He is.

The Anointed One.

Lord Almighty.

The only Begotten.

The Chosen.

Comforter.

Healer.

Counselor.

Creator.

Deliverer.

The Good Shepherd.

The Light of the world.

Mediator.

Prince of Peace.

Savior.

Redeemer.

Teacher.

I love Christmas.

I am honored to be able to set aside one day a year to celebrate my Beloved Savior.

He is the reason I have every blessing, moment of happiness, and good thing in my life.

And He does so much for me.

There are many names in the scriptures used to describe Jesus Christ, and as I thought about all the different names of the Savior, I realized something...

All these names are not only who He is, but they are all what He does.

He comforts me.

He heals me.

He teaches me.

He guides me.

He counsels me.

He loves me.

He has redeemed me.

He saves me.

He is my everything.

What a wonderful thing to celebrate Him today.

My Savior, Brother, Redeemer, and Friend.

It is my privilege to celebrate You.

Sincerely,

Samantha Dru

I made it.

I made it.
I survived my first semester of college.
I would most definitely call that a success.

I moved in with five girls.
Clothes went missing.
I was constantly out of food.
There were tears.
And meltdowns.
And a lot of inside jokes created.

I bought and wore a BYU shirt.
I went to a BYU football game...
And I even cheered for the Cougars (not my proudest moment).

I made it to all my 7 am classes.
And only missed a couple others.
And I realized that unlike high school, college takes some work.

I screamed at a poor, innocent and very handsome jogger.
I also may have kissed an unknown (but adorable) boy on the side of the road.
And other than that had a completely nonexistent love-life.

I stayed up until the wee hours of the morning far too many times.
And I was usually running on 3-4 hours of sleep.
But don't worry, somehow I managed to never fall asleep in class.

I learned a lot,
And it was hard,
Exhausting,
Unexpected,
And absolutely the best 5 months ever!

I made it.

Sincerely,

Samantha Dru

Speak.

20,000.
On average, that's how many words humans speak per day.
When I first heard this, that seemed like a lot of words,
But then I realized it doesn't take many words to lift someone up,
To help heal a wounded heart,
To make someone feel loved, appreciated,
To make someone feel worth it.
But just the same, it doesn't take many words to tear someone down,
To hurt another,
To wound or to destroy.

What words do I speak?
Do I speak words that spreads positivity and joy?
Do I speak words that make others feel loved, needed, and appreciated?
Do my words give comfort, healing, and strength?
Do I use words that share truth?

There may be a lot of things in life that are completely out of my control, but I choose every word that comes out of my mouth.
And if I get to choose the words I speak, I will choose to speak words that make the world a better place.

I will speak.
Speak love.
Speak comfort.
Speak strength.
Speak healing.
Speak goodness.
Speak truth.

Sincerely,

Samantha Dru

Happy Birthday Zack(:

Zackary Robert Murphy.

20 years old,

And the most amazing (2nd oldest) brother in the world!

I've never met a more determined (cough cough *stubborn) person,

Which is why he always accomplishes what he sets his mind to.

He's one of the funniest people I know, 

And wherever he goes joy and laughter follows.

He is brilliant beyond belief.

Not to mention he is amazingly talented at everything he does,

I don't know that he's ever tried something and not been fantastic at it.

He is the most loyal, 

Kind, 

Hard working, 

Obedient,

One-of-a-kind,

And genuine person you will ever meet.

And once you meet him, you'll understand exactly what I love him so very much!

Happy Birthday Zackary Dackery Dock!

I miss you(:

Enjoy being 20 years old!

Sincerely,

Samantha Dru

Today and Everyday.

Thanksgiving.

I love Thanksgiving, and I love what is stands for.

A day dedicated to expressing thanks and gratitude for all we have.

But why don't we extend our one day of gratitude to every day?

Being thankful is a choice.

I think it's a choice we should make every single day.

No matter how hard life gets, for every one thing we can find reason to complain about, there are at least one hundred things we can be grateful for.

"We can choose to be grateful, no matter what." -President Uchtdorf

I choose to be grateful.

But looking at my life, I wonder how I could ever choose anything else?

