Rapp Strategies Rundown – November

What we did, read, watched and thought about this month.

Todd R.: Yellowstone and The White Lotus are back, the Wild and Vikings are winning, and my yet-to-buy list for Christmas is getting shorter by the day! While on vacation, I knocked off Scott Turow’s latest legal thriller, Suspect. I need to watch the Howard Stern interview with Bruce Springsteen in the coming days, but I am not sure the Boss’s covers album of soul classics is likely to replace Born to Run on my aging turntable.

Rich: November for us was highlighted by the marriage of my son Zach and his wife Ava on Nov. 26. Our family members, including those from New York, began the serious celebrations the weekend before the wedding. We had lots of fun and told lots of Zach stories.

We all celebrated Thanksgiving with the extended family at our house on Thursday followed by the rehearsal dinner on Friday and the wedding/reception on a beautiful 55-degree Saturday. Around 230 friends and family celebrated until midnight, while a younger crowd continued at an after party at one of their homes.

We are so grateful for our family and friends, and so amazed at how many wonderful friends Zach and Ava have. Weddings are good for the soul.

Todd S.: This past month, the family and I binged Wednesday on Netflix (a pleasant/clever surprise) and bowled on a Thursday. The bowling outing was a big moment for my sons, as they finally agreed to start rolling without the bumper guards. By Thanksgiving weekend, we had our Christmas tree decorated and on full display. Now, we just need to make some eggnog.

Sean: The month of November proved to be much busier than anticipated! With weddings, birthday parties, World Cup watch parties and Thanksgiving dinners split between two families, my wife and I are ready for a restful end of the year. I was able to hold off the annual ask from Rosie to get a Christmas tree midway through November, which is an unreasonable request that may end up being the hill that I die on. The highlight of the month was most certainly standing next to my best friend as he got married, while the lowlight had to be the crushing football loss as the “Plungers” lost to our rivals the “Flushers” at 8am on Thanksgiving morning.

The month ahead promises to be filled with the Holiday spirit and a draining of the bank account on Christmas presents that has me considering whether to post my Venmo account here for those of you in the giving spirit!

Anna: It's been a month of nesting as Isaac and I prepare to welcome our first baby soon! I enjoyed several baby showers with ladies at my church and extended family. Isaac and I stole away for an overnight at the Intercontinental Hotel in St. Paul, including an indulgent room service breakfast. We spent Thanksgiving weekend with both of our families, with delicious food such as juicy turkey (yes, really), tequilaberry salad and Swedish meatballs. Of course, no family event would be complete without some flavorful games like Anomia, Code Names, Spicy Uno and Family Feud.

Cullen: After having a semester-long ceramics course cut short by the pandemic in 2020 I’ve been itching to get back in front of a potter’s wheel. So, this month I began a six-week class at Midwest Clay Project. Six weeks may sound like a lot, but I wish I had six more! Thankfully what little I learned in college seems to have returned, so I’ll enter the holiday season with plenty of handmade gifts.

Outside of the studio, Lauren and I enjoyed a production of Come From Away at the Overture Center and I devoured the Arc of a Scythe trilogy at the recommendation of a friend. Next on my booklist is Catch and Kill.

Kaylee: Getting a taste of the snowbird life, I headed down to the Phoenix/Scottsdale area to visit friends. I often forget how much I’m in need of fresh air, so getting up into the mountains and hiking in Sedona really was refreshing. We also started watching Chernobyl – which is phenomenally done and contained interesting cultural insights along the way. While Minnesota welcomed me back with a shot of cold, I’ll admit I’m ready for winter festivities. My Christmas stocking is hung, my tree decorated, and I’m itching for holiday markets and cross-country skiing to begin.

Will: I made it to two wildly different concerts in November. I went with friends to see alternative/indie rock band The Backseat Lovers at Palace Theatre and country rock artist Koe Wetzel at The Armory a week later. I hosted a Friendsgiving dinner with roast beef sandwiches, cheesy hashbrowns and Kate’s banana bundt cake. Thanksgiving visits to family brought a wonderful Thanksgiving dinner and a Black Friday breakfast. Kate and I celebrated Small Business Saturday with a trip to Stillwater, complete with local coffee and brewery stops.