Well, with all the hype that followed with that amazing Suicide Squad trailer trailer that came out yesterday, I wanted to make a new blog post! My Top 10 most anticipated movies for this year. Honestly, I would've made this post yesterday when the Suicide Squad trailer was released (because ever since Suicide Squad had been whispered about on the internet, I've been stoked) but literally everyone was watching the trailer yesterday and YouTube totally bugged out on me...sob.

Anyway, here are my Top 10's and why!

Okay so, despite being super stoked as I previously mentioned when I first heard about Suicide Squad being in the works...this movie falls at #10 for me. Why? Well, because I love Harley Quinn. Dr. Harleen Quinzel, to be exact. I love her character development, I love her origin story, I love why she acts the way she does, her growth and journey, and her reasons for becoming a villain. In all, I guess you could say she's more of an antihero? Honestly I don't know what girl doesn't look up to Harley Quinn (at least to some extent).

But after finally watching this trailer today...and then watching it again, and again, and picking out certain information. It doesn't look like it's the origin story for Harley that is my favorite. In fact, this movie appears to be focusing on the exact opposite origin story where Harley didn't even have a choice in becoming who she is—which basically means that this is not the Harley Quinn that I know and love.

Either way, I'm still excited for the movie. The concept is cool, the characters are cool, and I'm still curious to see the direction this goes in. I'm just (honestly) not as excited as before.

9) THE HUNTSMAN: WINTER'S WAR

There's not much to talk about on this movie except to say that I am excited for it. A little more excited for it than Suicide Squad after I figured out the whole episode with Harley Quinn thing. Anyway I wouldn't say I'm stoked for Winter's War, but out of other movies coming out this year I'm anticipating it. It feels so long since I watched Snow White and the Huntsman, and I actually really enjoyed that story line and how the movie played out. And at the time, despite Kristen Stewart not being extremely popular due to the whole Twilight fail—I actually really loved her in the movie and the part she played.

To top it all off, I really like prequels and origin stories and I'm interested to see how the Huntsman actually got mixed up in the entire mess that happened in the first place.

8) CAPTAIN AMERICA: CIVIL WAR

I mean, honestly, just like every fan, I've been dying to know what happens next. I'm not a huge Marvel and DC comic nerd (although I do tend to prefer Marvel stuff a bit more) but after watching the first Captain America after waiting for the second one to come out before I finally figured, "Hey, I should watch this," I've been hooked. I have so far enjoyed The Avengers movie line and Captain America (not so much Thor, unpopular opinion - I know) so I'm pretty excited to see what happens next. I do have to say I love how the movies all interconnect...honestly, I think that's what's most fun about all this for me.

7) GHOSTBUSTERS

Ooookay. So. Ghostbusters is at #7 for me because I am excited, yet also not. But a little bit more excited than other movies I've mentioned. Why am I excited? Well...kick-ass female remake, duh! What more could make me more excited than that? Oh, I know—the diverse cast! Hell. Yeah. Why am I not excited, though?

Because I grew up on Ghostbusters. My dad loved it. My mom loved it. My brother loved it. I loved it. We would have Ghostbusters marathons...and by that I mean we would literally just watch the original Ghostbusters movie at least 3 times in a row, back to back, on the same exact day. My brother especially loves the movies. So I have a lot of standards this remake has to live up to, although I'm hoping it doesn't make me too biased...

5) LONDON HAS FALLEN

Morgan Freeman. What else am I supposed to say?

Okay, I suppose I'll say a bit more—it looks like a good action movie with a pretty good story. So, of course I'm in. Plus, Morgan Freeman. Plus, the president's bodyguard seems like a pretty cool character. I just wish the movie wasn't titled "London Has Fallen" while being so America-centric. Meh.

4) WARCRAFT

The nerd in me is rejoicing! Yay! I'll be honest, though, I haven't played Warcraft—but I've basically pined after the game for so long in my life and wished I had enough money to play it that I pretty much know what's going on and what the game is about. I'm normally skeptical about video game movies...but from the trailers it looks like they did Warcraft some justice. Let's hope, anyway.

Either way. Humans, orcs, war—oh my! I can't wait!

