A Whole New World

Our little life is going to be exposed to a new world of experiences - which we find simultaneously frightening and exhilarating. McKenzie was recently offered a position with the Partnership for Public Service in Washington, D.C., and today she officially accepted. (I will reserve that post for Kenz because she can tell it better.) I am so proud of her hard work, passion, and enthusiasm that have led her to this point!

McKenzie and I have always had the desire to go out and make a difference on a broader scale, which meant - for us personally - to leave what we feel is our comfort zone in Utah (including family and friends that we will dearly miss). That said, we are fortunate to have friends and family in the D.C. area and look forward to fostering those relationships. I also specifically reiterate that we feel that this is the right direction for us. We believe that it is also just as important to make a difference in whatever you do or wherever you are. World peace starts at home.

So, it's out into the "real world" of the joys of employment, which means no more final exams, a regular paycheck, and no more winter or summer breaks (not that they have been real "breaks" for us because they involved work anyway). It will be a new world of challenges and opportunities as we learn to juggle jobs and raise our little family outside of the shelter of academia and Utah.

We look forward with optimism and excitement to participate in life in our nation's capital at this time, surrounded by events both recent and historic. We look forward to understanding and helping solve major problems while understanding other cultures and people different from ourselves.

We look forward to understanding and making history (even if it is just making personal history).

So keep in touch and wish us luck in our new endeavors - and please come visit!

Here's to a new beginning for our little family in Washington, D.C.!

* A special thanks to the photographers who took these amazing pictures I found on a Google image search for "Washington, D.C., black and white"