Welcome to the Minneapolis/St. Paul Chapter

The Minneapolis/St. Paul Chapter includes the seven county metropolitan area that includes Ramsey, Hennepin, Dakota, Washington, Carver, Scott, Wright and Anoka.

The Minneapolis/St. Paul Chapter is connecting women and helping them make the most out of their "50 years and forward" transition journey. While every woman's situations may be varied, we can all learn and find support from other women who are also experiencing change.

We are constantly reaching out to as many women as possible to make connections and planning as many events as we can.  We already have active Special Interest Groups and are now in the process of creating more Transition Peer Groups. For more information about the Minneapolis/St. Paul Group, please contact Steering Committee Chair Jill Goski at MSPChapter@TheTransitionNetwork.org.  

          Chair: Jill Goski  

September at a Glance  

All TTN activities must comply with current CDC and Minnesota Department of Health guidelines regarding Covid. We further rely on each member to be responsible for her own health, safety and comfort level. Each TTN SIG and Peer Group should be sensitive to the needs and wishes of all of their members as decisions regarding in-person meetings are made.

Join us for upcoming chapter events ----

Wednesday, September 8 - September Virtual Get Connected
 
Friday, September 10 - Open Meeting of Exploring Food SIG: Food Savers

Wednesday, September 22 - Fall Equinox Forest Bathing Walk

Wednesday, September 22 - Wellness Wednesday: Gentle Yoga

Thursday, October 14 - Finding our Natural Reslience and Peace of Mind

RECENT EVENTS

Minneapolis/St. Paul Chapter

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August 16, 2021
Get Connected August

Nine women gathered for the August ‘Get Connected’ gathering.  After each of us gave a quick update on what is new, we discussed our “What is your favorite summer treat” topic.  There seemed to be a tie between watermelon and home-grown tomatoes as our favorites.  Ice cream and corn on the cob came in close behind.  There was much discussion about Dairy Queen as well.  I think we all left the meeting hungry.Read more...

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August 11, 2021
Wellness Wednesday: Yoga at Como Park

In July/August, three yoga sessions were held in Como Park. We had the opportunity to move and breathe in nature in a beautiful setting. We were surrounded by trees, a cooling breeze and a view of the lake. Thank to Barbara O'Sullivan for leading the group.
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July 15, 2021
Get Connected July

On Thursday, July 15, eight women gathered for our July Get Connected event. After checking in with each other to see how we were doing, we began a discussion on - name one thing that you brought along on a trip that saved the day. There was, naturally, lots of discussion and laughter and many ideas were shared: clothespins and duct tape to seal close the draperies in hotel rooms, my own pillow, washcloths and hand towels, hot water bottle, corkscrew, adapters, clorox wipes, safety pins, night light, dirty clothes bag, extra small camera and batteries, personal fan, and many more.Read more...

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July 14, 2021
Minneapolis Water Taxi

Nine TTN women and 3 friends (each boat holds 6 people) planned an excursion on the Minneapolis Water Taxi on one of the 2 rainy days in July- seriously??? The water taxi company only cancels if it is stormy so 4 TTN women and 1 friend decided to brave the elements and were rewarded with clear skies and even some sun as we were parking our cars at Boom Island Park. We had a great time with a little wine and lots of laughs as the captain regaled us with some insights and sights on the river and we had fun getting to know each other better too! The heron rookery was also a delight!
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June 26, 2021
Women Weaving Words Garden Party

Thirty women met at a member’s delightful home and garden on Saturday, June 26, for the Women Weaving Words event. We enjoyed visiting in person, playing some games and considering how stories get made. Two local artists - Sue Scott and Lorna Landvik - were also invited to share their personal insights.Read more...

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June 10, 2021
TTN MSP Second Anniversary Celebration

Seventeen women gathered to celebrate the 2nd anniversary of our TTN chapter during the June Get Connected event. Although many women have been meeting for longer than two years, rising membership numbers allowed us to ‘make it official’ two years ago. What a milestone! Memories, gratitude for TTN and a lot of laughter were shared by all attendees.

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May 26, 2021
Wellness Wednesday: Tai Chi in the Park

On May 26, Wellness Wednesday was shared by eight women under a brilliant blue sky in a grove of beautiful green trees, where we enjoyed a peaceful hour learning about and practicing the principles of Tai Chi with master teacher Colin Snow of Natural Step Tai Chi. Tai Chi is a form of moving meditation with many benefits for physical and emotional health. We learned about Tai Chi Principles of Opening, Releasing, and Grounding and then played with some simple but powerful movements to enhance these concepts. We left our session relaxed, focused, and yes, more grounded too.Read more...

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May 19, 2021
Wellness Wednesday: How to Look (and Feel) Your Best

On the evening of May 19, our chapter hosted a 90- minute presentation featuring professional makeup artist Elise Marquam-Jahns who specializes in helping women 50+ look on the outside how they feel on the inside.  Thirty-one women from our chapter as well as from other chapters across the country attended.  

Since many of us have adopted a more casual, minimalist approach to fashion and makeup during the past year, Elise shared with us how to take our makeup look “up a notch” by focusing on four research-proven makeup techniques that help those of us over 50 look our best.  Following her presentation, she answered many questions about makeup techniques, products and tools and removed the makeup on one side of her face to demonstrate the dramatic difference that using these four techniques can make.Read more...

