Rapp Strategies Rundown – MARCH
HERE’S WHAT WE DID, READ, WATCHED AND THOUGHT ABOUT THIS MONTH
Todd Rapp
Todd R.: March came in like a lamb and has spent most of the month as a lamb. Busy month at work but lots of time with the kids and grandkids, plus visiting Madison to see Maggie’s parents. Stella found her doppelgänger at one of Madison’s dog park (picture enclosed), and she quickly bonded with the new friend. Best meal was at Boat Club in Duluth. Best new find was the Carpenter Nature Center in southern Washington County.
Wild Hockey, March Madness and run-up to The Masters made this month great for sports on TV, plus the continued episodes of Shrinking and starting Your Friends and Neighbors made streaming fun. But I have to call out the superb writing in The Madison, starring Michelle Pfieffer and Kurt Russell. Taylor Sheridan always included a lot of killing in his earlier shows, so it was fascinating to find out he could write a touching story about a single accident. And it reminded me how good Tequila Sunrise was, the 1988 movie starring the same two actors.
Also managed to be awake of an unusual picture — a moonset!
Rich Forschler
Rich: March was highlighted by my appointment to the Metropolitan Airports Commission. When I was approached about applying, I thought I probably have enough on my agenda for a semi-retired individual. But, I think our Airport is very important to Minnesota so I applied. When Gov. Walz appointed me, I was honored and excited. The airport is a complex place and I have a lot to learn but it is so exciting and rewarding. And, I am meeting so many wonderful people involved in running America’s best airport.
Todd Stone
Todd S.: We kept our heads down in March, wondering why Mother Nature would give us a 60-degree day, then pull us right back into cold and damp weather. Well, we kind of know why — that’s life in Minnesota. Throughout the month, the family spent a lot of time discussing the destination for our next family vacation, and we finally reached a consensus — Costa Rica. We’re really excited about how the itinerary is taking shape. Beyond that, we went to the movies for the first time in what seems like a year to see Project Hail Mary. I always appreciate science fiction stories that try to be somewhat grounded in science. You don’t need to be an astrophysicist to see some leaps in logic, but the film was entertaining and at times, genuinely moving.
Sean Oyaas
Sean: Busy month – our last as a family of three (four… sorry, Franklin). We had James’ 3rd birthday in the middle of the month. As anticipated, this ended up as a four-day affair including a family night with all the grandparents and uncles, as well as a trip to a water park with his friends (spoiled him so much that he is still asking for a daily “surprise”). He’ll get a healthy dose of humble-pie this April when the baby comes, so we’re just letting him have a win for the time being.
We’re in full on nesting mode, with our house going from spotless to a hoarder’s paradise and back again as we tackle the house one room at a time.
Hoping early April brings us as much time as possible to take in the final stretch with James.
Meredith Mitts
Meredith: March was a mostly-peaceful, semi-slow month for the Mitts household. With more evening daylight and our basically never-ending sickness finally being kicked to the curb, we were able to do things again. The night before the snow storm Cory had an early hockey game that Tasha and I attended. She lived her best life dancing to the music, pounding on the glass, and cheering "dada" on — even if every person wearing a blue jersey and helmet was dada to her. The massive snow re-ignited my desire to bake to warm the kitchen. That weekend and the following week I made 24 zucchini muffins, a sheet pan of banana bars, 2 zucchini bread loaves, a Mexican bowl using my home-grown butternut squash, and I canned nearly 40 jars of mixed-fruit juice and cranberry juice.
Once the weather warmed up, we took numerous family walks and played outside, hanging out with the neighbor girls who are just a few years older than Tasha. Finally, we took a long-weekend trip to Illinois to celebrate a few sibling birthdays and early Easter with Cory's family along with our long-overdue secret santa gift exchange with friends! While there I held a mini sourdough bread baking class for our friends and sent them home with sourdough starter.
Fingers crossed, this lovely month is setting us up for a great summer full of friends, peace, laughter, and homemade goods!
