Shannon Winston, DAR-ling of the week
You’ve lived on both coasts. Tell us about your life in California and what brought you back to Virginia.
I’m originally from Virginia and met my husband back in 2002 when I was living here in Richmond. He already had a plan to move to Los Angeles when we met, so by the time he made the move cross country, I decided I would go with him. Our life in L.A. was great – we were there almost 15 years and built an amazing community of friends. California is an incredible state, and we were also closer to my brother and his family, who live in the Bay area. Both my husband and I were working in the arts – I was a performer at first and then went into arts education when I started working for a large theater company there. In 2015, I went back to school to get my master’s and then our daughter was born just 18 days after I graduated! For the first year of her life, we were so lucky to be surrounded by a community of friends who helped us and supported us. But it became clear that we wanted her to grow up closer to our families so we made the tough decision to move back to Virginia. We chose Richmond because it was basically equidistant between the grandparents, we already had close friends here and we knew it was an awesome city!
What would we find you doing in your free time?
I love to get out with my husband and daughter and explore Richmond. So much has changed in the 15 years since I last lived here, and it’s been great getting to know the city once again. I am a foodie, so I’m a bit obsessed with finding the best places to eat – whether it’s a hole in the wall or fine dining. Even though I LOVE food, I am not a huge cook. But I do love to bake! For the past year, I’ve also been making homemade ice cream, and I’ve made more than 25 flavors thus far. Other than food, I am still a huge supporter and fan of the arts. Richmond has always had a fantastic arts scene, and I feel like it has just boomed in the past 15 years. So while you might not find me back onstage (not yet, at least!), you will find me in the audience of a show.
Tell us about your most memorable vacations.
I love traveling so this is a tough one to answer! I spent my honeymoon in Greece so it holds a special place in my heart. We went to Santorini, Naxos and Athens, and each location is so different from the other. In Santorini, we stayed in Oia at one of those idyllic inns built into the side of the hill. They delivered breakfast to us in our room every morning, and we watched their famous sunsets from our balcony every evening. It’s definitely our happy place! At the time, we said we’d come back for our 10th wedding anniversary. Well, that was last October, and we missed the mark so … maybe for our 20th?! My other memorable vacation was to Paris – our last big “hurrah” before we started a family. I had always dreamed of going to Paris, and it is every bit as magical as I had imagined. The food, the wine, the architecture, the art … it’s one of those places that you miss once you leave and you long to go back. So … maybe for our 25th wedding anniversary?! I also can’t wait to take our daughter to some of our favorite places as well as explore some new ones together.