Rapp Strategies Rundown – May
Here’s what we did, read, watched and thought about this month.
Todd R.: May was filled with road trips, mowing and lots of time with the grandchildren. We added about 2,500 miles to my car for various client activities in Minnesota and Wisconsin, and that meant spending quality time (and finding good meals) in Baxter, Pequot Lakes, Staples, Princeton, Hibbing, Detroit Lakes, Moose Lake, Glyndon and Duluth. We didn’t jump in and start any new streaming, but we need to finish Slow Horses and The White Lotus in the coming days. We introduced the granddaughters to “Rapp Strategies North” and they definitely liked the four-wheeler (“Tractor ride?”) but weren’t quite as interested in the mower. The month was book-ended with the Wild’s exit from the NHL playoffs and the Wolves’ exit in the NBA conference finals, and my family definitely climbed on the #NazReid bandwagon.
Rich: May started for me with a great golf trip to Scottsdale and ended with a fun trip to Washington, DC with Kari and our friends, Joe and Kris Coyne. In between we welcomed family to our house to celebrate Mother’s Day. We had three mothers and two baby grandchildren. Life keeps marching along. We love being grandparents and try to help as much as we can.
The DC trip featured a day long tour of Gettysburg. Our guide was terrific. The whole experience brought a new understanding of the history of our country. With life, limb and freedom at stake, the country sacrificed greatly and the Union survived. Lesson learned as we face threats today.
Todd S.: I finally caught the new Mission: Impossible movie this month — nothing like watching someone leap from plane-to-plane midair to really ground you in realism and basic physics. We’ve also been busy mapping out a few fun things for the summer, including road trips to Door County and Yellowstone. A big highlight this month was seeing soccer legend Lionel Messi in person when Inter Miami played Minnesota United in St. Paul. We got to see Messi score and the Loons win — couldn’t have scripted it better.
Speaking of soccer — er, football — we’re happy to see our 12-year-old finally back on the field after sitting out 11 weeks with a knee injury. Meanwhile, our other son turns 15 next week and starts driver’s ed soon, followed by behind-the-wheel lessons with ... gulp ... me.
Jodi: May opened with sunshine and soundtracks in Palm Springs – warm days, bright sunshine and listening to classic 70s music and a few of our favorite college-era bands: REM, The Replacements, Liz Phair, Bruce Cockburn, Bruce Springsteen and Bob Marley. If you know us, you probably know who was managing the playlist at the time. I hit up my favorite deli, Sherman’s Deli & Bakery, for a classic pastrami on rye and a slice of pistachio cake. Back home, we sketched out plans for a small tomato and herb garden, and I continued my deep dive into YouTube videos on DIY saunas. I surrendered to the cottage cheese craze, and made this breakfast bake and have these bagels on my list. As we head into summer, I am wrapping up a few series: Monsieur Spade, Douglas is Cancelled, and Killing Eve (I know, I know…a bit late to the game on that one).
Sean: Hard to think about anything other than the cabin as we hit summer. Took our first trip up to the lake in May and even the first ever appearance of mice couldn’t bring down the family vibes. Could not have asked for a better visit up there and while the water was cold, James’ absolute joy during each waking moment was incredibly special. It didn’t hurt that Rosie got us a sauna for the weekend as an anniversary present. That sauna, grilling, shirtless “bear hunts”, tossing rocks in the lake, scrabble, biking and cuddling up on the couch eating some ice cream provided for the perfect escape.
We had a busy month of May otherwise, but it feels appropriate to keep the spotlight on this moments of absolute bliss and happiness.
Anna: This month had its ups and downs, with sickness striking in the earlier half. The sunny, beautiful weather feels even more rewarding as a result! Owen picked me a dandelion which seemed to remind him of my wedding bouquet, because he said, “I married you!” Yes, I melted. Ike and I enjoyed a patio brunch at Hope Breakfast Bar, and the highlight was the iced caramel coconut coffee. We also watched Divergent, which I hadn't seen since it first came out. It certainly scratched the itch for gripping dystopian action. On Mother's Day, Owen chose a donut with "Mom" in pink frosting... for himself! Still, it warmed my heart. It's such a privilege being his mom.
Meredith: Though we had lots of rain this May, I was still able to get outside and start in on a few of my favorite hobbies – gardening and beekeeping. One weekend I dug up multiple large bushes that were past their prime. The next, my aunt helped me move four cubic yards of dirt for my raised garden beds, a new garden plot, and to fill in low areas of our yards. I planted all my herbs and vegetables, but unfortunately I think they got shocked by the change in weather from 50’s to 90’s back to 40’s, so many will likely need to be replaced. I also dug out a bunch of large pavers that may have been part of a path in a previous life, but will now be used as part of our patio area. Somehow between all of this, I found time to go to Minnetonka to check on the beehives, open them up more for the season and feed them sugar water to help them build out the frames.
After settling the garden, it was nice to have a non-labor-intensive weekend. We made our annual Memorial Day weekend trip to Illinois, and it went significantly better than our last trip – no sickness this time! We spent precious time with family and friends eating food, chatting, and playing games. Tasha was a champ for the long car rides, sleeping for most of the trip and having fun playing with me and toys while awake. She is also growing so fast! She is sitting on her own and very interested in trying all sorts of new foods. Our next big adventure is slated for the end of June. Stay tuned for a recap on flying solo with a baby and a 15-year-old, and then having to navigate NY. What could go wrong?
