Kiira was born into the artistic and musical family of Andrea and Warner Jepson. She lived in a Victorian home on Diamond St. in San Francisco, surrounded by artwork and music everywhere, all the time. Her father composed music in the downstairs living room and Kiira and her brother Matty would run down the stairs into the entry foyer...filled with bright energy and curious stares and always entertaining and energetic. Matty and Kiira were inseparable and he usually was bouncing around at full speed with a mischievous smile on his face...Kiira poised and engaging, with a penchant for real questions that led to real conversations. She loved to sing, and dance, all the time! The two of them were attached to their radio, obsessed with the sounds of the Andrew Sisters, Boogie Woogie, pop radio, soul, american standards, low riders and hanging out in the Mission.

Growing up around Haight Ashbury and cruising the streets in the old blue station wagon the sounds of soul, the Isaac brothers, and all other kinds of music blasting from a casette player that their Dad gave them.

When Kiira was about 2 and a half years old, we lived in a house that was built into the hillside in Noe Valley San Francisco, so that the kitchen floor was about three stories up. I was (Andrea, Kiiras Mother) deathly afraid of ladders and heights - even one that was just three feet high. I was in the kitchen probably preparing some food to eat, when I look out of the window and I see Kiira looking in at me - She had climbed the ladder that was leaning against the house, and was all the way at the top. She was so little she couldn't even speak in real sentences then!

I was so afraid and didn't know what to do so went and sat in the living room - I didn't want to scare her! In about 5 minutes she wandered in, having climbed all the way back down. Kiira had that kind of courage and that kind of unafraidness, nothing was ever really hard for her if she wanted to do it.

When she was 4 years old we went to the county fair in Marin, with about 5 other adults and 10 other children. At some point when we were leaving I realised Kiira wasn't with us. Of course the panic set in and we retraced our steps to where we had been near the rollercoaster earlier. As we got there I see Kiira sitting in the back seat, her long hair flying in the wind as she went round! Of course we had the conversation about not going anywhere without your mother, but then I asked how, "how did you get on?" and she replied "Well, I just walked on". And as many of you know Kiira was a lifelong rollercoaster fan!

Kiira was a night owl, when she was 4 or 5 I asked her what did she want for her birthday. Her response was to saty up all night long, "I just want to stay up as late as I can." At 12 O'clock she’s still up, at 2.00 am shes’ still up, she was so little I couldn’t see her head over the back of the couch. At 3.30am she’s still up and now in her room reading magazines! At that point its too much for me (Andrea) and I say to her, " I thought you would go to sleep and I’m kind of worried that you will stay up all night", she looked at me and said ok - and finally went to bed.

At 15 she went to her mum “The curfews not working for me I’m going to dance but it doesn’t start until I have to come home.” She made a really good case so we changed her curfew to 2.30am. She had her head on her shoulders, and was able to do what she wanted because she was responsible like that.