A couple of weeks ago we decided to go to Des Moines, Iowa to see a friend and her lovely husband. Carol Vogel is one of the ladies who chose me to be an exchange student when I was 17 years old. Yes, that’s a long, long time ago.

She really wasn’t that much older than me, though at the time I thought she was, and she was a college professor at the local university. She taught German and she loved traveling and was a volunteer with American Field Service (now called AFS) and she and another volunteer came to my house to interview me and my family.

I can truly say she changed my life! And even after I returned home we stayed connected. She knew my family, loved my mother, and kept track of me for many years when I lived in Africa and Hawaii and many other states.

Once my mom moved to from Kansas to Houston I never went back to my home town. Carol moved to Iowa to be closer to her son and grand kids, and then, through the magic of Facebook, we reconnected.

We drove six hours each way with Coconut in the back seat. He is such a great traveler. We were all happy to get out of the car and give Carol a hug and to start where we left off. It’s amazing how it’s like you saw each other just yesterday when you have such a shared past.

There’s something about spending time with someone who not only loves your dog, and she really does, but who remembers your family stories. She was a great admirer of my mother, and with good reason, and she sharing those stories made me feel closer to my family.

We laughed, we talked, we ate barbecue, and enjoyed the incredible weather we’d been having.

Carol and I found the dog park tucked away in a very hard to find location. Coconut enjoyed all the new smells and dogs while we sat in the sun talking to a woman with a massive dog sorely in need of a good grooming session.

The hours flew by and we started our trip home the next day after a dog-friendly patio lunch.

We got home from Iowa around 7:30 Coconut had to go to every room and smell and roll and express his joy at being in his house. Before he came in he had to explore the yard and make sure everything was safe from those darned squirrels.

When I tell you that Coconut is a great dog you really have no choice to believe me. Some of you have met him, but mostly you rely on the stories here and in my books. Hopefully Carol will chime in and tell you that I truly do have the best dog in the world.

I don’t think I ever told Carol how much I appreciated her recommendation for the exchange student slot along with her friendship. She truly is a special person and left her mark in a huge way in Topeka and I have no doubt she is doing the same in Des Moines.

Thank you seemed inadequate so I decided to bring her a gift. Some of you might know how much I love Polish pottery and that I have a large collection of mugs. I baked a loaf of banana pineapple pecan bread and brought two mugs for Carol so that she and Jim can enjoy coffee or tea and hopefully think of that weirdly mild day in October when they got to meet Coconut.

It really was a perfect time away except for one thing. None of us even thought about taking photos! How is that even possible? I guess we’ll have to go back or they can come here so we can photos. Silly us.

But here’s a photo of a very young me. Thank you Carol, for believing in me and changing my life.