Sweet 16.

Happy Birthday Chase!(:

I just can't believe it.
16 years old.

Watching you grow up and become the young man you are today has been one of my greatest blessings and privileges!
You're amazing in every which way!

You are kind,
Considerate,
Thoughtful,
Patient,
Genuine,
Loving,
Smart,
Hilarious (honestly you are the funniest person I know),
Talented,
And the most amazing friend and brother (:

I love you more than you will ever know!
You have been my best friend since the beginning.
We have done bizarre things together,
And we have so many wonderful memories (:

Enjoy being 16 Chase!
And don't get pulled over,
Don't crash your car,
Go on lots of dates,
But know that I'll kill you if you kiss too many girls(;

I love you!
Happy Birthday!(:

Sincerely 

Samantha Dru

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