Jamie Thingelstad

We completed our annual candle sale raising $9,048 for the four organizations we picked! That is a 29.1% increase from 2024, topping the growth of previous years at 21.8, 9.7, and 10.3%. A huge thank you to the 73 folks from this community who made this possible by purchasing a wooden-wick candle made with love!

As in previous years, we let people pick which organizations they would like to support. People could pick any or all of the organizations. We even had some folks request specific allocations versus dividing it proportionally.

The is the closest clustering of amounts between the various organizations that we have ever had with only a 2.4% delta between the four organizations.

A bit more about the organizations that we have sent these funds to!

Animal Welfare Institute

The Animal Welfare Institute is a non-profit committed to freeing animals suffering because of people. They do this for animals stuck in labs all the way to animals suffering on farms. Their mission is to end all human-caused suffering for animals everywhere, improving the welfare of all. I picked this non-profit because put simply, animals shouldn’t suffer due to humans, and I think it is our responsibility as a society to make sure that we do not make animals unnecessarily hurt. — Tyler

Border Angels

Centered around love, Border Angels help migrants and refugees along the entire US-Mexico border with legal issues and human rights cases. Founded in 1986 by Enrique Morones, it now runs multiple direct action programs and advocacy and humanitarian work. Their Water Drops program stations food, water, and other essential resources along dangerous sections of desert that migrants must cross before arriving in the US. Their Bond Program assists families with the financial burden of bonds and legal struggles to free loved ones being held in detention facilities. Also made possible by Border Angels, the Caravan of Love donates hygiene supplies and clothing to refugees being held in overcrowded shelters in Tijuana, Mexico, and Volviendo a Casa provides support for families suffering from loss. — Mazie

The Food Group

The Food Group is a local non-profit that supplies food shelves with low cost, local healthy foods. They also own a organic farm in Marine on St Croix where they grow veggies and give opportunities for others to learn about sustainable farming helping the next generation of farmers gain access to land, markets, educational opportunities and a network of other likeminded individuals.

In this time where so many people are food insecure, I wanted to support an organization that is working directly on this problem. I chose the Food Group because not only are they working to help get food to people who need it, they are doing it with local, healthy food and in the framework of sustainable agriculture. I also love that they operate a farm which provides organic produce to food shelves and teaches others the tools to take up sustainable farming. — Tammy

Sandy Hook Promise

I was driving up Lyndale Ave on my way to work and became alarmed at the number of police and other first responders that were racing south as I was going north. Shortly after I found out there was a school shooting at Annunciation. This was less than a mile from our home. We know many people that are connected to Annunciation. It was horrible, and should never happen. None of this should happen. Firearms are the leading cause of death for children and teens in America. Sandy Hook Promise is doing good work everyday to stop this. Join me in supporting them, and supporting our kids. — Jamie

These four organizations add to the sixteen that we have supported in previous years:

• Constellation Fund
• Free Bikes 4 Kidz
• Appetite for Change
• Feed My Starving Children
• United Help Ukraine
• Agate Housing + Services
• Save the Snakes
• Free Guitars 4 Kids
• Oceanites
• Food Recovery Network
• Heart to Care Tanzania
• American Prairie
• SynGAP Research Fund
• Water to Thrive
• Sprint to Cité Soleil
• World Central Kitchen

Also see 2025 Fall Fundraiser Insights for more details from this year. Additionally see results from 2024, 2023, 2022, and 2021.

My happy place. Now add snow. ❄️🔥

It is cold enough again to fire up the sauna! 🔥

I’ve had a blast learning Clash Royale with Tyler. They just announced a bunch of changes to “the economy” which meant I needed to use my Book of Cards. I decided to “pay to win” and level up my Witch and Cannon to get maximum benefit from the books. Play Clash Royale? Let’s connect.

It is a rare sight for the Northern Lights to be visible in Minneapolis.

Tonight’s MN United v Seattle Sounders playoff match had everything! Without a doubt the most exciting soccer game I’ve ever been to.

• United trailing 2 - 0.
• Tie it up 2 - 2.
• Get player ejected on RED card.
• Go ahead 3 - 2.
• Seattle tie it up 3 - 3.
• Penalty kicks tie at 3 - 3.
• Sudden death penalties go to goalies!
• WIN! WIN! WIN!

An amazing game for the ages!

My buddy Jim and I enjoying Kramarczuk’s sausages at Allianz Field during the Minnesota United v. Seattle Sounders game. The BEST sausages in the Twin Cities.

I picked up my new glasses today. I’ve had to use readers for a while but in the last few years my eyesight has gotten worse. It was time to get a better solution.

These new glasses are progressive lenses that according to the marketing have 400 specific lenses for every position you look. They told me it will take a couple weeks to get used to them and so far when I put them on it is definitely something to adapt to. Things are sharp but it all seems strange.

I’m hopeful this will result in my eyes not being so tired at the end of the day. 🤞

Even the kids elementary school has gotten into this “6 — 7” thing. 🤷‍♂️

Tammy and I hopped in the car for Lebanon Hills this afternoon to get out in the woods and hike a bit. Tammy always finds it a touch annoying that I want to have a route planned out and know what trails we are taking. She would rather just start walking and see where the path takes us. Today, we did it her way and just started walking. Turn left here, right there.

About 3 miles in I wasn’t really sure which way we were going and I will admit that I tried to make extra long glances at the trail maps as we passed them. But I stayed true to the task and just followed wherever Tammy was leading us. The trails seemed familiar.

After a while we got on some trails that we both thought we had never been on. There was also long stretches with no intersecting trails which isn’t common in Lebanon Hills. After what seemed like a mile we saw a parking lot and another trail map, but it wasn’t our parking lot.

Somehow with our random turns we had navigated ourselves to the completely opposite side of the park at a different parking lot. We were 4.5 miles in and I admit to considering for a moment getting a Lyft to take us to our car, but it was a nice day and off we went to return to the other side of the park.

Tammy and I were talking about movies from our youth with Tyler and Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure came up. Tammy decided this needed to happen so tonight we watched this 1989 classic. I can’t say that it held up that well but there were some good laughs. Tyler thought everything about it was strange and why did they say words like “excellent” so much. We told him it is just like saying “fire” today. He disagreed. Keanu Reeves is so young in this movie. Tyler started to take the plot apart Inception-style with the time travel — it does not stand up to the test. And just like all movies that are before everyone having a smartphone it is wild how there are no phones in the movie.

Started with 8 gallons of wax and 60 candles later…