in awe and yell out "holy moly....there is seat cushions....no way" At that very moment, being a pretty huge dodger fan the only thing that popped in my head was all the differences of Chase Field vs. Dodger Stadium so I made a little list:

Perks of Chase Field vs. Dodger Stadium
-They have seat cushions
-You technically don't have to get up all game because they have a waitress that comes to you
-It air-conditioned and has a retractable roof
-Their team store in unbelievable
-You can actually walk down the aisle without sticking your butt in people's face

So, we spent the rest of the game cheering endlessly for the D-Backs which was so easy since they absolutely killed the padres. I'd have to say the highlight of the game though was when Hudson had a chance to hit for the cycle (a single, double, triple, and home run in the same game). It was the 6th or 7th inning and all he needed was a double... He smacks it out to center field along the fence....Padres misses the catch (of course) and Hudson takes off running....keep in mind...all he needs is a double...so he goes to first....then second....we are all yelling "stop stop stop" and he kept going scoring a triple. AHHHHHH.....why didn't he stop??? Cause he's an awesome team player.

Anyway, the D-backs are pretty much awesome this year. Can't say the same for the dodgers...although my loyalty will always be with them (Go Russel Martin #55...Woot) it was great to experience the D-backs at such a great time in their season. Pretty unbelievable their record this year. Needless to say, we had such an awesome time!
So this blog is becoming a little too long...so I'm going to go for now. If you wanna check out the paparrazi's pics check out our website: RichardandMegan.com under D-Back Album.

Case #2008: Rich and The San Antonio Spurs vs The World.

Ah...the NBA Playoffs...it's the most wonderful time of the year...

or is it?

I have found that being a Spurs fan outside of Texas can be a rough situation. I began to realize this when the Lakers and Spurs played frequently years go, most of the time the Lakers came out on top...and I was living in Los Angeles at the time, so I had about 15 friends who let me know it. Now being in Arizona the rivalry switched away from the Lakers and more towards the Suns, what good timing! Ironically, Shaq made himself a factor in both situations.

I must say I have been very fortunate to be a Spurs fan during the last 10 years. I got to watch my favorite player of all time...David Robinson...during his prime. I got to see his 71 point game, I got to see him play live in San Antonio, but best of all I got to see him go out a Champion. That kind of story will probably never be topped in all my years being a sports fan.

I got to see a horrible Spurs team led by Will "The Lone Ranger" Purdue turn into what can be argued to be a dynasty. 4 championships, each one with its own story and its own ups and downs. I have also experienced my share of heartbreak...some worse than others...never again will I go from insanely happy to devastated in .4 seconds.

...but I digress.

The point of all this is that every year it seems I have to go through a period of time where the Spurs play either the Suns or Lakers and I have to deal with being the one guy in a place where 90% of the people are "against" me(in a Sports-sense of the word). I never really express my feelings on a lot of things because that's just the kind of fan and person I am, so I thought I would throw some of them out in the blog. So...here are my feelings/opinions on some random thoughts:

Being a Spurs Fan: I love the Spurs, I have followed them for more than half my life, which I realize isn't very long, but they are a part of me nonetheless and I will always be loyal...that's just who I am and how it is.

The Lakers: I was raised going to Laker games at the forum...I even saw Kobe shoot his first NBA free throw...an airball. I actually like Kobe, he is the greatest player in the game. I have respect for him. Yea, you will never see me all out cheering for the Lakers but I will always have a spot in my heart for Eddie Jones, Vlade, Nick the Quick Van Exel and Pig Miller.

Shaq: I hate him.

Random Spurs Complaints I Hear:

Dirty Play aka Bruce Bowen: Bruce Bowen has been the center of lots of controversy. I believe he thrives on all the criticism...he has been elected to the NBA All-Defensive teams 7 times and been on 3 championship teams. Does he intentionally hurt people? I don't know, no one does. I don't really worry about that though. He is a Spur and the team is much better with him on it. Any NBA team would love to have a Bruce Bowen, anyone who disagrees is just in denial or not thinking clearly. Do people think he is the only one to ever knee someone in the nuts during a game? Do people watch all the jersey grabbing and cheap shots in every other game by other players? No...because Bruce is in the spotlight. He is on a good team and people love to hate him. So far, that has proved to be a great motivator...so ask a Spur fan if they hope all the hate will stop...they will probably say no. Need a reason to LIKE Bruce? Well...he runs his own charity foundation, "The Bruce Bowen Foundation", and also is a spokesman for a campaign against Childhood Obesity. His father was also a drug addict who made his childhood a living hell. Need something to blame the so called "violence" on...blame his Dad.

Manu Flopping: Seriously...flopping happens ALL THE TIME. It is done ALL THE TIME in NBA games. It has been happening for YEARS and TONS of NBA players do it. When I hear people talk about Manu flopping 99% of the time it just tells me they are a bitter fan of some team that Manu has burned in the past. Once again if Manu didn't have three rings this wouldn't even be an issue.

