The Kranzberg's

Born or not born

2010-09-15T10:40:00.000-07:00

Today I was hung up on by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts registry office. I called them to verify if the copy of my birth certificate was official. I have used it to get a passport, marriage certificate, a California drivers license so why won't the state of Texas accept my birth certificate. The Texas DPS office told me it wasn't official since it didn't have a seal (which it does) and that it doesn't look like the official one from the state. This whole process has been so frustrating and to be hung up on didn't help. So I had to go to their recommended website to order an "official copy" of my birth certificate for 90 dollars (which I don't have because we are officially broke) just so I can get my TX license to update at my PT job and in case I need to show ID for whatever the reason may be.

I apologize if this sounds like a pity party rant but I am just exhausted by the hunt. The hunt for a job with benefits, decent pay (I don't even care if it is good pay just so I can pay the bills matters to me now) and a church that I can call home. I miss Calvary, I miss WACC, here in TX it feels like you need to be showy of your money or showy of how much you love God. And right now I am just tired, tired of being patient and tired of trying to figure out since we are early to the party (moved to soon to TX) what God is trying to tell us. I know I was running from exhaustion and frustration but I think we could have stayed longer in Omaha and would have been happy at least one of us would have had a job.

Wow now this really does sound like a pity party. I just ask for your prayers and comments. Maybe we should sell it all and whatever is left pack up, put it in storage and move to Africa. At least there I could feel like I was making a difference in someone's life and that I was needed for something. Enough of the pity party for now, being hung up on really brought some frustrating feelings up to the surface. When I write again it will be on better terms.

Check please, Pity Party for 1 is out.

Wheaten and Coldwater

2010-09-07T16:20:00.000-07:00

Soft Coated Wheaten Terriers

Hopefully Joey and I will be adding to our family in the near future.

Here is the picture of the proud papa! Isn't he handsome?

Coldwater Creek

I start my new part time job at Coldwater Creek tomorrow. I am so excited to be given the chance to get out of the house and earning some money. Even though my friend Will thinks it is a spa (it would be a very odd spa), it is a fine women's clothing store. I am really excited for the chance to help women pick out some new clothes! I will let you how it goes as I start my training. Wish me luck!

Patience, patience and just a little bit more patience

2010-08-30T20:32:00.001-07:00

So I figured since I have some time on my hands I would give all of my avid readers some updates.

1. Joey and I are still looking for work. Although we have both applied for some part time work in the mean time while we are waiting out some potential leads through our new friend Bryan.

2. Living in Texas has been interesting. We haven't seen a lot but when the money comes back in we will go an check this big state out.

3. I really want a Cairn puppy, an apartment of our own to make it our home and decorate with all of my fall decor (that are currently sitting in storage) and an iced Venti non-fat Chai Latte.

4. Joey and I are on a new adventure with food. No details to give now but lets just say it is working no matter how much we hate it.

Can't seem to get it to go away...

2010-03-29T15:18:00.000-07:00

Have you ever had an image in your mind that you just can't seem to get it to go away. Not that you don't like the image or not that you really truly want it to go away. It just seems to be there every time you close your eyes?

Well this is my image. This is what I keep seeing everytime I close my eyes.

This image is of some orphans in Uganda in one of 13 different villages I visited several years ago. I saw the same smiles, on the same faces with the same hands stretched out risking everything to be greeted and smiled at by a Muzungu (me, or a white person). The typical Muzungu just drove by in the Land Rovers on their way to Safari but this Muzungu stopped and cared and loved these children. It took everything within me not to take one or even all of these children home with me. It was even harder when they opened their mouths and praised our Lord with their sweet Angelic voices. Praising him for the blessings he bestowed on them, the meals he provided for them and the care that they had received. They praised him for the lives that they have had and how they knew that their parents who had died a year or even a month before were in the presence of their King and these children praised him for it.

All of the while this Muzungu couldn't get past that these children didn't have shoes, couldn't afford to go to school, didn't have dinner last night or breakfast this morning and yet they praised their Lord! They praised him with their voices, they praised him with their dances, they praised him as they wept for they knew they were saved!

