Eight years ago today (the day I write this, January 5, 2017), I lost my mom. Over these past eight years, I have had a lot of time and opportunity to reminisce, reflect, and cherish. I still think about her and miss her every single day, as I'm sure anyone else who has dealt with a loss can sympathize with. It's interesting to look at the memories we as emotional beings carry. We remember big events, of course, like our first concert, to ridiculously minute happenings -- like the girl at work who borrowed $2 from me two years ago and never paid me back. Probably the best gift I received after losing my mom was a little notebook. Cute, small, and waiting to collect my memories. So, I began writing. Or listing, rather. Every single little, random detail about my mom I could remember. In the grand scheme of things they are small, insignificant facts, but together they all help me remember who she was, no matter how much time passes. Off the top of my head, here are some of my notes:

1. She woke up at 4:30-5 am EVERY DAY, to go RUNNING

2. She had really white, pale feet because she never wore anything but running shoes

3. She made the best homemade pizza in the damn world

4. She read every single day and ran every single day

5. She had one really long hair on her arm on top of her mole

6. After her runs, she would sit down right inside the doorway, trying to sing along to her iPod (holy throwback), but she'd be so out of breath it would just be kind of like panting heavily to a beat, with some random words thrown in there every once in a while

7. Okay, remember that scene in The Master of Disguise when he dresses as a turtle? She could imitate that to a T

8. She could read people instantly, like if I had a friend that was a really bad friend to me, she knew before any of the drama even occurred

9. BEST. BANANA BREAD. EVER.

10. Dog person (and rightfully so)

11. She called me every day from work, just to say hi

And now her birthday is next week. It's crazy how these dates come so close together, and always makes for a tough time of year. Remember the small things, friends. The small things make up the big things, and ultimately shape our loved ones to be who they are. Appreciate every single small, weird detail.