The first year away has been a huge transition. You go from being a kid living at home to a young adult living on your own hundreds of miles away. There's been more than enough bumps and rough patches on the way, but there's always that one person who's there to help make life a whole lot easier: your mom. Without her, you would be lost and without a doubt not be where you are today. So here's a list to thank you, mom, for all of the things you've done to help me make it through this year on my feet.

1. Thank you for being my personal security guard.

It seems way too often that people don't always want to make life easy and want to try and scam your little girl because she's, well, little. But I can always count on you, my personal security guard, to give someone an earful for trying to get the best of me.

2. For being my number one fan and supporter.

Whatever I've done or chosen to do, you're always there backing me up, supporting me, and making sure I put everything I have forward. Whenever I choose something to put myself into, you're always there making sure I give 110% and finishing what I started.

3. For letting me call and text you at all hours of the night.

In the middle of the night, 8 AM or 3 in the afternoon, you're always there when I need you. Thanks for never letting your phone go farther than an arms length away from you because you know I always need your input at every hour of the day.

4. For being tough on me when I was home cause you knew I could do better.

You never let me slack off. You always pushed me harder and harder because you knew I could do it, you knew I had it in me.

5. For not being rough on me now.

You know how tough of a transition college has been and how different my life is now. You understand that I'm fighting back and forth with finding a balance, so you've done everything in your power to help make it easier and comfort me in every way possible.

6. For being my soundboard.

Letting me bounce ideas off of you to see if they sound crazy or not. Which is all too often because I have way too many. And when they aren't sounding good, you tell me gently.

7. For teaching me how to do laundry before I left.

If it weren't for you I would've ruined all of my clothes by now. And there's a lot of them. Thankfully you've taught to me light and darks, normal and delicates.

8. For doing my laundry when I come home for breaks. And doing all of it.

There you go again, making my life as easy as possible. Cutting out chores for my visits home, doing what you can while I'm there and you can actually physically help me.

9. For tidying up my room and making my bed before I come home to visit.

My rooms never looked so good thanks to you. Every time I fly home I can expect a nice cozy (and huge) all made up and ready for me to sleep in. I can't stress how much I appreciate this enough.

10. For the incredibly large care package of all the things I forgot to bring.

The moment we left the house the list of things I needed you to send me started compiling. But regardless of the size, you sent me everything on my list. Plus so much more. All the things I forgot to put on my list, and all the cute little things you thought I would enjoy.

11. For being my peer mediator.

No one is a better listener than you. And no matter what happens with whoever, you are always there to help me work through it and realize what's truly best for me.

12. For sending me pictures of the dog.

You know how much I miss our dog, it's truly a problem. But even more importantly how much our dog misses me as well. Thank you for the endless goofy Snapchat's and sporadic FaceTime calls to show me what new and hilarious thing she's learned to do.

13. For making me laugh as you figure out how to use Snapchat.

It's true, every time you use Snapchat I can't help but giggle. You're so cute figuring out how to continuously use social media. I can never get enough of your selfies and Snapchat stories.

14. For tagging me in posts on Facebook, letting me know how much you miss and love me.

Whenever I need me a pick me up, or a random bit of love, I can always count on one of your many Facebook posts. It's crazy just how easily those posts can turn around my day and make me miss you even more.

15. For grounding me every time the real world starts getting the best of me.

Being on my own is tough, more than I imagined. And let's face it I'm a stress ball of anxiety. You know I have way too much on my mind, and you always know how to stop me in my tracks, make me breathe, and realize it's all gonna be okay. if it weren't for you I would probably explode.

16. For recording all of my favorite shows and keeping them for when I come home.

You know how much I love my tv shows and how this year I won't get to watch any of them. So, of course, you do nothing other than record all of them for me so I can stay on top of all of my shoes and never have to miss a season.

17. For always sending me words of encouragement.

Sometimes it's hard to always push myself forwards and keep believing in myself. I do poorly on a test and start getting homesick again and all I want to do is head home or curl up in bed. But at the drop of a hat, you're there picking me up, lifting me even higher than I was before. No one knows how to make me feel as good as you do.

18. For giving me updates about home.

Home is my favorite place in the world and you know just how much I miss it. My constant updates and what's happening at home keep me happy and excited for the next time I get to come home. It really makes me feel like I'm not so far away.

19. For making me realize just how good homecooked meals really are.

I never thought I would get tired of pizza and pasta, by what I didn't realize was that they wouldn't be fully cooked and not taste nearly as good when made outside a microwave. Your cooking was truly a blessing.

20. For being my best friend and the greatest mom I could ask for.

I think I've said more than enough on not only why you're the best mom out there, but why I couldn't live without you. Thank you, mom, for every little and big thing you do. I can't imagine how I would get through the day without you. Thank you for being my mom.