Combo Breaker Family Photo

10 Years of Combo Breaker Family Photos

I didn’t know what a huge part of our lives Combo Breaker would become back when we went for the first time in 2016, but we still took a family photo while we were there, and we’ve taken a similar photo every year since. There are two less images than there should be, since the event was cancelled in 2020 and 2021, but we took four pictures at the old Pheasant Run, and this year broke the tie, with five at the Renaissance in Schaumburg.

These pictures rival our Christmas and Easter photos for the ones that mean the most to me every year…Combo Breaker has become a huge part of all of our lives, and one of the top events on our yearly calendar!

Markel Family Combo Breaker 2026 Getaway–Day Six

Last Sunday was the last day of Combo Breaker, but that didn’t mean we could slow down…Chickadee and I were up super early yet again to get breakfast ready and the coffee going (I seriously don’t think I do anything more important throughout the event than make sure that coffee pot is always full!)!

Chickadee did a fantastic job of keeping the water and snacks stocked all weekend…she takes hydration very seriously!

We worked hard in the Crew Lounge, but we were also treated very well, and even spoiled a bit…we were treated to Stan’s Donuts (a first, but hopefully not last, for me!), popcorn from the Popcorn Baron (I got to have my favorite, root beer, which actually fizzes!), and a sample of the cookies Finuccio & Sons, the sandwich shop we patronize during the event, serves:

The only moment we had out of the Crew Lounge was our daily trek back to our hotel room to do dishes:

But we did finally make it outside for the first time since Thursday morning after the sun went down!

After helping with some of the packing that had to be done in the Crew Lounge (and a good laugh over a pair of “hallway underwear”), we headed down for the grand finals:

And after the games were done, had our annual Combo Breaker family photo taken:

Hard work pays off!

Up next…our last day in Chicagoland and the trip home.

Markel Family Combo Breaker 2025 Getaway–Day Six

By the time the third day of Combo Breaker rolled around, we had finally learned how to set up all of our kitchen appliances so as not to trip any circuits, which meant all of the coffee was actually ready on time!

We finally got away from the staff lounge long enough to check out the arcade next door, and I even had the chance to play a quick game of pinball.

After going through something like 140 pizzas for dinner, we made it back down for the grand final of the last game of the event…Street Fighter VI:

After the staff raffle (Chickadee was one of the winners) we finally got around to getting a family photo:

We all received medals for our hard work…they mean more to us than I can explain!

We were up super late, but at that point, we were so exhausted we didn’t even care. We did still have the drive home to think about in the morning, though!

Markel Family Combo Breaker 2024 Getaway—-Day Six

After we got the coffee started on Sunday morning (I seriously think we made between 400 and 500 cups a day!), and put out another two cases of water, we went to church at the congregation of my childhood. It was Trinity Sunday, but I was very relieved that we didn’t say the Athanasian Creed, because my feet hurt!

On the way back to Combo Breaker, we stopped by the Umbrella Sky Project in Elmhurst. I’ve wanted to see a display like this for a long time, but it was a bit too literal, as it was pouring rain while we were there! It was still really cool, though!

We made it back to the staff lounge in time to help with lunch (and make more coffee!).

We were done in the staff lounge in time to see the end of the Tekken Top Eight, and after that, we all stuck around for the staff raffle, which was quite entertaining.

We hadn’t all been in the same place at the event until that point, so we finally got our annual family photo…next year, I’m hoping we all get flannels, because I think that would make the picture even more amazing!

It was a great weekend!

Up next…the trip home, with many stops along the way!

Markel Family Combo Breaker 2023 Getaway–Day Four

We did venture out from the hotel on Sunday of Combo Breaker, including a stop at “The Jewels.”

We also returned to the church of my childhood for the first time in several years:

We didn’t have a chance to go to the original Rainbow Cone location on the South Side like we used to, but we did visit one of their newer locations in Lombard…I love how the place looks!

The rest of the day was spent back at the event.

King of Fighters was another game that drew my attention this time…the commentators and crowd made it impossible not to want to watch!

We even found time with everyone’s work schedules to take our traditional family picture:

Tekken 7 is a game I always look forward to watching:

We found time for an evening walk outside:

I didn’t stay up as late as some, but I made sure to see a bit of the final top eight, Guilty Gear-Strive-.

After that, I headed back to the room Chickadee and I were sharing (that was a whole saga) for one last night at the hotel.

The Markel Family Returns to Chicagoland–Day Three

We were up early enough on Saturday to be on the Combo Breaker floor before pretty much anyone else (other than staff) showed up:

It was the perfect time for our traditional Combo Breaker family photo!

After that, we parted ways again to do our respective jobs. Ryan and Turkey were working the full day again, and the rest of headed off to fill more bags for the next several hours. We were working with someone which made it a lot of fun, and the time passed quickly! After we finally ran out of hand sanitizer and had to stop, we took a break for ice cream at Oberweis:

Back at the hotel, we took yet another walk…I don’t think the place has a bad side!

We spent the rest of our time that day at Combo Breaker…we knew it was our last night there, and we wanted to make it last. We got to see an auction tournament for the first time, which was loads of fun, and caught one final before we left. We also got to see parts of a wedding that was taking place at the hotel, which was also fun!

