Rapp Strategies Rundown – May
What we did, read, watched and thought about this month.
Todd R.: Enjoying this fine May weather! The lawn has never looked better. The Wild and the Bruins are both done for the season, but our Twins are in first place and the Vikings are in OTA season, so sports life is still good. Over Memorial Day, I hope to finish This Will Not Pass by Jonathan Martin and Alexander Burns, as well as work my way through Alan Shipnuck’s new biography of Phil Mickelson. Barry is back and Noho Hank continues to be our household’s favorite TV icon. But June 10 is circled on the calendar in big red letters for the final season of Peaky Blinders. And there is some Tom Cruise film coming out that I guess I will have to watch …
Rich: May began with an extraordinary event: the Memorial Service for Walter Mondale. Northrop Auditorium was filled with an amazing array of community leaders, including past Minnesota Governors and former and current federal, state and local officials.
The list of speakers included University of Minnesota President Joan Gabel, Governor Tim Walz, Senator Tina Smith, Senator Amy Klobuchar and President Joe Biden. I doubt that such an impressive array of important officials has ever gathered to honor one Minnesotan before. All the speeches were notable, but Presidential Historian Jon Meacham gave a truly remarkable eulogy.
Our relationship with Fritz Mondale was built not through government and politics; it was personal. We’ve had a long friendship with the Ted Mondale family. When we spent time with Fritz and Joan, it was family time. That was particularly true with baseball. Our sons, Zach and David, played baseball with Louie, their grandson. We spent many hours on aluminum bleachers with Fritz watching them play and talking about the things parents and grandparents talk about at those games; a lot of family and personal updates and a little politics and government.
Fritz Mondale was an extraordinary public servant but, he was an even better Husband, Father, Grandfather and Friend. That’s what made him truly special.
Todd S.: Over the last few weeks, it has become TV-binge season at the Stone household. The new Obi-Wan series and the latest chapter of Stranger Things have been quite the hit. We also have a fifth grader who will be graduating in a week or so. Who knew that graduating fifth grade was a thing? That said, it’s probably right to do something positive for every child who is about to enter middle school, which I believe we can all agree was one of Dante’s lost circles of hell.
Sarah: This month has been marked by field meals, garden work and finding things to fill my evenings while John was in the tractor. HBO’s Julia was a delightful look at Julia Child’s rise to fame. The Kardashians has been my weekly guilty pleasure. After watching the second season of Netflix’s Bridgerton I finally started reading the books – I devoured The Duke and I in less than a day. During garden work and driving I started listening to Everything Everywhere Daily which is a nice bite-sized podcast on topics ranging from Friday the 13th to the Library of Alexandria. I highly recommend!
Sean: Sean is enjoying his honeymoon after being married this past week. We wish the newlyweds our very best!
Anna: This month, I finished The Reason for God by Tim Keller, a compelling and challenging book for Christians and skeptics alike. I also enjoyed The Reaper, an autobiography of Nicholas Irving who is one of the deadliest special operations snipers of all time – with 33 confirmed kills on a single deployment in Afghanistan. Isaac and I also rustled up some great pit barbeque at Larry’s, complete with house-made barbeque sauce and potato salad. True Southern comfort.
Cullen: It’s been a blast settling into my new home in Madison. I’ve been taking advantage of my proximity to the arboretum and have enjoyed exploring nearby breweries, restaurants and hiking trails. I also joined the Madison Ultimate Frisbee League, which is proving to be the motivation I need to get back in shape!
The highlight of my month was a long weekend trip to Oregon to visit a college friend. Lauren and I conquered an exceptional hike at Neahkahnie Mountain followed by a stroll down Cannon Beach. On the plane, I watched Operation Mincemeat and finished reading Educated, a fantastic memoir that helped me reappreciate the value accessible education has had in my own life.
Kaylee: Big month for me as I finally made the move to Minnesota! All in all, it went rather smoothly, and my family and I celebrated with dinner at a smokehouse nearby. I've been too preoccupied with getting settled to explore Minneapolis beyond my neighborhood, but I'm looking forward to chipping away at my list of places to visit.
Will: May was hectic and a lot of fun! After graduating from the College of Saint Benedict and Saint John’s University in December, I walked for commencement with my classmates on Mother’s Day.
I was lucky to spend a little over a week traveling in Europe this month. My girlfriend Kate finished up her semester abroad in Cork, Ireland, and I flew out to meet her in Dublin. We saw plenty of museums and historic sites in Dublin, London and Paris. Kate and I left on separate flights, and a delayed flight caused me to miss a connection and end up stranded in Iceland for 24 hours. The airline put me in a hotel room, and I spent some time wandering a small town where the sun never truly sets this time of year.
On the flight back, I read The Plague by Albert Camus, which I picked up at the Parisian literary landmark Shakespeare and Company, a former hangout for many of my favorite authors. Since arriving home, I’ve been reading, resting and going through my camera roll editing photos.
Leah: To start off the month I finally got to see Justin Bieber after almost 4 years of having tickets and the concert being cancelled/postponed (good thing I am still a fan!). Unfortunately, the Wild lost their chance at winning the Stanley Cup, but it was still fun to watch them in the playoffs and hope they might bring it home.
After the few weeks I had settling in at home for the summer, I started at Rapp Strategies. So far, I have felt a nice welcome from the RSI team and am excited for the rest of the summer!
