Is it worth a thumb?

Dave made this beautiful Granite table. However it came at a price. While he was making one of the side wood pieces he was using a router and it jumped and he took off part of his thumb. (See previous post). This Granite is a dark green with gold speckles throughout. The picture doesn't do it justice. The wood on the side and feet are red oak and the leg is maple.

Dave is very talented and I am thrilled with the result of his work. We are hoping to sell this table along with some of his other work. So if there are any interested buyers out there let me know.

After many stitches, a lot of prayer, and a month of healing this is how his thumb looks. Much better than it looked a month ago. If you want to see those pictures you will have to request them and I will e-mail them to you. They are to graphic to post.

This is a picture of Dave's thumb about 10 days ago. You can see how much it has healed in just 10 days.

The Perfect Day

DAVE & AMY HENKE

October 18, 2008

We were honored to have Bishop Heaps marry us. He said some wonderful things during the ceremony. He challenged us to set a goal to go to get sealed in the temple.
We got married at Dave's house in Orem at 11:30 a.m. It was the perfect day. The weather was ideal. It was in the mid seventies and I couldn't have been happier. We had our immediate family there to celebrate with us. Not all of my brothers and sisters were able to make it because it was such short notice. Both of Dave's brothers were there, his mom, and one of his sisters. He sister Sarelle, who lives in Georgia wasn't able to make it, however she will be here at Thanksgiving and I am anxious to meet her then.

Jenny, (Dave's Mom), Dave, Amy

Dave, Grandma Fisher, Amy

Dave's Family - Shayna, Cameron (brother), Dave, Amy, Jenny (mom), Trent(brother), Juan, Stacey, (sister) Derek, Courtney, Candace, BlakeMy Family - Rebekah (sister), Amy, Dave, Nya, Jethro (brother)

My Family
Grandmother & Granddaddy Gerstner, Katya, Jethro, Staci, Cali

Grandmother, Granddad, Matt, and Nya

I GOT MARRIED!!!!

I have been waiting to post this because I wanted to put pictures up, but this week has been so busy and I am working a lot of overtime, so pictures will have to come later. Just wanted everyone to know that Dave and I got married last Saturday. I am very happy and will give more details later.

Head Vs. Trunk

As if there wasn't enough excitement with Dave chopping off part of his thumb last week. Yesterday I got a concussion because I hit my head so hard against Dave's trunk! Here's the story:
I opened Dave's trunk yesterday morning to put some things in. I didn't quite lift it all the way up and once I finished loading the first batch of items I lifted my head and hit my forehead on the trunk. I hit it pretty hard and it was one of those things where I was like "Dang, I should have opened the trunk all the way". Did I fix it at that time? Of course not, I just left it. I went back in the house to get more things. I was walking really fast because I was in a hurry. The way the trunk was open it was like it was in a blind spot and not in my line of vision. Next thing I knew I rammed right into the open hood. I hit it so hard that I instantly felt like I was going to throw up. My eyes did the tunnel vision and then went completely black. I grabbed onto the side of the car and just repeated in my mind "Please do not pass out, Please do not pass out" Then my eyes cleared and I was able to see. This time when I could see there were little bright lights floating in my line of vision. I was really dizzy and still sick to my stomach. I walked into the house and told Dave I hit my head and he said "Do you know you are bleeding?" I said "No" I went and looked in the mirror and sure enough I was bleeding. That made me feel even worse. Interesting how your minds works on you like that. I laid down for about 1/2 hour with ice on my head. So my nose and forehead were starting to swell. I was worried that I may have broke my nose. We had to go get our marriage licence, so we decided to go ahead and go do that. I still felt dizzy and disoriented but it felt good to get out in the fresh air. After getting the marriage licence (yeah I'm so excited) Dave dropped me off at my roommate's apartment so Linda and I could go to work. I got more ice, but I was feeling really weird. Linda said she could see the swelling and a bruise forming on my nose. We were heading to work and I was laying down in the car. She used to be an EMT and I was describing some of my symptom's to her. By the time we got to work I was really confused, disorientated, had double vision, a bad headache, and I was slurring my words. Once I talked to my supervisor she sent me to the Nurse at work, who after checking me over decided to send me home. Her biggest concern was my double vision, which would mean a head injury. She said if I still had double vision in 6 hours or I vomited that I needed to go to the ER for a CAT Scan. I was not looking forward to another trip to the ER. Rebekah came and picked me up from work. I stayed with her for a while. Then Staci took me back to Draper to my apartment and Dave came over and stayed with me. The nurse was very specific that she didn't want me to be alone in case I needed to go to the ER. So I felt like a kid again having a babysitter. Anyway, the double vision went away. I just have a massive headache still and am really swollen this morning. I do have some bruising on my nose and some swelling on my forehead but you can't really tell from the picture.

