Bunko, a new patio set, and "I need a vacation!"

Just recently I joined a Bunko group. I was a little apprehensive at first because all I knew about Bunko was that it was a game that my Grandma would play with her friends... so it was a Grandma game. No offense Grandma! :) To my surprise I ended up having a great time. Most of the other girls are moms, but no one brings their kids. It's a great opportunity for us all to get out and just do something for us. And, of course I love playing games so it's a bonus for me. And, everyone wins something. It's fabulous! I ended up winning a welcome mat, a yard plant holder, and some gardening gloves. The only thing that stresses me out is that I have to host the party in August. The thought of having a bunch of women over and having to feed and entertain them gives me a little anxiety. But, I know I'll get through it and it's totally worth the 11 other times that I get to go to someone elses house this year. Love it!

On another note, I have been wanting a patio set pretty badly. We have a perfect patio for it and I figured it would be a lot of fun to have dinner outside this summer. Lincoln will be walking soon and I know we'll be spending a lot more time outside. The only problem was that they are pretty expensive. Derek told me that he considers it a "once in a lifetime purchase." So, I used all of the money that I got for my birthday and went out to do a little shopping. I ended up going with one that was a little more expensive but I'm hoping that it will last us a while. I'm not sure about our entire lifetime, but hopefully a while. The weather has been beautiful lately so we took advantage and set it up this past weekend. I totally love it and can't wait for the many times we will have dinner on it and hopefully get some games in. A big thanks to everyone who helped me to get it!

Lincoln enjoying playing outside while we set the patio set up.

Me and my new patio set! The chairs swivel and rock. So cozy!

We also took advantage of the great weather and went to the park. I forgot to put in a picture of Lincoln in the swing so I'll add it to the top of my blog. He seemed to really enjoy it and would giggle every now and then as if the motion was tickling his tummy.
Dad took him down the slide and he felt it deserved an applause.

And last but not least, it's finally April 15! I get my husband back. Yahoo! I don't think I realized what I was in for last year during tax season. Derek was still in school so his work only required him to work 40 hours a week. This year, however, he was not in school so he had to work that mandatory hours that everyone else did. The hours got progressively higher as tax season progressed. For the last little while he has been required to work 60 but there is so much to do that he works more. Last week he said he got in over 70. Needless to say, we haven't seen him a whole lot. I know I shouldn't complain and things could be much worse, but I'm pretty excited to have him home more. In the midst of this busy time I was talking to him on the phone and he said "I need a vacation." I told him I had to check my schedule and see if I could get some time off from work, but I figured we could work something out. So... California here we come! Autumn is due to have her baby any day now so we figured it would be a great time for a visit. We're both pretty excited and just crossing our fingers that Lincoln does alright.