Here’s what we did, read, watched and thought about this month.

Todd R.: The Vikings are undefeated in September and the Wild start in just a few days. Who says there is no good news anymore? I spent the month traveling, with meetings in Brainerd, Pequot Lakes, Crosby, Princeton, Duluth, Owatonna and Rochester. Thanks to Canterbury Park for a beautiful evening at the races for Rapp Strategies. Some of us visited the paddock with Randy Sampson and Jeff Maday, and my favorite handicapper shared his secrets for a successful $2 show bet. Finally, check below for a sneak peek at our new offices – more on this later.

Rich: September was a family focused month. Our son, David, and his wife returned to Minneapolis to celebrate their wedding. Over a long weekend, we had a dinner for both families, a reception for the families and guests who came from out of town, and a full wedding reception. It was three days full of joy, celebration and renewal!

This past weekend, the entire family was in New York for the celebration of Thia Breen’s life. Thia, Kari’s sister and best friend, died in June after a decade long battle with cancer. She was an icon of the beauty industry with a long career at Lauder Companies. Over 200 friends, family members and colleagues attended the celebration at The Pierre Hotel, including Leonard Lauder (now 92 years old) and his son William Lauder, the highest-ranking Lauder family member now serving as an officer in the company. All our family members had speaking roles at the dinner on Sunday night or the Celebration on Monday.

Celebrating a marriage and the end of a life so close together is a very intense roller coaster of emotion. I am thankful for the wonderful family we have, will miss Thia intensely, and go forward with a renewed commitment to family and friends, the most valuable components of a meaningful life. 

Todd S.: We finally took a spin through the latest Alien movie and found it surprisingly entertaining if you’re willing to suspend disbelief (it’s sci-fi, so this shouldn’t be a problem). My dudes actually got a little spooked, which was fun to see. And speaking of monsters and scares, September is really all about planning for Halloween, which isn’t just a one-day event, it is a state of being for an entire month. We always make sure our house reflects this enthusiasm. Check below for a picture from last year. We plan to do better this month. Stay tuned!

Jodi: September is marked by the start of football and the annual mom-sister weekend at the lake. No one could have predicted the Vikings AND my fantasy football team would be off to a 3-0 start! We had a gorgeous weekend for mom-sister time, filled with the largest charcuterie spread and a few rounds of Yahtzee and Scrabble. And yes, my mom remains the reigning champ at Scrabble.

The RSI team had a fantastic outing to Canterbury Park. It was a gorgeous night for racing, and the Boynes left winners! I missed out on Johnny Blue Skies when they played in Saint Paul, but their debut album – Passage du Desir - has been excellent road trip music. I love a good songwriter, and Sturgill Simpson fits the bill. Jim and I revisited a few of our favorite quick dinner spots, like Maverick’s and Cheng Heng, and have started watching Bad Monkey and Slow Horses. One of us is highly anticipating the return of the Great British Baking Show.

Sean: An absolutely fantastic (and busy) start to fall for the Oyaas family. We kicked things off with a camping weekend with two of our lifelong friends and their son, James’ BFF, Milo. Despite the two dads having absolutely zero experience in the wilderness, I’m pleased to report that all campers returned safely and no marriages were lost while setting up the tents.

Rosie took James and friends out to a pumpkin patch, where the corn pit and tractors seemed to be a hit. While I may have felt a little left out, nothing keeps you going during a workday like incoming pictures of your son rolling around with pumpkins twice his size.

We ended the month with a bang, escaping for a date night to the wedding of David Forschler (whose Dad has been known to frequent the Rapp Strategies office). It was a wonderful celebration, complete with numerous speeches from Rich throughout the weekend of wedding festivities.

Anna: With Ike gone for much of the month, I cherished lots of one-on-one time with Owen. We made peanut butter banana muffins, played at the park, drew colorful sidewalk chalk creations and flung bubble foam around the driveway (a genius sensory invention of bubble bath, water and food coloring). My sister and I attended a great outdoor concert at the Waite Park amphitheater, where we were immersed in a beautiful night of worship with Lecrae, Jeremy Camp and Crowder. Of course, the highlight of the month was Ike’s return! We celebrated by sneaking away to Como for a takeout picnic (capped by ice cream from the pavilion), a walk and hammocking. Per my request, the date ended with “just a quick run” to Target. We both laughed even as I said it.

