Lori Werling, City of Sidney: “I’m not taking a picture with that snake.”

At last week’s Choice One’s Sidney Charity Cup, brave adventurers gathered to conquer the jungle of competition—all for a great cause. Yet one “fearless” explorer, the City of Sidney’s Lori Werling (pictured, left), was ready for an emergency exit when she encountered several deadly (okay, rubber) snakes during the event.

Lori, a self-proclaimed ophidiophobe (fancy for “nope, nope, nope”), almost abandoned the temple ruins rather than pose with a slithery impostor. But despite the risk of such a perilous encounter, a whole jungle’s worth of you showed up to support the Miami Valley Down Syndrome Association and Ronald McDonald House Charities. Because of your generosity, the event raised $6,990 for the two causes, and we couldn’t be more grateful!

The night saw a fierce competition that exposed the most accurate snake tossers (not at Lori) to be the Village of Russia (Mark Shappie, Alex Seger, and Choice One’s Kyle Siegrist and Derek Luersman), who claimed the competition’s top prize. Congrats to our victorious explorers, and thanks to everyone who braved the wild to support MVDSA and RMHC! Finally, special thanks to Lori, who, despite her fears, turned a potentially slithery situation into a moment of courage and camaraderie, making our jungle adventure even more memorable.

Kari Meyer: “Ryan Bruns, you must have had the hiccups a lot as a kid.”

What superstition or old wives’ tale were you told as a kid that stuck? For Choice One Graphic Designer Kari Meyer, it was “When you hiccup, it means you are growing.” Indeed, if that notion is true, it’s clear that Project Manager Ryan Bruns has done a lot more hiccupping than Kari!

Kari’s not alone in the superstitions she was told as a kid. Casey Reichert’s parents told her that “If you turn on the dome light in your car while driving, you’ll get arrested.” Both Brittany Clinehens and Kaye Borchers were told “Don’t pout, or a bird is going to poop on your lip.” A suspiciously specific threat—one that suggests someone, somewhere, learned this lesson the hard way. Many of us were told to eat carrots to improve our eyesight and/or an apple a day will keep the doctor away. But let’s be honest—that one didn’t stick, since many of us enjoy coffee, doughnuts, pizza, and cheese on a more regular basis than carrots and apples.

Superstitions and old wives’ tales may not always hold up to scientific scrutiny, but they sure make for some entertaining childhood logic. Whether it’s the fear of rogue birds or being put in jail for mild car lighting violations, these little myths shaped us into the totally rational adults we are today. Now, if you’ll excuse us, we need to pick the seeds out of our watermelon so one doesn’t grow in our bellies…

Ryan Lefeld: “At least she didn’t send you a cactus.”

This week was site designer Jeff Kunk’s birthday. If you’ve read these Mindsets over the years, the photo may look familiar—each year, Jeff’s wife Nicole sends him flowers for his birthday. She always asks for a “manly arrangement” to be sent to Choice One to honor Jeff’s birthday, and the rest of us don’t miss the opportunity to give Jeff a hard time about all the attention.

Choice Oners have come to expect this yearly delivery for Jeff. Like many things at Choice One, the birthday bouquet has become a delightful tradition. Indeed, it is not unlike annually telling Jeff Puthoff he’s old, Kaye taking awkward photos, or holding a Skyline coney eating contest (albeit with less cheese).

Jeff Kunk takes this yearly ribbing in stride—indeed, sometimes it’s nice to be celebrated, and we’re pretty sure that Jeff Kunk’s grin (not to mention Mike Francis’s joy in the background) justifies the tradition by providing office-wide enjoyment. Thanks for a tradition that triggers big smiles, Nicole—and for not sending something as cactus-sharp as the birthday banter!

“Nick Schmidt: “It’s a Schmidt Show around here.”

Brian Schmidt (left), the original Choice One Schmidt, realized that this co-op semester has created a trio of Schmidts in our Loveland office (l-r Brian, Joe, and Nick). Knowing Brian Schmidt’s tendencies, we all know the danger… to any tasty treat in the office. However, it was Nick that coined the trio’s official name.

Keeping the three Schmidts straight hasn’t been too hard, since Brian has always been “Schmidty” (to the point where the name has become a verb), Nick has been dubbed “Scooter,” and Joe is just, well… Joe, since, believe it or not, we only have one Joe. For now.

It’s college career fair season, and with the quality employees we’ve found with repeat names, perhaps there is a second Joe or fourth Schmidt out there to keep this trend going. In the meantime, know our current three Schmidts will keep putting on a show designing great projects and making sure no doughnut gets left behind.

“Lexy Yohey: “Max is picking up chicks!”

Inside Surveyor Max Keeley couldn’t resist holding a recent fuzzy, yellow office guest—and we have the photo proof. Who knew he was such a chick magnet?

The Loveland office has had its share of winged chaos, but this little peep was refreshingly low-drama. No tape traps, no jackets thrown, just soft chirps and MAX-imum fluff. Considering the typical tough-guy nature of our surveyors, Max might consider this soft, fuzzy visitor as a welcome relief from the usual day-to-day.

While our surveyors might occasionally joke around to ruffle feathers, this was a different type of “fowl play.” One thing’s for sure: we know that our survey team is egg-ceptional!

Matt Hoying: “These guys were all cold… but they are the ones with the thermostat in their pod.”

If you’re in west Ohio like Choice One, we don’t need to tell you it’s been cold lately. Jacqueline has been bundled up in borrowed blankets, we haven’t seen Mike G. take off his coat in days, and  now, we have (l-r) Adam Kremer, Justin Puthoff, and Kyle Siegrist huddling up together sporting hats and gloves indoors.

The three gents in the photo have been hard at work designing projects, but apparently, typing and clicking a computer mouse doesn’t get the blood pumping enough to keep warm in recent frigid temperatures. Hence the hats and gloves. What might help? Turning up the heat on the thermostat, conveniently located just over their shoulders on the wall of their pod.

Winter doesn’t last forever, and in the meantime, perhaps Justin can regale everyone with his fond memories of sweltering summer days to thaw their spirits. If nothing else, it’s nice to know that teamwork—whether it be to discuss a complex grading plan or to generate warmth—can help bring everyone a little closer.