NEW BLOG!!! NEW BLOG!!!

Woohoo!!! Come on over and check out my brand new blog! CLICK HERE!



www.crystalgoss.squarespace.com

I am so excited to have my new blog, and I will certainly be giving it lots and lots of love! :) I am still working out a few kinks....learning how everything goes, but I just posted my first post! Come check out Michelle and Brett's wedding! And update your bookmarks because I will no longer be posting on this blog, but I will leave it up as an archive of my old posts.

Bye bye, blogger! You've been good to me!

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

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

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

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

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

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!

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