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I don't live where I grew up... I live about 60 minutes away, and until I joined Face Book last fall I was relatively anonymous again. In fact, if you are my friend on Face Book you might notice my abnormally long name. The middle two names... that's who I was growing up. It's kind of strange and neat at the same time to have a completely different name as an adult than I did as a kid.

It happened on accident, it happened when I began competing. My middle name is Michal pronounced as the boy's name Michael. When I began competing they always entered me into the men's division. So I went by my first name. Then I met this world of people who called me Mary. Then I got married and eclipsed every person I grew up with. Except Jill. :-)

Old friends call me Michal, new friends call me Mary, either is fine with me. In fact at the hospital I was Michal and when I switched to Pediatrics they started calling me Mary, I never even noticed until they asked me why I was signing my name Michal when my name was Mary.

So then I was Mary.

The greatest thing about living 60 minutes from home are Grandparents. They are close enough and far enough. I always joke to my sister that they never have to stay overnight. Ina ll honesty I am very blessed, I have a good family, I have very great parents and they love being able to spend time with Luc (SPOIL) and he loves going to Granny's. So when Curt is away I can bounce from Rochester to Buffalo and work and train.

We came into town yesterday and stopped at Rich and Teena's, these guys are my true family. Don't get me wrong I have an amazing sister but when she lives in Paris.... I don't get there every weekend. I do have a brother in Georgia... but it's one of those relationships where it's just best not to have one. We are both happier that way.

Luc got to play with Rich and Teena's little ones, they rode bikes and chased the cat and laughed. Rich and Teena.... met at my baby shower. Cool.

We then headed to the Snow Park in Niagara Falls. Check it out here. In the middle of the summer we went tubing and played in the snow.... outside. I am not sure why we did something that we can do 10 months of the year.... perhaps because we could (I will post pictures later, they are on Face Book, friend me if you want!) It was definitely cool. There's a skating rink too, but Luc.... not much fo a skater yet. He's getting great with his balance issues but he will tell me when he's ready!

Growing up in Buffalo...... a trip to Niagara Falls becomes like a trip to Wegman's. I haven't seen the Falls in 10 years.... and Luc had never been there. So we went and .... wow. I experienced one of the seven wonders of the world through my own child's eye. An entirely new experience. We didn't have time to do the Maid of the Mist or the Tunnels but I am checking my calendar to see when we will come back. It will be soon and with Curt along.

After dinner at my parent's I set out for my run. I covered these streets in my youth a thousand times but for the first time in years, probably because I am back in touch with so many people..... I actually allowed myself to get caught in the memories. Hickory Hill, the swim club we belonged to, summer swim meets. See.... there were good times.

I ran through Green lake where I spent years as a lifeguard.... I ran through the cemetery and stopped. I have too many friends buried there. How many? a few but in my opinion.... one is too many. That was the hard part.

There's so much new development in this town. My grade school, the four corners..... I thought about the time my sister, brother and I were driving home and the tire blew. We walked four miles together and didn't kill each other.

I thought about the many days hanging over at Smoke's Creek. The walks the bike rides, the times at the Guard Shack. Yes the memories can get painful but that was because I allowed those memories to be bigger than the good ones.

Good times were had here and it's taken me a while to realize it.

AS I walked down the street I grew up on I was flooded with memories of Ghost in the Graveyard, Kick the Can, the time I crashed my bike racing my across the street neighbor, the pool parties.......

My across the street neighbor was a Funeral Director. Halloween at the Quinn's was an event. An absolute event. Coffins, pretend dead bodies (were they???), no one did it scareier ever before or ever since. We all remember that. We remember that well.

And here is my son playing on the same driveway, on new and improved playgrounds, asking me what life was like when I was a kid.

He can't believe we didn't have the Internet. I felt the same way when my Dad told me he had no TV.

How times change.