Rapp Strategies Rundown – AUGUST
HERE’S WHAT WE DID, READ, WATCHED AND THOUGHT ABOUT THIS MONTH
Todd Rapp
Todd R.: Compared to July and after our trip of a lifetime to France, August seemed quiet. Plenty of travels for client work, weekends up north and getting projects done at home. Another birthday flew by, spent watching Ashton take her first horse ride. Started the book American Scoundrel about the life of Roy Cohn, by the author of American Prometheus - not sure this story will be adapted into a three-hour classic movie. Started Ted Lasso and Lioness, and on a rainy afternoon, went back to watch the first few episodes of L.A. Law, a four-time Emmy winner for Best Drama that seems now both dated and ahead of its times, if that is possible. And of course, we got our fix of food, heat and politicians by visiting the State Fair.
Rich Forschler
Rich: July was a month of recovery and renewal for me. I faced a serious health challenge at the end of May with a urinary tract infection and sepsis. Five days and four nights in the hospital brought me to recovery status, but I was weak with limited mobility and function. Good medical professionals and rehabilitation personnel put me on a program to recover and regain strength and mobility.
Finally, in early August I felt healthy, stronger and functional again. An important milestone for me was my return to the golf course in mid-August. I am playing regularly again and enjoying it immensely. Of course, I am also back to strength training, walking and other physical activity at the same level as before my illness.
It goes without saying that I had tremendous support from my family and friends. It made me reflect on how important family and friends are in life. In so many ways, they make life meaningful and enjoyable. So, thanks to all my friends and family! I am looking forward to seeing you all.
Todd Stone
Todd S.: August brought a few new adventures, including the family's first trip to a pizza farm. Specifically, we visited Pleasant Grove Pizza Farm outside Waseca, where generations of hardworking pizza farmers have presumably spent decades cultivating free-range pepperoni and carefully tending to the seasonal pizza harvest. While I remain unclear on the agricultural details, I can confirm that the operation produces outstanding wood-fired pizza in a beautiful farm setting.
We also welcomed the return of Ted Lasso. Like Season 3, it can be a little uneven at times, but when it hits the mark, it still delivers heart and humor. We also started watching Lanterns, partly because one of the creators was behind HBO's brilliant Watchmen series. Lanterns isn't that, but it's well-grounded, features strong performances, and has enough mystery to keep us coming back each week.
Looking ahead, September starts with our annual trip to the Minnesota State Fair. I'm always ready to check out the Seed Art exhibit and fully expect next month's rundown to include a detailed accounting of exactly how I managed to consume roughly twice my normal daily calorie intake in a single afternoon.
Finally, September marks the beginning of Halloween season at our house. While some people view Halloween as a single day, we prefer a more expansive interpretation that encompasses essentially the entire month of October. As the accompanying photo from last year demonstrates, we will be ambitious with our decorations.
Sean Oyaas
Sean: What a summer. Very tired. Very fulfilled. Rosie and I are in the absolute thick of it with the boys right now and sleep has become a rare commodity but we’re slowly adjusting to the new norm that is this chaos.
We spent August out and about as much as possible, taking in the final days of summer with family walks, visits to friends’ cabins, swimming and soccer. This month also marked Rosie’s return to work after a maternity leave that flew by way too fast. She makes it look easy and her Oyaas boys are incredibly lucky to have her. We did get to squeeze in a handful of date nights before she went back and finished both House of the Dragon and Hacks on HBO. The former: “meh”, the latter: highly recommend.
As usual, we find ourselves absolutely drained after a summer of activity and look forward to a quieter fall (that will hopefully include improved sleep patterns).
Cali Torell
Cali: August was packed with a few of my favorite traditions. We started the month on the North Shore at what my daughter calls "the red house" or Hungry Hippie Farm and Hostel for a few days of hiking, food and family. And what's a summer without a bachelorette weekend? I visited Lake Tahoe for this one and enjoyed hiking at Van Sickle Bi-State Park (in both California and Nevada). But the real highlight of the weekend was our boat cruise on the lake, complete with a giant inflatable flamingo and cold plunge to finish.
Back home, my husband and I celebrated our fifth wedding anniversary with a fantastic family dinner at Gia and made it to the Minnesota State Fair (Try the Bao Belly from RC's BBQ!). I was inspired by a fair favorite to make corn ice cream at home for a neighbor's corn-themed cookout.
I can't believe we are facing down the last weekend of the summer already, but I'm looking forward to the fall and the fresh routines that the season brings.
Meredith Mitts
Meredith: This August has been busy alternating between sickness and fun. We started off the month hosting the neighborhood National Night Out celebration where the massive ladder truck stopped at our party first because I guilt tripped them for not coming for the last several years. We ended the month on a double date to the state fair! In between we hosted my parents, Cory’s parents and two youngest siblings, and my college roommate, Mack. We went to splash pads with friends. We helped harvest 143 pounds of honey. We canned blackberry jalapeno jam and pickled garlic and banana peppers. And somehow, we found time to sleep a lot.
Cory and I also went on our first true date (without a child) since Tasha was born. We intended to go to Hai Hai, but it is closed on Mondays, so we pivoted to Gai Noi. 10/10 I liked everything we got. The Basil Wings came with tempura-fried basil which was AMAZING. We also got the Laab Seen was also delicious. When we go back, we will be getting that again!
