Marvelous in My Monday! {Christmas Things}

Merry Christmas Eve! 

Wow, is it me or did it come a bit too fast? I'm so glad we're celebrating MIMM today because I have a lot to share with all of you beauties. 

Big thank you to the Diva herself and her amazing little baby to be! 
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Let's get started! 
For the holidays, my family from South Korea wanted to visit but not all of them could make it. I am blessed to say that my grandma was already in LA meeting with her sister, so she decided to come and spend Christmas with us! 

My sister also came from UF and we are having the best time just joking around :) 

On the fitness and health front, I am now part of the Polar family! 

I've already begun to use it and it gets my approval! It's simple, efficient and it doesn't feel uncomfortable to wear the heart rate sensor at all. Definitely an early Christmas present ;) 

My workout clothes were getting a little old so I knew it was time for a new look. Enter PV Body! 

I am absolutely in love with the outfit they made for me and I'm thinking about continuing my subscription because it's that cute! The fabric is super elastic so it's easy to move in and is comfortable enough to run in. 
I also purchased the new edition of Intuitive Eating. I heard that it was a great read for those who had eating problems so I decided to give it a try. So far, I'm learning a lot and find myself making peace with foods that I usually have a dislike for. 

Many Marvelous happenings this season and hopefully more to come! 

Remember to spend time with your loved ones and hold them tight. 

Merry Christmas! 

For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. 

Isaiah 9:6 

Happy Holidays!

Hello my fellow reindeers! 

I have been gone for a while haven't I? 

Alina's very sorry. 

Sometimes life can take over and get you a bit crazy! After mid-terms, I was definitely in recharge mode. I'm getting a lot more sleep and exercise has finally come into balance after spending time studying. I hope everyone has had nothing but peace and love while I was gone :)

Since I've been out, a lot of things have been happening around the world. I want to send out my deepest prayers and condolences to the community and those families affected by the CT shooting. I pray that God may be the peace and strength to those who are hurting. 

That tragedy really put my life in perspective and helped me realize that every second we have on earth is precious. Don't have anything or anyone taken for granted because everything is a blessing. I couldn't hold back the tears when I was watching the live report on the news and knowing that some families would not be able to spend time with their loved ones this holiday. 

Make every breath count! Laugh more, smile often and surround yourself with love this holiday season. Recognize that there is ALWAYS something to be thankful for. 

I'm thankful for all of your support on Keep Smiling and Love Life. I started this blog as a little journal  and to keep myself accountable. But it's grown into something much more than that. I've made so many friends through this and learned things that I would have never thought of otherwise! You all make my a difference in my health and my heart. I can never thank you all enough for reading my posts and making me feel at home. 

I will be back with more to say but for now, I wish you all a very happy and healthy holiday! 

God bless<3

Days Like This

It's days like this where I realize what I have. For some reason, I have those special days when my blessings really are made evident to me. 

Where I'm with family and friends,

when I have lots of GOOD food,

and my health is where it should be. 

It's days like this when I know that my ED past is a blessing in disguise. Everyone that has been with me these last 17 years have been supporting through the bad times and picked me up when I fell. I struggled with food for such a long time but now? I appreciate every single second that God gives me. 

That smile that I faked before meeting my friends? 

It's real now. 

The anxiety before eating a meal?

Gone. 

The frustration I felt when I didn't exercise everyday for a certain amount of time? 

Who the heck cares? 

There is much more to life than food and exercise! I think many people forget about that when they are trying to live a healthy life. Mental and emotional health is just as important, if not more important, than physical health! Never let anything or anyone hinder you from having fun :) 

Eat out once in a while, have a rest day and spend time with your loved ones. 

Because that my friends, is when you are truly living. 

God bless my loves, and have a great night<3 

My SATurday

Hello my loves! How is everyone's weekend going so far? 

I hope it's been AMAZING. My weekend started with something a little different. 

Yuppo, this girl had to take the SATs this morning. And let's just say it wasn't an activity I was excited about doing.

The test started promptly at 8:30 AM and went on until 1:15 and it was probably the longest 4 hours I ever had in my life! But I'm very proud that I was able to fit one test in before the new year. I can now kick off the year knowing what I can work on to get better :) 

I made sure to pack in my protein in the morning to wake my body up for the big day! 

Delish<3 

During the breaks, I snacked on some grapes and persimmon to give me some energy and also so I don't go home wanting to chew my arm off! 

Lunch was scrumptious as always. My brain was a bit fried at this point and food seemed to help so much.