Cullen: Lauren graduated with a PhD in Nutrition and Metabolism this month after five years researching the genetic drivers of Type II diabetes, all while simultaneously completing the coursework needed to become a registered dietician. She’s a machine. The endless hours she spent in lab, classes, conferences, and writing her 170-page thesis were inspiring … and made me extremely thankful for my job at Rapp Strategies.
As such, May was my last full month in Madison. It’s bittersweet, so I took lots of opportunities to visit my favorite spots one last time. In our last week, we visited Madison’s unrivaled farmer’s market, dined at Fairchild, and strolled through the Henry Vilas Zoo.
Other highlights this month included an afternoon at the USA Cycling Collegiate National Championships, logging over 300 miles on my own bike after circumnavigating each of Madison’s four lakes, dinner at 1847 at the Stamm House, and lots of homemade pizza. We also took a brief but fabulous 24-hour trip to our friends’ wedding at Gordon Lodge in Door County. The area is beautiful, so we’re already making plans to go back later for a longer visit.
Catch me in St. Paul soon!
Julia: Velkommen! One of the only words I learned on my recent family trip to Norway, though nearly everyone we met spoke flawless English. My sisters and I hail from Norway on both sides of the family, creating a stiff competition for which ancestral graveyards to prioritize on our trip.
We started with 24 hours in Iceland where we took a bus to the Blue Lagoon and drank local cider, slathered our faces in specialty face masks, and got lightly sunburned. The landscape in Iceland can only be described as Hawaii meets Star Wars. The result is a stark, geologically amazing coastal area quite obviously built by centuries of volcanic activity. Gnarly.
Next, we spent two days in Bergen, Norway, the country’s second largest city, where we had a rare week of warm, sunny weather. We took a walking tour, ate reindeer and smoked whale, did some touristy shopping, and took in the beautiful views from the top of Mount Fløyen (highly recommend the funicular ride up). If you're ever in Bergen, stop by Pingvinen (Norwegian for penguin) for some modern takes on traditional Norwegian dishes and good local beers on tap.
From there we took a nine-hour drive to Ålesund, which was not for the faint of heart. One-lane tunnels could be miles long, narrow bridges created frequent games of chicken with other drivers, and car ferries shuttled livestock trucks, taxi cabs, and tourists across the fjords. While motion sickness took hold of a few of us, the views alone made it worth it.
Ålesund sits at the mouth of the Geiranger Fjord, making it a perfect stop for the dozens of enormous cruise liners full of German tourists. The area is a network of coastal islands connected by tunnels that go under the Norwegian Sea. I found this horrifying, but my sisters were thrilled. We hiked around lighthouses, wandered the city, and spent an entire day cruising the fjord and taking in the snowy mountains and the Seven Sisters Waterfall. It was freezing and windy, but true to our Minnesotan roots, we stayed on deck the entire time.
After a short plane ride (all the Norwegian airports are amazing), we rounded out the trip with a little over two days in the capital, Oslo. Oslo offers excellent public transit, terrific restaurants, fun historical sites, and is teeming with amazing vintage shops, cocktail bars, and Scandinavian home goods stores. We took this leg at a more relaxed pace, but still managed a visit to the Munch Museum, the Royal Palace, and Akershus Fortress.
My family has wanted to make this trip happen for years. While I'm glad to be back in my own bed (and not constantly on the move), I am already missing such a lovely, thoughtfully designed country. But--and don't tell them this--I also missed all my colleagues and clients.
Alida: I can't believe May is already over! The month started with a trip to Boston for my dear friend’s wedding, which was truly spectacular. The reception was held at the Boston Museum of Fine Arts, and let me tell you—dancing next to Chihuly sculptures and mingling among Baroque paintings? Pretty special way to spend an evening.
Back on the home front (literally), the big news is that we are almost done moving into our new place in the Standish neighborhood! Moving remains one of my least favorite activities of all time, but we’re slowly getting settled. First-time homeownership has already been a wild ride—featuring plumbing adventures and window replacements, but we're really happy overall and excited to make it our own.
Jorrun: May was a month of Minnesota travel. It kicked off with a trip to a log cabin Airbnb in Moose Lake to celebrate a friend’s birthday. Despite arriving to a flooded basement, we had a fun almost-summer weekend complete with campfires, a hike at Banning State Park, and an afternoon beachcombing in Duluth. I came home with a pretty nasty sunburn and scraped up from an embarrassing fall, but otherwise excited for my approaching favorite season.
I also took a day trip down to Gustavus to spend time with my former college roommate before she moves to Tokyo for the foreseeable future. We met in the morning at Minnesota’s Largest Candy Store – an overstimulating wonderland – and ended the day with dinner and ice cream in Mankato.
The last two weekends in May were spent with family at my grandparents’ cabin on Sand Lake. May always involves summer set-up, so the weekend was spent putting docks and lifts in the lake, blowing up the Rave (the greatest invention since the Air Square), and raking acorns off the beach (a fruitless task). It has also become a tradition for my dad and me to drive to Mahtowa together to pick up the boat after 4 years ago when we accidentally passed it and drove all the way to Cloquet – adding about 45 minutes to our drive. Fortunately, we didn’t overshoot it this time.
Looking forward to many more weekends up north!
Jack: May was a month of transition for me. I completed my sophomore year at Villanova, moved back to the Twin Cities for the summer, and started my internship at Rapp Strategies. After all of this, I was able to spend time with family and friends at our new cabin over Memorial Day where I played my first round of golf since last summer (there's definitely room for improvement). I started watching Your Friends and Neighbors which I highly recommended to anyone who has Apple TV+. On the MN sports front, I'm looking forward to attending some Twins games this summer where they're hopefully playing some meaningful baseball!