We took the long way back to our room (outside again) to enjoy the night view one more time.

Up next…all good things must come to an end!

Markel Family Combo Breaker Getaway–Day Three

Day three of our vacation was also the day that Combo Breaker began, and of course we had to get a family photo while we were all in the same place (which didn’t happen very often this year!)!

A highlight for whichever children have money to spend is visiting the Gaming Generations booth to buy something video game related. This year, it was all plush, and the nice folks selling them even gave us a discount for being frequent shoppers!

Walking through the resort, we discovered that Pheasant Run had set up this nice table of treats for the gamers to enjoy as they came through the lobby:

After a swim in the Garden Atrium pool (which was surrounded by casuals set-ups for the first time this year, and provided us with a nice soundtrack of buttons mashing), we headed back to Medieval Times for the third year in a row, and for the third year in a row, we got to support the Yellow Knight of Navarre. This year, Ladybug received one of his carnations!

By the time we got back to the hotel, we were exhausted, so we didn’t even stop by Combo Breaker again…just a bit more Food Network before we crashed!

Markel Family Weekend Getaway–Day Five

Last Sunday morning, we celebrated the Holy Trinity at St. John Wheaton. We didn’t say the Athanasian Creed, but we did get to have donuts after the service!

Following church, we hurried back to Combo Breaker. I had to take a picture in what I’m calling a “Sailor Moon Bound” Pinup Girl Clothing outfit with my Sailor Jupiter lanyard that Ryan bought for me before the trip:

And, as always, we had to get a family picture with the big Combo Breaker screen in the background:

We went for one last swim:

And then returned to Combo Breaker, to see the Guilty Gear final, which Bunny was very excited about:

We celebrated my 1st 39th birthday a few weeks early with my mom at the Schnitzel Platz, where I got to hear “Happy Birthday” played on cowbells after dinner!

Back at Pheasant Run, we visited the arcade one last time:

While we were doing that, Ryan received a medal for the third year running…this one was very special!

We saw some of the Dragon Ball top eight, but it was getting late, so we headed back to our room before the final. Turkey watched it on my phone while the rest of his siblings fell asleep watching…more Food Network!

That was (sadly) our last night at Pheasant Run, but we still had a few fun activities planned before we headed home on Monday!

Markel Family Weekend Getaway–Day Three

We were up pretty early yet again (we really don’t sleep in on vacations) to attend the early service at St. John Wheaton. It felt a little more familiar than it did last year, but part of me is still shocked that they’re in a different building!

When we arrived back at Pheasant Run, we hurried over to the Mega Center to watch Ryan play in the Mystery Tournament top eight. He didn’t win his match, but he came home with a medal for the second year in a row!

After he was done running his bracket, Ryan took us to lunch at Portillo’s. I think we’ve decided that enjoying one meal there while we’re in Chicago is a must…fortunately, it’s not too expensive! I ordered the Italian beef dipped (of course!), and some of my children were adventurous enough to order a Chicago-style hot dog. It was a delicious meal!

After yet another swim, we checked back in with Combo Breaker. The farther you get into Sunday, the bigger the crowds are!

Another swim, another walk around the resort. There was a small art show in the normally blocked-off upstairs of Bourbon Street, so we took a walk though there, and enjoyed both the art and the unique view. We also stopped by the bonfire after it had been lit, which was especially nice because it was a fairly cool weekend up north.

One final visit to the Combo Breaker floor, to see a round of the Street Fighter top eight, which is the highlight of the weekend for many:

Of course we watched a little more cable TV back in our room (after I discovered that for some reason, I couldn’t get a signal for WGN and couldn’t watch the News at Nine). And we left the curtains open so we could enjoy a last evening look from our room, on the clearest night we experienced while we were there. The glow coming from downtown Chicago is unmistakable, and we even realized that we could see a few other unidentified skyscrapers by the Sears Tower!

Just one last day of family fun to go before we returned home!

Markel Family Weekend Getaway–Day Two

Day two of our weekend getaway was probably the most intense. The children and I hopped on a Metra train bright and early in the morning and headed to downtown Chicago. We walked for miles, and saw everything I wanted them to see…the Chicago River, the Tribune Tower, the Marshall Field’s building on State Street, The Bean sculpture, Buckingham fountain, the “corn on the cob” buildings, and Lake Shore Drive. The children couldn’t stop looking up! They were also interested in seeing the double-decker buses, the “el” trains, the articulated buses, and all the different boats on the river. We crossed the river four times in several different places, but sadly, we never saw any of the bridges open. We even spent some time in the Art Institute…not enough for Bunny, but enough to see the Impressionists, some of the religious art, and the Chagall windows. The weather looked like it was going to be a big problem, but the only rain we encountered while we were out was during our walk from the Art Institute to the Marshall Field’s building, and fortunately, it wasn’t too heavy!

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Once we got back to St. Charles, we headed to Giordano’s for dinner (we had to have Chicago-style pizza!), then visited the floor at Combo Breaker. Unfortunately, the storms had picked up, so there was no swimming for us that night, but we did enjoy watching some Food Network in our hotel room!