hopeful_and_happy's Xanga

NEW BLOG!

Sat, 16 Jun 2007 16:19:14 GMT

Hey there! I officially have a new blog! I will come back to this one every now and then, but I am just hurting for extra time these days with caring for Brayson and trying to play catch up with the business and dealing with building a new house. So thanks for understanding. The new blog is lovely with nice BIG pictures! Come and check it out!! My most recent post is about my pictures being published in PEOPLE magazine!!! aaahh!!! :) So exciting!!

CLICK HERE TO GO TO MY NEW BLOG!

Love you all!

~ Crystal

Tuesday, June 05, 2007

Tue, 05 Jun 2007 20:07:01 GMT

KEVIN & JENNA - DOMINICAN REPUBLIC WEDDING - PART 1

Well, actually this is part 2.....I'm sort of going backwards. ;)

Jeremy and I had the amazing opportunity to travel out to the Dominican Republic along with Jenna, Kevin, and their immediate families to shoot their wedding back in March. I have not had a chance to post these beautiful images because I went into preterm labor just 4 days after returning from the trip! :) These are a few of my favorite shots from the day after the wedding. Jenna and Kevin wanted KILLER wedding pictures, so we got up the morning after their wedding at sunrise and took some time to get some incredible shots. Jenna even wanted to "trash" her dress! Dress trashing is growing more and more popular and more and more brides are getting brave enough to do it. And just look at how it pays off! And we actually didn't really trash Jenna's designer gown. It came perfectly clean, and she wore it again a month later at their reception in Hot Springs!!

Check back soon for pictures from the beautiful beach ceremony! And if any of my brave brides are interested in trashing your dress just let me know!!! :)

~ Crystal

Tuesday, June 05, 2007

Tue, 05 Jun 2007 04:40:04 GMT

SARAH ROCKS!!

I just have to take a moment to brag on my associate photographer Sarah. She is amazing! She has been working under me for almost two years, and I love her to death! We have traveled all over the state together shooting weddings and have had a blast. She is now booking her own weddings through Crystal Goss Photography, so if I am booked for your date she may be available!

We are preparing an overhaul on the website. It hasn't been updated in a year, and it is about time it was updated!! I have way too many new, amazing pictures to display in the galleries. Here are a few of my favorite pictures that Sarah took at a recent wedding in Northwest Arkansas. These were taken at Whitney and Clay's wedding at Pratt Place Barn. It was a wonderful day, a fun group, and a beautiful wedding! I'll be posting some of my images soon. I am working hard to get caught up on the blog as well as get caught up on all of my album designs so be patient with me! :)

I am starting to play with adding really cool textures to images. The look is a growing trend. I like the way this one turned out along with the picture above. I am putting a couple of textured pictures like this one in my album designs now. I love it!

Leave a comment and let Sarah know what you think! Have a great day!

~ Crystal

Thursday, May 31, 2007

Thu, 31 May 2007 12:42:14 GMT

TRAVIS HAYDEN IS HERE!

Jill and I have been best friends ever since we were awkward tweens in our first year of junior high school. She and I have shared so many wonderful experiences together, but we would have never imagined we would share the pregnancy experience! It was late one Sunday night when she called me shrieking that she was pregnant. It was no secret that she and Ryan had been having some trouble getting pregnant, so I couldn't have been more thrilled for her. I took the next day off work and spent it celebrating the good news with her. I also complained to her about my recent fatigue and aching back, and she insisted that I take her leftover pregnancy test. Hours later I finally gave in, and we cried together when the test read that I was indeed pregnant too.

Yesterday was Jill's d-day - exactly 2 months after mine. I recieved the call from Ryan at around 9:00 last night. "She's dialated to nine and a half!"

"What? Already?! I'm on my way!!"

Jill had called me just a little over an hour earlier and told me she was dialated to five centimeters! Everyone was shocked to hear that she had progressed so quickly. I arrived at the hospital in record time and headed back to room 446. She and Ryan wanted me to capture the birth of their son in pictures, and I was more than happy to do it for them.

Travis arrived at around 11:45 PM weighing in at 8 lbs. 9 oz. and 21 inches long. He is such a cutie pie and looks just like his momma!

All the proud grandparents...

Jill and Ryan, I am so happy for you guys! You were amazing last night, Jill, and you should be so proud. You two are going to be amazing parents!! I can't wait to watch our two boys grow up together!! I love you guys!

~ Crystal

Monday, May 14, 2007

Mon, 14 May 2007 19:32:32 GMT

MY FIRST MOTHER'S DAY

When Jeremy took these pictures of me and my belly while we were in the Dominican I NEVER would have thought that just one week later I would be lying in a hospital bed hooked up to wires and machines trying to postpone labor. I would have never thought I would actually BE a mother on Mother's Day this year! But I am, and I am so happy!!!

