I have Word 2003. If you go to Tools, Templates and Add-ins you'll see the Document Template you're using (named 'normal.dot' by default). If you hit the Attach button you'll see where that file is located. This file holds the default settings that Word uses when it starts up. What you need to do is set up your document exactly how you'd like to see it when you open Word, then save it as a template overwriting the normal.dot file.
(I suggest making a backup of your normal.dot before doing this, by the way)
Hope this is what you're looking for.