{"id":2948,"date":"2017-04-05T15:28:52","date_gmt":"2017-04-05T19:28:52","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.stripedpineapple.com\/?p=2948"},"modified":"2017-04-05T18:54:34","modified_gmt":"2017-04-05T22:54:34","slug":"why-i-started-blogging","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.stripedpineapple.com\/?p=2948","title":{"rendered":"Why I Started Blogging"},"content":{"rendered":"

Several years ago I left my family and moved thirteen hours away to teach school in a little farm community in Illinois. It was my first time living on my own for more than a couple months, and I wanted a way to easily keep in touch with my family and share my adventures with them.<\/p>\n

I had tried blogging before, but it had petered out, as most blogs tend to do when started by visionary teenagers. So I opened a new, private WordPress account, and invited my family members. I named it Cuppa Cold Water, in reference to the Proverbs 25:25, which says “Like cold<\/span> water<\/span> to a thirsty soul, so is good news from a far country.” . I wrote about the new culture I was experiencing, and my students’ antics, and the friends I was making. Certainly not anything for the public eye.<\/p>\n

When I moved back to North Carolina after teaching, I\u00a0didn’t want to quit writing, so I ended up doing some severe editing and making my blog public so I could continue posting my little blurbs for whoever wanted to read them. You all kept reading and commenting and making my day, so I kept posting, and that brings us to now.<\/p>\n

Greener pastures were beckoning, and although WordPress has been good to me, I decided to take the plunge and purchase my own domain so I could get serious about this blogging stuff. Enter the Striped Pineapple blog, made with creative assistance from Raphael<\/a>\u00a0and Rosie<\/a>. In fact, she thought up this name, which references the art hanging on my kitchen wall, and is just quirky and weird enough to suit me.<\/p>\n

I’m planning to post much of the same content in this new space- little adventures and rants and lots of pictures of the cutest ten kids<\/a>\u00a0in the world. I’m also hoping to expand a bit, and post more book reviews, possibly some food posts, and also some more guest posts from\u00a0Rosie, whose writing is a treat to read. Eventually I may include some affiliate links, and try my hand at monetizing this blog, since making money from writing sounds like a dream. Don’t worry though, the content will remain genuine and (hopefully) entertaining.<\/p>\n

Thank you all for following my \u00a0little corner of the web, and reading what I have to say. You all are the reason I do this.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Several years ago I left my family and moved thirteen hours away to teach school in a little farm community in Illinois. It was my first time living on my own for more than a couple months, and I wanted a way to easily keep in touch with my family and share my adventures with them. I had tried blogging before, but it had petered out, as most blogs tend to do when started by visionary teenagers. So I opened…<\/p>\n

