Thanks to its growing popularity as a wine-lover’s destination, five times a year the Texas Hill Country hosts a popular event known as the Texas Wine Trail. At the event, visitors follow the “trail” on a self-guided tour of many of the areas vineyards, where they can enjoy tastings, special events, and gorgeous scenery along the way. Each Wine Trail event is seasonally-themed to enhance the experience of participants – for instance, spring’s “Wine and Wildflower Trail” celebrates both regional wine and the emergence of the area’s famous florals. While visitors are welcome at any of the 27 participating wineries any time of the year, purchasing a pass for the Wine Trail allows visitors to enjoy added benefits. Tickets are on sale now for the upcoming February Wine Trail, themed “Wine Lovers Trail” in celebration of Valentine’s Day. Taking place over the weekends of February 11-14 and February 18-20, visitors to the Wine Trail can enjoy an especially romantic getaway. While others are searching for that perfect bottle of wine for a celebratory dinner, you have your pick of amazing wine from vineyards all over the area. For an added treat, book a limo to drive you and your loved one along the trail, or choose a romantic B&B centrally located for a full-weekend of wine and romance.

Wine Trail ticket-holders receive complimentary wine tastings at each winery on the trail. Tastings provided are determined by the winery, with a minimum of 1 and up to 3 allowed free-of-charge. Additionally, wine purchasers receive a 15% discount on up to three bottles at each winery. You will also receive a delicious box of wine-complementary gourmet chocolates, local and handmade by Cathy’s Sweets. Just remember to share with your loved one. Many of the participating vineyards hold their own special events during the Wine Trail. Becker Vineyards, famous for both its wines as well as its lavender fields, will be hosting during the Trail their annual Merlot and Chocolate Tasting. Enjoy the nuances of specialty chocolates when paired with Becker’s award-winning merlot. On Feb. 12-13, they will also host a Valentine Luncheon paired with Becker wines in the vineyard’s beautiful Lavender Haus. Stonehouse Vineyard in Spicewood Springs, TX hosts a Valentine’s Dinner on Feb. 12 for $75/per person. The four-course gourmet menu includes dishes such as Smoked Salmon and Asparagus Buckwheat Crepes and Seared Duck Breast with Pomegranate-Rose Glaze, paired with a variety of Stonehouse’s signature wines.

The government department which is in charge of divorce records in Texas is the Texas Department of State Health Services and the service is provided out of its Vital Statistics Unit under the Report of Divorce Index section. These indexes can be downloaded free of charge from the department’s website. There are close to a hundred thousand divorce files maintained by the office but its function to this end is limited to primarily providing verification letters associated with divorce.

A Divorce Letter of Verification from the Vital Statistics Office only states whether or not a divorce was issued in the state of Texas. It contains the names of the divorcing parties, the county where the divorce was granted and the court case number. Fees are $20.00 for a letter. They are considered searching charges and hence not refundable or transferable to another record whether or not a search yields any results. However if a search results in a ‘no record found’, it can be used as proof of single-status (marital). Verification letters are available to divorces that occurred from 1968 to the last day of the year preceding the current one.

Texans are a special lot. The reasons behind their search for Texas Divorce Records are varied and flowery. There are also Texans who have resided in multiple states or county prior to Texas. As such, the complete divorce records of these folks will cut across state borders and the various state public record databases are not linked. As a result, employing government agencies for multiple-state divorce record searches becomes unfeasible. That’s why private record providers are the preferred option for Texas Divorce Records Search especially when time and personal bandwidth are a constraint. Their databases typically cover all states.

Commercial record providers are the end-all solution for those who can see past the fees involved but only if you signed up with the right one. The demand for this type of service has soared in recent times due to its obvious edge over using public agencies. This has consequently attracted many pretenders onto the bandwagon. Having that said, it’s not difficult to identify the bona-fide providers. One of the best ways is to check out the review or specialist sites which are abundantly found in any of the major search engines. They seldom miss.