I didn’t set out to blog about WordPress turning 10, but I’m sitting at the airport on my way to jsConf waiting for Koop a friend I met because I got involved in WordPress, just having sent a tweet to Jen Mylo, a friend I met because I got involved in WordPress after spending the weekend with Nacin, Jaquith, Koop and others that I met because I got involved in WordPress.

When I found WordPress I was a recent college grad working 10-15 hours a week as an usher at an arena staying up until 5am at coffee shops trying to throw together a website. Five and a half years later I lead pretty much everything user facing for a small healthcare technology startup. If I hadn’t found WordPress and hadn’t met the people I now consider some of my best friends, I can’t imagine where I would have ended up, but I doubt it would be as great of a place as it is.

I started contributing to WordPress in a meager manner, adding a notification. Since then my contributions have waxed and waned, but I always had the feeling that I was contributing to something bigger.

Thanks WordPress for giving me the freedom to Learn. The freedom to collaborate. The freedom to become the developer I am today with the friends I have.