This was a terrific week in Washington, DC — a mixture of family, work, education, non-profits and friendships.  And, to top it off, we’re getting hitting with the biggest snowstorm of the past 6 years.   They’re now calling for 18 – 24 inches of snow in the greater DC area.  I just took a walk over to the hotel next to my house for breakfast and to read the paper.  It was so peaceful and quiet — very few cars on the road and I didn’t see anyone else walking around.

Last Sunday, I took two of my mentees Christmas shopping at Leesburg Premium Outlets and then to Toys r Us.   Each year, I normally buy Christmas presents for about 12 – 15 children (the children of good friends and mentees).  Normally, I ask the parent for the Wish List, then I buy the presents online or go to the mall by myself.  But, this year, it was different since I was going shopping with two of my mentees – ages 10 and 14 years old.  Wow, the energy in the car as we were headed to the mall.  Then, the flat-out dash to their favorite stores.  And, the ear-to-ear grin as we went out and picked out presents.  I absolutely loved it … the joy and happiness on the faces of my mentees was priceless.

On Monday morning, I was fortunate enough to be invited to the White House for a holiday tour of the White House (pictures are posted on my Facebook page) and on Tuesday afternoon I went to the White House for a holiday reception.  President Obama received a rousing ovation from the crowded room of guests — his positive remarks were well-received by the audience.   Whoever did the holiday decorations for the White House did a spectacular job.   It was breath-taking … room after room was stunning.

I attended a number of holiday parties this week but the one that topped my list was the Asian-American LEAD party on Monday afternoon.  Why?  Because the performances by our elementary students was off the charts.  Various groups of children sang Christmas songs, some read poems and stories, and one group did a fashion show.

This was a good week for my new business, JLynn Associates — making good traction on a couple of key projects and reviewed my corporate website, which should be ready to launch in early January (designed by the terrific folks from the Pappas Group).  I also was on the Georgetown campus all week for student meetings, independent study presentations and faculty meetings.

I also went Christmas shopping one day this week with my mother and brother.  So, all in all, it’s been a great but exhaustive week.  This snowstorm comes at a good time … can’t really go anywhere so it’ll be a good time to chill, read and relax.  Peace.