Tekken Ball

Markel Family Weekend Getaway–Day Four

On day four of our weekend getaway, we started the day with church at St. John Wheaton. This is the church where I was baptized, confirmed, and married, but I had yet to see their new building. It was beautiful!

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After church, we went back to the hotel to watch the end of Ryan’s Tekken Ball tournament, where he finished fifth. Not bad for his first tournament! And, because I’m me, I had to wear a Pinup Girl Jenny skirt while I was there!

We had time for one last swim in the pool, and another walk around Pheasant Run to again admire how beautiful it was. I’d love to go back someday…it was a great place to stay!

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We went to dinner at Portillo’s, where, even though I enjoy a good Chicago-style hot dog, I had the Italian beef, and it was just as good as I remembered. We then went back to the hotel to enjoy a little more cable TV (including HGTV this time), while Ryan finished up at Combo Breaker.

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Markel Family Weekend Getaway–Day Three

Day three of our weekend getaway started with an early morning swim in the hotel pool. The children and I then visited Cantigny Park with their grandparents. They were thrilled to discover that they were not only allowed but encouraged to climb on the collection of tanks!

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After they climbed on every last tank, we toured the First Division Museum, a very appropriate activity for Memorial Day weekend. It’s changed a lot since I was last there over a decade ago, and I think we all learned a lot!

We then walked around the grounds, admiring the gardens and especially the mansion. The children recognized where they filmed part of A League of Their Own, and were very excited to walk in the same spot. We made sure to cool off in the fountains before we left, too!

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When we got back to the hotel, we got to watch Ryan play in the Tekken Ball tournament, where he advanced to the final eight…it was very exciting, even if I didn’t really understand the game. We also briefly got to see Ryan in clipboard mode, which I found very amusing!