Thumb vs. Router

On Friday Dave and I had quite an exciting day. I got a call from Dave at about 11:30 a.m. He told me that he was using the Router on some wood and chopped off part of his thumb. At the time he called me he was a little bit in shock and I could hear the panic in his voice. I was about 10 minutes away and told him I would be there right away and we would go to the E.R. I was at Walmart at the time and thankfully I was already loading my things in the car. The entire way to Dave's work I was praying that he would be o.k. At the same time he prayed that he would be calm.When I arrived he was waiting outside for me and had paper towels wrapped around his thumb. He wasn't sure how bad it was, but was sure he hit the bone. We were not sure if we should go to an Instant Care or the E.R. We went to my apartment in Draper, which is 5 minutes from Dave's shop to look on the Internet for an Urgent Care that was close by. We were kind of trying to make the best decision as to where we should go. Should we go to Urgent Care in Draper? Should we go to the E.R.? Should we go to Orem or Salt Lake? Dave suggested that maybe we should go to the hospital in Murray (near Salt Lake). But then Dave said he knew where an Urgent Care was in Orem, and since he lives in Orem we thought that was the best place to go. Of course we are sitting there debating this as he is bleeding and I was totally stressed out. Dave was totally calm.

We get on the freeway and I am going about 80 -85 m.p.h. I have a tendency to speed anyway. It is just my "go get em" personality and I always just do things fast when they need to get done. I was driving Dave's car and I think my speed was stressing him more than the fact that he was missing part of his thumb!! Anyway, he told me not to speed and to just drive the speed limit. Normally, I would have wanted to argue about this, but since I was driving his car and he was the one injured I kept my mouth shut.

We arrived at the Orem Urgent Care and of course we had to wait and wait and wait. They took us back and when they took off the paper towel that Dave had wrapped around his thumb, blood squirted out and hit the wall which was about 3 feet away. Blood was dripping down his had and into a bowl they had there and I thought I was going to be sick. I seriously couldn't believe it was still bleeding so much. By now it had been a few hours since the accident happened. The Doctor said that there is an artery at the end of the thumb and that is what he hit, so the moment you take pressure off of it, it will start to bleed again. They gave him a Tetanus shot and a shot of Morphine for the pain. They took an x-ray and sure enough Dave had taken off about 1/4" of the bone. At that time we were informed by the Doctor that they wouldn't be able to handle the injury at Urgent Care and they would need to send us to the E.R. So off we went to Utah Valley Regional Medical Center in Provo.

I thought we had to wait a long time at the Urgent Care. That was nothing in comparison to the E.R. We waited a very long time in the waiting room, then they took us back in a room and we waited even longer to see the Doctor. Dave was still bleeding and I couldn't believe that they weren't stopping the bleeding. Once again when the Doctor took off the bandage the blood was unbelievable. They gave him a few shots of Lidacaine in his thumbs so the Doctor could examine it and not cause him a great deal of pain. After a few hours, the Doctor concluded that Dave would need to see a Hand Specialist and that he may need surgery. She tried to get a hold of a few but since it was a Friday night, no one wanted to come in. So she said that she called the hospital in Murray and that she was transferring us up there. I couldn't believe it. That is where Dave mentioned going in the first place!

We drove up to Murray and arrived at the E.R. and told them who we were. They were expecting us and got us right back. It was wonderful. Hardly any waiting before we saw a Doctor. She examined it and called the Hand Specialist. After speaking to him, he suggested to trim of the excessive skin, stitch what was remaining and for Dave to see him first thing Monday morning. So Dave got some more shots, got his thumb cleaned out, and got stitches. I looked at his thumb after it was cleaned out and I will spare you the gory details, but it was really bad. I even looked a few times when the Doctor was stitching him up and even though I felt like I may pass out I still looked.

It was a long day. It happened at about 11:30 a.m. and we didn't get home until 11:30 p.m. Dave was such a trooper. I can't believe how tolerant he has been with the pain. He has been very strong and I am so proud of him. I know I would have been a wimp.

