Bee's Knees

David & Brandon’s Wild Adventure to Chicago: Part 1

By Bee's Knees on December 6, 2012

This post is about the wild adventure of David and Brandon as they embark on their journey to Chicago, Illinois.

Not too long ago, we got word of a show going on in Chicago, IL that peaked our interest. It’s called the One Of A Kind Show & Sale.

Needless to say, we had to attend. We’re on a mission to see how other merchants and entrepreneurs are doing it. Our hope is to get new ideas, inspiration, and make a few friends along the way.

Prepare yourself, because things are about to get wild!

Day 1

We embark from David’s house around mid-afternoon and make a 5-something-hour-long trip to Kansas City, our first destination.

Upon arrival in Kansas City, we visited the Plaza in hopes of finding something to grub on. The Plaza is this great outdoor mall and shopping extravaganza and around this time of year all the buildings are lined with Christmas lights. It’s beautiful.

BRANDON: What do you think of all these Christmas lights?

DAVID: It’s so great!

In search of something to fill our hungry bellies, we decided to get BBQ – we’ve heard it’s kind of a big deal in Kansas City.

BRANDON: Do you like BBQ?

DAVID: Yes. Regular.

BRANDON: Regular? What does that mean?

DAVID: Not spicy.

BRANDON: Oh ok. What’s your favorite kind of BBQ?

DAVID: Well done.

Just for the record, when it came to ordering BBQ, David was not concerned with the meat. For him, it’s all about the baked beans and chocolate milk.

After dinner, we headed over to our resting quarters, the home of some of our friends (you’ll read more about them later). It was a great day.

Day 2

We woke up and went to get coffee. David’s not much of a coffee person, but Brandon is. To him, it is imperative we start each day with coffee. Let’s be real, is there any other way?!

After coffee, we loaded up and hit the road. The drive from Kansas City to Chicago is much longer than our drive from OKC to KC.

Spending all that time on the road can be tough. Fortunately, David’s found the best solution for how to successfully spend 8 hours at a time in the car – play two games at once!

It’s not really a big deal to David to actually play the games, for him, it’s all about the music. He’s got a thing for game soundtracks – like Pokemon, Mario, or Zelda.

Along the way, we stopped in St. Louis to see the Gateway Arch.

BRANDON: What do you think about going on this road trip?

DAVID: It’s so great. It feels like being an adult.

After many more hours of driving after our stop in St. Louis, we finally arrived in Chicago – just in time for 5 c’clock traffic!

DAVID: This is crazy!

After our first experience with Chicago traffic, we finally made it to the place we’re staying.

We’re staying at a hostel in downtown Chicago. The hostel experience is a little different than a typical hotel experience, but it’s a lot of fun and very cost effective. The hostel we’re staying at, Oak 112, is off the chain.

Once we got settled into our hostel, we went out for dinner to Lou Malnati’s Pizzeria!

So far, we’re having a great time and looking forward to all the new experiences in Chicago. Cheers to good friends, a good time, staying in good shape, and ….chocolate milk!

Documentary Premier and Holiday Ornament Looksy

By Bee's Knees on November 12, 2012

This post is about a very special documentary premier for Swanky: the most awesome art show movie ever made by everybody and a sneak peek at some custom holiday ornaments we’ve been working on.

Get the red carpet ready, Bee’s Knees is in a documentary!

This summer we got to be part of a very special project. The masterminds of Bee’s Knees and 5 additional artists with autism teamed up for a 5-day art camp experience to create an all-new original collection of collaborative masterpieces. Then, we exhibited those masterpieces in the Paseo at an event called The Big Swanky Art Show. The event was a huge success! We sold all of the art work and over 400 people attended the show!

From the art camp and art exhibit, AutismOklahoma.org created a full length documentary! The film follows the journey of the 11 artists through brainstorming and creating phenomenal, collaborative masterpieces during the art camp and getting to be the salesperson and superstar at the art show. The big idea of the film is thinking differently about people with disabilities.

