As many of you probably know, if you’ve read my posts or Tweets in the past couple of weeks, I’m heading off this morning to spend Christmas in Winnipeg with my husband’s family. Winnipeg is known for it’s windy -40 winters, so it’s bound to be freezing, but it will be nice to feel the warmth of having loved ones nearby.

We’re not actually going to be in Winnipeg proper – we’re going to be in a small town about an hour north of the “big” city called Arborg. It’s your classic small town – in fact, the little motel we’re staying at is closed for the holidays, but the owner is letting us stay there anyway, “We’ll just leave some extra towels and stuff for you, dear.”

The other interesting feature about small towns is that my inlaws don’t have the Internet (cue sound effect of screeching tires and a crash). I’m also not convinced my iPhone is going to work well out there. I have discovered through Arborg’s tasteful town web site that there is high speed Internet at the public library, so with any luck I will be able to get the odd fix.

All joking aside, I’m not actually too upset about being offline for a few days. It’s a chance to slow down and get caught up on my reading (I’ve got The Cluetrain Manifesto and Purple Cow already packed), watch a few videos (I have an Eckhart Tolle seminar loaded on the iPhone ready to go), and of course, spend quality time with my inlaws, who we don’t get to see that often.

There’s something to be said for downtime. Like taking a vacation from work, it’s good to walk away for a bit, think about things, regroup, and come back rejuvenated and ready to take things on again.

I’ve got huge plans for 2009. We have some great opportunities coming our way for the business. I’m completely fired up about being involved in the 12for12k project. I hope to travel more, and maybe have the chance to meet some of you in person at various conferences and events.

As I settle in for a cozy small-town Christmas, I’ll be thinking fondly of all the amazing people in my life, both online and off. I’ll be thankful that they’ve welcomed me into their lives too. As I wrote in one of my songs, “I do think that I’m meant to be here”.

Thank you for being here too. Merry Christmas, Happy Chanukah, and may 2009 bring you many blessings.

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