A Visit from the Costers



Saturday the 14th, we had the pleasure of a visit from my cousin Chris, his wife Mary and their son Jackson. It was so terrific to see each other especially because it had been a very long time since we had hung out and Chelle had never had the pleasure of meeting Mary.
They arrived Saturday evening and we spent the night on the patio catching up.




Sunday morning we ate lunch at Dukes in Huntington Beach. The weather was a bit overcast, but pleasant and not too terribly hot. The Costers can handle hot though, they live in Phoenix.



We hung out on the beach while Jackson played in the surf. He looks like a pro surfer in the making.
Huntington Beach was preparing for the US Open Surf Competition that starts on Friday the 20th of July (today). It was a good thing we got there when we did. I am pretty sure that this weekend that beach will be super crowded and there wont be a place to sit.




Jackson only had two skate boards with him in the car, so of course he needed a new one. Chris is a great dad and spent a lot of time with Jackson helping him to pick out the perfect one.



Another nice surprise was that there was a stage set up and a band was playing cover songs. They actually sounded pretty good. It created a very cool atmosphere.



It wouldn't be a LAcrowe blog if we didn't have a picture of Chelle and I in some sort of embrace. I'm not sure if our readers know this, but we kinda like each other.



Back at the house, Jackson and I swam laps in our olympic sized swimming pool. Ok, it's not quite olympic size, but it works great to cool off and it's fits two floaties to rest on when you need a tan.


Bonus photo: believe me, I'm not a hater but seriously what has happened to our sense of fashion. We all sat in amazement as this guy walked down the beach with his shorts almost to his ankles and we were strangely glad that his t-shirt was made for a giant.

The Fourth Day of July in 2007

Tuesday afternoon, Chelle and I drove over to the Fullerton Amtrack station and boarded the north bound train. It was so much fun to see the sights and not have to be responsible to navigate the route and deal with traffic. I really wish I had thought of this when I was driving to Santa Maria twice a month back in '05. We even scored a table so I was able to set up my portable office and continue working.


Chelle on the train to Santa Barbara


Christian on the train


Downtown LA and the Pacific Ocean as seen from the train


Chelle pretending to be a flight attendant

We ended our north bound excursion in Santa Barbara, where we were picked up by the young Shockro. We also collected Greg's friend and co-worker Vincent and his girlfriend Oeffa (they are a sweet couple from Ireland). We headed over to Brophy Brothers in the Harbor and met up with Megan, Greg's father Mike and his wife Deb. We had a few drinks and got caught up and then went to the hotel to check in and get cleaned up.
At 8:00 we all went to dinner at the Sage and Onion where we met up with Wendy. We nearly had the place to ourselves. It was amazing. Chelle and I ate here with the Greg, Megan, Jennifer and Mike when we went sailing in Memorial Day 2005. The food was as great as ever and everyone really had a fantastic time.


The whole group at the Sage and Onion


Greg and his sister Jennifer - Liz and Jeff

The next morning we met back up at Brophy Bro's for brunch. We were then joined by Jeff Hoskins and his girlfriend Liz. After eating we loaded onto Mike's sailboat. The Harbor was alive with activity. There were people everywhere filling their boarts full of food and beer.
We went out on our first sail and unlike the last time I was on this boat, I didn't get seasick. Yeah! Unfortunately though, Deb, Jen, Oeffa and Vinney all did. I didn't get any pictures during the sail and since so many were fealing ill, we were not out to sea very long. However, back on dry land the festivities continued until the last firework exploded.


Vincent, Greg and Christian


Chelle and Liz - Vincent, Oeffa, Jennifer and Greg


Jennifer and Chelle - Deb, Chelle, Megan and Wendy




M'Belle - My Bella with Megan


Chelle down under


Mike and Deb


Happy Couple

My digital camera started misbehaving so I didn't get any pictures of the fireworks. They were awesome and seeing them from the deck of a sailboat added to the experience. After the fireworks ended, Greg, Megan, Jen, Chelle and I walked the two blocks to our hotel and got in a quick sleep before going back to the Amtrack station in the morning to head home.

Impromptu Sunday Evening in Laguna Beach

Last Sunday Chelle and I were lazying (that's right, it's a new word) around the house when we got a phone call from Mike and Angela. They were headed down to Laguna Beach to hang out and get dinner. We jumped in the car and headed down to meet them. We ate dinner at Las Brisas under the stars, overlooking the Pacific Ocean. It was so fun.


Wouldn't they make a good picture if they ever get married.


Chelle and I


Angela and Linney


We've been here for over two years and we still feel like we are on vacation.

Trent is the Man!

