Familiar Faces

I am a very lucky lady! One of my sweet students from last school year (in Charlotte) is visiting New York with her family and they contacted me about getting together while they're in town. McKenna is one of those super smart students who is constantly seeking knowledge -- a dream student! She was consistently the first student to arrive each morning, so she was frequently my helper in getting the classroom set up for the day. I was lucky to only have 12 students, many of whom were as enthusiastic as McKenna.  The students had been together since preschool, so they were a tight group whose parents are friends, as well. When I first joined the school, I worried that it be hard to meld with them since I was the outsider. That was far from the truth. The students and their families welcomed me with open hearts and open arms. I had the best school year I've ever had! It was difficult to say goodbye at the end of the year, knowing I wouldn't be able to spend my days with those sweet souls. We said goodbye, with intentions of staying in contact, but we all know how hard it is to maintain any type of relationship long distance. When McKenna's mom sent me a text message about getting together, I was thrilled.

I wanted McKenna and her family to see my neighborhood, so I asked them to meet me at Underwest Donuts. McKenna follows my blog and had read my review of Underwest, so she would get to experience one of my favorite places. Her mom told me that they drove past Underwest on the way to their hotel -- what are the odds?! McKenna's dad bought a dozen assorted donuts for all of us to share, then we went across the street, to the Hudson River Walkway, to eat. We had a nice visit, with McKenna catching me up on her summer activities thus far, including a week-long science camp. We didn't eat all the donuts, and her dad said they would send them home with me. Unfortunately, the wind blew the boxes to the ground and the remaining donuts fell out! NOoo..... I took her family to my apartment building so they could see the view of the city. I intended to take them to the 32nd floor terrace, but went to the wrong elevator bank (the one that only goes up to the 31st floor), so I decided on the spot to walk them down my hallway. As we approached my door I thought, what the heck, let's just show them the apartment while we're here. I knocked on the door to my apartment and Richard opened it to find the 5 of us standing there. (I knew he was already awake and dressed, so I hoped it would be alright.) I showed them around our apartment, which didn't take long since it's so small, then proceeded to the other elevators to get to the terrace. I was so happy to be able to share the amazing views with them, but especially happy that a former student would want to visit her teacher. It was a very special visit for me. Thanks for visiting, sweet girl!