Rapp Strategies Rundown – August
Here’s what we did, read, watched and thought about this month.
Todd R: Well, I hit a big birthday here in August 2025, and we celebrated with the entire Todd and Maggie Rapp family, other Rapp clan members and several dozen dear friends. My kids decorated with lots of pictures, display plaques and some very creative signs. I greatly enjoyed Turn Every Page, the documentary of the unprecedented professional and often awkward personal relationship between Robert Caro and Robert Gottlieb, the geniuses behind The Power Broker and the LBJ biographies. I had never read John Grisham’s The Appeal one of the few courtroom thrillers of his I have missed, and it is quite good. Also read Peter James Carlin's celebration of the 50th anniversary of the album Born to Run in his book Tonight in Jungleland, a deeply-researched backgrounder on how Bruce Springsteen went from nearly being canned by Columbia Records to making the covers of Time and Newsweek in the same week. Yep, Bruce’s masterpiece entered the world on August 25, 1975. I was about to enter 10th grade then, which would make me now …
Rich: August started with a lot of golf which continued through the middle of the month. We also spent four days at Grand View Lodge with our two oldest children, their spouses and our two grandchildren. Grand View is one of our favorite places for a relaxing, beautiful family vacation.
It was fun to celebrate Todd Rapp’s 65th Birthday with his family and friends at their cabin. It was so good to connect with several people we had not seen for a while. Todd and Maggie were great hosts - lots of fun food and beverages.
For the past few days we have been busy preparing to travel to New York for Emma and Andy’s wedding. We’ll all be in The Hamptons for about a week to celebrate this great couple.
Unfortunately, the festive preparations were halted by the tragic mass shooting at Annunciation Church and School, which our children are alumni of. News of the horrific event has set us back. We can only imagine the grief and horror for the kids, families and staff, but it is depressing to know it happened at a place we know and love. Part of my reaction and recovery will be supporting the families and institution, and investing more time and energy to achieve meaningful reform of America’s inadequate gun laws. No more “thoughts and prayers” from our leaders. It’s time to take action.
Todd S: The tragic shooting at Annunciation Church in Minneapolis struck close to home. My family lives just eight blocks away, and we know several Annunciation families and children who were directly impacted. We joined neighbors at the vigil in Lynnhurst Park that evening, where the solidarity of community and the weight of shared grief was comforting. I was grateful for the calls to action to keep our children safe, yet mindful of the sobering reality: meaningful policy change is likely a long way off.
What we can do right now is take care of ourselves and each other. Traumatic events can affect us more deeply than we realize -- so it’s important to acknowledge those feelings, talk about them, and seek support when needed. None of us should carry this weight alone.
Sean: Clinging on to these final days of a summer that went by far too fast by soaking in as much outdoor time with family and friends as the weather will allow. James’ growth is exponential at this point. He has graduated to spelling, singing (more on tune than either of his parents… though his dancing could still use some work) and is more active in an hour than his father is in a week.
Cabin trips, family reunions, lake walks, fantasy football drafts and some light reading (currently making my way through Hail Mary) have kept us busy in the best way. The only positive spin I can put on the end of this amazing summer is sweater season, baby. Excited for the ceremonial folding up of the tank tops and the unboxing of sweaters.
Anna: August has flown. It's always such a busy month for the school districts we support as they gear up for back-to-school. I had the privilege of attending Cullen and Lauren's wedding to kick off the month – an absolutely wonderful time! Amid the busyness, we've tried to carve out time to spend as a family, from takeout and movie night (Monster's Inc., a classic) to biking at Clifton E. French Regional Park. Owen and I enjoyed a rainy-day visit to the K.U.B.E. in Plymouth, which is the Harvard of indoor playgrounds in my biased opinion. I savored many run-to-mama-for-a-hug moments amid Owen's adventures there. Don't let anyone tell you two is terrible. It's my favorite age so far.
Meredith: This August we hosted numerous visitors from Cory's brother to his parents to my childhood friend and her husband. We were able to visit escape rooms, cook with people we love, and laugh. I also managed to sneak some canning and yard work in! Honestly that is about all we did because our house got hit with illnesses and injuries so we took time to rest and watch our baby continue to learn and grow.
Cullen: Lauren and I married on August 2nd — easily the best day of my life! Every minute was filled with so much love and support from our friends and family. Even several weeks after the big day we find ourselves recounting our favorite moments, and admittedly, feeling a big sense of relief. After two years of planning and fretting over details, it’s exciting to be moving past such a big milestone, especially after so many other big events like our move back to Minnesota, Lauren’s graduation and new job, and my return to office with the Rapp Strategies team.
