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Happy Holidays from the Andershalls
December 2009
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Greetings!
Where has this year gone? The Anderson-Marshall family would like to share our blessings with you through this annual Holiday Newsletter and we hope for you the most magnificent, safe, and healthful new year ever!
Love, The Andershalls
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From Isaac
Well this has been a very quick, but eventful year. I was around to witness all of my daughter's "firsts"  in the first year of her life. The first time she ate with her hands, talked, stood up, walked , was in a kiddie pool, got shots, fell down and picked herself back up, etc. It is very different being a father.
Also, I got promoted in April. I am now a Sergeant (E-5). My unit had a change of staff and gained almost $2 million worth of equipment (for us to be responsible for) and $2million worth of new responsibilities. Me being in an actual "management" position has greatly increased my work load. Not just lower level management anymore. I am the planning and the execution of most of our jobs, missions, and day to day tasks.
This year, I truly discovered how wonderful of a woman my wife is. From taking care of Jazmine to taking care of me, she has truly put in her fair share. She has shown her patience and really grown into motherhood. She also keeps me stable and calms me down when I get home from work.
 Last but not least, next year marks the birth of our second child Isaiah. We are not sure what his middle name will be yet, but we stil have a little bit of time left. Looking for a "C" name. He should be born late January to early February. Life will be interesting! |
From Jameillah
2009 has come and gone and thank God we made it out alive!! LOL!!
As you guys know, we welcomed our first baby into the world on Dec 12th 2008. Parenthood is truly amazing and God has blessed us with a beautiful baby girl who brings so much joy, laughter and happiness into our lives. Everyday I have the opportunity to watch her grow and blossom into the lil lady that she is becoming and she never ceases to amaze me.
I am expecting that 2010 will be just as fun and fulfilling as this year that i s coming to a rapid end. Isaac and are expecting the birth of our son Isaiah (Langston?) Anderson on Feb 2nd 2010!!! We are anxiously awaiting for his arrival to complete our family!!! Life is good.
Hope this year was just as great for all of you and your families!!! Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.
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From Matthew
Well first off, Merry Christmas to everyone!
Not much has changed with m e over the past year. I'm currently in my 2nd year of college at Cosumnes River College and Sacramento City College taking heavy schedules, haha. I'm signing up for classes for next semester right now and I think I'll be taking... Physics: Light and Heat, US History, Computer Programming, Heath Education, and... Snowboarding :). School has been pretty good overall. In one year, I should have my Associate's Degree and be ready to transfer to Sac State University!
Also, I plan to (finally) test for my Black Belt in June, if all goes well.
I might start giving drum lessons next week, but it will be to a 6-year-old, so hopefully he stays interested for a long time because I need income!!
Well again, have a happy holiday season everyone!
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From Kathy
I tried
to come up with one or two major events during 2009, but there were too many to
list!
 First, was my extreme pleasure in watching my granddaughter,
Jazmine, for three days . . . by myself . . . at Easter-time while her parents
had a belated honeymoon in Las Vegas.
It is hard to describe how much fun that was! Jazmine and her mom,
Jameillah, also visited Sacramento in October and I could steal a few Jazzy
kisses during my lunch-break. And
then all three of them were here for a few weeks for Thanksgiving andJazmine's first birthday on December 12th. Thank goodness for digital cameras to capture the moments!
Next was being able to visit my dear cousins, the
Culpeppers, near Atlanta, Georgia in July. From Georgia, we drove nine hours up to Columbus, Ohio, to attend my
second cousin, Everett's wedding. We also visited with my mom's remaining family,
including 102-year old, spunky, Reba Williams, and her younger sister, Jayne, and mom's brother, Dale. I also attended a family reunion in Zanesville, Ohio, where
my parents met in the mid-1950s, we==as well as visiting Mt Vernon, Ohio, where my mom was raised. My mom's favorite cousin, Lavata, and my cousin, Julie, are in the picture with me in Mt. Vernon. I
was also finally able to find my grandfather, Austin Marshall's, final resting place
in Columbus, Georgia, after searching for African American cemeteries
online. My cousin, Jocelyn (dad's
sister's oldest daughter) also visited with us at the Culpepper's house in
Georgia. I want to go back every
year and see my family! Everyone was so incredibly wonderful and the terrain and
weather so fascinating in Georgia, Tennessee, Kentucky, and various parts of
Ohio. My blog has more detail about the trip.
We took our annual week-long trip to Mendocino, CA, in August
and had a great time with Michael's family, as usual. Kanika took 50 pounds of clay and made lots of
redwood-inspired sculptures on site. My blog has more information and pictures.
 Due to dad's deteriorating Alzheimer's condition, he was moved into a beautiful place called "Sunrise" in Carmichael, CA. This is a gorgeous place where former professionals can be cared for in relative luxury. Dad has a one-bedroom which houses his bed, recumbent bicycle, TV, and rocking chair.
We visit him a couple of times a week, but his wife, Virginia, is there almost constantly. Dad certainly could not have a better advocate for him and we are all indebted to Virginia for her excellent care.