Julia Schafer
Julia: March felt like three months in two days. I did some spring cleaning, chased the warm weather, caught Sleuth at the Guthrie (fantastic), and frantically watched Oscar-nominated movies to catch up (Sentimental Value was much more my speed than Marty Supreme). I also went on two trips with very different adventures—both of which I’m still feeling as I write this, a little exhausted and mildly worse for wear.
Just this morning, I flew home from Washington, D.C. on a brutally early 6am flight (though the Washington Monument did look cool in the 4am moonlight) and went straight to work. Completely by accident, I popped into D.C. Just in time for peak cherry blossoms, the kite festival on the Mall, and some sunny spring weather. I saw pandas at the zoo, rode my first e-bike, and wandered the lovely neighborhood of Mount Pleasant. If you ever make it out to the more residential areas of the city, I highly recommend visiting Anju for modern Korean food.
More dramatically, I spent the first week of March in Solana Beach, just North of San Diego. Sun...sand...and...stingrays? No one warned me that the beaches of San Diego are rife with danger! About halfway through my trip, I was out for a lovely swim when I encountered some wildlife. Luckily, the burly surfers who make up the Solana Beach lifeguard ranks swooped in, wrapped my wounded toe, and got me to medical treatment. It turns out that stingray venom is treated by soaking the puncture in scalding hot water for about 90 minutes to "denature" it. The word venom sounds dramatic, but I can confirm the pain is immediate, intense, and a little bit absurd.
Fast forward to now: the toe is still bruised, swollen, and an excellent anecdote for the rest of my life. It certainly baffled the Twin Cities-based doctors at my follow-up appointments.
Alida Mitau
Alida: March was fun! With a solid number of days above 50 degrees, the warmer weather offered much-needed relief after a long winter. I enjoyed plenty of walks by Lake Hiawatha and Minnehaha Creek, spent time in friends' backyards, took a little vacation and saw some great live music.
The highlight was a blissful week in Florida visiting my parents, who spend a few months in Boca Grande every winter. I swam in the ocean, walked the beach, played tennis and soaked up the Vitamin D. Back home, my friends and I saw Amber Mark at the Varsity Theater for her Pretty Ideas tour — a show I'd been looking forward to for a long time, and she didn't disappoint.
To close out the month, my mom and I went to opening night of Bruce Springsteen's Land of Hopes & Dreams tour at Target Center. My ears might still be ringing, but it was so worth it. Bruce played his heart out for three hours, made all the more special by his newly released song, "Streets of Minneapolis."
Jorrun Kuehn
Jorrun: I recently described March to a friend as the “Thursday of the year.” Although not my favorite month, the anticipation of what’s to come carries its own excitement. It only gets better from here. Minnesota continues to bewilder me with its late-winter weather fluctuations. I attempted to appreciate what will hopefully have been the last snowy nights inside by the fire for a while (many spent watching Season 2 of The Pitt) and finally got outside for some long walks and patio dinners (Zakia Deli andStanley’s Bar Room were highlights).
The major snowstorm this month coincided with the night of the Oscars, and our power went out for about two hours during the show. Despite the inconvenience, the house lit by candlelight was a reminder that much of modern life forces us to move at a pace faster than nature intends. I think I’ll try reading by candlelight more often.
The pattern of looking forward continued with extensive planning for an Oregon coast road trip with my family, including a detour into northern California to see the redwoods. I am awed by the scale and longevity of the trees in my own neighborhood, so this was a non-negotiable. More stories to come in May – I can’t wait to knock this trip off my bucket list.
Marisa Morris
Marisa: During the snowstorms this month, I watched Dune 2 (high praise from me) and Bugonia (hated it but loved dissecting it). My pick for best picture, Sinners, did well at the Oscars even though it didn’t clinch the top prize. Award shows are more fun when you actually see the movies, who knew!
The highlights of my month were back-to-back trips home to South Dakota. First, a muddy trip to my boyfriend’s family farm, where I pet a days-old calf and cheered on the local amateur hockey team. Then, a windy trip to visit my parents, which was mostly spent playing board games. I have pent-up plans to get outdoors on a rock climbing trip with friends and a backpacking trip with family once summer finally sets in.
