I'll Be There For You...

So I've come to the conclusion that I should replace all my seasons of Friends haha. I should get the special edition box set or something. My seasons have gotten me through thick and thin for many years. I've watched and re-watched them over and over again; I cant even count how many times I've seen every episode. I watch it to laugh. I watch it with my friends. I put it on when I'm doing other things, such as cleaning, for background noise. The sound of Friends is truly a comfort thing for me. There are times, particularly rough times in my life, that I have fallen asleep to Friends because it was the only way to get my mind off what was going on at the time and be distracted for a bit. Friends can always bring a smile to my face. I can honestly say that I never get sick of it. There are things you can only stand for so long... but I've always been able to welcome Friends into my life. I've never turned it down. I dont think I could even watch my most favorite movies or read my most beloved books as much as I can watch Friends.

Anyway, I purchased almost all of my seasons in used condition (about $10 per season) at CD / Game Exchange way back when. They were all perfectly fine. I bought the last 3 seasons on Amazon.com. With how many times I've watched the discs, there are episodes that now skip and there are two whole episodes that dont even play anymore. Those seasons have trekked through many moves with me - to college, to an apartment, to my grandparent's house, to Colorado, back to Oregon..... 

I know some people may be wondering how I can talk like this, so sentimental, about a tv show. I can see how it may sound weird but it's true. I think I started watching Friends two years after it first premiered in 1994. So I would have been about 8 years old. That sounds about right. That may seem young, but I almost cant remember a time when I didnt know about or like Friends. From then on, I watched it religiously. I remember when the series finale aired - they published an article in The Oregonian titled, "Good Bye, Good Friends." That's right, I still remember that. I bawled my freakin' eyes out that night while watching the end of something so epic. I didnt know what I would do without having that to look forward to every week. To this day, I have not encountered another show that can ever replace Friends. I havent found one, in my opinion, that was a good as Friends; one that has all the elements that Friends had. The closest would be How I Met Your Mother, and frankly, I see a lot of similarities between the two - but we all know which one came first ;)

So it will always be my favorite and I dont think anything will ever change that. Tony and I are currently going through the seasons again (we're on season 6 right now) because he's never seen them in order, or all of the episodes, for that matter. He gets such a kick out of it too and I love to watch him crack up at it. The characters become like your family, your friends - you get so invested in their stories and lives and like I said before, they truly just bring a sense of comfort to you because you can count on them to be there. Cheesy, I know, but whatever. I have always been compared to Monica Geller throughout my life, from people in school or church or anywhere. Apparently, my OCD is comparable to hers. I just take that as a compliment :) And of course, Friends is where I first saw Jennifer Aniston, who became my favorite actress and has since remained in that position. Ultimately, it led to me coming up with the name Anistynn for my daughter, who will be born in 3 months. And random fact: David Schwimmer who played Ross Geller, just had his first child, a girl, with his wife. It's so weird to hear that he's so smitten with his daughter and how he's learning to be a new dad, when he had two kids on Friends. It's like he was already a father a long time ago so that's nothing new! Haha. The characters really stick with you. So to summarize: I love me some Friends!

So no one told you life was going to be this way.
Your job's a joke, you're broke, you're love life's DOA.
It's like you're always stuck in second gear,
Well, it hasn't been your day, your week, your month, or even your year.

But, I'll be there for you, when the rain starts to pour.
I'll be there for you, like I've been there before.
I'll be there for you, cause you're there for me too.

You're still in bed at ten, the work began at eight.
You've burned your breakfast, so far, things are going great.
Your mother warned you there'd be days like these,
But she didn't tell you when the world has brought you down to your knees.

That, I'll be there for you, when the rain starts to pour.
I'll be there for you, like I've been there before.
I'll be there for you, cause you're there for me too.

No one could ever know me, no one could ever see me.
Seems like you're the only one who knows what it's like to be me.
Someone to face the day with, make it through all the rest with,
Someone I'll always laugh with, even at my worst, I'm best with you.

It's like you're always stuck in second gear,
Well, it hasn't been your day, your week, your month, or even your year.

But, I'll be there for you, when the rain starts to pour.
I'll be there for you, like I've been there before.
I'll be there for you, cause you're there for me too.