GreenLightGo School

I had the opportunity to help my friend Trent out with his Green Light Go School.

Check it out!

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Our cute puppies love to cuddle on the pillows

my cute puppies love to cuddle on the pillows
Originally uploaded by christiancrowe

Crockett and Clementine are at a kennel back in California while we are here in Austin and we miss them. Just posting this cute picture I took of them with my Blackberry make me feel better.
We'll be home tomorrow babies!!

(just in case you're reading this, be good dogs and play nice with the other animals.)

A Nice Break with friends in Austin


Jono and I hangin at the Hula Hut



Chelle and Jamye across the table from Jono and me.


Luke met up with us at some Mexican place.



Jono and Chelle on the patio at Mean Eyed Cat.


Cool painting of Johnny Cash. The bathroom doors are labeled as Johnny and June.



Glad to be able to relax with friends in Texas.

Getting back to normal

I have decided to get back to posting. We have obviously gone through some real difficulties, but Chelle and I are determined to get through and progress.
This song was recently featured on the new Jeep commercials and it has a happy vibe to it and also pays tribute to getting through difficult seasons in life and moving on.
So I post it here, and now I intend on getting back to posting the things that we celebrate; time with friends and family, and enjoying the beauty of our lives.

If You Can Give....

Many people have asked Chelle and I if there was a charity that they could donate to on behalf of baby Isaac. Our good friend Trent is heading up a non profit organization that we want to support and we would love it if you can help as well.

I've known Trent for 14 years. He has wanted to do something like this for a long time. We met when he was playing percussion for Michael W. Smith and he provided my band Versus with rehearsal space when we first moved to Nashville. Trent was responsible for creating, opening and running Rocketown, the teen dance club/outreach in Nashville, and has consulted others in opening several other clubs around the country. Now Trent has partnered with the Dream Center in Los Angeles. I took a tour of it last week and I am amazed at what they are doing there.

Please read the message below, check out his website and if you feel led give. www.greenlightgoschool.org

April 30, 2007

At the present time, your plenty will supply what they need, so that in turn their plenty will supply what you need. 2 Corinthians 8:14

Dear friends & family, You don't have to work in the music biz to see what we're up against. ya just need to have kids...or a TV...an i-pod...etc. to clearly see that THE WORLD NEEDS JESUS! It's sad that most of the media (music, TV, movies) that we ALL consume is created without the involvement of Christians. Yet it's one of the most powerful ways to reach the world! Think back to how YOU were affected, good or bad, by certain songs, or movies, ....or rockstars you imitated. (send me pics!) So...here's the simple punch-line >>> We need more of JESUS (Christians) in music and media! (and NOT the kind that does more harm than good) Gosh...why haven't we thought of this earlier? Well...I have...and many of you have. In fact many talented people have attempted to "go there"...but very few have had the unique training needed to first identify the path God has for them, then provide ways to effectively integrate them, to make an impact in our world. This is why we created GreenLightGo. As many of you know, The Dream Center in Los Angeles has invited GreenLightGo to become one of their ministries. Bobbi & I are both excited about the opportunities this represents for our entire family. (Spence plans to attend the summer program ...Sid's next?!) The Dream Center is a great ministry that reaches out to the lost and hurting in Los Angeles. Each year hundreds of young people come to the Dream Center on missions trips, or to attend the discipleship-training programs. Through this new partnership, they will now have a music & media program for young people who have a heart to become "media-missionaries", and GreenLightGo will have a great campus with dorm rooms, a recording studio, video editing suites, and live productions each week. The Dream Center is currently providing all of these facility resources, however...we need to raise $25,000. to cover our start-up expenses, and promotional/ teaching materials. We would also like to provide scholarships for a few students hoping to attend. [Summer tuition is $3,000 per student]

I'm asking you to please pray about how you might be able to help us. Whether as a guest speaker/teacher, a volunteer, or a financial giver... your gifts will provide for these now...that in turn - through the impact they make - the world will be supplied with what it needs...and (if you're a parent) our kids will be supplied with what we all need! Above all...please pray for us. Your prayers and support are truly appreciated. Thanks and God Bless, Trent Matt 28:19 "Therefore GO!..." -- Trent Dean | Executive Director GreenLightGo At The Dream Center 2301 Bellevue Avenue Los Angeles, CA 90026 ofc. 213.273.7078 cel. 818.264.9230 trent@greenlightgoschool.org greenlightgoschool.org dreamcenter.org

DONATIONS You can donate through PAYPAL on our website here> Donate to GreenLightGo OR with a check written to: GreenLightGo Mailing Address - Attn: Trent Dean /GreenLightGo The Dream Center 2301 Bellevue Avenue Los Angeles, CA 90062 To sponsor a student, or to donate "gifts in kind" such as computers, music gear, dorm/office furnishings...please contact us for more details. **All donations are tax-deductible** -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

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Pictures

It's been awhile since we have posted any photos on LaCrowe, so I am posting a few just to ease back into the swing of things. (pun intended)



Poppa Shaffer and the short but lovable Chelle on her swing.