Oh I pray that this Muzungu would one day praise the Lord the way they did that day! Praise him for the blessings he had given me, the life that I live because of him, or the people that I have gotten to know over my 34 years. That I would praise him just for loving me and for giving me the greatest gift of all and that is eternal life in heaven with him. I should praise him for the sacrifice that he made for me, praise him for loving me despite my shortcomings, praise him for blessing me each day with breath and people around me who love me. Let me dance for him and sing him praise, let me rejoice in knowing that this coming Sunday we celebrate that he conquered death for me! But not just for me but for you as well. So join with me and let us praise him together. We can sing, dance and rejoice in our Lord and Savior!

The Thaw has finally come.....

2010-03-05T13:50:00.000-08:00

The seasons are changing the grass is getting greener and the snow if finally melting away. I never thought I would say that I am glad it was 45 degrees out today!!

Joey and I are doing well and I am sorry I haven't kept this blog up to date. I honestly didn't realize that it had been so long that I last blogged. Until I went to post a new blog on some changes in our lives when I realized that it had been almost a year since I last blogged. I guess you could say I have been a little busy.

Well here is the biggest change of all. Joey and I are moving again. I have found myself too often over the past few months desperately missing my family. I miss seeing my nieces and nephews and now that there are 6 of them (2 girls and 4 boys)Joey and I want to see them grow up and be a part of their lives as much as we can. Now we have always wanted to be a part of their lives but as Joey and I have been on the adventure of trying to become parents being around those precious little gifts from God has become more important to both of us. We don't want to be Uncle Joey and Auntie Jenna who they only see everyother holiday or some random summer vacation trip as the family passes through. And I can't tell you how many times I have cried in my office, in bed or even sitting on the couch because I have missed another birthday or dance recital or sporting event. I don't want that to continue. So all this to say that we are moving to Texas! At this point it looks like it will be the end of June, early July but if something comes in sooner for Joey or myself we won't let that opportunity pass us by. Thankfully Joey would be able to go down ealier if need be and I will finish out the school year here in Omaha.

So needless to say what we are asking for is your prayers during this new turn in the path of our lives. I know that God is definitely in charge of this and has his plan worked out already so we are anxious to see where we land in the great state of Texas. Wherever that will be...

By the way does this mean I have to start saying, ya'll? Oh geez.

Happy Anniversary

2009-05-12T12:00:00.000-07:00

What started with a cup of starbucks and a shy smile.....

Brought us to a place where two years ago today, I was at In n Out with my dear friend Heidi getting a quick lunch before I headed to the church to be married to my most amazingly wonderful husband, Joey!!!

And now we are in Omaha, Nebraska and really enjoying it. We are celebrating 2 years of marriage and we are both so excited and anxious to see all that the Lord has planned for us for the next 100 years!!

Going Home

2009-03-26T21:51:00.001-07:00

Tonight my grandfather, Ernest Sperring went home to be with his Lord and Savior. He passed peacefully from this world into the next and was I am sure greeted by the fan fare of bag pipes and singing angels. Embraced lovingly into the welcoming arms of our God. I will miss you terribly Grandpa but I know that you will always be looking over me, loving me, telling me how proud you are of me and reminding me how much my Lord and Savior loves and cherishes me. I miss you Grandpa and I love you.

Ernest Sperring

2009-03-26T08:03:00.000-07:00

I have been wanting to sit down and blog for a while but couldn't think of what to say. I have been toying with the idea of writing what I am thankful for. Listing them all out so that I can see first hand all that God has done in my life. But as the week has progressed I started to think that what I really needed to write about is my grandfather, Ernest Sperring.

He is a man of integrity and of great love and I wanted to share that with all of you. He has been a man in my life who has not wavered he has always been a constant in my life. A strong man loved by the Lord and his family. He has loved the Lord and faithfully served him through all of his days.

I have some wonderful memories of him that will stay with me for all of my life. One of the was that ever since I was a little girl I wanted my grandpa to say a prayer at my wedding. He said a beautiful prayer when my brother got married and I looked forward to the day when he could say one at mine. When my wedding got closer it looked as if he wasn't going to be able to fly out for the ceremony which crushed us both. He so desperately wanted to be there but physically he couldn't and I so desperately wanted him to be there present on that day. So we decided on a wonderful plan, his pastor at his church recorded him on a video sharing a few words and then blessing us with a wonderful prayer. This picture is from our wedding and captures the moment when his prayer was shared with everyone present. I am so thankful to have that treasured moment that felt like it was between he and I but I know that all of the words he shared touched many in the crowd that day.

