In thanks for repeatedly inviting us all to Portillo, I made a book for mom with all the pictures we've taken over the years. She loved it! This is what I wrote...

Thank You

Through skiing you’ve taught me to be strong.
To stand up and smile bravely after a fall.
To glide through storms, and endure bad weather ... and bad times.
To be brave, and take risks in spite of possible outcomes.
To follow my heart and seek my place in the world.
And to live life wholeheartedly and enjoy the ride while it lasts.
Thank you for sharing your passion with us - and for teaching us how to ski!

When I think of Portillo, I think of family.

I have no memories of us before the divorce; and after that everyone spread out so far we didn’t really get many chances to be all together. So basically, all I remember is you and me.
I have no memories of Christmases or New Years in my childhood, so when I think of us together as a family, most of my memories are set in Portillo.
Gathered around the crazy dinner table, with everyone talking at the same time, and the waiters bustling all around us. Chatting excitedly on our private bus on our ride up. Sharing a beer at the bar and going over the day’s events before or after dinner. And, my favorite – sleeping in adjoining rooms. Waking up in the morning and having everyone next door or across the hall - with all our doors open. An extra cuddle in bed with the lazier kids, putting sunscreen on someone other than myself, one of the girls coming over to borrow something…
And although I don’t have a particular memory of us in Portillo when we were younger, I have this familiar feeling of you always being happy there. As if when we were there, there was this peaceful contentment about you, you were happy. Maybe that’s why the same thing seems to happen to me.
So anyway, I just wanted to let you know that, although we sometimes don’t all get along, it’s totally worth it & I will be eternally grateful to you for giving me, my kids, and all of us, the chance to build such great memories together here, in Portillo.