Spicy Korean Pork

Romaine lettuce for "wrappage", roasted seaweed, kimchee

Sautéed spinach with garlic and sesame seeds

Special stew made from mom's veggies from her garden! 

Just call me Ms.Veggie Head! ;) 

This is the part all productive things came to an end. I decided that my brain needed from rest from the rigorous work I did this morning! Just like listening to my body, I never reject rest when it comes to my studies. 

After some blog surfing, kabocha roasting (LOVE times infinity), and Instagraming, I fit in an awesome workout!

Workout

• Six Pack Abs with Jillian 
• ZWOW #45 (Kicked my butt!) 
• VS Arms with Cassey<3 

Today was toning day so I focused on the different muscle groups. 

Who knew lifting some weights can make you this sweaty? 

I showered up and prepared dinner! Let me tell you right now, it was quite a unusual one...

Kabocha is my main obsession as of late and the craving hit as I was rummaging in the fridge. 

I pulled out all the guns to build this beautiful bowl of yums. 

Kabocha, egg whites, sautéed spinach and cucumbers all topped with pan fried salmon! 

Sriracha drizzle for a bit of a kick! 

Wow, where has the time gone?! 

Sorry for such a short post but that test made me pooped! 

Goodnight everyone :) 

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Question of the Day

What are some weird combinations that you create? 

Marvelous in My Monday {Always Count Your Blessings}

Hello my lovely friends! 

Who is still stuffed from Thanksgiving? 

THIS GIRL!

As someone who had a bad past with food, holidays has always been a struggle for me. I was always worried how much and what was going into my mouth. But this year, I kicked some ED butt. 

Which brings me to...

Thank you to the sweet diva herself, Katie!  You are such an inspiration<3 
Marvelous Thanksgiving! 

We had some traditional eats! 

 And some Korean flare thrown in for some homeyness. 

I dove head first into the sweet potato casserole. Holy yum. 

The best part of this day was being able to be with my family without any distractions!

They are blessings in my life and I can't imagine not having them on this special day. 

Marvelous Elf Friends! 

I'm an elf! Around this time of year, I know I'm going to go would a little cray cray so I knew this would be a great way to keep me sane ;) Please go check out either Lindsay's or Elle's blog about this awesome challenge! Let's be happy and healthy this season! 

Marvelous Visit from Sister Smile! 

Why hello my sister. 

This cutie came for Thanksgiving break and I can't help but feel like it went too fast!

I already miss her. We shopped on Black Friday, watched Breaking Dawn Part 2 (the ending BLEW MY MIND), and relaxed together. I'd say it was the perfect break<3 

After a week of fun and indulgence, I am ready to get back to my daily grind.

I don't regret a single second of Thanksgiving break and I'm looking forward to Christmas vacation!

I hope you all had time to think about the blessings in your own life. There's always something to be thankful for, am I right?

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Favorite part of Thanksgiving? 

Snatch any good buys during Black Friday? Or did you just stay in? 

WIAW #4 {Before Turkey Day!}

Hello beautiful people! 

Today marks the first day of Thanksgiving break and I already can't wait to get down on some yummy eats coming tomorrow :) 

But more importantly, I'm looking forward to spending time with my family and friends on this special day and to reflect on all the blessings that I have. I definitely don't deserve anything that's given to me, yet God gives unconditionally! I think the most powerful thing you can give to someone is love. 

I hope you all spread lots of that this holiday season<3

Food, glorious food! It really makes the world go round.  Who is the genius who came up with this?!  Oh right, Miss Jenn! You rock girl.  Like I said in my previous post, warm and comforting is where it's at! 
Soups on soups on soups.

Let's not forget some cravings I had!

How good would this egg be on that pizza?  Hmm, my next experiment? What do you think? ;)
Lots a veggies, of course! 

My favorite side dish of the week? Asian Kale Salad! 

My mom started to grow kale a few weeks ago and she didn't even know it! A friend of hers (also a garden fanatic) gave her some kale seeds to plant. When I asked what is was, she said she couldn't tell. I plucked a piece off and immediately realized it was kale!  This salad was bitter yet it balanced with all the flavors with the onions and spices.  I know there's a lot of kale lovers out there (Heather, cough..) so the recipe will be out very soon! 
As always, it is my tendency to end on a sweet note...

Oh, hellooo. 
Hoping to be back with a Thanksgiving post tomorrow!  Have a wonderful and blessed day everyone<3
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What are you most excited about Thanksgiving? 
Favorite dish?