While Chelle was in the hospital her dad hung her favorite porch swing. I gave Chelle this swing for her birthday two years ago when we were living in Nashville. She has wanted to enjoy it in every place we have lived since then, but there has never been any place to hang it. Butch, being the genius he is figured out a way to mount the swing so it is sturdy and will cause no harm to our wonderful landlords home.



Crockett is getting so big. Here we see him demonstrate how he can be a good boy.



Here comes Clementine to join in the fun on the patio.


This is the little hang out where we will be spending a lot of time this summer.

This was another little surprise that the folks put together for Chelle to enjoy when she returned from the hospital. We hope that all of our friends and family can come enjoy the wonderful California weather with us. We will make margaritas during the day or enjoy a nice glass of Shiraz in the evening. Come spend time with us. We'd love to see you.

New Domain

To make it easier to access this site I've gone ahead and added lacrowe.com to my list of domains. Now all you have to type is www.lacrowe.com to get here. I figure the few seconds you save not having to type ".blogspot.com" will add up over the years and allow you extra time to take a vacation somewhere around the time you retire.

The other domains that are in my possession thanks to godaddy.com are:
www.christiancrowe.com (my website)
www.rockingeek.com (my geeky blog)
www.crockettandclementines.com (someday we will use this for our dog clothes line)

Enjoy the extra time! :-)

Much love from Christian and Chelle Crowe.

Today was rough but beautiful

Today Chelle and I dropped off the last of the parental support. My folks were here from Thursday until Tuesday, Chelle's parents were here from Saturday evening until this morning. After we dropped them off at the airport, we went to the mortuary to finalize the arrangements for little Isaac's body. It made it easier to know that his soul was already in a better place. We believe that our little son was so important to God, that he couldn't wait to get him into heaven. We know how valuable he was to us in the short amount of time that we had him.
After making the arrangements, Chelle and I felt a big relief. We went to breakfast and then to celebrate the day with some well needed margaritas. It was an absolute beautiful day in southern California. A fact that didn't escape Chelle and I.
Once we were home, we continued to celebrate his entrance into heaven. Chelle and I listened to music and even danced a bit together in our back yard. We feel so good to know that God is in control of our lives and we can enjoy the peace that surpasses all understanding. I realize this is hard for some people to comprehend, and we pray that you to will someday realize this. We are all in God's hands whether or not we choose to relinquish control to Him. If not, please do. God is so much better at deciding our fate than we are.
As Chelle and I danced in the back yard, I played iTunes DJ and as we heard this song again, we became even more aware of the lyrics. I don't know if this band understands the beauty of the lyrics that they wrote, but we do. Please listen once again, and understand that we may not understand the miracles that happen, but God knows what he is doing.

Life is Beautiful


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Home now

It's now Wednesday morning and I am ready to share the events that have transpired since Saturday the 28th. I know so many of you have been checking frequently to see how things are going, but I have needed a few days before I could update you on what has happened up til this point. Since we have been sharing this here, so many of you have been going through this ordeal with us and it has meant the world to us. We know that your prayers have helped us get through this and for your love, prayers, and support, we can't thank you enough.

