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.

Luxembourg {part 1}

until I get to editing all of the pictures from my trip, I decided to share it in parts. here's the start of our crazy&wonderful adventure - sitting/drawing/talking in a coffee shop, making a waitress in Charles burgers upset, walking around Luxembourg at night - because we're lazy and we spent the days in the house. 

home, fall, gratitude.

I live in a breathtakingly beautiful place, and I have the most beautiful women in my life, inside&out. and so this day was overflowing with beauty. me, my sister, and my mum were left alone at home that day and we made the most of it by taking pictures outside, going for a walk and having great conversations. I'm posting this late, but who cares.

Janka

this could easily be another story post, if I asked my dear sister a couple questions. but I decided to write a short story post of how I see her not just through my lens instead. something about us. this absolutely breathtaking and warm sunny saturday morning in our backyard was more than I could ask for. the fall in all its beauty. I really hoped to get my sister infront of the camera. as soon as I found out she was coming I was preparing myself for the hours of trying to convince her to let me photograph her, because she rarely ever lets me. but as I laid down on our couch that morning, uninterested to do anything at all, she comes down asking me to go out and take pictures with her. I honestly thought I heard that wrong. but I didn't. and I got to spend the morning doing my favorite thing, photographing this gorgeous girl. and it's funny that I say a girl, because she's a woman now, and even I will soon leave my teenage years behind, but she's my sister, and I still haven't gotten used to the fact that we've outgrown our home and we don't share a room anymore, and she doesn't even have the same last name anymore. I'm still not used to that. 

stories: Olča&Martin {engagement}

(posting the original in czech, until I find time to translate it...)

trochu se zpožděním, ale to snad nevadí. poslední dny trávím úpravou svatebních fotek těhle dvou super lidí. a zároveň jsme konečně všichni tři našli čas na dodělání tohohle příspěvku, který se chystá už od června. to jsem totiž s radostí vyjela do Prahy, abych zachytila předsvatební příběh Olči a Martina. o pár měsíců později jsem zachytila ten svatební. na otázky mi každý odpověděl zvlášť, aniž by věděl, co řekl ten druhý. takže je tenhle příspěvek tak trochu překvapení i pro ně :)