Meredith: September started off with a high: The annual honey extraction from our hives! This year cousin Mark and I got 130 pounds from our four hives, our friend Bill pulled 70 pounds from his two hives, and other friends Molly and Gene got 60 pounds from their three hives. Overall, it was a pretty sweet haul (pun intended).

From that first weekend on, though, it’s been a little more stressful. Cory took an electric hedge trimmer to the hand while doing yard clean up and, while he still has all his fingers and most of his mobility, he needed 10 stitches. I had doctor appointments galore and high blood pressure sent us in for a four-hour hospital stay just to make sure everything was fine (spoiler, all good here). Finally, my kitten, Hange, decided to help me hem blackout curtains. It was cute until she stole a sewing pin out of the curtain I was actively sewing and we had to take her to the Vet ER to verify she hadn’t swallowed it when we couldn’t find the needle anywhere – good news, she’s fine and we just were blind when searching for the needle in a panic. Thankfully, all this happened before baby Mitts decides to come so we didn’t have to do all those hospital visits with a newborn on top of it!

Cullen: Every year I’m reminded how glorious September in the Midwest is. This was the third year I’ve watched a friend compete in the Madison Ironman and the weather truly could not have been better. It also cooperated for wedding number four of five this summer, and a camping trip to Governor Dodge State Park that was packed with fishing, hiking and swimming.

At our company outing to Canterbury Park, I somehow profited off the ponies. That’s a miraculous achievement compared to the last time Rapp Strategies spent an evening at the races. Other highlights of the month were a visit to Fratelli’s Trattoria, seeing Lake Street Dive in concert, and an amazing evening at New Glarus’s Oktoberfest celebration. I’m welcoming fall and football with open arms!

Julia: September felt like an extension of August! I made the most of the warm weather by getting in a few more swims at Lake Nokomis, running my first half-marathon around Lake Harriet and Bde Maka Ska, and helping out at the LoLa Art Crawl for a weekend. Though I will miss the warm-weather activities, I find myself ready for fall to finally arrive.

One of my favorite things to do in late summer is to catch a movie at the Main Cinema, followed by a cocktail at Aster Café. In just the last two weeks, I saw His Three Daughters, Alien: Romulus and The Substance. Watch The Substance with caution--it was the grossest movie I’ve ever seen but had an impactful message about beauty and aging. As we settle into fall, I’m getting back to reading, starting with Slouching Towards Bethlehem by Joan Didion. I look forward to more cool-weather days ahead to catch up on books, TV, and rest.

Alida: September flew by! To kick off the month, my mom and I saw Bob Dylan and Willie Nelson perform at the Somerset Amphitheater in Somerset, Wisconsin. The 83 (Dylan) and 91-year-old (Nelson) sounded awesome, and it was a beautiful night to boot. At the end of the month, we threw a party for my roommate's 30th birthday and turned our apartment into a karaoke lounge (of sorts). I'm pleased to report that most people participated in the karaoke, and our neighbors didn't seem to mind the noise too much. In between those weekends, I saw friends, went for many walks around Lake of the Isles and made the most out of the last month (probably) of summer weather. On to fall!

Carlos: September has been a month of growth as I transition from remote work to the office at Rapp Strategies. I’m excited about the journey ahead!

At the end of the month, I went to Duluth with my girlfriend, where we first met. We walked around Canal Park, drove past our old houses, visited our favorite hiking spot near campus, and even jumped into the brisk September Lake Superior. We also saw my buddy’s concert, which made the trip even more special.

Sundays have been all about football as I try to catch as many games as possible. The Vikings are tearing it up this season, but as a classic Minnesota sports fan, I remain cautiously optimistic. I’m looking forward to the cool air and all the fall festivities ahead!