I have an amazing family; they're my whole world, and I know I couldn't make it through this life without them.

I live in a country that offers me freedom; I am free to belong to any religion I choose, to be allowed to say what I believe, to choose what I want to do and be in life.

I'm lucky enough to be a student at one of the top universities in the country; and I'm surrounded by some truly amazing and incredible talented people.

I live with five of the most kind, loving, smart, beautiful (inside and out), and amazing girls I have ever met, and they're making me a better person everyday I spend with them.

I grew up in a home where I was never left wanting or needing of anything.

I've had to endure some very hard times, but I have made it through and become stronger because of them.

I've found happiness after thinking it was lost from me forever.

And most of all,

Above all else, 

I have my older Brother, my Savior and Redeemer, Comforter and Friend,

Who loves me, 

Picks me up when I fall,

Carries me when I'm too weak to walk,

Who guides and helps me through every trial, hard time, and bad day.

I have the Gospel, a testimony and knowledge of the Truth.

And because of this, I have found relief, hope, peace, love, and true joy.

And for these things, I will be forever grateful.

And I will choose to be grateful, today and everyday.

Sincerely,

Samantha Dru

Friends Forever.

In my opinion, having good friends is one of the most important things in life.

And I happen to have great friends.

I may not have hundreds of friends,

And I may only text 5 people (my mother included) on a regular basis,

But that's all I need.

I don't deserve the friends I have.

They're truly outstanding people.

I can call them at any time, day or night, with anything I need.

And sometimes they'll call me at 1 in the morning to tell me they love me, and to reassure me of all my self-doubts. 

They keep me in line and don't let me do anything I would regret.

They're brutally honest with me.

I can always go to them with any of my problems-whether they involve boys, school, family, or just life in general. 

We have hundreds of inside jokes that even if we did explain to other people they probably wouldn't think they're funny.

We love each other so much.

And we'll be friends forever.

I thank heaven every day for blessing me with amazing friends.

I really don't know where I would be without them.

Sincerely,

Samantha Dru

Happy Birthday Dad(:

Happy Birthday Dad!

You're not to usual dad,

Let's be honest, you're sort of a nut,

But I love you so, so much!

You stand with me at the top of cliffs when I'm too scared to jump.

And you're always there to help me look on the bright side.

You always offer me a bite of what you're eating, even though I'm allergic.

You try so hard to make jokes, and blame it on your "superior intellect" when no one laughs.

And you always make me get back out of the car when I open my own door.

You also seem to have nearly 100 nicknames for me, and now I usually just answer to anything.

You hug me tight when I cry for absolutely no reason.

And you really have just been the best dad I could ever have asked for.

Even though I don't deserve it in the least,

Your love for me seems unconditional.

You're truly one of the most genuine, 

Kind, 

Smart,

Hard working,

Happy,

Loving,

And inspiring people I know.

I love you.

And if I never get married, I may have to blame you.

Because after watching you be the most amazing friend, husband, and father,

I have what seem to many, completely unreasonable expectations.

Happy Birthday Dad(:

Sincerely,

Samantha Dru

Happy Now.

Call it my Pursuit of Happiness,
Or call it my eternal objective.

But whatever you call it,
It's the same thing.
I have a goal,
My lifelong dream.
And I can't wait for the day that my dream will come true.

But until then,
I need to learn to be happy now.
No matter the circumstances,
No matter the trials I'm facing.
Because if I can't be happy now,
Why would I be happy later?

Happiness is not only the destination,
It's a way of life.
A state of mind.
A daily choice.

And today,
I choose happiness.

Sincerely,

Samantha Dru

Room 3104.

In the beginning, I was pretty sure Aubrey thought I was insane.
Jori was almost too sweet to even believe.
And I knew with Emily around I definitely would't ever be bored.
Tiffany was hilarious and for sure not what I expected.
And finally I could have never guessed Haili and I would ever end up being so close. (aka chicken nugget)

Just a mere 7 weeks ago, these five girls were complete strangers to me.
And today, at the risk of sounding cheesy, we're best friends and a (very special and unique) family.

