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