I have a lot to be Thankful for this year.

I am thankful that I finally, finally finished my Ph.D.  For a long time, I honestly thought I would never graduate – like when my boss repeatedly told me that I would have to first have to determine the structure of our 76 kDa protein using NMR before I would be allowed to defend.

I am thankful that even though my degree took years longer than it should, and I was put in a lot of unfair situations, I ended up with a wide, somewhat uncommon, skill set which made me competitive when applying for postdoc positions.  I was able to choose between several excellent laboratories to continue my training.

I am thankful that I believed in myself enough to choose what was, undoubtedly, the most challenging and difficult of my postdoc options.  I have jumped from cancer biology to biophysics and while I still feel a little over my head in my new lab, my skills as a scientist are growing by leaps and bounds, and I know I will mature as a scientist more in this lab than any of my other options.

I am thankful that I am able to live with my husband, at least until he moves in June for his fellowship.  After 4 years apart, it’s nice to get to have a “normal” marriage for 10 months, before we go back to long-distance.

Most of all, I am thankful that after less than 4 months, I have settled into my new city so well that it already feels like I’ve lived here forever.  My life is so full with friends, social activities, hobbies, and work I am happy to take home with me at the end of the day, that I no longer have the time or interest in sitting home and blogging. 

And for that, I make no apologies.