In fact, we call ourselves the #futurhousewivesofroom3104

I kid you not, if you spent a day in our apartment you would understand why I love it so much.

You'd laugh until you cried.
You would experience what terrible cooking is at its finest.
And probably hear about 50% of BYU's cute boy population.
Oh, and you'd get a kick out of our bizarre calendar that is labeled with everything from "Midterms today!" to "I saw a llama walking across campus."
You would hear countless mean girl and/or Disney references.
And the phrase, "I'm never going to get married!!!" hundreds of times.
You would become educated on the many ways to wear a scarf, including as a turban.
And you may hear us insult one another, but really, it's how we say "I love you."
Maybe you'd have a theory about what happened to the missing chicken.
But most of all, you'd see why I love living here with these 5 amazing people.

They're truly amazing, and it's no coincidence we all ended up together.

When you first meet all of us, you wouldn't expect us to even like each other.
Then put together the six of us and all our weird quarks and strong personalities into one small apartment and it really shouldn't work,
But it does.
It just works.
And I love these girls,
Every single one of them,
So, so much.

#apartment3104forever

Sincerely,

Samantha Dru 

(sometimes referred to as Chicken)

Happy Birthday Buddy(:

The kindest,

Most sincere,

Selfless,

Forgiving,

Wise, 

Gentle,

Smart,

Talented,

Obedient,

Hard working,

Dedicated,

Wonderful person I know.

To you, a very happy birthday!

You are my very best friend, Mom!

And I wouldn't have it any other way!

You can always make me laugh,

And you're always there when I need to cry.

You give the best advice,

And you help me be the best Sam I can be!

And for that, I am forever grateful!

You will forever hold a very precious place in my heart.

And you will always be my best buddy(:

I love you Mom!

Happy birthday!(:

       

Sincerely,

Samantha Dru

But if not.

But if not.

I have a plan.
I know what I want my life to be like.

I want a good life.
A simple life.
A happy life.
Filled with love, adventure, truth, and joy.

That's always been my plan.
But more often than not, my plans take a detour.

And it hurts.
It scares me.
And I simply don't understand why I can't seem to find the happiness I so desperately want.

So I still have my plan.
I still want that good and simple life.

But if not,
If I don't find exactly what I'm looking for,
If it's taking a little longer then I expected,
I still have to keep moving forward.

Because even though its not going according to my plan,
There's someone else who knows what I need a lot better than I know.
He has a plan for me.
A perfect plan.

Sincerely,

Samantha Dru

TJ and Janene.

I've read hundreds of love stories.
And I've watched all the best chick flicks (several times each I might add).
And none of those compare to the love story of TJ and Janene.

It started 6 years ago when they were both sophomores at AF.
It started with hello, and in no time at all, you could just tell.

You can see it in the way he looks at her.
You can see it in the way she blushes every time he kisses her.
You can just see it, really.

It's a love story for the ages.
And I've know it for years.

I'm so excited that these two could be married for time and all eternity.
They were made for each other, and when you see them together, it just makes sense why it didn't work out with anyone else.

Congratulations TJ and Janene!
Today it really all begins.
Today through forever.

Sincerely,

Samantha Dru

Graduation Day!

In my family, we have this running joke that certain things that happen to me are things that would only ever happen to me.

But it makes for good stories and always a good laugh.

And of course, graduation couldn't be the exception to the rule.

I'd been waiting for that day for years.

I mean I had a paper chain for the last 100 days of high school.

I was so excited in fact, I had convinced myself that it was going to be the perfect day.

And things were going smoothly, and I almost believed the day would go off without a hitch.

I was so close,

So close to being done.

All that was left was my name being called so I could walk across the stage to receive my diploma.

I waited patiently for my name to be called.

There were only a few people left in front of me.

Right before it was my turn the announcer asked me, "Do you want your name to be called as Samantha Dru Murphy or Samantha Murphy?"

"Sam Murphy or Samantha Dru Murphy, really anything but just Samantha Murphy," I replied.

And then it was my turn.

They're calling my name.

"Samantha Murdock."

What?!?!

That isn't my name!

