Markel Family Combo Breaker 2026 Getaway–Day Two

Last Wednesday we were at the Metra station in Palatine pretty early to get a jumpstart on one of the best days of the year…the day we go to Chicago!

We even managed to get on a train earlier than I planned, which gave us a little more time downtown.

We visited all of our favorite spots:

And we found lots of pigeons!

I got to spend some time on the lakefront:

And we enjoyed a few treats:

Marshall Field’s (or Macy’s if you’re from out of town) is always an important stop, because we have to get our box of Frango Mints for the year…we were impressed to find that they are doing a lot of improvements in the old flagship store:

Our time went by entirely too quickly, though, and pretty soon we were back at Ogilvie Transportation Center:

I think we walked almost from one end of the train to the other looking for seats up top, as is our tradition on the way home, and we finally found our preferred spot:

When we got back, we headed down to the convention center to help out a bit with setup before we got some pizzas for dinner…after walking seven or eight miles downtown, we were famished!

Up next: a sculpture park, and the real beginning of our work!

Markel Family Combo Breaker 2026 Getaway–Day One

Just like that, our favorite week of the year has already come and gone, but we had a great time at Combo Breaker 2026!

We set out last Tuesday. As always, we stopped at Wally’s on the way…it might be a controversial opinion, but I think it’s the superior gas station!

Arriving at the Renaissance always feels like coming home:

We did things a little differently this year, and went to Rainbow Cone on our first day in Chicagoland instead of our last (and we went to one of the suburban locations that’s paired with Buona Beef):

And we stopped at Meijer to pick up supplies, which is a treat for us, although it’s rumored that St. Louis will be getting one eventually:

And then a truly rare treat…Ryan found an amazing taco place, Thlaco Taco Tijuanense, in Arlington Heights, and we tried their tacos al pastor, which were amazing…we’re already planning on going back for dinner next year!

I capped off the evening with a visit to the hotel pool and hot tub:

Up next…an amazing day in Chicago!

National WWI Museum and Memorial

In honor of Memorial Day, today I’m taking a look at the National WWI Museum and Memorial in Kansas City, MO, which Chickadee and I visited back in March.

The first thing we did was take the elevator to the top of the Liberty Memorial Tower. I’ll be honest…when I planned our visit, I wasn’t looking at the information too closely, and I didn’t even realize that was something you could do until we got there! It only costs $6 per person, and I think it’s well worth it.

The view of Kansas City from the top is amazing!

The area around the base of the tower is also really cool. I especially like the pair of Assyrian Sphinxes, one which faces east towards the battlefields of France, and the other towards the west and the future, with both shielding their eyes from the horrors of wars and the unknown.

There is a really cool gallery in the basement that is an open storage center…hundreds (thousands?) of WWI artifacts on display with minimal or even no explanation:

The main museum has an impressive, large-scale timeline of the events of the war, split into two sections…one focusing on the battle prior to US involvement, and the other after we joined the fight.

There are many items on display in the main exhibit, too, including weapons:

And vignettes that give a glimpse into life during the war:

I always enjoy a glimpse at propaganda:

As well as all the other many items on display:

And going into and coming out of the exhibit, you pass over a lovely and moving poppy field:

This is an amazing museum, and one that I wasn’t even aware of until fairly recently. I’m really glad we had the chance to visit, and now I’d like to go to the WWII museum in New Orleans!

Sartorial Saturday–A “D’Lite”-Ful Sneaker

Last year after Combo Breaker, I promised myself that I was going to get a pair of shoes with a bit more ankle support/stability before the next event. So today, just in time for Combo Breaker 2026, I’m taking a look at the D’Lites-Popular Vote sneaker by Skechers.

I have been a fan of Skechers for almost 20 years. I was first introduced to the brand when I was pregnant with Ladybug and having some back trouble. I tried a pair of the old Bikers style of Mary Jane with the crisscrossing straps, and fell in love. They were so comfortable, and my back felt so much better, that I started wearing them regularly, and haven’t stopped since in one design or another! These are my first full lace-up sneakers, though, and they provide just the support I was looking for.

These caught my eye one day at Kohl’s both because they’re a pretty shade of blue but also because SPARKLE! They’re a little hard to see in a photo, but next to every lacing loop is a little rhinestone, and they really catch the light in the sun!

My only complaint with these shoes is that they run a tiny bit small, which is, in my experience, pretty unusual for Skechers. I wear a size 11, and there was no bigger size for me to try, but if there had been, I probably would have gotten those instead. It’s a minor complaint, though, and I find them pretty easy to wear!

Hopefully my feet will thank me at the end of the weekend!