First Snow

Well even though I didn't want it to happen it did. It SNOWED!! I kept watching the weather and it said snow was coming. I didn't want to believe it and kept telling everyone "the weather is always wrong. It isn't going to snow." I guess I thought if I wished hard enough it wouldn't snow. Of course it did. I am just not ready for the snow yet. It is however, supposed to warm up this week and by next Saturday it is going to be in the 70's. More my type of weather. Last Winter was so long and one of the heaviest for snowfall in years. Naturally, that was my first winter here and I think that is why I am dreading it so much this year. Dave is thrilled about the snow and can't wait to get out in it.

Candy Bar Poster

I made a candy bar poster for Dave. When I was in Jr. High I used to make these all the time. I figured it would be fun and Dave would like it. So I put on my creative hat and got to work. I put the candy bar's that I used in quotes. Please excuse my grammer and keep in mind that everything doesn't exactly flow because I was trying to make the candy bars fit into sentences.

Dave,

Since I have met you I have been filled with "Mounds" of crazy "Joy" (almond joy). It just gives me the "Chills" (tic tac chills) Sometimes I feel like an "Airhead" because I am dreaming about you. I'm looking at the stars, maybe even "Watchamacallit" oh yeah, the "Milky Way". I love the "Ring" (ring pop) you gave me. It makes me want to shower you with "Kisses" "Now & Later". I just can't wait until next "Payday" because I have another BIG surprise for you. I enjoyed the "Ice Breaker" we did on our first date. It made me realize what a "Big Hunk" and a "Hot Tamale" you are. I hot you don't think that I am a big "Nerd" for making this, but I thought you would enjoy it. You have been a real "Life Saver" ever since you came into my life. I know we will have many "Good & Plenty" times together. I know this poster has been a "Whopper" of jumbled sentences so please don't "Snicker" at it. Just know I made it because I love you Dave.

Sunday

On Sunday Rebekah, Matt, and Nya finally got to meet Dave. We went to Rebekah's ward. We only made it to Sacrament meeting though.


Then went to Rebekah's house. We weren't able to stay long because we had an appointment with Bishop Bell. I asked Bishop Bell if he would marry us on the 11/15 and he said he would be happy to. So I can scratch that off my list of things to do for the wedding. Then we stopped back by Bekah's to change and then we had to go to Brande's to get a few things that I had to leave because we didn't have enough room to fit them in on Saturday.

After we left Brande's we went to Cameron and Shayna's to look at the engagement pictures. My favorite pictures were the one's that were taken in front of the red leaves. I love red leaves they are so pretty and so vibrant and full of color. We are going to go again on Saturday to take some more pictures. This time we are going to go up American Fork Canyon. We just want to have a good group of pictures to choose from. We are so lucky to have Shayna take the pictures for us. She is so talented. I also feel so blessed to have met Shayna she is such a great person and I really like her a lot. I am glad she is going to be my sister-in-law.

It's Offical

On Saturday Dave proposed to me. It is funny that we already had a date set, told everyone we were getting married, were making wedding plans, and yet Dave still had not officially proposed to me yet. So on Saturday when we were hiking up Stewart Falls to have our engagement pictures taken Dave proposed. I was totally surprised. I knew he had purchased a ring, and I had suspected that he would probably propose to me on Saturday night or Sunday sometime. I didn't think he would propose on our hike and I thought it was perfect since we both love the mountains so much. So here is how Dave proposed

I was hiking ahead of Dave and Shayna by about 200 feet. I was with Cameron, Trent, Candace, and Blake (check out Shayna's blog for pics, the link is under my favorites). Dave yelled "Hey wait up". They all continued to hike, but I waited for Dave and Shayna. I of course gave Dave a big hug when he caught up. Then I turned around and proceeded to hike. I hear Dave say "Amy Jones" It took me a second to turn around. I thought in my mind that he was going to say something goofy since he used my first and last name. When I turned around he was down on one knee and had the ring in his finger. He had a big smile on his face and said "Amy will you marry me" I said "yes" then he put the ring on my finger.The ring is Titanium and has Gold lettering which says "Always and Forever". It has a heart with a little diamond in the middle of it.

It was perfect and his whole family knew he was going to do and he had it all worked out with them. So it was all planned for them to walk ahead and everything. I love Dave so much and I can't wait to marry him.

