Note: My editor’s blog is not reporting, not unbiased and not written in AP-style like my news coverage. There will many opinions, speculations, and interpretations. They are my own.
Last week I wrote about the DUI I received at twenty-three.
This week I’m writing about something I learned at a winery.
Duality of man, volks.
Last Christmas was the first after my separation in late May of 2025.
I was used to putting on $20,000 to $30,000 Christmases: a kids’ tree in the playroom, a blue-and-white tree in the master bedroom, and a 12-foot tree in the living room decorated with ornaments we had collected from our travels. We had family traditions of traveling to Canada for Christmas and exchanging family presents (during COVID, the kids were initially weirded out by the bidets for every bathroom but quickly came around to the benefits and that year’s family present was a big hit once they were installed, also… we saved loads on toilet paper), finding the pickle ornament hidden in the tree, drinking hot cocoa while watching movies, soaking in the hot tub before taking Viking dives into the freezing pool, wrapping what felt like a million presents, enjoying Christmas morning Dutch baby pancakes or full English breakfasts, and celebrating with an amalgamation of British and German traditions.
I had a lot less decorating to do but I also had a lot less of my step-children.
I was not okay.
We sent the kids to my step-daughter’s house in Corvallis, OR (home of Oregon State University) to be together before my stepsons headed to Canada. Peter’s 32-year-old Chinese import moved into our house in Firethorne.
Baker (my dog) and I headed to the Hill Country to take care of my mind, body, and soul in beautiful Texas wine country. Where better to spend the Christmas holiday than where the German freethinkers put down their roots?
A political history buff at my core, I drove the auto tour of the LBJ Ranch and attended the Christmas tree lighting in the National Historical Park. Baker and I watched the tree being lit, listened to a choir sing, and walked over to a living Nativity scene. We didn’t stay long at the scene, though. I had a growing suspicion Baker wanted to eat the goat. It was the first time he had ever seen one.
Later that night, we went to the Pedernales Electric Co-op display at its headquarters. As we walked toward the center of the old oaks wrapped in 1.6 million lights, amid cheerful families posing for Christmas photos, I started to feel overwhelmed by the absence of my stepchildren.
Almost on cue, a whole host of children flocked to Baker, eager to meet and pet him. Just as quickly, I was pulled out of my own head and into a magical moment for which I am so thankful.
A real Christmas miracle.
A few minutes later, as I sat on the stone wall surrounding the oaks, a little boy ran up to us. Baker gently lifted his face to the boy, who reached out to pet him. His father walked over, and I learned they were Venezuelan and we all lived in Katy. We joked about our area being called “Katyzuela” and talked about Operation Southern Spear. After a somber conversation and then a laugh, the little boy asked his father who I was in Spanish. The man smiled and referred to me as tía. I braced for tears, but instead, my heart was full.
More Christmas magic.
My trip to the Hill Country was life-altering in several ways. I met GOD there. AND I finally realized after decades of denying it, I truly want to have my own babies.
It was life-altering in one other way, too, and it happened in Hye. And yes, I was a little…
William “Bill” Blackmon and Chris Brundrett are building a wine dynasty in Hye, Texas. William Chris is not only one of the best wineries in Texas or even the United States; last year, it was ranked among the top 50 wineries in the world.
Armed with that recent announcement, I put it at the top of my list of wineries to visit with Baker during our Christmas trip.
I was not disappointed.
My sommelier was fantastic, and my tasting was exactly what you hope for: informative, entertaining, and unpretentious. Even with all my Texas wine knowledge and my Texas Tech wine business education, I, as they say, learned me something.
The Winemaker’s Tasting moved from white to redder. We started with the smooth and light Skeleton Key Sauvignon Blanc from far West Texas, then tasted Rose Thorn Seed, a Mourvèdre blend from the Texas High Plains that earned a little heart in my tasting notes. Next came the 2020 Sangiovese, an Italian varietal also from the Texas High Plains. The Italian earned an A+ note. We finished with Enchanté, a Bordeaux-style field blend from the Llano Uplift.
As much as I enjoyed the wine, the thing I took home wasn’t a bottle. Although, I wasn’t leaving without the Italian.
The sommelier explained during our tasting that founder Chris and the Brundrett family adopted Rose, Thorn, Seed as a way to check in with the people we love: the best part of your day is the rose, the worst part is the thorn, and something you learned along the way is the seed. The bottle reads, “Whether it’s been a day, a month, or a year since you last sat down together, pulling that cork means you’re committing to the conversation.”
I’ve taken this conversation starter and added it to my own life and my journaling, and it has probably created more growth for me in the last six months than anything else I’ve done.
In the morning, I write down three things I’m grateful for. (I’m a big fan of doing things in threes. I believe one way GOD speaks to us is in synchronicity, and when things happen in threes, you should pay attention. There’s a reason it’s the holy trinity.)
Then at night, I journal my Rose, Thorn, Seed. It’s not complicated. What was the best thing that happened today, or what was I most proud of? What was the worst part of my day, or what could I have been done better? And the seed is what did I learn? What do I want to plant for the future?
It’s been a game changer.
The next morning I review my Rose, Thorn, Seed and write down what I am grateful for, at night I review the things I’m grateful for and write down three reflections. Round and round the earth keeps turning.
I went to William Chris expecting to learn more about Texas wine from one of the best in the biz. I left with a simple daily practice that has changed the way I begin and end every day and that has changed my life and how I operate.
A real Christmas gift.
All my love,
All my light,
All my best,
Jess
P.S. Do you have a Hill Country trip planned? Send an email to fortbendfalcon@gmail.com and tell me what wine styles you prefer and I’ll tell you where to go. If you don’t have plans to travel but want to DRINK TEXAS WINE (as proud Texans we should be supporting our growers and producers and drinking as local as possible) send me an email with your preferences and I’ll tell you where you can find the good stuff in Fort Bend.