On my first Mother's Day I must say that I truly felt blessed for so many reasons. I have family and friends who love, encourage, and support me. So many wonderful people have helped us out in so many ways over the past few weeks. Friends have cooked and entertained for us. My mother and my mother-in-law have come to the house and cleaned, organized, brought gifts, and cooked meals for us to get us through the weeks Brayson was in the hospital. Jeremy's Nanny has also cooked us many wonderful meals topped off with her fantastic desserts! We know that so many wonderful people have prayed for us and for Brayson over the last couple of months. I am blessed because I have a beautiful baby boy who is now at home with us sleeping in his craddle making the sweetest little baby sounds. Every time he looks at me my heart melts! He immediately lifts my spirits with his sweet grin. I am blessed because I have a truly wonderful husband whose love I never doubt! I referred to him yesterday as a diamond in the rough! I have to brag on him because he is so great. He is so loving and helpful and encouraging. From massaging my tense muscles to changing dirty diapers (really dirty ones!), getting bottles ready, doing laundry and dishes, running errands, doing yardwork and everything in between - he has simply blown me away! He is what is keeping our lives somewhat in order right now. I love him so much and am so thankful to have him in my life. He is going to be the best dad Brayson could ever wish for!

I can't stop taking pictures of Brayson. He seems to change a little bit every day, and I don't want to miss a thing! Here are a few a took a couple of days ago. Brayson is lying in a cradle that has been in our family for over 24 years! A friend of the family built this craddle when I was born. I slept in it, my sister slept in it, and now Brayson rests in it! How special!

Jeremy was holding Brayson in our living room, and I noticed the beautiful light pouring through the window. I had to grab my camera! I love this shot!

Happy Mother's Day to all of the wonderful moms out there!

~ Crystal

Sunday, May 13, 2007

Sun, 13 May 2007 00:39:10 GMT

MICHELLE'S BRIDALS

I have been looking forward to Michelle's wedding since she booked me to shoot it last year. She is such a fun and sweet person, and she is going to be a gorgeous bride!! She has been planning the perfect wedding. She is working with some of the best vendors around, so I know it will be fabulous! We went out to shoot her bridals while Brayson was still in the hospital. My great uncle was so kind and opened up his home for us to shoot in. We were definitely not lacking in great spots to shoot, and we had a blast with the leopard print walls!

A few favorites....

~ Crystal

Thursday, May 10, 2007

Thu, 10 May 2007 23:46:06 GMT

Things are going great! Brayson had his first bath at home tonight. It was a little stressful for all involved. We are still getting the whole bathtime routine down. :) Isn't he so cute!

Thursday, May 10, 2007

Thu, 10 May 2007 02:55:59 GMT

HOME AT LAST

Wow! It seemed this day would never come! It has been seven weeks since we have spent a day outside of the hospital. It has been a long, tiring, and emotional road, but "Peanut" finally came home yesterday!!! Our night "rooming in" at the hospital went well, and last night was even better. Everyone had told me to enjoy my sleep while I could before he came home, but to be honest, the past two nights have been some of the best rest I have gotten since I went into labor. Brayson sleeps great day and night, and we have to wake him up for almost every feed. He came home on an apnea monitor that he will have to be hooked up to for probably a month or two. It is a bit of a hassle, but it will let us know if he ever stops breathing or if his heart rate drops too low.

The dogs are doing well around him. I don't think they know what to think of him. They sniff at him, but they never get too close. Our maltese has already gotten a bit protective of him. It will be fun to see how they are around him over the next few weeks. Jeremy has the week off so that we can all spend time together as a family. The doctors and nurses told us to really relax and bond with Brayson over the next few days. We plan on doing just that! We also have to limit the number of visitors he has for a little while. His white blood cell count is still low, so it would be very easy for him to get really sick right now. His pediatrician will be checking his count again in a few days to see if it has gone up any. We will keep you all posted. Well, I am off to get his next bottle ready. Hopefully he will start breastfeeding soon, and I won't have to mess with bottles anymore! :) Enjoy these photos!!!

~ Crystal

Monday, May 07, 2007

Mon, 07 May 2007 02:28:13 GMT

DISAPPOINTED AGAIN.....

Alright, so we decided that we will no longer get excited about the possibilities of Brayson coming home. We will get excited once he IS home. Last night he started having episodes with desatting AGAIN, and so AGAIN we are not getting to bring him home. I, however, have decided that I will be staying day and night at the hospital so that I can feed him every feed myself since he has not desatted on any of his feeds with me. (knock on wood) So far so good. I just have to see for myself what is going on with him. I will be camping out in the waiting room making sure to be in the nursery every three hours day and night. I wish they would just let me sleep in one of the many spare rooms they have around here, but no such luck. Please continue to keep us all in your prayers. This is not easy for me or Jeremy or our families. Please pray for Brayson. His red blood cell count is low and he may end up getting a blood transfusion if it doesn't come up. It came up a little today, but it still needs to come up more tomorrow. The doctor seems to think that his desatting episodes are due to a possible infection, so they are looking for all signs of an infection. If he has one he will be on antibiotics and may end up being here for 7 to 10 more days. I don't really think an infection is what was causing his desats last night since he has not desatted all day with me, but please pray.

Thank you. We will be keeping you all updated.

~ Crystal

Wednesday, May 02, 2007

Wed, 02 May 2007 14:41:41 GMT

TYLER AND AMANDA

So after my stressful day yesterday with Brayson I decided to take a little time to myself this morning. I am hoping to catch the blog up very soon with the three fabulous weddings I shot before I went into labor and a great bridal session I shot over the weekend, but right now it is Tyler and Amanda's fun and sexy engagement shoot. This couple is GREAT. We shared so many laughs that I really needed on a day a couple of weeks ago when Brayson wasn't doing so great. They are getting married on 7/7/07.....the biggest day for weddings this year! :) Enjoy a few of my favorites!