Rapp Strategies Rundown – April
Here’s what we did, read, watched and thought about this month.
Todd R.: Both the Timberwolves and the Wild are showing their grit in the playoffs – outstanding time for sports fans. Ripped through the latest terrific John Sandford novel in three days, and about to start local author Jon Austin’s first effort, The Mechanic. Good luck to Jon! We took a time out from Slow Horses to stream Season 1 of The Agency: Central Intelligence. Pretty dense in a good spy vs. spy kind of way, it wrapped up only some of the outstanding issues so clearly a second season is in the works. We will have a dispute emerging as Poker Face is released May 8th, yet we haven’t tackled the latest season of The White Lotus. Tried Estelle’s on Grand in St. Paul last week – really good Southern European cooking. And who would have thought The Twin Cities Auto Show would feature a famous movie star, who agreed to a picture with little ol’ me.
Rich: April was a month defined by the arrival of our second grandchild, Charles Richard Walsh, on April 7. He is pictured in Kari’s arms. Also pictured is Elin Ann Forschler, now 14 months old. She celebrated Charlie’s arrival by learning to walk. Kari and I are thrilled and inspired by these wonderful grandchildren. We are also so proud of their parents who are so devoted to these special children.
Todd S.: I thought my two sons (12 and 14) had outgrown Easter egg hunts. Turns out, not yet — so I hid about 75 plastic eggs filled with candy and a few bonus bucks. My wife and I started watching MobLand on Paramount. I’m generally burned out on the criminal-family genre, but I must admit, Pierce Brosnan as a truly evil character is oddly entertaining. We also saw the Minecraft movie. Unless you're a die-hard fan of Jack Black or the game itself (my 14-year-old is both), I think you can skip it. On a more personal note, we recently found out our son has celiac disease, so we're supporting his dive into the world of gluten-free living. So far, so good — but we’re all ears for restaurant tips!
Jodi: April feels like birthday month at Rapp Strategies! I enjoyed celebrating all my fabulous co-workers who, like me, are taking another trip around the sun. I kicked off my 57th year by revisiting a St. Paul classic for birthday dinner – Forepaugh’s. The drinks were fabulous, the homemade pasta delicious, and the baked Alaska the perfect dessert to cap off the day. Strolling through the neighborhood and spotting rhubarb in what feels like every yard has me searching for a few recipes – and mustering the courage to knock on a few doors to see if anyone’s willing to share the bounty. I caught Snow Patrol when they played at The Palace, tuned in to have my sports championship dreams crushed when the Wild lost in the first round, indulged my horse racing hobby with the new Netflix series, Race For The Crown, and closed out the month boarding a plan for a long weekend in Palm Springs.
Sean: April highlights: James’s first haircut (*sobs uncontrollably*), Timberwolves playoffs (*sobs uncontrollably following opening game loss in Round 2*) and another year older (*sobs uncontrollably at the prospect of the inevitability of time*).
April flew by and just like the weather, it was a wild stretch of ups and downs. Grateful for the family and friends who helped bring me into the latter half of my 30’s (I turned 34 again this month). We battled more toddler sick days and a wild calendar of activities that didn’t move me much closer towards my goal of settling down and taking it all in. Alas, there’s always May.
Anna: April was packed with good things! I was honored to be promoted to Account Supervisor at Rapp Strategies. Ike and I snuck away for a few nights at a tiny cabin up north, where I reveled in the chance to read uninterrupted. The first book I read was The Quiet Librarian by Allen Eskens, one of my must-read Minnesota authors. And yes, the title was ironic, since the "quiet librarian" was no less than a war-hardened assassin in hiding. The second book I read was Maid by Stephanie Land – a raw memoir that calls every stereotype about poverty into question. I highly recommend it. Celebrating Resurrection Day with my family feels more special every year as Owen grows. "Death is swallowed up in victory” – amen! Owen enjoyed many (many) jellybeans. To continue the self-inflicted toddler sugar high, we also treated Owen to his first Dilly Bar this month. It was love at first lick.
Meredith: While still semi gloomy and wet, the month of April brought a few bright spots – starting with my mom coming to town! Tasha got to stay home from daycare and hang out with her for a few days. They went on walks and started eating solid foods! Tasha has also been working on her ability to sit this month. She is mostly stable without help now. Cory and I both hit some milestones this month as well. Cory’s hockey team won the championship game, and I correctly guessed who was the ‘murderer’ at a murder mystery party! I also bought my 8th bridesmaid dress this month – I am excited for Kaylee’s wedding!
Cullen: In April I made possibly my last road trip to Minnesota, where I enjoyed celebrating our office’s many spring birthdays and playing with my parents’ new dog, Teddy. Back home, I finally pulled the trigger on buying a new road bike, so much of the time I usually spend reading and watching movies/shows has now been replaced by hours on the trails. Still, I finished reading Dune, enjoyed A Complete Unknown, and am working my way through season three of Shoresy.
Julia: April is my birthday month! As a twin (fraternal sisters), I take my birthday very seriously. I am so lucky to have had four(!) fun celebrations in my honor over the past few weeks.
First, a night out in a private karaoke room with friends. My go to karaoke song? "Desperado" by the Eagles. On my actual birthday, my lovely coworkers surprised me with coffee, pastries, snacks, balloons and tiramisu. While I'm sure my employee questionnaire was consulted, it's always a treat to enjoy your favorite things on your birthday. After work, many of my friends gathered at Lake Monster Brewing to ring in the evening with me -- and eat even more cake.
The next day, my twin came into town from Madison. As is our yearly tradition, we had delish French food at Meritage and caught a comedy show at the Fitzgerald. This year's show was Varietopia with Paul F. Tompkins.
I ended the month with a long weekend in Chicago. Almost all my college friends have wandered their way there over the years, so I try to visit at least twice a year. We did some of my very favorite things: rode the Chicago Water Taxi into Chinatown, ate hot pot, successfully conquered an escape room, and walked along Lake Michigan.
Normally, May would pale in comparison to my April celebrations. But in just a few weeks, my family and I will jet off to Norway to get in touch with our roots. Stay tuned for more adventures!
Alida: I kicked off April with a fun trip to Chicago to visit my brother and celebrate a friend's birthday. I took the Borealis train there for the first time, which exceeded my expectations. It was a beautiful and smooth ride, with great views along the Mississippi. Towards the end of the month, a dear friend and her mom came to visit and stayed at my parents' house. We had a lovely time showing them around Minneapolis - walking the lakes, hitting some museums and going out for a delicious dinner at Minari (highly recommend). Other highlights included seeing the play Fun Home at Theater Latte Da with Julia, celebrating the many April birthdays in our office and, of course, hanging with my cat.
Jorrun: It was so nice to finally get outside in April! My friends and I frequented the loop trail around Lake Harriet, with the occasional stop at Sebastian Joe’s—I highly recommend the Pavarotti (banana, caramel, chocolate chip) ice cream. We also played bingo at Wrecktangle Pizza and tried another ice cream place, Conny’s Creamy Cone, in St. Paul.
I spent two weekends taking care of my aunt and uncle’s cat, Willow, who has finally started to warm up to me after 4 years of patience. In their neighborhood I discovered an entry point to the Minnesota River Trail, which might be my new favorite place to walk. I also spent time with family at two baby showers for my cousins. It was great to see extended family and celebrate together.
As usual, my media intake continues to jump between genres. I’m watching The Last of Us and reading Home: A Memoir of My Early Years by Julie Andrews.