It has been almost two months since the family gathered for the back-yard celebration of our son Stephen’s 38th birthday.  Many things have happened since that time, but Dave and Jan have always had many reasons to thank the Lord for bringing Stephen (as well as Alissa) into their lives.  And Meagan’s life has been changed in many ways as well because of Stephen’s life.

The family who gathered for the birthday party included (left to right) Chip Clampitt, Connie Seymour, Heidi Clampitt, Jan, Erin, Dave, Meagan, Stephen, Bruce Seymour, Benjamin Clampitt, Ryan, and Amos Clampitt.

Missing from the family picture (because Dave didn’t realize she had gone into the house) was Zerlinda Clampitt, shown here beside her grandmother, Connie Seymour.

Instead of the traditional birthday cake, Jan made ice cream pies – some of Stephen’s favorites when it comes to dessert.

Among Stephen’s birthday gifts was a package of “face coasters,” with a variety of facial alternatives for those who like to experiment with different facial options.

For the youngsters the day included some cruises in one of two motorized cars a neighbor put out on the sidewalk with a “free” sign several weeks before Stephen’s birthday arrived.

The youngsters also enjoyed some play on a “slip and slide” on the lawn in Dave and Jan’s back yard.

Another reason to celebrate came soon after Stephen’s birthday when he received word of a job offer from Zeiss (Carl Zeiss, Inc.), an international lens company headquartered in Germany.  After around two and a half years of unemployment and under-employment we are all excited about the company’s offer of the position of Cinema Technical Sales Specialist.  He will be in charge of a new office in a high-rise in Sherman Oaks, beginning Monday, October 28th, where he will handle technical issues and sales for Zeiss’ cinema lenses – something Stephen is very familiar with because of his 7-8 years with Red Digital Cinema and, more recently, two years with Maxx Digital.  With his wife Meagan out of town for a homecoming celebration at the college she attended in Indiana, the family joined in a small celebration of the long-awaited good news of Stephen’s employment opportunity.

Given a November 31 target date to have his family relocated in the area of his new job, Stephen has been making trips to explore housing options in the Sherman Oaks area north of Hollywood where the family would like to settle.  We are all very grateful for the Lord’s provision, after a lengthy wait, of what looks to be an ideal job situation for Stephen for the years ahead – on a job which will pay a significant starting salary with a company which has over 200 years of experience in the lens business (making virtually every kind of lens imaginable).  As you can tell, there is plenty of reason to celebrate!