The ~~Academy Awards~~ Swanky Documentary Premier is on November 27, 2012 at Will Rogers Theater and we think it’s kind of a big deal. We would love for you to attend!

Tickets are only $5 and you can purchase them on AutismOklahoma.org’s website. Here’s the link if you’re interested: Holiday Celebration and Swanky Movie Premier

P.S. We’re making these great custom ornaments that will only be for sale at the event. Here’s a little looksy.

Remembering to not forget to be good friends.

By Bee's Knees on September 28, 2012

This post is about being a good friend and taking time to remember the good stuff.

Sometimes we just have to take some time away from all things task related – painting, creating masterpieces, designing, brainstorming, practicing business, etc. – and take a moment to inventory some of the more important things. At Bee’s Knees it’s important to us that we periodically invest some time into remembering what is good about ourselves and what is good about others.

Recently, we inventoried being a good friend – what it means to be a good friend, qualities we value in good friends, and understanding how each of us, in our own different way, are a good friend to others.

WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE A GOOD FRIEND?

Allie: Being a good friend is helping people when they feel sad or upset.

Lindsay: A good friend is helping people with an attitude that needs to calm down, saying polite things without hurting their feelings.

David: A good friend is doing the right thing to undo their mistakes and doing everything right for a happy person.

Chris: A good friend is being sweet.

We also took some time to encourage each other and remind each other how we are good friends.

You’ll notice that everybody in Bee’s Knees has commentary on themselves and everyone else, except for Matt. Sometimes what Matt has to say isn’t in words that we can understand. Don’t be mistaken, what he says is of the highest regard, it’s simply too wonderful for words 🙂

Allie

I’m a good friend because I always make them talk about why they are hurting, I want to make them happy.

Why is Allie a good friend?
Lindsay: She is really nice and kind.
Chris: She is pretty (to which Allie replied, “I’m always pretty.”)
Ashley: She is my best friend because I love her so much.

David: She helps with the money bag.

David

I’m a good friend because I share with others. I gave Ashley some money to help her.

Why is David a good friend?
Allie: He helps others.
Lindsay: He says nice things to others so we can understand him.
Chris: He is a good guy because he likes to watch movies.
Ashley: He is my best friend because he gives me money. ( A little concerned about this secret money deal between David and Ashley, Brandon asked how much money. It was only $5).

Ashley

I’m a good friend because I’m silly.

Why is Ashley a good friend?
David: She tells good jokes to everybody.
Allie: She is my best friend, I love her and always will.
Lindsay: She is kind and intelligent, kind of like giving good ideas that would help another friend fell better inside.
Chris: She has a good heart.

Chris

I am a good friend because I am nice and I can help people at art shows.

Why is Chris a good friend?
Ashley: When he hangs out with me I feel special.
David: He has great friends at the art show, they are all loving and kind to him.
Allie: He tells everybody funny jokes, that’s why I love him.
Lindsay: He is a very good person. I like the way he says things that are very interesting and inspire others.

Lindsay

I am a good friend because I want to help others with their feelings to know what it really means to them.

Why is Lindsay a good friend?
Chris: She likes to laugh.
Ashley: I like her because she hangs out with me.
David: She has good manners and says thank you.
Allie: She always helps people out. I like her smile.

Matt

Why is Matt a good friend?
Ashley: He is so silly.
David: He makes good artwork.
Allie: He loves everybody. I like Matt because he smiles a lot.
Lindsay: He is kind.
Chris: He’s a nice big guy.

After we spent some time encouraging each other, we packed up, and went home. It was just another day at Bee’s Knees.

What’s your favorite part about being a good friend? We want to know what you have to say. Leave a comment in the space below! We look forward to reading!

Bee’s Knees is cosponsored by Youth & Family Services, Inc. and AutismOklahoma.org to promote self-sufficiency for young adults with developmental disabilities through entrepreneurship.