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SEATTLE, Wash. – 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, according to KCPQ. 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, that was in 1965.

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 special stationery.