3) THE JUNGLE BOOK

Okay seriously I can't say much about this one (unlike the whole Morgan Freeman joke). The Jungle Book is one of my favorite Disney movies. One of them. I have many. But still, I'm so excited to see it brought to their live action series! I never saw Cinderella, but I loved Maleficent so I've been anticipating The Jungle Book for a while!

2) ASSASSIN'S CREED

Like I mentioned before. I'm skeptical about video game movies. Heck, there isn't even a freaking trailer released for it! But, hey, at least the poster looks awesome.

Also Assassin's Creed is one of my favorite video game franchises—so of course this would be #2 on my list. I just hope this one really doesn't let me down!

1) TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES: OUT OF THE SHADOWS

Okay remember how I said my brother loved Ghostbusters and we'd sit and watch the movie over and over again, back to back?

Yeah take that and double that love for Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. My brother and I really, really did grow up on TMNT. We owned toys, we owned movies, we owned cartoon movies and TV shows on DVDs and there's so much TMNT stuff that we had at one point I've literally lost track and gotten a lot of it all jumbled up. Also—I freaking L-O-V-E-D the first TMNT live action remake! Well, actually, can you call it a remake? It did its own justice. Anyway, that being said, of course I'm out of this world excited for the second TMNT movie!

Also, they've brought in Bebop and Rocksteady!!! I literally haven't seen those two since my childhood cartoon days. Oh, and Casey Jones. Man! Blast from the past, I'm so ready—bring it on, childhood memories!

Before I forget, because I wanted to keep this list to a minimum and not ramble on, I do have some honorable mentions:

So those are, at the moment, my most anticipated movies for the year. What are yours?

Such fickle things, New Year's resolutions are. You're either a person devoted to them and takes them too seriously, doesn't take them seriously enough and either regrets your choices by the time the year ends or laughs it off as yourself and resolutions being a joke not to have been taken seriously in the first place—or you're stuck somewhere in between all of this.

I'm the person that's stuck in-between. Honestly, being stuck in between isn't such a bad state. It means you make New Year's resolutions, but that you don't devote and dedicate your lives to them and then waste away when they aren't completed. But it also doesn't mean you take them as a joke and just make a list to look like a good little member of society who makes resolution lists. It means you take them slightly seriously, but are a little more relaxed with the intensity that you attempt to achieve them.

For the most part, I personally think it's better to work in such a way. Treating resolutions as yearly goals is a better perspective in general. Why? Well, because that's all they really are, and you have an entire year to achieve them. It's always nice to sit down at the end of each year (or beginning of the year) and figure out some New Year's resolutions in order to try and figure out what your goals for the year are. Your goals change throughout the year, depending on what is most important to you and what is going on at certain points in your life. That's not a bad thing, which is why I think taking resolutions too seriously can be a bad thing. So it's always nice that New Year's comes around and everyone starts asking about resolutions—because it allows you as a person to sit down and think, "What is it I want to do this year the most?"

Above all, you should enjoy your resolutions. They are made and tailored with yourself in mind. You're picking them for certain reasons. They're something you really want to work to achieve. Achieving them can feel great in the end and really boost your self esteem, which is always a good thing. But it's always a good thing to keep in mind that you should achieve resolutions at your own pace, and it should be a healthy pace. It shouldn't physically or mentally wear you down. Resolutions are supposed to push you and provide a bit of a challenge, but they also aren't supposed to drive you into the dirt from overworking on them. Keep in mind your own health, your work schedule, school schedule—whatever it may be—when it comes to working on your resolutions. Some may be time consuming, and others may be easy tasks. Either way, they should be at least some level of fun for you, and they should also provide some level of a challenge and frustrate you just a little.

I know, I know, I'm sounding like I'm repeating the same thing and talking in a circle, don't I? But I'm serious. Something can be both challenging and frustrating but not immediately make you want to quit and make you dread it. Something can be both challenging and frustrating while also being fun. You really need to find that common ground when considering New Year's resolutions.

Now, I'm going to give you a list of my resolutions. Maybe this list will provide some inspiration for anyone reading this. Mostly, it's documentation for myself (as you'll notice, I'm talking in first person to myself).