After being in hard labor for over 48 hours, Chelle began to push around 4:30 Saturday morning. With the help of Dr. Tejani and the lovely nurse Daniella, she pushed for over two and half hours, but was making no progress. Finally, the Dr. and the nurse went out in the hall to confer then came back to say it wasn't working and its time for plan b. They gave us the choice of using the vacuum and forcepts or performing a C-section. They attached a sensor to Isaac's head to monitor his heartbeat, and although it was very weak, it was still beating. We needed to know that we were doing everything possible to save the life our child, so we decided to operate. This was a difficult decision to make because the Dr. did not seem to display any positive outcome for Isaac and the last 3 hours had been very painful for Chelle.
They brought me a paper surgery outfit to put on and then rollled Chelle away. A nurse was going to come back and get me when it was time. About twenty minutes later, they came for me. I was seated on a stool by Chelle's head and allowed to hold her hand and keep her calm. She was breathing through an oxygen mask and was very drugged. As I was holding her hand, I could feel her body being moved around violenty as the doctors worked on her. Through her drugged state she was complaining that she was feeling things, so they gave her even more drugs. (Chelle had them stop the epidural drip earlier during labor so she could have more ability to push, even though it was very painful for her)
At 8:06am they got Isaac out and although I was trying not to look at the surgery going on, I could definitely tell that they were removing him. I held my breath until the doctor came over to me and informed me that there was no audible heartbeat. They gave me the option to go over and see the baby, but I chose to stay where I was and continued to hold tighlty onto my wife. A few minutes later they took me from the surgery room anyway. I was taken back to my folks to tell them our sad news and they called Chelle's parents who were driving to the airport to fly out here.
The next few minutes seemed longer than the previous three days since all I could do was pace the hallway until they finally rolled Chelle back into the room. Waiting for Chelle to return really scared me. The thoughts of possibly loosing her were so unbearable, that I couldn't take the few minutes of uncertainty.
Our doctor explained to us that Isaac had been stuck so badly and no amount of pushing would have moved him further. It was a good thing we had chose a C-section, since attempting to remove him with forcepts could have damaged Chelle even further and they would still have had to do a C-section after all. I can tell you now, that if the Doctor and nurse had not made us make a decision to try something different when they did, my beautiful and determined wife would still be there pushing. She is such a trooper and a fighter!!!

Chelle was out of it the rest of Saturday. Only waking up for very brief moments to look at me and see that I was still there by her side. Saturday night Butch and Betty arrived and fortunately Chelle was awake when they got to the hospital. Betty opted to stay with Chelle in the room that night so I could go home, shower and sleep. It was awful being apart!
Sunday Chelle and I saw our little boy. Initally, we didn't want to name him or have to make a decision with what to do with his tiny body. One just cannot describe how difficult it is to be faced with these decisions - hopefully none of us will have to face this again. We sought the counsel of others to get through what seemed like the hardest choices we would ever have to make. Even though it was excrutiatingly painful, we are very glad we can say that we won't look back on this time with regret. Chelle thought he looked like me and I saw her in his little face. We held him together and sobbed. We prayed over his little body, but were very aware that his soul was in heaven and he was in peace. He would have had many challenges to overcome and would have spent a long time in the hospital had he survived. Now he is able to rest and we are able to put our lives back together one day at a time.
Although, we were supposed to remain in the hospital until Wednesday, Chelle chose to come home Monday afternoon. We attempted to create an oasis for her back at the house, with a new backyard patio set and her dad hung her favorite porch swing. (I'll take pictures and post soon.)
Also, when Chelle came home we had both sets of wonderful parents plus the puppies to give her the best possible care.
The last few days have been the hardest Chelle and I have ever had to go through. This certainly isn't what we expected. You have all been so great to have in our lives even if it was only through comments left on the blog. Just to know that you were praying and caring for us has made a huge impact. We have been reunited with friends from far away and other amazing things have happened during this time.
Chelle and I had hoped that no matter what happened, that God would be glorified. We prayed that believers' faith would be strengthened and that unbelievers would see God through all this. We cannot be sure how God worked through our son Isaac to impact your lives, but I know that Chelle and I have continued to build our faith and we feel even closer to each other, our family and God through our son's brief time here. We hope you do to.
Lastly, let me just say, Chelle and I know so many of you want to talk about this with us on the phone. Please give us time to grieve and figure out how we feel. It is great to recieve comments here, and emails. But if you choose to call us, please know we are simply not ready to discuss this at this time. I have been very candid on the blog in hopes to keep everyone informed and as close to us as possible. Chelle and I feel we have all been sharing in this experience together and we recognize that it is hard for all of us! No one has all of the answers, there simply are none. Please respect our wishes to look to the positives in this situation. We have one another, we have our faith and we have our future to look forward to!
We need you all to know that we love you so very much and treasure having you as friends. Thank you for allowing us to discuss this difficult time when we are prepared and not until we decide that time has come.

Checking out.

Its Monday the 30th at 4:00pm and we are leaving the hospital. We are so glad to be heading home.
I'll share more information with everyone here soon.


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Rest in Peace Isaac Crowe

With the deepest sadness in our hearts, we say goodbye to our son Isaac. 
We really can't say more at the moment, our hearts are broken.



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4:55am The Dr. Is here

We have started pushing.
Chelle is doing real well.


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4:20am 10cm.

We are fully dialated. Its finally time.

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1:00am. 9cm

Chelle is on her third epidural and has now reached 9cm.  We are very close now.


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10:05pm. 7cm

I slept for 60 minutes and awoke to learn that we are now dilated to 7cm.
The nurse is putting together the birthing table.

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8:30pm. Still 6cm

Still waiting.
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Our Home Away From Home

This is where we have been spending a lot of time lately.


We will be happy to go back to our other home.