It Not Working

November 8, 2003 by Steve Peifer

We have been through the toilet training routine before, but I promise it is different with twins. For that matter, everything is different with twins. Nancy once mentioned something that was harder with twins, and it made me think hard about anything that was EASIER with twins. Anyway, I put Katie down on the potty seat, and after sitting a spell, she looked up at me and said `It not working.’
The whole idea of explaining the process to a two...

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Underwearing: My reluctant love affair with the hygiene impaired

October 23, 2003 by Steve Peifer

I only play golf twice a year, so excuse one more golf story, ok? JT, Matthew and I are driving, and JT hits the green, and gets the greatest excuse that has ever been recorded for golf. A baboon comes running, and grabs his ball. Our caddy charges the baboon, who flees with the ball. If your putt doesn’t go in after THAT, don’t you have a RIGHT to a gimmee?
We all desire to create something that will live forever....

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Hawaii

October 9, 2003 by Steve Peifer

The theme song from Hawaii Five O keeps running through my head. I don’t know if it is coincidence or not, but my college, Northern Illinois University, is now FIVE wins and ZERO loses and is ranked 16th in the United States, beating Maryland and Alabama in the process. And if you think THIS is obnoxious, just WAIT until the Cubs beat the EVIL Marlins.
We all have changes, but few like Matthew experienced this week. He got braces and...

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Congratulations! You are officially declared an epidemic!

September 20, 2003 by Steve Peifer

With four sons, I have never found them with the slightest interest in what they wore. And they were easy to dress. Woman’s clothing is different. Sometimes you button it from the front; sometimes from the back. There are NEVER instructions.
It’s worth it all when I finally get Katie’s dress on correctly. She wears one on Sunday, and as we walk to church, there is no other word to describe it. She STRUTS. She looks good, and she knows...

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That will never happen to me: Fast Drying Underwear in three weeks of America

August 25, 2003 by Steve Peifer

It didn’t start well. My family bet on much weight I would gain on the trip. It might have been WISE, but it wasn’t SUPPORTIVE.
The transition from Africa to America is never an easy one. You are surrounded by people who have so little, and it’s so easy to feel guilty.
The flight attendant asked if I wanted the steak or the shrimp, and I started weeping. He responded by saying `It’s ok; you can have both.’ I struggled to compose...

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A Chance for Change Part II: A Way Out

July 13, 2003 by Steve Peifer

Anyone who has been in Africa for awhile has that moment. You hit the steering wheel and just yell `Why? Why does it have to BE this way?’
Most of those moments occur when I’m at a school. I know how much of a struggle it is for parents to afford to send their children to get an education. The issue is: what do they get for their money?
The sad answer is that they don’t get much. It isn’t that the...

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Fasting and Lean-To’s: Twins Turn Two

July 7, 2003 by Steve Peifer

We celebrated the twins 2nd birthday on July 6th. Last year we celebrated it on July 7th. It isn’t another quaint Kenyan tradition. The reason is pure Kenya.
The original documentation we had on the babies indicated they were born on July 7th. When we got closer to the adoption, we got information that one (we weren’t sure which one) was born on July 6th and one was born on July 7th. When the adoption was final, we were...

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The Glory and the Folly

June 18, 2003 by Steve Peifer

The students left for school on Friday at noon. They weren’t due back until Monday afternoon, so it meant a long weekend. In the states, we could go camping in Tyler, or go to Six Flags, or hit the pool.
In Africa, you can drive just a few hours, and go to the largest game park in Kenya. We left about 7:15am on Saturday and arrived around 1:30pm. It was about 120 miles away. Even with a thirty minute rest stop,...

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