Friends, family & neighbors...I would like to introduce you to a very special little girl, Cami Kinser. She has been diagnosed with lymphoma at the young age of 10. I first learned of her when my sister asked me to create a piece of art for her with her favorite bible verse for her room to encourage her while she battled cancer. 

I wanted to do more, so I decided to find ways to help her family pay her medical bills. Having been faced with enormous medical bills for our own daughter, I can empathize with their fight. There are several ways you can help. (1) if you would just like to donate money to the family you can visit a link I have set up to collect donations for them athttp://www.gofundme.com/KinserMedicalFund or click directly on the link to your right in my blog.

(2) you can purchase a print of the art "believe" ($30) I made especially for Cami or a set of notecards ($15), just contact me locally or msg me 


(3) if you don't live here in the local area and would like to purchase, you can visit my etsy store and purchase the "believe" print (shown above)


(4) if you know any local businesses who would like to help in any way, please contact me.


(5) you can share this link with others you know via email, facebook, twitter.


 Thank you in advance for your help!!! 

Around Here...

around here...we are enjoying "cooler" temperatures in the high 80s instead of the record-breaking heat we had at the beginning of the month.

around here...I have been perusing my cookbooks for new recipes to cook, made jalepeno hummus from our garden jalepenos, and canned pickles from our cucumbers.

around here...I am working hard to organize, brand and create a new look and website for Kirsten Reed Designs which I hope to launch by the end of August.

around here...I have been on a creative binge, painting almost everyday and loving my new creations (not always the case).

around here...Ben is getting ready to leave to spend 10 days with my parents (which he loves) and I will have 10 long days of missing him!

around here...Sarah has been busy with soccer tryouts and is nervous about making the team as the coach informed them he will have to cut about 1/4 of the girls. I am praying she makes it ~ it will break her heart!

around here...Ben and I have been working on our biggest puzzle yet, a 2,000 piece Coca-Cola puzzle. We are about halfway finished.

around here... there is already back to school emails in my mailbox and paperwork on my desk to fill out before orientations on August 1 and the first day of school on August 10.


around here...my office is in need of a desperate extreme makeover as I dodge piles on the floor of 'things to do'.


around here...Vince has been working and traveling as usual.


around here...I found out two more of my close friends are moving away and I am wondering what my year will look like without them.


around here...I am savoring my last few days of summer with my kids and trying not to be too busy with other stuff so I can embrace the moments.

Been Absent...

My grand plans for documenting every day of our Planes, Trains and Automobiles trip failed miserably. Partly because we had no internet connection most of the trip and partly because by the time we did, we were homeward bound and I was overwhelmed with the whole "back to reality" phase of life.  Two days after we came back from our 18 day trek, I flew to Florida for a reunion with classmates from my high school in Germany (more on that in another post).  So you see, I was REALLY busy.

So what to do ~ now that it has been more than a month since the MOST AMAZING trip ever!?? Well, I thought I would break it down into two posts ~ this one with a slideshow of the sights we saw, and a second one with some insight on "things we learned" with input from the whole family. We really are a funny family ~ something I discovered on this journey.

Here is a slideshow of our trip ~ above, because I could not get it to cooperate and embed into this post. (my apologies for my lack of techie knowledge) enjoy!