Last night was the last night of the last XOXO festival ever. Every XOXO was the best conference I’ve ever been to. I’m so glad we made the cut for the final one.

The biggest highlight for me from all of the times that I attended was probably getting to see the final episode of my favorite podcast (Punch Up The Jam) performed live.

It brought so many people together from different walks of life, different careers, but all united in our love for the independent, quirky, weird web that many of us grew up using.

I met so many friends in real life that I had only known on the internet for literal decades. Most notably: Zannah, Christina, Cabel, Rob…

People whose blogs I’ve been reading forever: Kottke and Haughey…

I caught up with friends who I talk to on a regular basis, but who live on this side of the country and I don’t see as often as I would like: Amy, Thomas, Joel…

I was also introduced to new people who I didn’t know before, but who are now friends! Demi, Dean, Miranda, James, Emily, Kaitlin…

and so many more.

I’m sad it’s gone, but I’m glad it happened. And I’m super grateful for the XOXO Slack, where hopefully we can keep the energy going for decades to come.