But yes, they mean me...

I walked across the stage, thinking to myself,

"I have three choices here: get mad, cry, or laugh because this is one of those things that would only ever happen to me."

So I laughed(:

And at the end of the day, even though technically Sam Murphy really wasn't even part of the program, I'm still so excited to have made it this far!

And high school, now that I'm all done, here is what I have to say to you.

You nearly did me in.

And you weren't the party everyone promised you'd be.

And let's be honest, we're not the best of friends.

We've had our ups and downs,

Mostly downs.

And I can't say I'm going to miss you.

But you taught me a lot, and helped me become who I am today.

And even though I'd never in a million years go back,

I wouldn't trade these last four years for the world.

So high school,

Thanks for everything.

And now I'm on to bigger and better things!

Sincerely,

Samantha Dru

Senior Prom.

Senior Prom.

Its what every girl looks forward to all of high school.

Its when I forget that I'm a broke future college student and buy that perfect dress.

And its the night that, just for a few hours, I get to feel like a princess. 

Every girl dreams about it.

You go with that perfect boy.

You wear the perfect dress.

Do your hair just right.

And dance the night away.

Well, I did wear my perfect dress,

And my hair was gorgeous,

and I definitely danced the night away.

There was one thing that was a little different,

I didn't even know my date.

You heard me.

My senior prom was a blind date.

And I'm not going to lie,

I didn't know what to expect.

But it was perfect.

He was a complete gentlemen.

Opened all the doors for me,

Pulled out a chair for me to sit in,

And made it such a fun night!

Thank you Jarek for making my senior prom such an amazing night!

Sincerely,

Samantha Dru

Because of Him.

Easter.

A day of celebration.

A celebration of Christ's resurrection.

What a miraculous event this was.

And because of Him,

Because of His selfless sacrifice that only He could perform,

I can live a wonderful, worthy life.

He suffered the greatest pain to atone for my sins,

And then died for me,

So that I could be forgiven of my sins and return to live with Him and Heavenly Father again one day.

I will never be able to repay Christ for all He has given me.

Because of Him I can be with my family forever.

Because of Him I can one day be married in the temple.

Because of Him I stand today, worthy, with a sure testimony, and very happy.

I owe Christ all that I have, all that I am, and all I will ever become.

I love my Savior.

He has given me everything.

And He is everything to me.

Sincerely,

Samantha Dru

First Kiss.

Standing underneath the stars, looking into each other's eyes.

And then he uses his hand to gently brush away a strand of hair.

And from there his hand falls to caress your face.

He continues on to say something so perfect and adorable you're sure he's rehearsed it hundreds of times.

And then...

He kisses you.

Doesn't that sounds perfect?

Too bad it wasn't mine. 

Of course, like any girl, I had been looking forward to my first kiss since kindergarten. 

I knew exactly how I wanted it to go.

It would be with the most wonderful boy in the world.

And it would be beyond romantic.

Wrong.

I could argue that I had the most awkward and unromantic first kiss in all of history.

Don't believe me?

Let me tell you about it then...

I was 14 with braces, acne, and no sense of style.

And we weren't under the stars gazing into each other's eyes.

We were in my next door neighbors basement.

With Nacho Libre playing in the background.

And he never brushed away a strand of hair, because, like always, my hair was in a bun.

Refer back to "no sense of style."

His hands never caressed my face.

No, his hands hung awkwardly at his side.

And looking back, I'm not sure our lips even fully met.

I could tell he was freaking out and having one of those "its now or never" moments.

And I guess he chose now.

But I think between the fact that he was so worried he'd lose his new found confidence to kiss me and being in a dark room, he didn't really make his target.

He kissed about half lips, half cheek.

Awkward.

And don't forget Nacho Libre playing in the background, because that's like icing on the cake.

But did I care?

No, not at all.

Because at 14 I thought I loved this boy and we someday end up married.

Wrong again.

And I thought that we could one day tell our three adorable children the story of our "perfect first kiss."

So, so wrong.

So I guess what I'm saying here is;

Wait it out kids.

Wait until your acne has cleared up,

And the braces have been taken off.