In other news, August became the month of “Mingo” where Tasha decided that her one flamingo shirt was the most important article of clothing she owned and threw massive fits whenever we told her she couldn’t wear it because it's dirty. Enough people got to experience this that instead of just one shirt, we now own two stuffed flamingos, four pairs of flamingo pajamas, two flamingo shirts, a flamingo blanket and a baby doll that has a toy flamingo attached to it. Needless to say, I incorporated flamingos into her birthday party theme for October “Let’s Flamingle”.
Julia Schafer
Julia: I'm only going to share three very fun things from August.
First, I did my fourth sprint triathlon. After struggling with patellar tendonitis earlier this year, getting stung by a stingray in March and having a busy summer of work, I did not get much official training done. But...I raced a personal best this year. Largely because I swam faster than I knew I could. Special stingray powers from my wound? Time will tell.
Second, I bought my second-ever piece of big-kid art. I define this as original art, created for sale by an artist, that costs more than $50. So, not a print in a black frame like the art of my '20s. The vintage store owner who sold me the portrait (look through the photos!) was so tickled by my purchase that she put a photo of me on the store's Instagram page.
Last, and most importantly, my mom turned 65 and celebrated her 40th wedding anniversary to my dad, all in one weekend. My dad and I put our heads together and pulled off three incredible surprises:
Flying my sister out from Brooklyn, NY, for a tearful Friday morning surprise
Whisking my mom off to Paisley Park, the wacky home of her hero, Prince. Another source of happy tears.
A little evening surprise party with my mom's closest friends and family in my parents' backyard. I think the surprise was somewhat diminished by my dad's frantic vacuuming hours before the party, but it was still really nice to see so many people come together to celebrate my mom.
Please stop telling me you can smell the "crisp in the air" of fall. Full denial or not, it's still summer to me.
Alida Mitau
Alida: I thoroughly enjoyed the final month of summer. I hung out in the park, spent time at the lake and celebrated friends' birthdays and other life milestones. One highlight was hosting one of my dear friends from college for a long weekend up at my family's cabin near Spooner, Wisconsin. We ate good food, swam, took out the pontoon and went sailing with another friend who's been taking classes all summer on Lake Maka Ska — something I'd like to do some day. I also enjoyed some TV shows — I'm rewatching Girls on HBO, and I'm just as impressed by the writing as I was the first time around. I also got into a 2018 British drama called The Split on Hulu about a family of divorce lawyers (highly recommend!).
Marisa Morris
Marisa: August was everything. This month was packed nearly unbearably full with memories and adventures. Hinterland, the best music festival in the Midwest, brought me the songs of Santigold, CMAT, Mumford & Sons, Lorde, and some new artist discoveries.
I tried Khaluna on South Lyndale and it was a gorgeous dining experience from apps to desserts. I finally saw The Odyssey, which outdid my expectations and overwhelmed my senses. My parents visited and we went up to St. Cloud for John Mulaney’s show at the Ledge Amphitheater too – I have no quips about the comedy, it was just great!
Every free moment was dedicated to backpacking prep, a tall task for a first timer. My family and boyfriend hiked 25 miles over three days in the Rio Grande National Forest, Colorado, a trip that was as challenging as it was rewarding. We watched elk cross the mountain at dawn, filtered water from the valley streams, and slept under a full moon so bright it drowned out the stars. I gained a million memories and four gnarly blisters – worthy souvenirs of an amazing trip.
I topped the summer off with a whirlwind day at the Minnesota State Fair, where the Hmong Corndog and dairy barn ice cream topped my Best Of list.
This month also marks my one-year-anniversary at RSI, and my two-year-anniversary of moving to Minneapolis, two occasions for which I am immensely grateful.
Jorrun Kuehn
Jorrun: My birthday gift to my brother this year was tickets to the middle school nostalgia concert of our dreams: Young the Giant at Surly Brewing Festival Field. We unexpectedly ran into two groups of friends, which I wish I could’ve taken credit for as an intentional surprise.
Marisa and I attended another St. Paul Chamber Young Professionals event on a riverboat cruise down the Mississippi. It was a beautiful night for it, and always fun to meet folks from a wide range of career paths.
I also got to squeeze in a couple quick cabin trips, a bridal shower for my college roommate, and ventured a bit further into the world of cooking – I’m feeling particularly inspired after watching Tony, which is a contender for my favorite movie of the summer. It’s a fairly balanced mix of coming-of-age charm, infuriatingly pretentious, humorous, and at times, gross. But certainly a captivating depiction of Anthony Bourdain’s early years.
Mya Temanson
Mya: The big news this month is that Hussein and I are officially married! We had a beautiful courthouse ceremony with just our immediate family. There will be a party, but not until September, so we get a chance to breathe and enjoy married life before tying the celebration off in a big bow.
The two of us have been watching old comfort tv/movies: The X Files, Doc Martin, and The Princess Bride. I read the eerie and atmospheric novel, Bog Queen, by Anna North, and an out-of-this-world sci-fi romp that's unpublished (for now) by one of my writer friends.
Between all the action of getting married and preparing for fast-approaching party, Hussein and I also attended our first surprise birthday party and went on a nature walk with a lichenologist at the Bell Museum.