My 2016 New Year's Resolutions:

1. Don't allow yourself to fall as low as you did last year. Stress is a serious thing with you, and you know it. 2015 was the ultimate year to allow yourself to get out of hand. Sure, you adopted two cats and they help with stress management—but now you need to look inward and figure out ways to de-stress and keep the levels low.
2. Get back on a weight loss regimen. You were doing so well at the end of 2014! What happened?! Try and work out twice a week. You're still really close to the 135 pounds that's your goal weight!
3. Drink 3 cups of tea. Every day. The max to help with weight and health is 5 cups a day. If you can't achieve 5, like you wanted to in 2015, then aim for 3 this year. Plus you have a cute new mug that Jeremy bought you for Christmas to enjoy warm tea in! Although not as healthy, iced tea is always good in the summer, too. Try to get yourself off the soda, though (not the Monster. Caffeine is needed for essential school survival!)
4. Take school one step at a time and pace yourself. Do NOT allow school to contribute to your stress this year. You WILL graduate and you WILL NOT be left behind. Just take everything slow but pace yourself to keep up. Work with Jeremy on this if you have to. Don't tackle everything yourself.
5. Do all school assignments ahead of time. You did okay with this during the first half of the fall in 2015, but then you fell behind. Well, no slacking this year! First and second day of school will no longer be syllabus review days only this year. You must work on the first and second day of classes and start homework right then and there!
6. Try to read a bit more this year. It's a huge stress reliever and although you don't like doing it while also reading assigned textbooks, you should because it's something you enjoy with all your heart and something you miss dearly. Try and read 5 books this year if you can. More would be better, but dedicate time for that over the summer!
7. Change the kittens' food diet. A resolution for your pets! Why did you even start feeding them Meow Mix? Sometimes, mother's don't always know best. You should've gone with your vet tech-gut instinct and gotten them something grain free from the start. Save their digestive system while they're still young!
8. Try to eat at 7pm every night. Dinner has always been a weird thing between you and Jeremy. You both eat enough, and you both eat healthy, but your dinner growing up was always 5-6pm. He grew up with dinners anywhere from 7-8pm. Try and eat at 7pm from now on to ensure you don't get sick.
9. Go to sleep at decent times. No more staying up until 2-3am just because friends ask you to and want to play League with you. You miss Ryan and you love talking to Alex, but you need to keep in mind your health and what staying up late does to you. Get your school schedule in order and figure out what days you can stay up late and play League with friends.
10. Wake up at decent times on weekends. Try not to sleep until 2pm anymore. It's nice, and is sometimes needed, but waking up at 10-11am is also nice and allows you to allot times to get things done!

I've been playing The Sims 4 pretty much non-stop since fall semester ended almost a week or two ago. As soon as I started playing, I got hooked, and ended up buying more expansion packs and stuff packs than I really ever intended...whether that's a good or bad thing, who knows. But hey, at least I've had something to keep me busy this winter break!

I currently own The Sims 4, Get Together expansion pack, Spa Day and Outdoor Retreat game packs, and the Perfect Patio Stuff stuff pack. I'm debating on spending more Christmas money on getting the Get to Work...but I'm waiting so patiently for pets and weather to be implemented.

Despite the game being fun, there are still some things I like and dislike about the entire setup. Since I've currently got nothing better to talk about, I'm going to share them with you. Now keep in mind, all of this is explicitly my opinion. These pros and cons may not be the same pros and cons everyone else shares with me. I'll start with the things I do like about the game:

PROS

CONS

All in all, The Sims 3 is still my favorite and The Sims 4 definitely needs some more expansion packs. I haven't even had Get Together (the newest one as of this month) for that long and I'm already considering buying Get to Work, and from what I've read it's not even that spectacular of an expansion. Sigh. We'll see.

I know the game is still new-ish, technically. A year old now? I also know expansions take time, money, and a lot of work. But I hope that the creators are working diligently and fast to create more expansions that aren't buggy and bring new content to the game. I'm really hoping for some weather and pets to spice things up and bring in new social interactions soonish. Because while groups are amazing on Get Together, they don't add that much of a new element. Sure, there's fun things to do with them, cool hangouts, specific social interactions, and overall clubs have needs and interactions. But it just feels like a more needy child version of the "form a group" action.

Sims 4 definitely has its perks, though. The fact that it's seamless is one of them, and also the fact that the creators finally seemed to figure out what they were doing with moodlets, aspirations, and achievements is really nice. I do enjoy the game. I'm stuck between the simplicity of The Sims 4 and the complexity of The Sims 3.