Grandpa I love you. The Lord is with you continue to be at peace with him. By being your granddaughter I have been richly blessed. Not only because I know you but because I have been loved by you from the moment you met me on that cold winter night of December in 1975. I think I hear the pipers calling you home.

Snowy nights with Christmas lights

2009-01-04T19:43:00.000-08:00

Here are some pictures of the campus after the snow storm just before Christmas.

Holidays and Road Trip

2009-01-04T19:27:00.000-08:00

So Joey and I took a road trip to Texas for the Holidays. We have discovered that we are the worst at taking pictures. We however are excellent at taking the camera with us on practically every trip we have ever taken, we just unfortunately forget to take the camera out to the bag and take pictures. Thankfully Joey was on the ball and took a picture for my mom. We had a great time when we saw this sign.

The sign says, "Come home to excellence, come home to Enid!"

Dad, fyi, Mom is Excellent!

Morning Snow

2008-11-30T14:21:00.000-08:00

Snow Flurries and Turkey

2008-11-22T19:23:00.000-08:00

When Joey and I woke up this morning, mind you two hours apart ( i got to sleep in). We found floating around campus some pieces of heaven known as snow. It was so wonderful seeing these beautiful flurries floating down to the ground. They didn't stick this time but it will happen eventually. So I sat snuggled up on the couch with a good movie and yummy smelling candles burning just enjoying a relaxing Saturday morning.

Then I remembered I needed to get the fixens for Thanksgiving dinner. Off to Bakers I go. Now imagine a very LARGE grocery store with an itty bitty parking lot. 20 minutes of circling the parking lot I finally found a spot, nearly got run over walking into the store and then had to find the things I needed at the store without losing my temper with all of the people standing each aisle blocking the way or cutting you off at the aisle or my favorite standing in front of whatever it is I need and they just plat themselves there. Needless to say and hour later I was walking out of the store with a cart full of groceries being stalked by someone in their car who most likely had been circling the parking lot for 20+ minutes.

Oh the joy of the holidays!

And time stood still.....

2008-10-07T19:21:00.000-07:00

Well I have finally found a moment where I can sit down and blog. Joey and I have been pretty busy since we got to Omaha. I literally hit the ground running with training and unpacking but thankfully Joey got the apartment settled and found a new job all in his first week in Omaha. What a guy!!! I on the other hand have been running around trying to find my place and understand what it is I am supposed to be doing here. Now don't get me wrong I absolutely love my job and I would have to completly agree with my mother that I was made for this job! I have some amazing girls working with me and they truly are amazing. I love the hall that we are living in and all of the girls that are living in it.

Joey and I are having a blast here and I think the best compliment that I have heard to date was just how much our place feels like home. I just had to smile when I heard that from some of my girls during our open house. Thank God for bringing us here and letting us create a home for our girls in the hall.

Greyson Parker

2008-09-05T15:28:00.001-07:00

He is here!!!!

Greyson Parker Eck
7 pounds 8 ounces
20.5 inches

Happy Birthday Greyson!!!

Baby!!!

2008-09-05T08:25:00.000-07:00

Amanda went into labor this morning!! Greyson is on his way!

All Settled In continued

2008-08-31T20:49:00.001-07:00

Our dining table and living room.

Our reading area and my knitting chair and area.

A view into our kitchen and dining area. Riva here is your quilt you made us. It just looks beautiful.

I can not express my appreciation enough to my wonderful husband who unpacked everything and put up almost all of our pictures. He did such an amazing job. Thank you Joey! I love you!!

All Settled In

2008-08-31T20:28:00.000-07:00

Going into our place.

A view from our bedroom into the living room/reading corner.

First day of School

2008-08-25T07:35:00.000-07:00

So today was my niece Madeleines first day of school. Her mom Amanda said she did an amazing job of getting settled right in. I am so proud of her!!!

Deglman Hall

2008-08-24T17:47:00.001-07:00

Here are some pictures of the campus and move in day!! What a great time!!

Pictures of our new place.