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May 15, 2021
Unmasking Our Truth: Pondering the Pandemic and Forecasting Our Future

On May 15, nineteen TTN MSP members connected via Zoom for an original two-hour program called “Unmasking Our Truth: Pondering the Pandemic and Forecasting Our Future.” We began with a quiz to determine the level at which we had curtailed participation in everyday activities such as riding an elevator or attending a wedding in person. We reviewed “transitions” as defined by William Bridges in TTN’s signature “Women in Transitions” program. Several articles about the meaning of, and/or emerging from the pandemic were provided to participants to read prior to the workshop. We took a closer look at “15 Lessons the Pandemic Has Taught Us” from the March 2021 AARP bulletin, and “In Their Own Words, Americans Describe the Struggles and Silver Linings of the COVID-19 Pandemic” from the Pew Research Center – March 17, 2021. Each review included lively small group discussions followed by large group sharing. Participants left with a better idea of what they would choose to carry forward from this once in a lifetime event. We ended with a beautiful reading of And the People Stayed Home by Kitty O’Meara.Read more...

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May 11, 2021
Get Connected May

On Tuesday, May 11, six women gathered for our May Get Connected event. After checking in with each other to see how we were doing, we began a discussion on the topic - how do you pamper yourself? All of us spoke about the importance of self care especially during this time of Covid. Pampering is vital to well-being - for yourself and for those around you. Some of the ways in which we pamper ourselves are massages, skin care creams, outdoor walks with nature, spending time with family, meditation, yoga, exercising, reading and sitting around an outdoor fire. Also picking one thing we want to do for fun each day.  
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April 21, 2021
Wellness Wednesday: Forest Bathing Experience

On April 21, 7 women met up at various points on the trail, and were refreshed by taking in the forest atmosphere of Reservoir Woods Park in Roseville. We started by taking a slow walk down a forested hill, lingered at a deck overlook with good conversation, and ate a few nibbles of croissants from La Delicious Bakery. Then we walked on at a faster pace, circled McCarrons Lake, appreciated Villa Park songbirds, crossed Dale Street and again entered the forest sanctuary while one member carried a small picnic basket the distance. It was a wondrous 2-hour experience of nature, friends and calm. We felt embraced, protected, and appreciative. Write yourself a nature prescription soon! 20 minutes a day is recommended for physiological and psychological benefits. Invite a friend or enjoy solitude. We plan to offer more ecotherapy soon.

“Every now and then Piglet gave a little skip and sang, Tra-la, it’s spring.”  A.A. Milne
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April 15, 2021
Get Connected April

On Thursday April 15, seven women gathered for our April Get Connected event. After checking in with each other to see how we were doing, we began a fun and lively discussion on the topic of favorite shoes. A good dose of shoe ‘show and tell’ was thrown in which made this a fun and informative gathering. Attendees mentioned these shoe brands:  Dansko, New Balance (great for wider feet), Merrell, Paul Green, Donald Pliner (very cute!), Oboz, Birkenstocks, FitFlops, VANELi, Bernie Mev, Propet and the beloved by many Haflinger slippers. Schuler Shoes got a shout out for being a good resource for consultation and shopping for shoes. Each participant also shared a favorite shoe story that was fun to hear.  

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April 7, 2021
Wellness Wednesday: World Health Day

April 7 was World Health Day. Members were encouraged to watch and listen to various speakers presented as a virtual symposium by Global Minnesota. The Theme this year was: Crossing Borders Builds Health Equity. Some of the borders crossed were countries, continents, political viewpoints, work roles, and class, gender, race and age. This global perspective of speakers and ideas stressed the need to partner, and the social and economic benefits of tackling world health at the strategic level. Check out Global Minnesota on utube to learn more.
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March 31, 2021
Wellness Wednesday: Finding Joy and Contentment

On March 31, TTN member Mary White gave an excellent presentation on Finding Joy and Contentment. We learned that joy and contentment are innate qualities which do not have to be learned. In stressful times or anytime, they are just one thought away. In times of panic or chaos, just do the next thing. Try not to overthink, or control/fix too much. Peace is always available. Awareness and acknowledgement of this helps. As does a focus on breathing in the moment. May we all feel more carefree, blissful, unfettered, curious, creative, open, spacious, grounded, loved, calm, free, connected, and in the flow and in the moment. Thank You, Mary!
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March 18, 2021
The Art of the Ojibwe Bag

On March 18, guest speaker Marica Anderson, author of A Bag Worth a Pony: The Art of the Ojibwe Bandolier Bag talked about work on her book after years of research, to 28 virtual participants. Marcia explained the history, forms, structure, and motifs of the bags and a bag’s makeup and meaning. Her presentation included slides of the beautiful illustrations in the book of the bags and she shared her insights on the master bead workers from Minnesota's Indian reservations. The lecture illuminated the spectacular beaded bags made by the Ojibwe of Minnesota from the past and now how the history and importance of the bags are carried on by current artisans.  
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February 8, 2020
Home Sweet Home

Twenty-one women attended the winter quarterly program and learned valuable information from Della Johnson, TTN member and realtor, and Laurie Wrobel, Senior Move Manager and owner of Clutter 911.Read more...

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