In today's episode of The Interns, our favorite team gets a chance to work down the street at St. Louis Bread Company. We are BEARy excited for this change of scenery and the chance to tell you more about our new project on Build-A-Bear.

We got the chance to sit down with Caroline and Megan to hear how they were feeling on this lovely Thursday morning...

Disclosure: We were not actually kicked out of the office; we decided to work out of the office to avoid parking lot chaos.

Since this week marks our halfway point of the internship, we figured it is time for our audience to get to know us better. With that being said, we thought it would be fitting to share what we would be as a vegetable, which you can find at the end of our reflections this week.

Jessica

This week we were introduced to our second project, which is much different than the first! Our first project had more of a strategic focus, whereas this project is way more creatively focused. It has been fun letting our imagination explore! I think now that we have already experienced the process of creating a pitch before, we are all more confident in our roles which is allowing us to create stronger work before the practice pitch next week. This week we also got to take two field trips. Yesterday, we went to Build-A-Bear to get inspiration and today we are working from Bread Co.

If I were a vegetable I’d be a carrot because I am versatile; as a carrot adapts to each food dish it becomes.

Wes

Before I’m vulnerable and tell all of the juicy details of this week, I think it's only fitting that I address the elephant in the room first. Yeah, I was on vacation last week. Yes, I did enjoy it. A lot, honestly. But home is where the heart is, and my heart couldn’t find rest.

There was one moment where this just really clicked for me. I was sitting on the deck of the cabana and I had a nice beverage in hand. It was one of those perfect moments where the Sun hits just right with the breeze and seagulls. The waves were gently rolling on the sand. Imagery. I hope you’re picturing it.

Yet, for whatever reason, I just couldn’t relax. I looked at the sea foam and did a double take. There in the waves were the faces of each of my fellow interns! Some smiling, some lamenting my leave. It was wild. It was surreal. Right then and there I went inside and packed my bag to go home. I knew where I was needed. Where I was wanted. I knew that my leaving was going to be difficult for everyone, but I never thought it would rip the team apart like it did. I mean, we’re close at Planet X and all, but this took it to a whole new level.

On Monday morning, the scene when I arrived at the office could easily have been from a Hallmark movie. All of us sank to the floor on our knees in a lasting embrace that was by far the sweetest memory of my time thus far at HLK.

United again, we took on our next project with gusto. Working with Build-A-Bear is an absolute dream. They made my childhood magical and now I get to have a hand in helping to create more magic for kids everywhere this Christmas. Smokes! What a life I get to live.

Build-A-Bear’s value is found in the things that can’t be bought. They are forever at the heart of childhood, making childlike wonder a reality in their work every day.

As I sit here writing this, I’m dabbing tears from my eyes to the backdrop beats of KidsBop. My $6.75 latte is doing its work and I’m very aware of one of life’s biggest questions:

What vegetable would I be?

Easy.

I would be the best vegetable out there.

A Georgia Peach.

Why such a unique choice? Well, there are the obvious things about peaches. They’re sweet, fragrant, and juicy. But on further inspection, they’re fuzzy, luscious, and colorful. These characteristics resonate with me. Peaches are the best un-vegetables.

Megan

I must say, it has been quite a week. Working on our Build-A-Bear project has almost been too much fun. It is as if my childhood dream is coming to life and I couldn’t be happier. We may have gotten carried away with our window display (see below), but I really think everyone at HLK will appreciate the preschool aesthetic we are going for. We are spending the day working at Bread Company, which has been nice, but I am missing the office dogs. My day hasn't been the same without getting to pet some puppies. I am definitely looking forward to getting back in the office on Monday to resume our usual routine.

If I was a vegetable, I would definitely be an onion. The reason behind this is based on the fact that it takes time to peel back my layers and get to my core. I also tend to add a bit of flavor and spunk to any situation and I am packed with vitamins and minerals.

Tony

Our second project is underway and with it has come a whole new set of ideas to explore. Finding out that the client for this project is Build-A-Bear has created an atmosphere of childlike wonder and whimsical humor in the office and we are all embracing our inner-child. It’s been fun to reflect on the magic and wonder of being a child. I think that this has made us feel a lot less stress and able to work a little more quickly this time around. We’ve also become more familiar with one another and our communication with one another has improved. I’m excited to see how this project takes shape! I can’t believe how fast this internship has gone by already.

If I were a vegetable, I would be a Brussels Sprout because I am often misunderstood and under-appreciated, but I’m still proud of who I am, and I try to be a positive influence on the world around me.

Paige

We are now halfway through this internship and we’ve submerged ourselves into our second project. I’m really excited to let out my inner child for this project and to have fun designing posts for Build-A-Bear Workshop. Along with working on our new project, we took a field trip to Build-A-Bear Workshop to get the full experience of what the store has to offer. And as excited as I am about this new project, it was not the highlight of my week. The best part of this week was meeting HLK’s newest team member: Toast. He is the cutest little puppy and it was nice to cuddle up with him. (See photo below). I’m excited to see him around the office now!

If I were a vegetable I would be a pumpkin because I am deep-rooted and grow best among others. Autumn also happens to be my favorite season.

Caroline

This week marks our halfway point in the internship, which is exciting, but also sad because I don’t want this experience to end. In addition to this week being our halfway mark, it has been so much fun in the office. Our newest project is Build-A-Bear, and it has awoken the little kid in all of us. On Wednesday, we took a field trip to the closest Build-A-Bear to the office to get a better feel for the in-store experience. Because this is our second project, we all have a better feel for our positions and roles. This has allowed us to work even more cohesively. Today (Thursday), we are working from Bread Co, which is a nice change of scenery!

If I were a vegetable, I would be a golden rustic potato. I say this because while I can take many shapes and forms, I still stay true to my core self. Also, any form of a potato is delicious, and I never refuse French fries, mashed potatoes, potato chips, or a baked potato. Potatoes are great, and I think most people would agree with that statement.