2008-08-24T17:37:00.000-07:00

Some pictures of our new place. Sorry they are so dark the camera got changed to some funky setting.

Our Reading Area

Our Dining Room

Our Bedroom

Here is our kitchen.

Omaha

2008-08-19T12:33:00.000-07:00

Well we are here!!! I arrived on Thursday early afternoon and hit the ground running. And didn't get to my apartment until Sunday morning. Joey and his father arrived around 1 on Sunday and quickly began to unload the truck. Our apartment is an intricate maze of pathways through the boxes that Joey has created but slowly we are getting through them all. I will attach pictures soon so that you can all see the maze of boxes. We are both doing well and enjoying getting settled and sleeping in our own bed together again. As we continue to settle in and life goes on I will post some more about school here and how we are doing. We would love to hear from you so send us messages.

Could you?

2008-07-17T10:51:00.000-07:00

Could you put your entire life into 1 bag?

As I was riding the bus this morning without the typical distractions of my ipod (no headphones) or a book, I was able to sit back and wonder. There was a man, he was asleep leaning forward resting his head on the handle of his large suitcase. Now this man was sitting on a row of seats by himself, why, well no one wanted to sit near him, he was dirty and smelled so badly that it reminded me of the burning trash in Uganda, my mother would know the stench. It is one of those scents that you forget about when you are away from it, but as you travel closer to the city you begin to get faint wafts of it in your nostrils and you may twitch a bit. You can't quite place the scent you just know you don't want to smell it again. But unfortunately you enter into the city and the scent only gets stronger, so strong that you think that if you don't get away from it soon, you may throw up. Well he smelled like that. He had 2 rows to each side of him completely empty and well I sat in the third row behind him with an open window in front of me, ever so slightly gasping for the smell of exhaust because it smelled better. After a few minutes of this I thought, even in the midst of the smells of Uganda, God taught me something remarkable, maybe I need to keep my eyes and ears open and look for what God is trying to show me on the bus.

So I sat and I waited, and then I began to look, genuinely look at the man sitting there sleeping. He was sleeping in a pure exhausted state, you know what I am talking about that point where you are so tired it doesn't matter where you are or what your are doing or even who you are with, you fall asleep. I know I have done it and I am sure many of you have as well. And there he was, out, one hand resting on his suitcase, his head leaning on the handle of the bag.

Just one bag. Just one.

How is it he could get his entire life into that bag? And that is when I started to really think about this trip. Would I be able to put my life into one bag. Maybe a super huge expandable Mary Poppins kind of bag. But just a regular suitcase I don't know if I could. WIth Joey and I looking at new opportunities and the possibilty of moving we have had to reflect on all that God has blessed us with and what we are now going to do with it. Would we really be able to take it all with us or will we have to try and figure out a way to put it all into that "one" bag. Sifting through all of the memories and the countless blessings we have received what is it that we could leave behind. And could we?

I honestly don't know.

So then I started to think about all that this man had in his bag, were there pictures of people and memories long gone. Or maybe it was just filled with clothes and belongings from his past. So then I started to think of if I had to put everything into one bag, what would I put in it.

A wedding picture, I have this one that every time I look at and it takes me right back to the moment when Joey kissed me for the first time as his wife. Next I would put in a pair of clean undies and socks (cuz well you just feel clean when you put clean ones on), then there would be more pictures of my family and friends, pictures of my grandparents when they were young and first dating, then some pictures of my nieces and nephews and more pictures of my family and joey and I. Well then we (Joey and I) would need a change of clothes, probably clothes that we can layer. Good shoes. And well after that I am not sure.

Wow, I guess I need to put some thought into this. But most of all I need to acknowledge and embrace the things in my life that God has brought into it and what I am supposed to do with those things. Hmmmm this is going to take some time.

I guess I had a pretty meaningful I spy moments, those moments where God is so clearly present and I was receptive to seeing and hearing all he had to say. So as I got of the bus I slipped some money into the mans hand and went on with my day with one thought running through my mind.

If all I had in the world needed to fit into one bag, what would I put inside it? What would you put inside it and could you put your life into just one bag?

