GO LONG.

In 23 years of life I've certainly had some "Aha!" moments, and I'm bound to have many more. In the past ten days I've had a plethora of these moments... but it wasn't until this morning when meeting with our IBNY CEO that I really felt, for the very first time.. the epitome of an "AHA!" moment.

I was greeted by Josh wearing a polo shirt and fresh light blue slacks. He was exceptionally personable and delightful to speak with. He started off the meeting casually asking me to explain my background and where I see myself going with Interbrand. This is where it started... I found myself talking to the CEO of the company that I started working for a mere 9 days prior with complete comfort and ease. I was 100 percent confident with my answers to his questions because over the course of that 9 days had absorbed every second of knowledge that I could about the new position I was facing, and I could speak with ease and confidence in knowing I meant exactly what I was saying. I told Josh that each meeting I had with a member of a different division at Interbrand sparked excitement towards going down a career path in that direction. I told him how refreshing it was to hear someone talk about their job with passion and intelligence and pride... and that I don't know exactly where I want my career to go, but that I am 100 percent sure that i am meant to be at Interbrand.

I will never forget my meeting with Josh today. He confirmed so many things for me from the trust he has in the BMS division and the AT&T team to the reiteration of the fact that his employees thrive in their Interbrand environment. Josh explained that he wants me to "go long" at Interbrand, meaning he wants me to go long for the client and go long in my career as an Interbrand employee.

As I sit here on the plane and think about how to explain the last 10 days and how they have effected me, I keep going back to Josh's description of "go long". It's hard to explain the high that I'm experiencing, but I am sure of one thing.. I aim to keep it going long!

PEAK SEASON!

There are all different types of funks to be in...some are bad, some are sad, some seem extraordinarily long, and some seem short, but the best kind are the ones that make you realize how exceptionally lucky you are to just be right where you are. And this funk my friends is what we on Palo Pinto like to call PEAK SEASON!

If you know me you know that I'm not a particularly unhappy person, nor do I take too much time without a big smile stretched across my face. Peak season is a different kind of smile though. It's the smile that you can't make go away. It's like Christmas morning or when your 6 year old self ran into your favorite character at Disney World! It's being in the moment and really experiencing every minute of life and loving who you get to spend it with. I know I'm blessed to spend it with some of the best of friends.

I hope that everyone can experience peak season along with us, and at the very least come along and maybe some of our luck will bounce off onto you! The next time I feel down on my luck.. I'm happy to know that peak season is just around the corner.. and things really are always far better ahead of you, you've just got to see them, trust in the madness, and appreciate things and people that make life more enjoyable!