I think that dad is more lucid than some might give him credit for. He still lets his funny and dramatic personality come out periodically and he still recognizes our faces. That's all we can really hope for with this terrible disease.
A labor of love: I tried five times to put together a video presentation of mom's "Reflections of A Mother's Heart" diary that I helped her complete before she died in January 2007. I was finally able to put together an audio with pictures from her life.
Another big event was remodeling my kitchen ourselves in November and December,
from demolition to design to construction. We worked so  hard that the new kitchen was useable, with the
exception of no sink, within three weeks of the November 6th demo
date. Hallelujah IKEA! My blog has more detail and pictures.
While listed last, this was perhaps the most formidable
event, in that it has lasted for about 1.5 years. In May 2008, I purchased for Michael a landscape plan
for his backyard, which had been devoid of anything but dirt since he purchased
the home in 2003. Numerous long, hard days were spent digging clay-dirt,
carrying heavy brick pavers to and from the garage, learning to use various and
sundry motorized landscaping tools, shoveling heavy road-base and decomposed
granite from the driveway into the backyard, and planting most of the flora
called for in the landscape plan.
The result is a satisfying panorama of colorful plants, reddish bark
mulch, absolute serenity and, most importantly to me, the ability to open his
mini-blinds and see something beautiful outdoors. Michael's blog has lots of pictures and a diary of the process.
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From Kanika African Sculptures
 Kanika African Sculptures took somewhat of a breather this year, by reducing the number of art
shows while increasing gallery representation. As the sculptures get bigger and
heavier each year, my body screams for less lifting and moving heavy sculptures
around. Kanika's new strategy -
combined with the USA's continued difficult economic situation - resulted in
fewer overall revenues, but more quality of life benefits like fewer strained shoulder
muscles and more time to do landscaping and my kitchen remodel.
Kanika branched into many new types of sculptures, starting
with hearts and other hopeful sculptures that are regularly sold in Sunlight of
the Spirit, a recovery-oriented store in mid-town Sacramento.
Kanika was asked to be a part of the Blue
Moon Gallery's artists and proceeded to expand her business with a stunning
collection of garden art sculptures; this included combining clay with metal
for durable outdoor use, water fountains, and large lighted LED sculptures.
She also became a member of the Blue
Line Gallery in Roseville, CA, and created three different Facebook web pages.
She was the featured artist at the Sojourner Truth Multicultural Museum in October and continued to participate in the Elk Grove
Artists Art-2-Hang program and Sacramento Potters Group art shows.
Kanika was fortunate to have articles written about her art in the Sacramento Magazine and Sacramento Examiner.
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From Michael
It has been a busy and eventful year. My daughter Crystal continues to work as the front desk receptionist at the Evergreen Lodge just outside the north entrance of Yosemite. A beautiful place to work at. Crystal loves the outdoors and this position gives her plenty of opportunity for hiking in the wilderness. She has decided that she would like to have a career as a chef. So, in addition to working the front desk, she now prepares breakfast and lunch at the staff cafeteria a couple days each week to gain some experience. Eventually she hopes to work full time at a restaurant in the future, and possibly go to culinary school.
 Crystal had a bit of a scare when driving back to the lodge the week before Thanksgiving after a visit to Sacramento when her car hit a patch of black ice. Although she was only going about 25 miles per hour the car skidded into rocks, flipped on its side and skidded to the other side of the road. Thank goodness for front and side airbags. She escaped with just a few bruises. The car unfortunately was totaled. The car was only three years old so the insurance company gave her a generous settlement that should allow her to purchase a nice replacement.
Kathy and I continue to have an eventful and fun relationship with no sign of it ever letting up or getting boring. Most of our time this year was spent on landsca ping my backyard. I purchased my house new in 2003 with a bare backyard. Nothing was done with for a lack of a good plan. In May, 2008 on my 55th birthday, Kathy presented me with the gift of a landscape designer. We started work on the yard in November, 2008 and although we still need to design and install a fountain, and add a few more plants we essentially finished it last month. Kathy and I did all the back breaking work, except for some electrical done by my brother Pat. I couldn't have done it without Kathy's help and occasional gentle push when it at times seemed just too much to take on. It's great having something other than mud, dirt and weeds to look at through the windows, and to have a soothing retreat to relax in when the weather permits. This space will get used a lot. I have already don e more barbecuing in the last few months as I have done in the last few years. Thank you Kathy, it was a wonderful and most thoughtful gift. I am forever in your debt. A photo album and blog or our experience can be found at:
http://web.me.com/mkfitz/Backyard_project/Backyard_Blog/Backyard_Blog.html.
My own art, my photography, was put on the back burner while working on the landscaping, but I hope to find more time for it now.
As Kathy mentioned we spent this last month on putting in remodeling her kitchen. It was at times a fun and at times frustrating learning experience, but the results were well worth the effort. She is happy with her new space and I am happy that she is.
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