Red Bull

Markel Family Combo Breaker 2026 Getaway–Day Seven

Last Monday we had to get all of our stuff packed in the car so we could head home…but first, Chickadee and I had one last Red Bull toast:

It was hard to say goodbye to the place we had called home for almost a week!

I had one short detour planned for our trip home…we stopped by the Umbrella Sky Project in Elmhurst. It was the first time we all got to see the umbrellas in the open position, and the first time any of us had seen the installation in sunlight instead of clouds and rain!

Just like we did on the way up, we stopped at Wally’s on the way back:

And of course we had Portillo’s for lunch:

We even stopped at a Jewel in Normal…it’s funny to me to see one so far outside Chicagoland!

The rest of the trip was quiet, and soon we found ourselves back home, with our memories of Combo Breaker 2026 fresh in our minds!

Markel Family Combo Breaker 2026 Getaway–Day Three

By last Thursday morning, things were really starting to come together on the main floor of Combo Breaker:

But before things really kicked into high gear, Chickadee and I took around the Schaumburg Sculpture Park, which was a lot of fun (we even got to see a nesting swan!):

And the lilacs were still in bloom:

And then we got to work in the crew lounge…on Thursday, we only serve dinner, but we also have coffee, water, and snacks for everyone working so hard to get all the last minute details taken care of.

The real highlight of the day, though, was the delivery of the Red Bull fridge to the Crew Lounge!

Up next…Combo Breaker 2026 begins!