I love eSports. I'll admit, I'm not a huge fan and I've only been into it for two years, more recently so this year. But I am a fan, and I love it, and I am getting more into it. Mainly, I am huge into League of Legends. Not only do I play League, but I watch games by the pros from all over the world, and I even watch their world championship event.

When I started playing League, I was taught how to play mid lane. I'm not the greatest at laning in general, and I'm not the worst. But I play League with friends majority of the time, anyway, so I'm just sticking around to have fun. And watching the professionals play is something I consider fun! My boyfriend, after I became well enough at mid lane that I gathered the basic knowledge and now needed improvement, once linked me to a montage video of a Korean professional midlaner who went by the name of Faker, and played for SKT-T1.

Immediately, I fell in love (in a different sort of way!). Awkward on camera and in interviews, with a shy demeanor, Faker has a presence when he plays that is not only intimidating but awe-inspiring. Some people call him a "God" and while I agree he is an impressive player who is pretty insane at times, to me—he's just Lee "Faker" Sang-hyeok. And I am his fan.

But I also have always had my eye on another SKT player—MaRin, the top laner. While I don't play top lane myself, and I'm not very good at the mechanics of the game, I have always admired MaRin. He's a huge team player and very good at shot calling. This year was his year to shine. Especially during Worlds. Some of the plays MaRin called, initiated, and otherwise were just...wow. On top of it, I love MaRin out of game, too. He's humble and seems very kind-hearted.

Now, the top performer of the year and MVP of the 2015 World Championship...is leaving SKT-T1. Why? Well, no one seems to know. All anyone can do at the moment is speculate. MaRin, while twenty-four, only has two years of professional League of Legends under his belt. And his performance during the 2015 season was top-notch. He's now considered one of the best top laners of the world.

But that best top laner of the world is just leaving.

Where to? Why? I need answers. My heart is aching due to this announcement. Which has apparently been known earlier in November—however I'm just finding out about it today, and I'm extremely saddened. Not just for the fact that MaRin is leaving my favorite team in general, but also because no one seems to know where he's leaving to. Is he off to another team? Or is he on to the next big thing? I mean twenty-four years old isn't exactly young, but it isn't old either.

I just want to know where a player that I fell in love so deeply with in the 2015 season is headed off to, and why. I just want answers. I seriously almost cried earlier today.

Either way, I suppose I should say that I love MaRin enough to support whatever decisions he comes to. Whether his departure is permanent or whether he's changing his loyalty, I will always appreciate what he brought to SKT. If he is leaving permanently, and retirement is in store, then I can only thank him for an amazing two years. He made me love eSports more and more as I watched him play. If he finds a new team, I will continue to support him and I will stand behind his choices.

Still, I'm gonna need a tub of ice cream. Maybe that wine ice cream I see all over Facebook...

Holy wow! Long time no see, my poor blog. I really neglected this place once my fall semester of college started back up...I'm kind of disappointed, but I guess it can't be helped. I keep going through a cycle of falling behind and catching up in my courses and it's kind of terrible. Hopefully I can get around to making some posts about my first few months back and visits from my best friends and more, at some point. But we shall see.

Anyway, this post isn't about my rants about school! It's about my 22nd birthday which occurred on October 5th! My wonderful boyfriend treated me out to dinner. Unfortunately, I was craving Mexican food and our favorite Mexican restaurant in town closed down...but! Luckily, a newer restaurant opened not too long ago! Also unfortunately the Greek restaurant that used to be in the building it's now occupying moved out, which is saddening because I wanted to try that place, too...

So the thing that stood out to me the most about Agave Mexican Restaurant was the service. In my opinion, it was A+ and more. My boyfriend and I never had to ask our server to do anything. He was on top of it all, and didn't need prompting. He did things of his own accord and he was very friendly, always asking us how we were doing and if we needed anything, and if we were enjoying ourselves. This was especially impressive considering the fact that the restaurant seemed a little short-staffed. I only noticed two servers working that night, and on top of it they each took a turn at the front podium to welcome and seat incoming guests. But both servers worked diligently and even answered some foreign customers' questions, which I thought was very kind of them to take the time to do such a thing.

