11 reasons why 11/11/11 was great

1. It's Veteran's Day. I'm deeply grateful for the sacrifices of the many men and women who have given the last full measure of devotion in the name of freedom. Their dedication and selflessness humbles and inspires me, and I hope I can prove worthy of their sacrifice in my behalf.

2. My colonies of ultracompetent e. coli cells transformed with a plasmid containing a mutant PstB gene grew!!! We didn't get any growth last week, so we redid the experiment this week. And succeeded. Pretty sure I've never been that excited about bacteria.

3. The vibrant colors of the leaves in the valley made me happy.

4. My friend took me out to dinner at Brick Oven. We conversed in German, discussed life ambitions, laughed a ton, and just had a great time.

5. I ate raspberry cheesecake.

6. It's Friday. *happiness*

7. I mailed my Ukrainian Visa application! It's hard to walk around campus without grinning when you know you're going to be in Ukraine soon.

8. Lab meeting was a blast. As nerdy as this may sound, lab meetings are one of my favorite parts of the week as our little lab family gathers to discuss our experiments. And our lives. My fellow labbies are some of the greatest kids ever, and Dr. McCleary is fabulous. I've learned so much from them over the past few months. 

9. I got to spend time with family, friends, and roommates.

10. The elevator in the Widtsoe worked for me one time!!!

11. It's 11/11/11. That's just happy.

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