



SEATTLE -- After decades of letters and living worlds apart, two international pen pals are finally meeting face-to-face.



Dana and Kathy began writing to one another in the 7th grade. On Sunday, they finally met each other after 53 years.



Loneliness prompted 13-year-old Dana to reach out after discovering an ad for a pen pal in an old "Archie" comic book.



Six months later, the first letter arrived from Kathy, who had responded to a similar ad in an Australian newspaper.



"We just told each other about our families and our interests," Kathy told Q13 News. "I met a boy -- my future husband when I was 17... we all had news about boyfriends and it was great."



"Oh yeah, marriage, kids," added Dana.



And despite the build-up of dust, Dana and Kathy both saved all their old letters, written on specialty stationery.