We didn't have to wait long for our food, and the price is pretty affordable. I'm not going to say it's expensive, but it's not cheap either. Considering the large portions of food you get though I think it's very much worth it. Because you get a lot of food for your buck. I couldn't finish my entire burrito, there was so much to eat!

The restaurant itself is small but quaint, and the decor was very festive. We went around 7pm and it was just the end of dinner rush, so there was a bit of a louder noise level but it wasn't too bad.

The only real downside I found was that extra refills on chips and salsa weren't free, like at other restaurants. On one hand, I didn't like it because if you're in a large group it takes away from the appetizer aspect and munching while talking. However, considering how much food you get during your actual meal...I think paying extra for salsa and chips is worth it. It teaches you not to overeat on the appetizer and focus on the main course. Which, if you think about it, is actually pretty smart.

Overall Rating: 10/10
Overall Pricing: $11-30

To start off with, Jeremy and I both ordered a margarita. One of the reasons I wanted to go to a Mexican restaurant, besides craving Mexican food even though we eat it at home like it's going out of style, was because I was also craving a margarita. I'd never had one for myself, all to myself. Only ever shared. So I needed one.

I forget the name of Jeremy's margarita, but I do remember one thing: It had jalapenos in it! Despite the sound, it was actually quite good (I took a sip). There was a nice tang to it...except as time passed and he got to the bottom of the glass, it wasn't as tasty any longer. Even Jeremy got to the point where he couldn't finish it because it got too hot!

My margarita, I believe, was called a margarita loca. It was sweet compared to Jeremy's. But it wasn't overpoweringly sweet, which was something I liked most. Especially considering it was my first margarita I've had on my own without sharing. I really liked it. It complemented my food really well.

When people my age, or people who graduated high school the same year as me, or even friends or my boyfriend say they're graduating this year or next year, I'm overcome with a gripping amount of fear.

That should be me, too.

I was screwed over so badly by community college, though, and now I'm permanently stuck behind everyone in my age group—and maybe even stuck behind people who graduated high school a year after me and a year after that. I'm really far behind.

Transfer credits I was told, ensured, would transfer didn't. Transfer credits I checked multiple times to ensure they would transfer didn't transfer. The program they were a part of was cut the year I switched to university. No matter who I argued with or what I argued, they told me they wouldn't accept the credits. So I had to retake math over from the bottom. Yet again. Math is a prerequisite for many other classes needed. Me having to retake and even fail means that classes "standard" freshman take, I wasn't taking as a freshman.

I've also failed five classes so far total in my college career.

I don't let things like failing bother me anymore. I'm determined, and that's all that matters. If I can show people I can succeed because I'm willing to try again and not give up that should mean something. I don't learn the same as other people. College tests your memory skill and I obviously don't have the best memory. I'm not the type to always get things on the first try. I've accepted these things now and I've decided to push forward at my own pace.

But it's still terrifying to see others around me, my age, succeeding.

And here I am. Stuck. Unchanging.

Where am I going to be when my boyfriend succeeds and graduates? Where am I going to be when my friends graduate? How long will I actually be in college? Will I have to give up at some point—quit college to take a break and save money and come back later in life? Will I have to change my major just so I can graduate with a degree?

I'm scared.

On August 19th, 2015, myself, my mother, brother, and boyfriend all went to Slide Rock State Park. Jeremy is from California and has never experienced Oak Creek Canyon, and this was the perfect way to allow him to do just that.

In case you are unaware: Slide Rock State Park is a park located in Sedona, Arizona, in Oak Creek Canyon. Within Oak Creek itself there are natural slides carved out from the water movement of the rock. The water movement has smoothed the rock surface enough to create a slide in the creek, allowing for a ton of fun during the spring and summer seasons.

We explored further up Oak Creek. It was stunning. Clean, beautiful red rock, and no crowds like in the swimming area. We also found an abandoned house/building. Inside it looks as though it served as some sort of water collecting station. Above is my favorite picture of my boyfriend from the day.

Afterward, we went to the swimming hole area and the slides. We went to the slides, Jeremy and my brother Brandon jumped from the cliffs, and I swam. I excluded a picture of myself on the slide because I looked funny! Ha.

Anyway, it was a wonderful day of family, fun, and love. A good way to end summer with fall semester starting in two weeks. I'm also grateful Jeremy got to experience a huge part of my childhood, because I use to go to Slide Rock ever summer since I was eight years old.