And definitely wait until the boy is smart enough to at least press mute on Nacho Libre.

Because you don't want a first kiss like mine.

Just trust me on this one.

Sincerely,

Samantha Dru

Worth the Wait.

"Do you ever wish you had a sister?"

In the last 17+ years I have heard that question countless times.

And I always answered the same way,

"No, because I have the three best brothers in the world. And girls are too much drama."

That's how I replied every single time.

And it was the truth.

I never felt like I missed out on anything.

I still played with dolls and I still wore hand-me-downs (Thanks to my mother I looked like a boy until I was 4 years old and threw tantrums if I was in anything but a dress).

And truthfully, why would I feel like I was missing out when I had the three most wonderful and amazing brothers in the world?

We had the best times together.

I did things that no girl with sisters ever did, I assure you.

I went repelling off my banister.

I fought in chicken fights,

I dominated in spit wad wars.

I knew how to wrestle (even though a size advantage was never on my side).

I can quote the scout law and the scout oath, and tie all the important knots.

I am pro at assisting in the building of the most technical pinewood derby cars you ever did see.

I'm not afraid of getting dirty, and I love rough-housing.

I'm my daddy's little girl, and as everyone loves to point out, I've had him wrapped around my finger since day 1.

And I grew up with 3 brothers who have always protected me and don't tolerate anyone besides themselves messing with their little sister. 

So again, no, I never felt bad about not having a sister.

But now, in just 88 short days, I'm going to have a sister.

And I can't even explain my excitement!

I've known her for over 5 years, and she's changed my life.

She's inspired me to become a better person.

She's taught me to become more Christlike in all I do.

And every year since I've met her, one of my New Years resolutions has to "become more like Janene."

I've secretly wanted her to be my sister since the day I met her.

And now its happening!

And I couldn't be happier!

I'm getting the best sister in the world.

Heavenly Father knew that one day I'd need a sister.

And He's blessed me with the best sister I could ask for.

And let me tell you, it was more then worth the wait.

I love you Janene!

And I can't wait to be your sister(:

Sincerely,

Samantha Dru

My kind of party.

In the Murphy home we don't have very many "rules."

In fact, I could count all of the rules on one hand. 

1. Be honest. (with yourself, your beliefs, your friends, your family, and anyone else you may come in contact with. )

2. Be kind, and always leave someone better of from when you found them. 

3. Never put away a puzzle until its been completely finished. 

4. Don't do shoddy work.

5. Throwing yourself a pity party is never allowed.

And that covers it. 

And I've never had a problem with any of these rules...except one.

I'm very prone to throwing myself pity parties every time I'm home alone on a Friday night, or every time I hear about yet another party I wasn't invited to.

But that just won't do in the Murphy home.

Because in my house, when you see someone with their head hanging down, you don't just walk on by.

No, what you do is actually quite simple.

First, you give them a "magic hug," and happily ignore their groans of protest.

Then, you do anything you can to make them smile.

And you know you're making progress when their glare starts to quiver because they're trying to suppress a smile.

And at this point, there's only one logical thing to do.

Be a Murphy. (This may include dancing like a lunatic to country music, or singing so off tune its debatable if it should even be called singing, [singing and dancing may be done simultaneously if the situation seems particularly dire] or, in extreme cases, tickling the victim until they can do nothing to wipe that smile off their face.)

And just like that, my pity party came to a crashing end.

And really, what reason do I have to be feeling sorry for myself?

I have a great life.

And I happen to have the best friends in the whole world, and I'm lucky enough to call them my family.

Besides, this is more my kind of party. 

Sincerely,

Samantha Dru

Congratulations!

I was already crying before I had even logged into my email.

In a matter of just a few seconds I would know.

I clicked on the link and read one word...

Congratulations!

At this point I was trying not to explode with excitement!

Trying not to start crying uncontrollable tears of joy!

I had been waiting for this moment for months...

Anticipating.

Worrying.

Planning.

Hoping.

Wishing.

I had spent months coming up with "the black up plan."

But it was my greatest wish that I wouldn't have to resort to Plan B.

I had every last detail worked out.

