M&V {22.8. 2015}

as I traveled from a week of sleeping in a tent and bunch of kids I wondered if it was a good idea to go shoot a wedding in my exhaustion. but as soon as I arrived to the place in the morning I knew it was going to be an amazing event to capture. and I was right. an old barn that was perfectly decorated with antique furtiture, little thought-through diy details wherever you looked, a bride with adjustable dress to look stunning for the ceremony but be able to dance away the night in a short skirt, a couple that explores abandon houses to take pictures in. and of course, the smiles and tears and love that will always bring my heart joy. and that I will forever be thankful to capture. 

thank you for letting me document you memories !

down in the valley, up at the mountaintops.

our summer adventures began with a trip deep into the beauty of a small village in Tirol, Austria. I've never had a view such as this from my window for a week.

my parents climbed every mountain in sight, it least it felt like it. me and Josh climbed a couple of them and simply rested and explored and enjoyed the beauty all around us the rest of the time. evenings were spent watching the sun set behind the mountaintops and sky turn dark blue color as we played music or talked at the balcony. the very few rainy days were spent sipping warm tea and watching the clouds roll over the mountains and cover the trees and fill the valley with mist.

as I sit here now two monts later and I think of how wonderful it was to be disconnected from the world for a bit. from the world that's fast, and busy, and computer screen, and to do lists. how wonderful it was to enjoy the life we've been given. I need to make more of my days worthwhile like this. 

pictures taken by either me or Joshua. 

naive dreams turning into a beautiful life.

it took me a long time to finally blog these, but I'm finally getting to it. this is Veronika. she is beautiful inside&out. she is very dear to my heart and even though life takes us in different directions and we don't always manage to stay in touch, I still think she is one of my closest friends. we are always able to connect as if no time has passed between seeing each other. these pictures are from a few special days this summer when she visited us. before we both got busy. and before she got married! phew, I remember the fifteen year old girls we were, talking about boys and wondering what our future husbands would be like. I remember our naive dreams. so much has changed and the naive dreams are suddenly becoming a beautiful messy reality. now she's married and I think back and look at how much we've both grown during our friendship. how much work God has done in our hearts, and continues to do so. I feel as if this visit was an end of one chapter, but it doesn't sadden me. I am excited for all the chapters ahead of us. 

by the way, she used to hate being infront of a camera at the beginning of our frienship. I'm happy to say that I changed that completely ;) and she proved to be really good behind the camera as well.

the beginning of summer.

(delayed blogpost as usual)
classes were over and hot sunny days came as soon as the month of june anounced the beginning of summer. so these two beautiful girls came for a visit. I got to show them my home in this beautiful season. sitting by the river, feet in the water, picnicking, late birthday celebrations, cherries, and warm evenings in the golden sunlight. beautiful moments of life to be enjoyed.

second home.

it's been almost three years since I left for an adventure that, as cliche as i sounds, changed my life.  that lead me into a place I'd call home. to people I'd call family. a year I spent an ocean away that grew me, shaped me, and healed me. that showed me that life is full of beautiful things that are worth experiencing and that deserve my full attention and gratitude. that taught me how to seek intimacy with the Maker of it all. that helped me appreciate the home I have in Czech in ways I never could before. and just like that, I could never be fully at home in one place again. for home is not just a place. home is made out of so much more. and I'm so blessed to discover that I have several homes on this earth. and I'm so excited to know that the real Home that will finally feel right is yet to come.

March was a long awaited month where I would finally go to California again. not as much a visit as coming back home. traveling from one home to another. a feeling that can hardly be explained or described. a little worried that it might not be what I kept in my memories. that it will never be the same. but getting out of the plane and feeling the warmth. being welcomed in loving arms. note at the door. waking up in my room. drinking coffee with Donna. hiking up Islay Hill with Josh. everything felt right. like I never left. a reassurement that all my memories were true. that this place and home is what my heart has been missing for so long.

the silent beauty. the beauty of silence.

it's usually in the quiet moments of this life that I find the Creator of it all. sometimes it's not the sunday sermon where you find God at. sometimes it's not in the most likely places. it's really up to us where we decide to seek Him. because He's in all the places. I've been learning to grasp that lately. looking for His fingerprints in my everyday life. in the least likely places. 

there still is one time and place where I certainly meet Him though. in the quiet. in the beauty of His creation. it doesn't ask for attention. He doesn't ask for attention. but it's the best thing I can give my attention to. up in the mountains, away from all the noise and busy life. in a complete silence as the world around you rests in its winter sleep. and as I capture the beauty, I capture the moments of closeness and gratitude. 

Pěnkavák.

we got to spend last weekend in a place that feels more like home than anything. much needed time in the mountains. we were even enjoying the sunshine and blue skies. peace of mind. rest in while not resting at all. it's always hard to go back to the grey dull life down in the valley.

Luxembourg {part 2}

finally getting myself to edit and post more pictures from Luxembourg. time flies by and this was back in November. but I miss my crazy Drabek so I decided to finally stop procrastinating even on the things I enjoy. also, being done with exams allows me to do so.