The long-awaited end to “How I Met Your Mother,” though bittersweet, promises to be legend-wait-for-it-and-I-hope-you’re-not-lactose-intolerant-because-the-second-half-of-that-word-is-DAIRY.

For me, “How I Met Your Mother” has played a significant role in the past six years of my life.  Ever since middle school when my brother convinced me that I HAD to start watching the show, it has provided me with sayings and references (as is obvious from the previous sentence).  Not to mention, new episodes are great conversation starters considering about 98 percent of the school watches it.

This might be due to the fact that HIMYM, as it is often called, is the perfect combination of emotional, hilarious and relatable.  Ted’s dramatic and sometimes pitiful encounters with women including Stella, Victoria and Robin have been entertaining yet completely realistic.

Because I, like any teenager, am surrounded by drama, I can easily relate to many of Ted’s problems.  For example, the first time I didn’t have a roommate, I too spilled piping hot soup all over myself while completely naked.  Just kidding.  But seriously, it’s comforting that he and I share issues sometimes—even if he’s only a fictional character.

But as much as I love Ted, Lily and Marshall are and have always been my favorite characters. Their perfect relationship is any teenage girl’s dream.  Even though Ted jokes that the couple is a hermaphroditic blob, I think they’re an adorable hermaphroditic blob.

On the opposite side of the spectrum, I was devastated when Barney proposed to Robin.  Barney hitting on women at MacLaren’s, while slightly disturbing, was a priceless tradition of the show.

But over time, I’ve come to terms with the couple.  Though the burning of the Playbook was tragic, Robin and Barney’s personalities are compatible in a way that makes their relationship worth it.

Sadly, while all his friends are happily married or about to be, Ted has yet to meet “the one.”  The suspense leading up to the reveal of the mother had become almost unbearable.  Now, as the mother is slowly being exposed, I’ve concluded that she will live up to the high expectations.

While I, (and probably the other 98 percent of the school), am upset that such a fantastic show is coming to a close, I will keep all of HIMYM’s life lessons close to heart.  I will always remember to suit up, I will always remember that nothing good happens after 2:00 a.m., but most importantly, I will always remember the story of how Ted met the mother.