I hope everyone is enjoying this amazing warm weather! I'm sure no one is as excited as Steph. Besides being EXTREMELY tired, the sensitivity to cold is the worst side effect right now. The cold is at times almost too much to take so even a little break from the frigid temps is very welcome! Both the sensitivity to cold and the constant fatigue have played a huge part in Steph's decision to take a leave of absence from teaching. She was just stretching herself too thin. She was working 12-14 hours a day between coaching and teaching. Then she and Scot are up often every night with one or both of the boys. Last week was a crazy one. As she was preparing for the KTXR tournament Steph got news that her Grandfather had passed away. The funeral was in Branson and she had to rush back so that home health care could unhook her IV. She went back to church for a lunch with her family. She then found the time to lead her Lady Chiefs to a championship in the KTXR Classic! (CONGRATS LADY CHIEFS!) This would wear a person out on a good weekend! She is truly the toughest girl I know so imagine my disbelief when I asked what she wanted to be put in the blog and she replied, "Just that....this is SOOOOOOO hard for me." My heart is breaking for her right now. I am hoping that this leave of absence will be good for her mentally and physically. So we press on into 2008. I will remain hopeful and faithful, as that is the only thing to do. I have a good feeling about this new year. 2007 was the year that Steph was diagnosed...2008 WILL be the year that she BEATS this. So keep praying for Steph. Pray that the Good Lord will give her the strength that she needs to get through each day. Again, we can't thank you all enough for your support. It is because of the Stephanie Phillips Foundation that she is able to take this leave of absence and really focus on taking better care of herself. It also will take care of the deductibles that she must meet all over again this year. Last but definitely not least, we are able to help numerous families who are battling cancer as well. I know I have mentioned this before but it is really important to Steph that we help others as much as we can. We can't thank you all enough for the generosity that has been shown by so many people. It means the world to all of us. I wish I could thank each person individually, but it's just not possible!