christmas eve in las vegas

we drove, i mean, kenny drove for hours on end and finally we got to las vegas, only one month since last time we drove. thankfully our old honda civic was very nice to us and made it up the hills and through the deserts. we even got some of the mysterious fog on film for future projects. i was kinda sick still and slept most of the way, i think kenny listened to his book on tape and was just really happy to have avoided trafic. which is the main goal when driving in california! christmas eve was spend at brother in law michaels house with the rest of the family and the four kids. the presents were opened in an illegal high speed with a few saved for christmas morning. the main event of the night was to get everyone gathered on the stairs for a family picture and after everyones ideas on where to place the camera to get everyone were discussed, i dont even know what happend to the actual pictures... some kids got cut off or something.
other than that there were a few football games on and i got a lot of reading done.
the drive home, again at a time where we would avoid trafic, was a really wonderful kenny- and- camilla time. so when we did get stuck for two hours right outside las vegas in baker.... we were deep into conversations about life and love and future and fun stuff.
the borders giftcard got spend the next day after hours deliberating on how to get most books for the money. i chose the way of getting an expensive art book on david hockney whereas kenny chose the route of getting cheaper but more books for the money.
did i mention this is kennys favourite thing to do, finding out what books to buy or read or want. hours on end....

work is back on and the new yar is coming up, with interesting moves, plans, hopes, ideas, and a lot of unknown.
kjerlighet til alle venner og takk for alle gaver og tanker jeg fikk og kjente. varme folelser til alle mine.
c
the siblings
rebecca and katelyn
daniel and brandon
kenny and denise chmiel
you know

to all my dear ones

fra en varm orken i nevada i slutten av desember, med lysene fra diverse hoteller og casinoer i bakgrunnen. fra et lite hus i et na meksikansk strok av byen etter en lang morgen pa highwayen i tjukk take. fra under et juletre med lys og hvite kuler og alle pakkene stabla opp. fra en jente som er litt sjuk og en pratsom mann som snakker i vei pa dette andre spraket. fra en annen familie som er fremmed, men samtidig ner og min. fra en annerledes lillejulaften som gir meg ett nytt perspektiv pa tradisjoner og lerer meg a leve litt utenfor min vanlige komfortable camilla-mate. fra denne stolen pa kontoret med lukt av kyllinggryte fra kjokkenet og noe sportsgreier pa tv'n ville jeg bare si god jul til alle mine kjere som jeg er sa glad i. merri christmas og bestemor, spar noen av de lefsene for meg, de som du veit jeg liker, de tjukke med smor og brunost pa. ok?
love

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some time on my hands
its a week before christmas today and its weird not doing the normal norwegian advent thing. not too much of that here, mostly shopping. consume consume consume and drive. but i took my math test finally this friday ( congratulations kenny on your birthday and your wonderful dinner and flowers for me on your birthday...) and now have some time on my hands beside working. so i finally got these photos together of my little series on home and memories and old days and newer days. and then theres the painting of a smoker. two of them are oil on canvas, two are oil on board. still learning and trying to experiment with how to put paint onto a surface. and also how to best communicate the idea and how to connect the two. difficult.

on another note, christmas will be in las vegas and my first in the us. so ye. so long and dont leave your burning candles overnight.
c

strange decemberdays

its been a few eventful days so far in december, strange and different. with the joyful surprising visit of an old friend that was driving through sacramento in his old camero with his cousin. that would be remi and it was so fun to see a known happy face from home for a few hours!! a couple of days later my friend sabrina, my first friend from school in san francisco, came to visit. she also got married to an american and being swiss we have much of the same experience here in california. exept that they are now pregnant, but we got to share wedding pictures and long talks. absolutely wonderful and a very upliftning day. but then theres other strange feelings going through me because me grandpa on my moms side has been sick for a while and died monday afternoon. he was old, almost 90 years, and has lived a wonderful life preaching and raising five kids and being so influencial in many peoples lives. but its still strange for the people that are left, i am especially thinking about my grandma these days. but am happy for him, he is in heaven, in a much better place and it was his time to leave. its strange to be far away and for different surcumstances i won't be able to go home, which is one of the things i have to sacrifice when having my life so far away from family and friends. we'll see how long we can do this, this distance... in times like this i wish i was closer to participate more directly. so am thinking aobut my mom who lost her dad and i know my sisters and my dad and her siblings are there for her. and i support her in my way from here.
its been a good last week but strange and different in many ways. am a little sick and feel a little melancholy not in a negative way, just different. if that makes sense.
c