Robert Horry body checking Steve Nash: Was this dirty? Course. Did Nash sell it? Brilliantly. Was it a veteran move? Yup. I'm not defending Robert's actions, but I can't really see all of this being an issue if Nash didn't decide to "fly" into the boards then flail back his arms like he was out cold. This goes back to my Manu Flopping paragraph. NBA players sell fouls, and Nash did a great job making this look 1000x worse than it was. He did such a good job in fact that his team jumped off the bench to protect him, and the rest is history. I'm sure most people reading this(any Suns fans) will be angered by my analysis. All I will say is go to YouTube and watch the video. After he is bumped he leaves the ground and FLIES into the boards, then flails his arms back. All I am saying is he helped sell it and it may have backfired. I don't deny that Robert obviously took a cheap shot at Nash and so I understand why Suns fans hate him and call the Spurs a dirty team. I was embarrassed when he did that, I really was. It will always be something I look at as a low point for the team. Still, the series had to go on and it did. The worst part of it for me is that as a Spurs fan I wish all of it NEVER happened. I would rather beat a full strength Suns team...otherwise you get bombarded with excuses and reasons why the series was supposedly some conspiracy or fluke...which leads me to my next issue.

The San Antonio "Sterns": Let me try and explain this to everyone.

Hi, My name is the San Antonio Spurs. We are a small market team that draws bad ratings nationally.

Hi, My name is David Stern. I like ratings and I get ratings by having larger market and more exciting teams in the playoffs!

From the above we can conclude...

There is NO reason that Stern would want at ALL help the Spurs win a championship!

Stern made the decisions he had to as commissioner. He didn't want to help a small market ratings killer advance...let's get serious.

I guess the only people I hear the Stern stuff from are Suns fans, but once again I have to attribute this to bitterness. If you think Stern wants the Spurs deep in the playoffs...you need to do some research. Otherwise, there is no logical reason why he would ever want the Spurs beating a high powered offensive team with a considerably larger market. I guess I read way too deep into all of this and should just realize that sometimes name-calling and false-assumptions are byproducts of years of frustration.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

All of the above issues are ones that I never really talk about despite the fact that I hear about them a million times every season. It gets old.

You have to understand that every year I have to hear the same old stuff from tons of fans from whatever team the Spurs are playing. Why? Cause I am the only Spurs fan they know so why not. Here is the thing about me as a Spurs fan...I don't really care about all of the distractions. All I care about is the banner on my wall that has the Spurs NBA Champions in 4 different years. That's what it is all about to me. If any other fan of any other team were in my shoes, they would feel the same way. I can hear all the negative rants and raves possible about the Spurs but the bottom line is I was here to watch them win and I will watch as long as I can...even when they are a 20 win team again and have to rebuild all over. At that time, I will just hope they draft well so my kids can watch and enjoy the Spurs like I did.

Going into the 2008 playoffs I feel the Spurs are more vulnerable than ever. I don't know if they can pull out a series win over the Suns, but I am looking forward to watching it. If the Suns win, good for them. I hope if they win they go all the way and give everyone the Championship they have been so close to all these years.

Either way, Suns or Spurs victory, you won't hear about it from me.

What happens with the Spurs is simply between me and them. I am not a fan of the Spurs so I can rub it in. I am not a fan of the Spurs so I can complain or fire off excuses if they lose. I am not a fan of the Spurs so I can go on message boards and brag about recent accomplishments. I am a fan because I enjoy Sports and they are my team, they are like family(distant distant distant family). It makes me feel good when they succeed and conversely I feel bad when they don't. They have been a constant in my life and helped shape me into the person I am today, as dumb as that sounds. They have given me a chance to grow closer to my Dad, taking trips to San Antonio were some of the best times I have ever had. I am over all the talk, all the arguments, all the controversy, it just isn't worth it to me. Sure I have opinions on it, and I never really express them. I guess I just decided to write about it because I never really have, and I thought why not. Take my words with a grain of salt. It's not as though I am attacking the Suns or the Lakers or whoever, I am simply giving you my point of view...a point of view that is never, ever given, so it may have come off a little stronger than intended.

Believe me, I am not looking for responses or discussion....I KNOW everyone's general point of view. I hear it oh so frequently...usually too frequently. I just choose not to go back and forth with it.

Suns and Spurs. Spurs and Lakers. Doesn't matter. May the better team win. One things is for certain though...I'll be watching the games...sometimes on mute if they are too intense haha...and I'll be doing it quietly and respectfully. I'll be upset if the Spurs lose obviously, but I'll be happy for the Suns if they win. Hopefully if they win everyone will move on from complaining about the Spurs and start getting angry at Kobe and Pau. Who knows. I do realize if the Spurs win it will be another year of Spurs hating and complaining, but hopefully it won't be directed at or through me. Who am I kidding though? I guess it just comes with the territory.

At least at the end of the day I still have this:

...and nothing or no one can ever take that away.

Hello World.

Well, it's time to go public.

Megan and I are getting down with our technological selves and launching not only a blog but also a website.

Our website is:

          http://www.richardandmegan.com

I don't really know how it's all going to workout. It's just kind of a trial run but hopefully it takes off. 

If nothing else you at least have to see the video we made of Dave...it's worth the trip to the website alone.

We are both going to be blogging on this account...sometimes as individuals and sometimes together.

Anyway, I enjoy reading all of your blogs so I thought I would join in the party.

Hope everyone has a good week!

-Rich

The First One. Ever.

Hi.

I just made this so I am gonna post this just to see what the heck I'm doing.

Thanks.

Bye.

-Rich