Moving Day

Today is Moving Day. Dave, Cameron, Trent and Shayna are all coming to help me move. A big THANK YOU to each of them. It is kind of crazy because I am moving things to two places. Some things I am moving to Draper where I will be living with Linda until I get married on 11/15. The rest of the things I am moving to Orem, where I will be living after I get married. So I had to be really organized and be sure to label everything properly so it gets to the right place. After we get everything moved Dave and I are going to have our engagement pictures taken. I am so excited. We are going up in the mountains where all the leaves have changed colors. It is going to be so beautiful. I love this time of year.

I'll Miss You Brande

Brande and I have been roommates since March and friends even longer. We had the perfect living situation and I have to say she is one of my best friends. She has been there for me during the good times and the hard times and I love her so much. I am sad to be moving out of the house and not seeing her everyday. But the good thing is that we work the exact same schedule at work, we take our breaks at the same time, and have our lunch at the same time. So we will have our chat sessions there. Of course we will still get together on our days off. I just wanted to let her know how much I value our friendship. I love you Brande!!!!!!!

Amy and Dave

This picture was taken about a week ago. My hair is blonde now. :)

Things I Love About Dave

Okay, so anyone who reads my blog is going to have to be prepared to read a lot about Dave. He is all that is on my mind. I am so in love with him that I thought I would share with you what I love about him. This is in no particular order, just things that come to mind.

1. Personality
2. His ability to make me laugh
3. His eyes
4. His Testimony
5. The random questions he always asks me
6. The way he holds me in his arms - It's perfect - anyone who knows me knows I am very affectionate and I need this in my life.
7. His kindness - He will do anything for me
8. He is a hard worker
9. Very loyal
10. He loves his family
11. He is devoted
12. He loves me :)
13. He treats me like a Queen
14. He understands me
15. Patient
16. Talented - you should see what he can do with Granite. I will take some pictures and post them soon.
17. Sincere
18. He knows how to calm me down when I am stressed. This is a very good thing :)
19. He is a great conversationalist, we can talk for hours
20. We have a great relationship with open communication
21. He respects me
22. Drives the speed limit
23. Cares about others
24. Has opinions and isn't afraid to voice them
25. Enjoys hiking
26. Loves sharks (Just like me, they are my favorite animal)
27. Wants to have children
28. Enjoys the outdoors
29. Intelligent - has all kind of trivia floating around in his brain. I love it when he shares things with me. Then I get to learn about stuff too! :) He is a walking encyclopedia.
30. Wants to make me happy
31. Knows the importance of the Temple
32. Respects and honors his mother. Good sign of how he will treat me as a wife.
33. Accepting of my weaknesses and wants to help me make them my strengths
34. Introduced me to Gelato (not sure how to spell it. Italian ice cream. Yummy)
35. Grills a great steak
36. Is great with kids
37. He has great jokes
38. Calls me everyday and leaves me messages and always lets me know how much he loves. It gives me warm fuzzies.
39. He is seriously the best man on this planet. I love him so much!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


Since Dave is 39, I figured I would write 39 things that I love about him. I love you Dave.

Stuff, Stuff, & More Stuff

Today I have spent a lot of time packing and packing and packing. Every time I move I get rid of more and more things, but I still feel like I have too much stuff! This is how much I have packed today. It is amazing how much time it takes. Then when I look at how much more I have to do, I feel like I haven't made much progress. I have packed 12 boxes and have 2 garbage bags full of clothes that I am giving away.


I am moving in with my friend Lynda on Saturday. She lives in Draper. I will live with her for the next 1 1/2 months until I get married. The best thing about it, is that I will be closer to Dave. Right now we are about 45 minutes away from each other. Draper is much closer to Orem, but I am not sure how long it takes to get from Orem to Draper, so I will have to get back to you on that. Anyway, I am moving most of my stuff into Dave's place and storing it there until I "officaly" move in. I am only taking a few things to Lynda's. I will pretty much live out of a few suitcases. If I need something, I can always go to Dave's to get it. I have packed up all my summer clothes and shoes, which I wasn't quite ready to do. It seems like summer went by too fast. But I love the fall and all the leaves changing and the beauty that it brings so that is a welcome change. I hope to get a few more good hikes in before the snow comes. I will have to be sure to take my camera so I can share the beauty of Fall in Utah with you.

