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A Full Glass With Jill, Maurertown, VA (2026)

06/19/2026

I often write about my French heritage because it was such a big part of my childhood. My mom was French, and many of my favorite memories are tied to that side of my family.

But I would be remiss if I didn’t mention my dad’s side as well. His family was Hungarian and Russian/Jewish, which may explain my love of sour cream, goulash, latkes, and matzoh ball soup! Yum!! 😋

Growing up, our home was a blend of traditions. We always had a Christmas tree because my mom loved how beautiful they looked, and we also lit the menorah each year. Looking back, I realize how fortunate I was to grow up with both traditions.

Even at Ravenwood Faire, I carry my family with me. My character, Adela Borascz, was named in honor of my grandmother Adele, and my love for wine 🍷, a small way of keeping her memory close.

Traditions connect us to the people who came before us. Whether through food, holidays, stories, or names, they remind us where we came from and help shape who we become. I think that’s pretty special. 🇭🇺🇷🇺

06/15/2026

I’m the baby in the picture, with my family in France. I was only 8 months old. Most people are surprised when I tell them that I spoke French before I spoke English.

My mom was French, and when my parents first started dating, my dad, being an English major and never one to back down from a challenge, made it his mission to learn French. In fact, he became so good at it that he often spoke it better than my mom! They spoke French together all the time, so when I was born, that was the language I heard most.

Starting school was an interesting experience because I already spoke both French and English. For some reason, my brain never seemed to struggle with switching between the two. It just happened naturally. One moment I was speaking French, the next English, without really thinking about it.

When I would visit family and friends in France, they were always amazed that I had no American accent and could move effortlessly between the languages. To me, it never felt remarkable. It was simply part of who I was.

These days, I don’t speak French nearly as much. Since my parents are no longer here, those daily conversations have disappeared. My husband and children have tried to learn French over the years, but life gets busy and they never fully pursued it.

Sometimes I wonder if I will lose my French. Then I stop and think about it. I don’t believe I ever truly could.

Language is more than words. It’s memories. It’s family dinners, laughter, stories, traditions, and the voices of the people who shaped us. French isn’t just something I learned, it is woven into who I am. It carries my mother’s heritage, my father’s determination, and a piece of my childhood.

I may not speak it every day anymore, but it still lives somewhere inside me, waiting patiently for the next conversation. Like so many things we inherit from the people we love, it never really leaves us. 🇫🇷🇺🇸❤️

06/13/2026

These pictures were taken with a friend who recently left us far too soon.

He was an integral part of Ravenwood Faire, one of those people you could always count on when something needed to be done. He never sought recognition or attention. He simply showed up, worked hard, and helped wherever he was needed. The kind of person every community hopes to have and never wants to lose.

If you knew him, you knew his heart. He was the type of person who would give you the shirt off his back without hesitation. Kind, dependable, generous, and genuine. In a world where those qualities can sometimes feel rare, he carried them naturally.

My heart especially goes out to Mara and his daughter Sarissa. No words can truly ease that kind of loss, but I hope they know how many lives he touched and how much he meant to so many people.

The Faire won’t quite be the same without him. There will be moments when we expect to see him around a corner, hear his voice, or watch him helping someone without being asked. Those are the moments that remind us just how much of an impact one person can have.

We often think that it is grand accomplishments that define a life, but I don’t believe that is true. I think it is the kindness we show, the people we help, and the love we leave behind. By that measure, he lived a life that mattered.

06/10/2026

Recently, I’ve found myself in several conversations about how families today are often blended. Stepchildren, half siblings, different last names, different parents. It made me stop and think about how I raised my own children. In our home, there was never “step,” “half,” or “different.” There was only family. That was it.

Growing up, I never even knew that my brother had a different dad than I did. My parents never treated it differently, so to me, there was nothing to question. He was simply my brother. My protector, my friend, part of my life and heart from the very beginning.

I still remember the day my mom told me. She could be blunt sometimes, not always soft with emotional conversations, and she matter of factly explained that we did not share the same father. I remember immediately thinking, “That’s not true. He’s my brother, and that’s that.”

And honestly, even now, that feeling has never changed.

Blood may matter to some people, but love, loyalty, shared memories, laughter, pain, and growing up together, that is what makes a family to me.

I miss my brother deeply. I lost him far too soon. But no title, label, or technicality could ever change what he was to me. He was, and always will be, my brother. Love and miss you bro 💔

06/06/2026

Bottling wine is one of those moments where all the hard work starts to feel real. 🍷

Today, we were bottling one of the wines we are especially excited to share at North Mountain Vineyard & Winery our Traminette. This beautiful white grape has such a lovely character to it, and watching bottle after bottle fill up made everything come together in such a rewarding way. All the long days, the planning, the vineyard work, it finally becomes something you can hold in your hands.

