Hello everyone! I am alive, although it doesn't look like I have been with the lack of posts on this blog. Last week, I was on holiday with Martin and his family and it's taken me a couple of days to get back into the swing of things! Today's post is to tell you about an event I went to on 6th August, hosted by Simplyhealth and held at the Everyman Cinema in Trinity Centre, Leeds. I was invited, along with a plus one, to watch the first four episodes of Friends, to celebrate the ten year anniversary of the series' finale and to be a part of Simplyhealth's #SHhealthysmile campaign.

Now, I'm sure that I'm about to be shunned for saying this, but before going to this event I had never seen Friends - can you believe that? Sure, I've caught some parts of episodes on TV whilst channel hopping when I was younger, but to watch a full episode or even the first season, I had never done so! When I told one of my friends, she was flabbergasted that I had never properly seen the show - as were the people I told at the event itself - which goes some way to show how popular it was back in the day. Therefore, I couldn't pass up the opportunity to attend, and see what all the fuss was about!

I invited my fellow blogger friend Grace along to the event - I hadn't seen her in a while and we were due a good catch-up! I have visited Everyman Cinema in the past and thought that it was the bee's knees, so to visit again and have a chance to attend a viewing in a private screening room was definitely one of the main reasons why I wanted to go. Instead of the hard, gum-covered seats that you usually put up with in a multiplex, you get to sit on plush, comfortable two-seater sofas. Couple that with the fact that you can have pizza and alcoholic drinks with you whilst you watch your film, and you've got a pretty good cinema experience right there! We were supplied with a goody bag filled with sweets and popcorn for our viewing, along with a couple of drinks each (Beer for me, obviously, although I had a cider too!), and soon enough we were all settled and ready to giggle our way through the first four episodes.

So, as a first-time watcher of Friends, did I like it? In a word, yes! It was so strange to see all the cast looking so young, and the fashion back then was hilarious, but it all added to the funny gags and jokes that were so integral to the show. My absolute favourite line from the episodes I saw was actually from The Pilot - "Welcome to the real world. It sucks. You're gonna love it!" It's so true and it properly made me snort into my drink - very ladylike, I know. All too often I complain about the "real world" - work, responsibilities, lack of freedom, money - and realise how easy I had it back when I was in school, college and university! Oh, to be young again (I'm only 24, jeez)...

I had a great time at the event, and I certainly felt good for laughing my way through the first four episodes of Friends! Afterwards, me, Grace, Faith and Yuna took ourselves off to Nandos for some much-needed dinner, where we continued laughing all the way through our meal... I certainly went home with a happy smile on my face that night. Thank you Simplyhealth for organising the event, and to the folks at Everyman for the experience of a private viewing - when's the next event?!