Read More Read More<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":21,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[91],"tags":[167,114],"class_list":["post-2948","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-musings","tag-blogging","tag-family"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.stripedpineapple.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/08\/img_4119.jpg?fit=2048%2C1536","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p8A8kG-Ly","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":2218,"url":"http:\/\/www.stripedpineapple.com\/?p=2218","url_meta":{"origin":2948,"position":0},"title":"My Family","author":"Rachel","date":"February 1, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"We moved to Erandique in 2005 knowing approximately one person in the whole town, \u00a0and with just a little pile of belongings. With not much to do and no social life to speak of for the first while, it was inevitable that my family and I would quickly become either\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Relationships"","block_context":{"text":"Relationships","link":"http:\/\/www.stripedpineapple.com\/?cat=92"},"img":{"alt_text":"046O4371 copy.jpg","src":"http:\/\/cuppacoldwater.files.wordpress.com\/2017\/02\/046o4371-copy.jpg?w=350&h=200&crop=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"http:\/\/cuppacoldwater.files.wordpress.com\/2017\/02\/046o4371-copy.jpg?w=350&h=200&crop=1 1x, http:\/\/cuppacoldwater.files.wordpress.com\/2017\/02\/046o4371-copy.jpg?w=525&h=300&crop=1 1.5x, http:\/\/cuppacoldwater.files.wordpress.com\/2017\/02\/046o4371-copy.jpg?w=700&h=400&crop=1 2x, http:\/\/cuppacoldwater.files.wordpress.com\/2017\/02\/046o4371-copy.jpg?w=1050&h=600&crop=1 3x, http:\/\/cuppacoldwater.files.wordpress.com\/2017\/02\/046o4371-copy.jpg?w=1400&h=800&crop=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":2084,"url":"http:\/\/www.stripedpineapple.com\/?p=2084","url_meta":{"origin":2948,"position":1},"title":"Dad","author":"Rachel","date":"February 3, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"I loved hearing my Dad\u2019s stories when I was little, because he could make an everyday matter into a thrilling adventure with his choice descriptions. And now, I love seeing my nieces and nephews listen with the same rapt attention as he regales them with tales of the escapees from\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Relationships"","block_context":{"text":"Relationships","link":"http:\/\/www.stripedpineapple.com\/?cat=92"},"img":{"alt_text":"IMG_1857.jpg","src":"http:\/\/cuppacoldwater.files.wordpress.com\/2017\/01\/img_1857.jpg?w=350&h=200&crop=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"http:\/\/cuppacoldwater.files.wordpress.com\/2017\/01\/img_1857.jpg?w=350&h=200&crop=1 1x, http:\/\/cuppacoldwater.files.wordpress.com\/2017\/01\/img_1857.jpg?w=525&h=300&crop=1 1.5x, http:\/\/cuppacoldwater.files.wordpress.com\/2017\/01\/img_1857.jpg?w=700&h=400&crop=1 2x, http:\/\/cuppacoldwater.files.wordpress.com\/2017\/01\/img_1857.jpg?w=1050&h=600&crop=1 3x, http:\/\/cuppacoldwater.files.wordpress.com\/2017\/01\/img_1857.jpg?w=1400&h=800&crop=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":2108,"url":"http:\/\/www.stripedpineapple.com\/?p=2108","url_meta":{"origin":2948,"position":2},"title":"Rosie","author":"Rachel","date":"February 10, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"\u00a0 Rosie is my go-to person. She's the one to whom I can send my self-deprecating texts, my purposely awful snapchats, and my whining about feeling like a drugged cow or whatever, and she\u2019s sure to have the right response. She is honest and straightforward, she's smart and hilarious, she\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Relationships"","block_context":{"text":"Relationships","link":"http:\/\/www.stripedpineapple.com\/?cat=92"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"http:\/\/cuppacoldwater.files.wordpress.com\/2017\/01\/img_9694.jpg?w=350&h=200&crop=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"http:\/\/cuppacoldwater.files.wordpress.com\/2017\/01\/img_9694.jpg?w=350&h=200&crop=1 1x, http:\/\/cuppacoldwater.files.wordpress.com\/2017\/01\/img_9694.jpg?w=525&h=300&crop=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":7227,"url":"http:\/\/www.stripedpineapple.com\/?p=7227","url_meta":{"origin":2948,"position":3},"title":"Time Is Marching On","author":"Rachel","date":"April 2, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"I think I promised to tell you weeks (or was it months and months) ago how I was surviving my new job. Time has flown and here I am on my third week in, still alive and kicking although I could be dead in a ditch for all you guys\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Life in NYC"","block_context":{"text":"Life in NYC","link":"http:\/\/www.stripedpineapple.com\/?cat=462"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.stripedpineapple.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/IMG_8227.jpeg?fit=1200%2C900&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.stripedpineapple.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/IMG_8227.jpeg?fit=1200%2C900&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.stripedpineapple.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/IMG_8227.jpeg?fit=1200%2C900&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.stripedpineapple.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/IMG_8227.jpeg?fit=1200%2C900&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.stripedpineapple.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/IMG_8227.jpeg?fit=1200%2C900&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":5967,"url":"http:\/\/www.stripedpineapple.com\/?p=5967","url_meta":{"origin":2948,"position":4},"title":"Day 1: Pantry Talks","author":"Rachel","date":"February 1, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"When I was little my family built a house, and one of the very best features it contained was the pantry. It was capacious and airy, with a countertop to work on, massive drawers which my little brother used to hide in, and best of all, plenty of room for\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Food"","block_context":{"text":"Food","link":"http:\/\/www.stripedpineapple.com\/?cat=88"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.stripedpineapple.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/img_2740.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.stripedpineapple.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/img_2740.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.stripedpineapple.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/img_2740.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.stripedpineapple.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/img_2740.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.stripedpineapple.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/img_2740.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":5380,"url":"http:\/\/www.stripedpineapple.com\/?p=5380","url_meta":{"origin":2948,"position":5},"title":"The Care and Feeding of Missionaries","author":"Rachel","date":"December 28, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"A while ago I wrote a post about some of the\u00a0annoying things people say to returned missionaries, which you can find here if you didn't read it. I got responses from fellow TCKs and missionaries who knew just what I meant, but I also had people asking what things\u00a0should be\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Musings"","block_context":{"text":"Musings","link":"http:\/\/www.stripedpineapple.com\/?cat=91"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.stripedpineapple.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/img_0259.jpg?fit=1200%2C676&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.stripedpineapple.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/img_0259.jpg?fit=1200%2C676&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.stripedpineapple.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/img_0259.jpg?fit=1200%2C676&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.stripedpineapple.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/img_0259.jpg?fit=1200%2C676&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.stripedpineapple.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/img_0259.jpg?fit=1200%2C676&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.stripedpineapple.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2948","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.stripedpineapple.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.stripedpineapple.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.stripedpineapple.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.stripedpineapple.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2948"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"http:\/\/www.stripedpineapple.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2948\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2991,"href":"http:\/\/www.stripedpineapple.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2948\/revisions\/2991"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.stripedpineapple.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/21"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.stripedpineapple.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2948"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.stripedpineapple.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2948"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.stripedpineapple.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2948"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}