What makes this even more exciting is that we are also working on a brand new label design for it. And of course, if you know me, you know it had to be bird themed. 🕊️ Birds have become such a meaningful symbol to me over the years. My mother and father were both avid birders, and over time I became one too. Birds remind me of freedom, hope, family, and the little signs nature gives us when we need them most. Creating a bird themed label feels like such a beautiful way to honor that part of my life and the memories I carry with me every day.

It’s amazing how much heart can go into a single bottle of wine. And this one already feels special before it’s even made it onto the shelf.

06/04/2026

My daughter took a short video clip in our backyard of a butterfly resting on our butterfly bush, and at first glance, I thought it was a monarch. We hardly ever seem to see the bright orange butterflies anymore. Most of the ones we notice now are yellow, and it makes you realize how much nature has changed over the years. Bugs, animals, plants, everything continues to adapt and evolve in its own way.

But this time, I was happily wrong.

What we were actually watching was a Great Spangled Fritillary, and honestly, it was even more beautiful than I realized at first. Its rich orange wings, delicate patterns, and calm way of lingering around the butterfly bush felt almost magical. It stayed with us for quite a while, fluttering in and out as if it belonged there all along.

Then it hit me. Maybe that’s exactly why it was here. Our butterfly bush had quietly created a little safe place for something beautiful to visit.

Moments like this remind me that sometimes beauty shows up when we least expect it, and sometimes we misidentify blessings at first glance because we’re so busy comparing them to what we thought they should be. Nature has a funny way of surprising us if we pay attention long enough. 🦋

06/02/2026

There’s something special about your very first pet. 🖤

This is me when I was younger with Athos, my first dog and one of my very best friends growing up. He taught me so much without ever saying a word. Loyalty, comfort, companionship, and the simple joy of always having someone happy to see you.

Looking back now, I realize how much animals have always been woven into my life. From Athos to the pets I have today, Loki, Luna and Yuki, they’ve been there through the happiest moments, the hardest days, and everything in between. They become part of our stories, our routines, and our hearts in ways that are hard to explain unless you’ve loved one deeply yourself.

I honestly can’t imagine my life without animals around me. They bring peace, laughter, chaos, comfort, and unconditional love all at once. And somehow, even years later, seeing old photos like this brings all those memories rushing right back.

Pets really are family. 🐾❤️

05/31/2026

There’s something about seeing these cows every morning on my drive into the winery that just settles me. 🐄🍷

Some mornings I slow down, roll the window down, and talk to them for a minute like old friends. They never seem to mind. In a world that moves so fast, these little moments remind me to pause, breathe, and appreciate the simple things.

Before the emails, the wine pours, the meetings, and the chaos of the day, there are just cows in a field, the morning air, and a quiet kind of peace.

Honestly, it’s become one of my favorite parts of the day. 🐄❤️

05/27/2026

For the past few years, I don’t think I’ve truly understood my grief.

My dad passed away at the end of 2022, and my mom passed in early 2025. Both of them were incredible people to me. So much of who I am today came from them. The way I love my family, the way I work, the way I care about people, and even the way I keep pushing forward when life gets hard.

When my dad passed, my mom immediately moved in with me and our family. Looking back now, it was such a blessing. We had more time together, more dinners, more conversations, more moments I’ll always hold onto. ❤

But I’m starting to realize something I didn’t see before. I never really got the chance to mourn my dad. Life immediately shifted into taking care of Mom, loving her, making room for her grief while still trying to hold everything together for everyone else.

Then suddenly, far too quickly, Mom was gone too.

Now the grief seems to show up in the smallest moments. Sometimes it’s something simple, a memory, a song, a family gathering, a thought I wish I could share with them, and it immediately hits me all over again.

I keep moving forward. Life keeps happening. The family keeps growing, changing, laughing, living. But there are moments I hate that they aren’t here to see it all. I think they would be incredibly proud of the family we’ve built and the lives we’re continuing to live.

And maybe that’s part of grief too. Not just missing the people you lost, but missing sharing life with them.

What I do know, is that I am who I am because of them. And even though they are gone physically, they are still everywhere in my life. They are in my family, in my home, in my heart, and in the way I try to love others every single day.

I miss and love you both so much, mom and dad. ❤️❤️

A Full Glass With Jill

06/19/2026

06/15/2026

06/13/2026

06/10/2026

06/06/2026

06/04/2026

06/02/2026

05/31/2026

05/27/2026

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