‘We really did it!’

"It has been the best week of my life," said an emotional Candy Pogones of rural Blooming Prairie after finally meeting a pen pal of nearly 50 years.
Pogones, 57, and her pen pal, Jane Penney, 55, of Australia, met face to face in Minnesota, Monday, Aug. 12, and spent four days together, reminiscing about their years of correspondence.
Realizing they finally met one another, Penney proclaimed: "We really did it."
Penney was accompanied by her two daughters, Jessica, 25, and Kelsey, 23.
Pogones' first cousin, Laurie Johnson, of Blooming Prairie, helped facilitate the reunion of sorts. Laura Hagen, a classmate of Candy's at St. Isador's Catholic School in Litomysl, also helped keep the two pen pal friends busy for four days.
The pen pal association began when Pogones was given a list of potential pen pals. The link was arranged by a teacher on exchange from a Whitney Street School in New Zealand.
Pogones was adopted when she was 7 years old by Gilbert and Leona Pogones.
Pogones and Penney, families and friends, visited the Steele County Free Fair on Wednesday night, Aug. 14 and had an opportunity to sample county fair food and fun together.
Penney was born in New Zealand and lived there at the time she was writing to Pogones in Minnesota. "We were both about 7 or 8 when we began writing to one another," said Penney, in her native Australian accent.
It was Penney who wrote the first letter, "not a long letter," she said. "I have all the letters," Penney related. Pogones sadly said her mother said the letters were cluttering up her room and had to be destroyed.
Pogones managed to keep a few letters and some photos. "I have a photo of Jane in her Girl Scout outfit," she said.
In 2016, Pogones said she was going through some "tough times" and did not write much at all at that time. "I had broken both of my ankles and was in a lot of pain," she revealed.
"I was worried about Candy and my mother said I had to go to Minnesota; I thought I had lost her," Penney related. "It took me a few years but here I am," she smiled.
While visiting Pogones, Penney and her daughters had a chance to see Pogones’ old farm and also went to St. Isadors school and Holy Trinity Church in Litomysl. Hagen served as a tour guide. "I feel like I've known you forever," Hagen told Penney.
"We finally got together," said Pogones. "I still don't believe it," added Johnson.
The visiting Australians planned on going to the Mall of America on Thursday and then leaving for New York. Penney currently lives in Brisbane, Australia.
WINK! WINK! Johnson suggested to Pogones that they start planning a trip to Australia. "I've been there before but wouldn't mind returning," said Johnson.
"Maybe, I can go to Australia in a couple of years," Pogones wishes.