It's been almost a year since the TV sitcom How I Met Your Mother ended. For me, it will always be my favorite show. I would watch it most days after school since the reruns were always playing. Over time, I became attached to the characters. I'll always remember watching the last episode and thinking a huge part of my teenage years was over for good. Here are 10 reasons why this show is so amazing. Enjoy!

1. It gave us the slap bet.

I will maintain that the slap bet is one of the single best ideas I've ever heard of. After the introduction of the slap bet and "Slapsgiving," my friends and I decided to start using it, most recently with our fantasy football championship. If you ever want to add some fun to a bet, follow Marshall and Barney's lead and make it a slap bet. 

2. It gave us all of Barney's rules, guidelines, codes, and tricks.

From the Playbook to the Hot-Crazy scale, from the Platinum Rule to the Ewok Line, Barney Stinson blessed viewers with countless valuable lessons for every aspect of life.

3. It gave us one of the best couples of all-time: Lily and Marshall. 

I'll make a slap bet with anyone who reads this that there has never been a better fictional couple than Marshall Eriksen and Lily Aldrin. They started dating in college and made it through plenty of ups and downs before getting married and having kids. The greatest reason Lily and Marshall are the best couple ever is because they were best friends, and never stopped having fun with each other. Every guy is looking for his Lily, and every girl is looking for her Marshall. 

Sidenote: my dog is named after Lily, and she is also awesome. 

4. The show always found new ways to be ridiculous and funny.

Robin was a Canadian pop star. Ted got a butterfly tattoo. Marshall stabbed Lily. The mother is ... I won't spoil that, just in case. There was never a dull moment in How I Met Your Mother, which is just another reason why it is such an awesome show. 

5. It gave us some of the best sayings.

From "true story" to "suit up" to "challenge accepted" to "legen-dary," true How I Met Your Mother fans will always love and appreciate the famous sayings from the show, even if nobody else understands them.

6. It taught guys (and girls) how to be good bros for each other.

Ted, Barney, Marshall, Robin, and Lily were all best friends, and they had each others' backs for everything. From the things they did for each other, like Barney flying to San Francisco to convince Lily to get back with Marshall or Ted finding Robin's locket then telling her Barney found it, viewers learned how to be bros for each other. 

7. It taught us about love and relationships.

Oh, Ted. Ted Mosby went through about 1,000 girlfriends and misadventures before finding his wife. He taught us that what's meant to be will be and everyone finds the person they're meant to be with. Robin and Barney taught us that not every relationship is meant to be, and that's okay. Marshall and Lily taught us ... well, everything. They taught us how awesome it is to be with someone you love.

8. It had a little bit of everything a show needs.

From hilarious, fall-out-of-your-seat moments (Slapsgiving), to heart-warming moments (Marshall and Lily getting back together), to tragic, teary-eyed moments (Mr. Eriksen's death), to just plain weird moments (Lily's mom and Marshall's dad hooking up), How I Met Your Mother had everything you could ever want in a show.

9. It made us care about the characters like they were our own friends.

From the very beginning to the very end, fans of How I Met Your Mother cared about each of those characters like we personally knew them. We saw Marshall and Lily grow as a married couple, we saw Ted search for his wife, and when we finally met her, some of us (me) fell in love with her. Through every moment, Ted, Lily, Barney, Marshall, and Robin became more than just characters.

10. Even though life keeps on going and things change, your friends will always be there for you.

Despite plenty of fights and arguments, despite the various relationships and the test of time, the gang of How I Met Your Mother stayed friends. They weren't always close, but their friendship was realistic, and made us laugh for nine great seasons. For that, fans will always be grateful.