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Shannon DalPozzal

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Of a Woman: The Journey to Becoming is available now!

Shannon DalPozzal

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          • Lifestyle
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          • podcast
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        • Latest bit of encouragement
  • La Dolce Vita Isn’t About Luxury
  • When the Bell Rings Close to Home
  • From Attendee to Speaker: A Full Circle Moment with IFWTWA
  • A Pause, Not an Escape: Writing from St. Lucia
  • Seatrade Cruise Global 2026: Notes from the Floor (and a Very Full Schedule)
  • The Gritti Palace, Venice
    • I’m so happy you’re here!
        • Image Credit
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Explore the blog

By Category

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Lifestyle

Home design, recipes, comfortable finds.

vintage suitcase
travel

Adventures and vignettes of little travel moments.

podcast

Podcast episodes and behind the scenes.

typewriter
writing

Musing on the writing life, the process, and project updates.

walking on beach with hat in hand
rustic elegant seating by staircase
woman relaxing on beach with straw hat
Latest bit of encouragement
  • La Dolce Vita Isn’t About Luxury

    What a Month in Italy Taught Me About Time, Presence, and the Sweetness of Ordinary Moments When most people think…

    Read More La Dolce Vita Isn’t About LuxuryContinue

  • When the Bell Rings Close to Home
    Writing

    When the Bell Rings Close to Home

    A reflection on Maine, the fire service, volunteer responders, the Red Cross, and how we can support those who answer…

    Read More When the Bell Rings Close to HomeContinue

  • IFWTWA Conference 2026
    Events | Writing

    From Attendee to Speaker: A Full Circle Moment with IFWTWA

    There are certain organizations that feel like a natural fit from the very beginning, and for me, the International Food Wine…

    Read More From Attendee to Speaker: A Full Circle Moment with IFWTWAContinue

  • Calabash Cove St Lucia Beach Hammock
    Travel | Writing

    A Pause, Not an Escape: Writing from St. Lucia

    It’s early morning, and I’m sitting on the porch of a cottage suite at Calabash Cove Resort and Spa. The…

    Read More A Pause, Not an Escape: Writing from St. LuciaContinue

  • #STCGlobal 2026
    Culinary | Events | Travel | Wine and Spirits

    Seatrade Cruise Global 2026: Notes from the Floor (and a Very Full Schedule)

    A few days of cruise news, industry connections, and a reminder of why I love this life. There’s a very…

    Read More Seatrade Cruise Global 2026: Notes from the Floor (and a Very Full Schedule)Continue

  • The Gritti Palace Landmark Grand Canal Room
    Lifestyle | Restaurants | Travel

    The Gritti Palace, Venice

    There Are Hotels… and Then There Are Legends There are places you stay. And then there are places that stay…

    Read More The Gritti Palace, VeniceContinue

More from the Blog
Shannon standing in lava field

I’m so happy you’re here!

Thanks so much for taking an interest in me and my story.

Image Credit

Photographer: Lauren Lane Location: Iceland

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Yesterday we moseyed around EPCOT while the car wa Yesterday we moseyed around EPCOT while the car was being serviced. I mean, why sit at a service center when you can pop over to a Disney Park!
The Mimosa flight was a must. Hello! It’s me 🤷🏼‍♀️

We walked around and noshed here and there, sampling a few things. The rain tried to dampen the day, but we checked out some of the not busy areas around EPCOT: Awesome Planet and the Disney & PIXAR Short Film Festival followed by Living with the Land and seeing where some of the ingredients are grown for a few of the festival offerings. 

On our way out, we made a final stop for the Wine & Cheese pairing at Communicore Hall. Caymus Cab and Wisconsin cheese? Yes, please! 
 
Perks of being a #disneypassholder 

Have you been to the EPCOT International Food & Wine Festival? What’s your favorite dish? And if you are a beer drinker, I have to admit there seemed to be more beer than wine offerings this year. 
#epcotfoodandwinefestival #disneyaddict #wisconsincheese
Some seasons end beautifully. 🥹🍷 Some seasons end beautifully. 🥹🍷
Thirty-two years ago today, I was 21 years old and Thirty-two years ago today, I was 21 years old and walked into the fire department to begin a job I could never have imagined would shape so much of my life.

I had recently left music school and trying to decide what to do with my life. I was getting married in two months after this photo was taken. I wasn’t a mother yet. I had no idea where life would take me, what I would survive, who I would love, who I would lose, or how many different versions of myself I would become.

I look at this young woman now and want to tell her so many things.

I’d tell her that life isn’t going to look anything like the picture she has in her head.

I’d tell her some of the people she thinks will always be there won’t be. Others she hasn’t even met yet will become part of the fabric of her life.

I’d tell her she will become a mother. A grandmother. A wife more than once. A writer. A traveler. A woman who will start over more times than she can imagine.

I’d tell her that the fire department she walked into that day thinking it was simply a job would become part of her identity and would teach her difficult life lessons. That she would spend years answering calls on people’s worst days, live through disasters she couldn’t yet comprehend, and discover that she was capable of far more than she knew.

And I’d probably tell her not to spend quite so much time worrying about whether she was doing life “right.”

Because there isn’t one right way.

This photograph has its own scars. It was pulled from the floodwaters after the 2016 flood in Baton Rouge. Somehow, it survived.

So did she.

Thirty-two years later, I don’t wish I could go back and change everything for her.

I think I’d just sit beside her for a minute and say:

Hold on, sweetheart.

You have absolutely no idea where this life is going to take you.

And what a life it is going to be.

(📸 D. Weimer: 📍BRFD Station 11)
It’s my last day here for a bit. Taking a break fo It’s my last day here for a bit. Taking a break for a refreshing sip on the deck. #Maine 

The Beehive Blush 🍐🍊🌸

1½ oz Absolut Pear Vodka
½ oz St-Germain Elderflower Liqueur
¼–½ oz Chambord
½ oz Key Lime Juice
Mandarin Orange Club Soda
Optional splash of cranberry juice
Ice

Serve in your favorite #cocktail glass
“The future belongs to those who believe in the be “The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.” - Eleanor Roosevelt
It’s been a little weird around here lately… It’s been a little weird around here lately…
Lots of opportunities to think about at the moment Lots of opportunities to think about at the moment….
Weekend Recap: Maine Edition Wine 🍷 Lobsters 🦞 Weekend Recap: Maine Edition

Wine 🍷 
Lobsters 🦞 
Firepits 🔥 

Enjoyed the Labor Day weekend with family, friends, and local wildlife. Hosting a lobster dinner with an evening fire pit by the water is quintessential Maine living. Blessed to have a spot on this quiet, undiscovered peninsula in MidCoast. #IYKYK
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© 2026 Shannon DalPozzal

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