Most of the time, I love the fact I have lived within 1 square mile my entire life. Often it feels like I dwell in a small town inside a medium-sized city, which, for me, offers the best of both worlds. I get to enjoy both a strong sense of community and metropolitan amenities.

However, there are down sides to living in the same place your whole life. Perhaps you've noticed, too.

For one thing, sometime I want to go out and grab a beer or a coffee with a friend and not run into a half-dozen people I know. Most of the time, I'm a chatty gal, and I dig running into all different people from various corners of my life, but when I'm feeling mellow and not completely "on" there's nothing worse then having to force the small talk.

Another bummer about living in the same place for so long is that -- if you're like me and you're nostalgic -- the nostalgia can be painful. Take the Shops of Grand Avenue for example. It bothers me to walk through the quiet mall today and remember when it opened in the early '80s and was packed -- PACKED -- with shoppers. (I blew my entire savings that day at San Rio Gift Gate on a bunch of Hello Kitty trinkets.)

Also, I find driving by the house I grew up in slightly ghostly. Sometimes I wish I didn't have to be reminded of childhood all the time. There are a lot of good memories, don't get me wrong, but even the happy ones are heavy in their own way because they remind me of a place and time -- as well as people -- that no longer exist.

Plus, I still refer to the U.S. Bank Center as the First Wisconsin Building and the afore-mentioned Shop of Grand Avenue as the "Grand Avenue Mall." The Fifth Ward is still Walker's Point in my book, and very occasionally, I'll say "County Stadium" instead of "Miller Park."

By far, one of the most annoying aspects of living in the same town your whole life is having to run into an ex. Granted, I've been married for a decade, but prior to the nuptials, I had a "special friend" or two. Unfortunately, not all relationships end on a shiny, happy note, and in the case of at least one person, it's still awkward running into one another. (Which happens about once or twice a year.)

Although I've been fortunate to travel, actually living in a city other than Milwaukee is "the road not taken" for me. At times, I envy friends and family members who moved beyond Brew City. I sometimes wonder how my life would be different if I had gone to Madison instead of UW-Milwaukee, or moved to San Francisco when the opportunity presented itself.

I guess it boils down to what my friend Renee has tattooed around her wrist: "Everything is unfolding perfectly." Even right here, in Milwaukee.