Wednesday, January 14, 2009

BUSY!!

Wow, it's been a while since we last updated. Kenz and I are busy with graduate school at BYU. We're both in the MPA program in the Marriott School of Management (in the Romney Institute for Public Management). I was accepted mid-year to the program, and since I want to graduate with Kenz, I will be taking 20 credit hours each semester for 3 semesters. That way I will be finished with the program in a year and a half instead of two years. Pretty much that means I live on campus; specifically in the Tanner Building (8am to 9pm most class days). That means I have to do marathon training during the day between classes. I ran the Utah Valley Marathon last year, and I would like to do the Salt Lake this next April. 

We're very excited because we get to go to Washington DC this next week (partially subsidized by the Romney Institute). We will be there researching internships, interviewing, looking for possible housing options for student interns who will be there over the summer, and meeting with and establishing contacts. Kenz claims Virginia as her home state, and lived just outside of DC for awhile. She is especially excited to be going back "home" (even though now her parents reside in Utah). 

I am still considering a JD, but probably after I have a little work experience. I also do not want to get three degrees from BYU. (I guess I want to mix it up a little).  Kenz and I are both talking about doing an Executive JD program while in DC, since that is where we plan to live after graduation. 

We hope all is well for everyone, and we hope to hear from you soon! You can check out our blog updates at: ryanandkenz.blogspot.com. We will definitely be adding pictures of our trip in the next while. We have added many of your blogs to ours so we can keep up with your lives, too. 

5 comments:

The Kaysville Cow Project said...

Our blog is private again, so you can e-mail McKenzie to request to view it. The address is: ryanandkenz at gmail dot com. (ryanandkenz@gmail.com).

Brooke said...

I might be a little dumb, but what's an MPA? (I know what an MBA is, but not MPA.) Also, what does JD stand for?

That's so exciting that you guys get to go to DC...and even cooler that you plan to live there after graduation! Josh and I visited DC a couple years ago and loved it. I'm sure McKenzie knows a lot of great places to eat, but you've got to stop by Potbelly's and Pizzeria Paradisio. There's a Potbelly's kitty corner from the white house (great sandwiches) and Pizzeria Paradisio has the most amazing pizza - get potatoes on it, trust me. Take the Dupont Circle Metro stop to get there.

Ryan said...

Hey, I remember seeing those pictures on Facebook, I think. We'll definitely have to check out some of those food places you mentioned.

No worries about the MPA degree, I explain it a lot. I didn't really know what it entailed until Kenz actually started the program last semester. MPA is a masters degree in public administration, it's like an MBA but for the public sector. What I like about it is the versatility, I can do a lot with it. JD is a Juris Doctorate, which is a law degree.

Where did you guys stay when you were in Washington?

Brooke said...

At some crappy hotel that was about 10 minutes from the Pentagon station metro stop. We had to ride the bus to the station and then hop on the metro to go sightseeing.

The Steffensen's said...

I'm glad Brooke asked all those questions, because I was clueless as well. Keep up the good work, Dr. Davies (just a little something to look forward to:))

Where did Kenz grow up? I have a sister and a sister-in-law who live just outside of DC. It's a great place. We loved our visit a couple years ago and can't wait to go back!