Rapp Strategies Rundown – September
Here’s what we did, read, watched and thought about this month.
Todd R.: Fall has arrived, and hope springs eternal for fans of the Vikings and Gopher! For us, time spent up north is now increasingly valued as we prepare for the changing of the colors. That didn’t stop us from heading south into Iowa for a weekend of good food and college football with friends, returning for a Sunday wedding of our “third daughter” Elizabeth in Welch, resulting in a reunion with all of our kids. Announcement that a fourth grandchild is on the way soon is getting us excited about Halloween and the Christmas holiday, which means the right boxes have to come down from the attic at the right time. What are we watching? We’ve started the new season of The Morning Show and the initial season of The Girlfriend (Julia from our office describes that as “pulpy”), and the awesome Slow Horses launched on the 24th. But we likely won’t be able to keep up with these and The Diplomat until November. Reading this month included You Couldn’t Ignore Me If You Tried (a look at John Hughes and others as they influenced Hollywood Brat Pack culture) and some highlights from a biography of Robert Redford. In fact, if you want my recommendation, set aside an afternoon and watch Redford the actor evolve into Redford the director by viewing Ordinary People, A River Runs Through It and Quiz Show (no knock on The Milagro Beanfield War, which was also squeezed in there chronologically). I have watched these movies multiple times and I am constantly amazed by the potential he saw in each of these stories.
Rich: Our September was highlighted by the wedding for our daughter, Emma and her husband, Andy Jobe. Emma and Andy live in Manhattan and the wedding was in
The Hamptons, a beautiful location on Sept. 6.
The Forschler/Breen family and the Jobe family attended in mass, and we were joined by the couple’s friends from Minnesota, New York and Colorado (where Emma and Andy attended college). Pre-wedding parties were held on the Beach, and at the home of Laurie Dowley (the spouse of Kari’s late sister, Cynthia). The outdoor wedding, reception, dinner and dancing was held at Moby’s in East Hampton.
Weddings are wonderful events and this wedding certainly exceeded our expectations. We loved reconnecting with so many friends and family, as well as meeting their friends we hadn’t met before. We all missed Cynthia, but her presence was felt in a major way.
Todd S.: I have one boy who plays a lot of club soccer and another with his learner’s permit. That means, I spent most of September on the road — either driving to soccer practices/trainings/games, or cruising around the South Metro with my life in the hands of a 15-year-old. The family binged “Alien Earth,” which surprisingly breathed new life into a franchise that has been around since before I was old enough to see R-rated movies. The production truly felt cinematic, and the plot surprised me with its sophistication, strengthened by a very good cast. Don’t worry, there’s plenty of gross stuff and scary creatures for fans of past iterations. I highly recommend it if you’re willing to put logic aside and embrace the imagination and spectacle.
Moving forward, we will be spending the coming days transforming our house for the greatest of holidays — Halloween!
Sean: What a month. Hard to remember having one down day as we’ve stretched ourselves thin trying to take in the last of the beautiful weather before the cold comes. James was a man on the move this month. Oyaas-boys cabin trips with his dad and his uncle Andy, embracing his inner boat captain, birthday parties, discovering yoga with Grandma and he even dragged me to the Walz for Governor kick-off event. We managed to catch the one good thing the Minnesota Twins did this season… celebrating Rosie Oyaas and her colleagues in the Pediatric Oncology department at Children’s Hospital.
On the personal front, I’m excited to announce that I have officially joined the board of two amazing organizations giving back to our community, Fawkes Alley/Futsal Society and Fentanyl Free Communities. The former, a non-profit that not only offers free soccer league play, training and coaching for young people across the Twin Cities, but then employs the players at Fawkes Alley coffee shop, where they receive workforce development training, individualized career mentorship opportunities, and even helps them enroll in the higher education path that best fits their interests. The latter, an effort to combat the plague that continues to overwhelm our communities and has stolen far too many lives. Promoting awareness, education and offering resources to combat the spread of fentanyl.
I’m incredibly proud to put my professional skills and relationships to good use in these two efforts and welcome the support for any of those interested in giving back for a greater cause.
Anna: September started with the last day of the State Fair, where we tried sweet squeakers (cheese curds fried in funnel cake batter with lemon whipped cream) and the tandoori chicken quesaratha with avocado lime sauce. Both were delicious. Ike and I took a sky ride and stole a kiss in the "tunnel of love" at Ye Old Mill. Owen enjoyed the tractors, the horses and Sweet Martha's cookies (though I think he enjoyed the fresh milk most). I visited Cheers Pablo with my sisters-in-law for a paint and sip experience. I had lots of fun! Thankfully, we painted a zany-looking ostrich, so the bar was low. We made some winner meals this month, including this gluten-free and dairy-free beef stroganoff and this crockpot beef stew.
Meredith: This September Cory and I celebrated our 5-year anniversary by dropping Tasha off at daycare and doing a day date! We tried a hole in the wall restaurant, Lisbeth Cafe, that was surprisingly good before getting a couple's massage at Woodhouse Day Spa. It was fantastic! After the massage, we picked Tasha up, and got ready for the next event of the day — a wedding at the venue we had for our wedding round 2 (one year later celebration due to COVID). It was amazing to be able to get a photo at our venue, on our anniversary, but with Tasha in our arms! We also got Belgium waffles from a waffle truck as the wedding dessert so that was cool too. To round the weekend out, we stayed over at my cousin's house and joined in on the annual Honey Harvest event. This year Jorrun joined and after she left, lots of people complimented her work and skill!