Riding the Bus

2008-07-08T10:41:00.000-07:00

So about 2 weeks ago I started riding the bus to save money and wear and tear on my car. It has been an interesting experience to say the least. I have seen old men give up their seats to little children, two kids trying to impress their mother by their perfect behavior as to determine who was going to have their new library book read first, to a homeless women having a bilingual argument with herself, then there is my favorite, I call him Counter, he is a man who continuously counts his fingers in repetition starting with his pinkie on his left hand and finishing with his pinkie on his right hand.

But yesterday afternoon I think I finally saw the highlight to date of this whole bus experience for me, Jesus Christ and the Queen of Heaven had a heated argument at a bench at the station. After about 20 minutes the argument finally ended when Jesus informed the Queen to kiss his white Jewish a**!!!

Wow, I guess I could express my surprise by this whole encounter but I think I am more bewildered that Jesus Christ would end an argument with a comment like that, I guess I just assumed that when Jesus Christ was ending a discussion it would end with, "Blessings..." Boy was I wrong.

There will be more to come on my bus experiences. I hope you enjoyed them so far.

Austin

2008-06-25T09:35:00.000-07:00

Well, some have heard and some have not heard. I am applying for a position in Austin that I think would be a huge opportunity for both Joey and me. The position is the Director of Student Services and Career Services. I mean really, this would be so huge!!! So at this point we are simply asking for prayer. I don't know exactly when the position will post or when I will hear back about my cover letter and resume. So we just ask for prayer for God's guidance and direction during this process. I think one of the more exciting parts for Joey and I would be that we would be near our nieces and nephews if we moved, yes we would leave my parents and some friends here in Sunny So Cal. But to see my nieces and nephews grow up before my very eyes during weekend visits would be huge. I feel like have grown up so much already and I am missing out. So for now we wait patiently (as best as we can) and just give it to God.

2008-04-16T10:31:00.000-07:00

Here is a picture of my new haircut. Enjoy, because I certainly do!!

Finally Saturday!

2008-03-08T17:04:00.001-08:00

Well, I feel like I have neglected this blog for long enough.

So let me start off with, Joey and I have taken back our weekend.

We finally had the chance to sleep in this morning after several months of weekends that would fly by. After several months of heading off to work on Monday wondering where Saturday went, we took our weekend into our own hands. We slept in, had a nice breakfast at one of our favorite places Arthur's. Great omelets! Now we are sitting in one of our favorite coffee shops Mr. Beans on Whittier Blvd, enjoying a Very, Very, Berry smoothie and some wonderful free WiFi!!! You just have to love the best four letter word in the world, FREE.

Anyways, tonight Joey and I will be heading up to Azusa Pacific University to see the David Crowder Band perform, I got him the tickets for his birthday. We will take in every moment and just enjoy the evening together.

I do have a question for you, those of you who still haven't given up on my blog. Are you ever so sore that when you walk around your house you look like you are about 90 years old and if you trip and fall you will instantly become that lady with the charm on her necklace calling for emergency help because you can't get up? Well that is how I feel today and well how I probably looked this morning and all day to my dear husband who thankfully hasn't busted up laughing at me.

Let me tell you what happened....
A few weekends ago Joey and I went to Texas and on our way down to Houston to visit my family, yeah for the Eck's and Curtis's, I rolled my ankle missing a curb at Sonic Burger. I looked like the biggest fool when I missed the step. Well my ankle swelled and bruised nicely and I had to have it wrapped for 2 weeks. Well last night was one of the largest events that I planned just short of my wedding and reception.

Up Till Tomorrow, that is what it is called it is one of 2 annual events that my school holds for our students and well it is my job to organize and orchestrate this circus!!! And circus it was, our theme was carnival and we had that down to the tent, a HUGE red and white striped tent. We had a band Cavil at Rest (check them out on You Tube or Myspace), a Bungee run, a bounce joust, kettle korn, cheesy photo booth, cotton candy, Hot Dog on a Stick (with Cheese on a stick for our vegetarians) and so much more. Well the event ran from 7 pm to 1 am and i was at my school till 2 cleaning, i think i crawled into bed around 2:30. Well this event wouldn't have been a problem if I was in my office all week well that wasn't the case. I had a western region student affairs team development the day before the event in Los Angeles, Santa Monica to be exact (it was a gorgeous day, Lala!) Well I went to this training and then on Friday got to the office around 1 in the afternoon so that I could prepare and finish things off for the evening. I must admit it was a freakin success, we had over 275 students attend! I loved every minute of it. But what i didn't realize was that standing all night my muscles stiffened so when I drove home, my nice 30 minute drive, every muscle in my body had cramped and stiffened. I practically crawled in through the front door, clumsily put my pj's on and crawled into bed. I think I may have possibly been to sleep before my head hit the pillow.