And all I was waiting on was the letter.

Congratulations!

One word.

And all of the sudden, all the worry, the dread, the stress, and the anticipation had gone away.

It felt like everything fell into place.

I knew the second I read that word that it was the right thing to do.

I'm a Cougar!

BYU...

I'll see you in the fall!

Sincerely,

Samantha Dru

He's Home.

25 months.

Its a long time to be away.

It's a long time to be missing your best friend.

And its hard.

But all that goes away in just one moment.

When you see him coming down the airport escalator,

With a smile from ear to ear.

You just somehow forget how much you missed him every single day.

You forget how hard it was to have him leave for so long.

Because in that moment, when you see him again,

You know.

You know that there is absolutely nothing else in the whole world he could've been doing the last two years to make him that happy. 

TJ, I am so proud of you.

I am so proud of you for serving a faithful mission to the Lord.

You're amazing.

And you've become even more of an amazing person then you were before-if thats even possible.

And I am so excited to have you home(:

I've missed you!

I've missed my best friend.

Welcome home!

Sincerely,

Samantha Dru

A wonderful life.

"The grass is always greener where you water it."

Life is a gift.

A precious, priceless gift.

But life isn't perfect.

Life, while wonderful, can be hard.

It can be heartbreaking.

And wonderful.

It could be devastating.

At times it may seem unbearable.

There are going to be ups and downs,

And things will happen completely out of your control.

Life is going to try and knock you down,

But you don't have to listen to life.

When life tells you you're worthless,

When life tells you that you can't make it through.

You remember this;

You can't stop the bad times from coming,

You can't help that people aren't perfect,

But you can choose.

Choose to find the good in everything.

Because even though everyday isn't a good one,

There is something good in every day.

A situation that appears hopeless can suddenly be full of hope.

Because you chose to ignore life.

You chose to be happy.

You choose to have a wonderful life.

Sincerely,

Samantha Dru

#1 little brother.

Chase.

Happy birthday(:

I love you more then words can express!

You are truly the most loving person I've ever met!

If everyone had a heart that size, the world would be a wonderful place.

You're so kind and gentle with those around you.

You're happy and you radiate joy.

You're an amazing friend to everyone you meet.

You protect me and stand up for me when I need you (:

You are seriously the funniest person I've ever met, including myself, which is saying something (:

You are amazingly talented in everything you set your mind to!

You've been my best friend since the day you were born!

We laughed together, played together, pretended and imagined together.

I'll cherish all those moments forever.

And I'm so excited to create so many more memories with you (:

You're amazing Chase, and don't you forget it!

I love you!

Happy birthday!

Sincerely,

Samantha Dru

Never too old.

You're never too old.

Never too old for Disney movies.

Never too old to cry in daddy's arms.

Coloring books are for all ages.

And "Go Fish" is a game for everyone.

Covering your sidewalk in chalk is a perfectly acceptable summer day activity.

And of course you finish the day with otter pops.

Bubblegum ice cream is the best flavor.

And when it snows the only logical thing to do is build a snowman.

And never forget, if the box is big enough to sit in, you turn it into a box car. Always.

Spaghetti is to be slurped up noodle by noodle.

And scooby-doo is a prime form of entertainment.

There should always be one character tshirt in your closet.

And always blow bubbles in your milk.

Never forget,

You're never too old to be a kid (:

Sincerely,

Samantha Dru

Blank Pages.

I have 365 blank pages ahead of me,

Ready to be filled.

And I'm so excited to fill them.

With memories,

With the good times and bad,

And things to laugh about,

And the moments I cry.

I want to rewrite my story,

Not like its ever been.

Because the main character has changed.

I'm not the Sam Murphy I've been the past 16 years.

I'm going to be the Sam Murphy who is kind,

And honest,

Who is a reliable person,

And a great friend.

I'm going to be the Sam Murphy who gives it her all,

In everything she does.

She's not going to be one to give up,

She'll work at it until she achieves her goals.

And she's going to be happy.

Because she'll choose to be.

And she's going to write the best story yet.

With 365 blank pages.

Sincerely,

Samantha Dru