Cory, Tasha and I have also enjoyed spending time outside in the lovely weather, attending some Octoberfest celebrations at local breweries — would recommend St. Paul Brewing — and going on walks around the block. It's nice to go slightly further with each walk now that I have started PT for my knee, which I injured in mid-July mowing the lawn.... It was the first time I mowed in 15 years; I should have known better. Since then, I have stuck to gardening, weeding, trimming trees, laying a stone pathway, and cementing a 4x4 in a pot to serve as a pole for lights! Bonus content: We got photos back from Kaylee's wedding!!!!
Cullen: I am a firm believer in September Supremacy. It has the best weather, sports, and holidays (my mom’s birthday, Oktoberfest, and Labor Day, in that order) all wrapped into one. Between Labor Day at the cabin, camping at William O’Brien State Park, and taking a short trip up to Duluth, every single weekend this month was gorgeous. I logged a couple hundred more miles on my bike, thanks largely to my first 50+ mile ride of the year to visit my grandparents in St. Michael. I’m thankful to live in a place with parks and trails that make such adventures possible!
Meanwhile, my friends pushed me out of my comfort zone to see Freakier Friday and Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba – The Movie: Infinity Castle in theaters, despite being neither a Lindsey Lohan nor anime fan. I liked both more than expected! The Red Rising trilogy has also forced me to re-fill my audiobook hours on Spotify twice in one month, if that tells you anything. I’m looking forward to cheering friends on at the Twin
Julia: One of the best parts of working with so many school districts is that back-to-school has meaning again. I spent my 20s feeling the anticipation -- and then the eventual letdown -- of a meaningless September. Not anymore! Now, our district clients are hard at work all of August and really hit the ground running in September. It's exhilarating.
It's also the wind-down from summer, though this one's been wildly warm. I even took a swim in Lake Cedar on the penultimate day of the month. Other highlights: Yet another wedding (I’m on track for 10 this year alone), a lovely birthday picnic for a friend, and the annual LOLA art crawl, where I both bought and sold art (my first piece ever!).
I also watched a terrific new movie, Twinless, and saw CMAT perform at the Fine Line, a top 5 concert of my life. We're lucky to live in a place that is just swarming with the arts.
Alida: September flew by in a blur of great food, live music, and wonderful company. The month kicked off with my family’s annual pilgrimage to the State Fair—a tradition I’ve never missed and don’t plan to! There’s something grounding about starting the month with cheese curds and crop art. I also finally made it to Estelle--a cozy restaurant in St. Paul--with Julia as my dining companion. If you haven't been, I highly recommend it. Mid-month, my mom and I went to the Bonnie Raitt concert at the Ledge Amphitheater in Waite Park. It was our second time seeing her there, and the trek was well worth it. Bonnie, now in her mid-70s, sounded better than ever, and her band was absolutely electric.
The month was also full of celebrations—several close friends’ birthdays and a wedding that brought dear out-of-town friends back to Minnesota. One of them had never been to the Walker, so we spent a lovely evening exploring the Sculpture Garden and sharing a fantastic meal at Cardamom. To round things out, the process of replacing most of the windows in our house has finally begun! Looking forward to enjoying more typical fall weather from the comfort of our new, draft-free view.
Jorrun: This month began with a wonderful introduction to beekeeping and honey harvesting from Meri! I learned that a single worker bee only makes 1/12th of a teaspoon of honey in its lifetime… crazy! With fewer weekends at the cabin, I had more time to reconnect with friends, explore Minneapolis, and try out some new hobbies. Highlights of the month were starting a ballet class, a trip to the Renaissance Festival, and craft nights.
My high school friends and I went on our annual camping trip, which (of course) was rained out. For those following along — that makes two rained out camping trips for me this season. After debating how to handle a flooded tent, drenched sleeping bags, and unusable firewood, we were saved by my lovely grandparents offering to host us at the cabin for our last night. We still managed to make it to our favorite stops along the North Shore, including the Angry Trout, Wild State, and the Schroeder Baking Company.
Marisa: September was full of family, football, and food! The highlight of my month was celebrating my brother’s wedding. I was honored to speak at the ceremony as the bride and groom planted a unity tree. If you saw a bridesmaid uncontrollably crying through the first dance at the reception, no you didn’t!
Over Labor Day weekend, I moved up the street and I’ve been enjoying evenings watching Dancing with the Stars and The Paper in my new home. My cat is exploring every nook and cranny of the apartment as I unpack, getting himself into some unexpected places.
I’ve been enjoying the shifting seasons and the changing weather. To round out the summer, I squeezed in my first visit to the Minnesota State Fair on the very last day. Once football kicks off, it finally feels like fall to me. I watched the Gophers win their first home game and have been cheering on the Vikings and my NFL fantasy team.
My boyfriend and I celebrated our anniversary at 112 Eatery and tried frog legs for the first time. It was much classier than the corndog we shared at the fair a few days before, but life is about balance! I can’t recreate either of those dishes myself, but I’m looking forward to cooking more often in my new kitchen.