So now to the 90 year old part, I got up this morning around 10, stood up nice and tall about 4 feet tall, guided my way to the door of our bedroom using the side of our bed and every step I took felt like I was walking on glass. I made more comments and groans than I think I ever have in my 32 years! Dang, I think if I had tripped and fallen I would have stayed put on the floor and just have gone back to sleep. But my bladder called and coaxed me out of the room and with shear determination I got dressed and we headed out for the day.

Well it has come to that time where I need to get my walked and make my way out of the coffee shop. Thankfully the car isn't parked that far away. I promise to write again soon. Who knows maybe this will be the beginning of a wonderful new thing for me.

A quick note

2007-11-10T20:47:00.000-08:00

Just a quick post to tell everyone to pray for my Texas family. My brothers wifes family is dealing with a terrible tragedy right now and need prayer. Please pray for comfort during this time. Thank you. I will write a better update on Joey and I all that has been happening in our lives.

New Job and new place

2007-08-15T16:17:00.000-07:00

We are moving and I am starting a new job on the 20th. It has been a bit crazy here with packing, planning and saying goodbye to so many people at APU. I will definitely miss it here. I am so excited to see what the Lord has in store for Joey and I, I know it will be an amazing adventure!!!

What a day....what a week....what a month....

2007-06-18T14:31:00.000-07:00

Where do I begin....well the month of May was a crazy month, on the 5th I graduated with my Masters in Education focusing on College Student Affairs and then the following weekend after that I married the man of my dreams and prayers.

The wedding was amazing and each day we receive new pictures from our photographers and friends from the wedding. If you follow the links below you can see the pictures from our photographer and her assistant.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/curlytop/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/joleensartisticendeavors/497114738/

When we returned from our honeymoon we began to settle in. We decided to move into a two bedroom apartment next door to some good friends of ours but that plan was put on hold when the place we were going to move into needed a lot of love and care from the property manager. They are still doing repairs and that plan is still on hold. I am currently trying to find a new job that would better use my masters. At this point I am doing 4 jobs with 5 supervisors and getting paid for 1. Needless to say each night I am very tired and beginning to feel that I am not using my $35,000 dollar education to good use. So I am looking in the field of student affairs and we will see where God takes us.

Joey is really enjoying his job. The school year just ended and now it is time for cleaning up and taking inventory on all of the remaining supplies that can be used for next year. He works for the THINK Together program which was founded in the Santa Ana/Costa Mesa area and his branch is based in Ontario. He is a site coordinator and has about 5 program leaders and 100 kids in the program. Each day brings its new challenges but he faces each one with a smile and a kind heart.

While we started to settle into our lives as a married couple our apartment building was hit by a drive by shooting during broad daylight during the lunch hour. Our next door neighbor had to have a bullet pulled from her balcony wall. Joey and I were glad we didn't go home for lunch like we usually do. Unfortunately, we have become even more apprehensive about living in the neighborhood we are in. I only pray that God will continue to keep us safe and open the doors for us to move on to our next step in his great and powerful plan.

So here we are sitting among many boxes, a cat slowly going insane by the craziness thrusted upon him and two people anxiously waiting for our next move.

2007-05-30T22:31:00.000-07:00

Here is a great picture of Joey and I during our first dance. He makes me soo happy and it is so very obvious by the look on my face. How I love him! Thanks to all of you who took time out of your busy lives to bless us with attending our wedding. We thank you and love each of you dearly.

Blessings,
Jenna and Joey

The Beginning

2007-05-24T17:00:00.000-07:00

This is going to be brief, but wanted to get this started. Joey and I were married on May 12, 2007 in Pasadena and have really enjoyed every minute of married life (even though it is barely 2 weeks). I will be sure to write some more as time goes on but for now, know that we are here and will be posting as time goes on.