I missed my flight

Yesterday I was supposed to leave Sacramento and fly back to Salt Lake City on the 4:25 p.m. Delta flight. Nathan and I were on the same flight and the last of all the siblings to leave. Amy left work a little early and picked us up to take us downtown to meet George at his office. George was then going to take us to the airport. We arrived downtown at George's office and as Nathan was taking the luggage out of the trunk I realized I forgot my purse! So I had no ID on me and I knew there was no way I was going to be able to fly. By this time it was 3:10 p.m. I was about 30-40 min away from George's house, if traffic was good, and another 35-45 min from the airport, assuming no traffic. I sent Nathan and George on their way to the airport so at least Nathan would make his flight. Amy and I started the race back to her house to see if we could by some miracle still make the flight. I got on the phone with Delta. Thankfully I had the number memorized, because they are one of our cobrand partners at work and I give their reservation number out all day. Anyway I called and found out there were no later flights Monday evening and the next flight was at 6:00 a.m. Tuesday morning. By this time Amy and I were stuck in traffic heading back to her house and we new there was no way I was going to make the flight. So I went ahead and paid the $100 fee to change my flight to Tuesday morning at 6:00 a.m

So here it is Tuesday morning. I set my alarm for 4:00 a.m. and I woke up on my own at 3:35 a.m. It is because of my nerves and wanting to be on time. I got ready and had some extra time to write on my blog. I have to leave at 4:30 to be at the airport around 5:00 a.m. My flight arrives in Salt Lake close to 9:00 and Rebekah is going to pick me up and then take me straight to work. Then I get to work a ten hour shift today. Lucky me. I guess Diet Coke is going to be my best friend today. When I get home Dave is going to come to help me pack. I am moving this Saturday and I need to be all packed. I don't get off work until 9:00 p.m. and we need to get an idea of how much stuff we have to determine how many cars we will need to move me or if we are just going to use a truck ect. So it is going to be a long day.

The Love of My Life

I have finally met the true love of my life. His name is Dave and I am so in love with him. It is hard to describe the type of love I have for him. I just have never felt this way towards anyone. We clicked right away and I knew I was going to marry him. Yes, I am getting married. The date we are getting married is November 15, 2008. It isn't that far away and I have all the wedding prep to do so I will be very busy. I will still find the time to blog. I have waited so long for the perfect man to come into my life and here he is. I will be posting a picture of him later so be sure to check back.

My little angles

My little angels
Sarah, Kate, Juliette, Nya, Katya, and Cali

Kate and Juliette

Kate, Sarah, Juliette, and Nya

The little angels arriving at the Temple

Goofy Picture with Uncle Nathan

Walking around the Temple grounds while Nathan and I babysat. Kate was taking care of Juliette. Nya was taking care of Katya. Nathan and I didn't have to do much.

Me with all 6 of the cuties. Cali, Sarah, Kate, Katya, Juliette, and Nya. I wish that Emma, Anna, and Lily could have been there.

Brothers & Sisters

George and Amy

Nathan and Amy

Mom & Gideon

Amy & Mom

Andrea and Jason

Amy

Andrea and Amy

Matt, Rebekah, and Nya

George and Amy

Staci, Jethro, Cali, and Katya

Gideon and Amy

It was so nice to have all of my brothers and siters there. It was also great to see my sister in law Amy, and my brother in law's Matt and Jason. I am so excited to have Becky in our family.

Gideon & Becky's Wedding

I flew up to Sacramento for Gideon's wedding. I left early Friday morning. The coolest thing was that Nathan and I booked the same flight without even knowing it. So we got to be on the same flight. His seat was directly behind mine. Even if we sat next to each other it would not have mattered much because I slept the entire flight. I was so tired. (more about that later) Anyway, Gideon got married in the Sacramento Temple.

Long Time No Post

Oh My Gosh, I can't believe it has been since December since I have posted anything. I have had so many people mention to me that they miss my posts. I have actually really missed blogging. I love to read blogs, and read my favorites often. I am ready to re-enter the blogging world with my own blog. So why haven't I been blogging? Well the main reason why I haven't posted anything is because I lost the cord to my camera that connects to my computer to upload photo's. So, I think that blogging without photo's is boring, therefore I just haven't done it. I am at George's house this weekend and I can just put my memory card in his computer and upload pictures. So I am going to do some posts. I just need to get online and find a new cord for my camera. So there is my lame excuse for not blogging.