For our honeymoon, we spent nine glorious days in Costa Rica near Playa Conchal where we enjoyed the beach, reading by the pool, catamaran cruises, and more good meals than I can count. Back home, I explored new trails in St. Paul, tried the hype-deserving Parlour Burger at Parlour Bar, and started a new Dungeons and Dragon campaign with friends. The final weekend of the month marked the 6th Annual Blueberry Open golf tournament, where the guys competed for the coveted blue jackets on courses around the Twin Ports. After winning the qualifying round, I tragically fell apart on Enger Park’s back nine. There’s always next year.
Over the honeymoon, I completed Children of Dune and the Dune Trilogy, and chipped away at Tour de France: Unchained during the flights. I’m now intent on finishing the Red Rising saga before the holidays, provided I can find enough free time during what is sure to be an enjoyable fall. I’m ready to dive headfirst into football season and cooler weather.
Julia: Happy back-to-school! A phrase I thought I'd left behind after graduating from undergrad, but it's been an exciting time for our school district clients and I'm kind of glad to be able to usher in the fall this way again.
I had a packed August: I enjoyed a lovely trip up to Two Harbors for some R&R, ran my second triathlon (way faster this time!), joined a Mamma Mia! movie sing-along at The Commons, drove south for some client meetings, and wrapped it up with a quiet Labor Day weekend with family. I dearly love the fall and all the colors and crisp weather it brings, so I will go peacefully into this next season.
It was a slow month for movies, but don't worry—I got a membership to the Main Cinema for my birthday and will put it to good use in the next few months. I did manage to catch the new horror movie, Weapons, which was surprisingly fun and struck an almost goofy tone at times. I am reading These Precious Days, by Ann Patchett, a recommendation from my mom. As the temperatures cool, I always find myself reading more, and this was a lovely way to get back into the habit.
Alida: August was packed! Early in the month, I had the joy of attending Cullen and Lauren’s beautiful wedding. The following weekend, a dear friend from college and his brother came to visit. I took them up to my family’s cabin, where we made a bonfire, jumped in the lake, caught some fish, and completed a 1,000-piece puzzle!
After that, my parents and I went up to the Boundary Waters for a gorgeous weekend of canoeing and portaging. Next, Jacob and I headed to his dad’s farm in Indiana for his annual celebration with friends from all chapters of his life. Everyone that goes is impressively musical, so the weekend was filled with live performances.
Back home, another close college friend came to visit just ahead of my brother’s birthday over Labor Day weekend. He drove up from Chicago with some friends, and we met them at the cabin. The weather couldn’t have been better—we swam, boated, cooked great food, and soaked up the final days of summer. Now, I'm ready to chill and settle into fall.
Jorrun: August was another packed month of activities, travel, and time spent with friends and family. I kicked off the month with a short camping trip to Minneopa State Park in Mankato, where we (on theme for this summer) were awoken at about 5am by heavy rainfall. Despite the downpour, we made the most of the trip with hiking, bison-watching, and plenty of card games.
Another big highlight was the State Fair, which this year I took on with a group of seven friends and was able to try a smorgasbord of unique foods. Highlights from this year were the caramel apple ice cream, fried ravioli, and grilled peaches with goat cheese and honey. The classics (corn, cheese curds, Martha’s Cookies) were reliably delicious as ever. I took on the giant slide and haunted house but opted out of the Slingshot ride. Maybe next year.
At the cabin, we took in our docks and said goodbye to the lake for the year–always a bittersweet Labor Day weekend. We hosted a friends and family potluck, took our last saunas, and played my new favorite board game, Wingspan. Summer will be missed, but I can’t say I’m not looking forward to cooler temperatures and classic fall ventures.
Marisa: This August was chock-full of change. I joined the Rapp Strategies team on the 11th and hit the ground running! I’m thrilled about this role and feel incredibly grateful to work with an amazing team. Just as I was getting used to my new commute, I found the new apartment I’ll move into at the end of the month–it’s just a few blocks from my current place, which will hopefully make the move a breeze.
As I near my first anniversary of moving to Minneapolis, I’m getting sentimental about all the memories I’ve made in that time. This summer I attended Minnesota Yacht Club, enjoyed a ballpark dog at a St. Paul Saints game, went paddle boarding at Bde Maka Ska, checked out the Como Zoo, and listened to local bands at Porchfest in Uptown.
In addition to my Minnesota mems, I spent three of the four weekends this month out of town. I traveled to a music festival in Iowa, a bachelorette party in Colorado Springs, and a wedding back home in South Dakota. The photo above is from a whitewater rafting excursion through Royal Gorge on the Arkansas River. I can’t help but squeeze every moment out of these long summer days while we have them!