I’m an avid saver of memories.

A grasp onto mementos from my favorite moments, never letting them leave my life until the memory is forgotten and the space in my brain is reoccupied.

I treasure the highs in my life, causing me to hoard whole folders full of pictures and trinkets. I’m in love with the objects that put a smile on my face from the moment I pick it up to the moment I set it back down.

For me, those objects are stored in my Snapchat memories.

My first snapchat memory dates back to July 2017. It’s us sitting in a movie theater watching the newest film. Reclined all the way back with a bucket of sour patch kids on our laps. Your lips stained red while mine have a tinge of green from the icy dessert. The smell of popcorn accompanies the memory, adding a yellow haze to that singular memory while a distant Disney movie drones on in the background, barely recognizable under our giggles.

A few months later the crowd roars. The announcer above is relaying the last events of the game while the three of us are eating ice cream sandwiches with a drink to match. The multi-colored green and white fans explode as the ball is thrown straight into the hoop, pushing our team ahead; however, while the rest of the stadium is watching the game, we’re trying to figure out how to take an artsy photo.

P!nk’s vocals echoing throughout the Arena were stuck in my head for hours to come. The flashing lights and extravagant colors played on repeat in my head every time I closed my eyes to sleep. The eccentric concert turned my voice to mush and the feeling of not being able to hear made our post-concert concert even more fun while we were stuck in the parking garage for an hour. The raspy sounds of us singing could most definitely be heard by the surrounding cars.

The image of you running around the airport with a trail of suitcases behind is one I laugh at every time it pops into my brain. The slight memory of my mom telling us to slow down a few terminals behind us while we raced to our gate, dodging in and out of people all going the other direction is a cherished one. The goofy smile on your face combined with the feeling of sleep deprivation made the experience hilarious to me in my delirious state.

Our trip to Florida has to have been my favorite. The thrill of iguanas popping out of the unknown combined with my brother chucking playing cards at us from across the porch paints the memory in an angelic glow. While our parents would say us spending a week straight together is too much time to deal with both of us, I still think our dance moves and song rival anything else on the top of the charts, and your cheese cutting technique is still the best I’ve ever seen.

The countless number of times I’ve attempted to create a masterpiece in the kitchen is comical. Precision and patience are of the utmost importance when cooking—I have neither. The number of videos I have of my failures is enough to create a movie, maybe even a TV series. We once tried to make donuts while your parents were gone. I turned my back for one second, and you had managed to switch the sugar and the salt, resulting in the worst donuts I’ve ever consumed, but somehow they don’t rank anywhere near the most unedible thing I’ve made.

We spent an extraordinary amount of time playing Harry Potter clue that night and eating a whole chocolate cake and drinking a bottle of sparkling Rosé. Just thinking of that night floods my mind with all the memories we have created over our years of friendship. The picture only reminds me further of the good times I always have with you.

Remember when the air conditioner broke up north? We slept on the floor in the basement with three ice packs a piece, and we kept trying to steal each other’s. My sister kept coming out and yelling at us to be quiet, but we were already up and trying to push each other out of the way to look for more ice cubes to chew on while waiting for sleep to find us.

The hot weather made us all miserable, but you still felt that need to win that insufferable bear. You made us take turns carrying it throughout the park because it was bigger than you. The smell of walking tacos and funnel fries was doing little to help our growing feeling of heat exhaustion. The only relief was when the roller coaster overhead would provide a quick whoosh of air only for the heat to return right after.

When I can’t sleep late at night, I scroll through my memories and look at all the people I love that have helped me create the memories I adore—I can’t help but be glad I’m an avid saver of memories. Otherwise, the memories would fade away until they are replaced and the space in my brain is reoccupied.