I'm Still Here!

Hello to All!
I'm sorry that it's taken me awhile to get this new blog off the ground!  Life's been busy...but a GOOD busy! 

First, 'thank-you' is SUCH an understatement to express my gratitude for the many expressions of love that my parents, Annie-Laurie and I have recieved (and are continuing to receive) over these past three months!  God, through you, is sustaining us, and we are truly surviving this!

Though Chad continues to be in our daily thoughts, life DOES march on.  Annie-Laurie is back in her beloved Mississippi being VERY busy and also very happy.  She just a couple weeks ago began her 'dream job' as a student trainer in the athletic department at Mississippi State and is loving every minute of it!  If you'd have told me a year ago that Annie-Laurie Tipton would be up and ready for ANYTHING at 5 a.m., I'd have said you were crazy!!  Her strength and grace through all of this has made me a very proud mom!! 

My parents, I'm happy to say, are also doing very well!  Our dog, P.J., is staying with them 'temporarily', and it's as though the three of them have always been together!!  They're all taking care of each other, and P.J., though quite spoiled already, thinks he's in heaven!!  Every time I speak to them on the phone, there's a new 'P.J. Story'!  I placed 'temporarily' in quotation marks because I don't believe that I'll ever have the heart to seperate the three of them!

I decided to take a leave of absence from my job for the first semester of the school year, and am resting, relaxing, and continuing to heal in sunny Arizona.  Waking up to sunshine EVERY day has been very good for my psyche!  And with the low humidity, every day's a good hair day....HUGE bonus!

Cardinals continue to bless me almost daily!  Amazingly, I quite often spot one when I'm talking about Chad....as if he's letting me know that he hears me!  I truly believe that he does! 

I've felt a little meloncholy with the beginning of the school year and soccer season.  Those of you who knew Chad know that, while he didn't generally enjoy the academia of school, he DID love the socializing....and the soccer!  I know he's SO happy that there's no homework in heaven, but I'm sure he'd leave there for one day just to 'kick around' with the guys!  I know his spirit will be on that field for each practice and each game!   Have a great season, Crusaders!!



Love to all of you!
Julie