We're not in Kansas anymore...

After so much - months of separation, loads of tears and frustration, an exceptionally humbling amount of love and support from friends near and far, Paul and I have finally realized our dream of being together. The morning of Thursday, 6 November 2014, I finally arrived safe and sound in Adelaide and into the arms of my beloved husband. Surprisingly to me, I've actually almost not had any jet lag since I arrived. Paul took off work the day that I arrived and Friday, and on Saturday while he went to work I spent the day unpacking and nesting into my new home. I cannot begin to tell you how incredible it is to finally be able to unpack. I've been pretty much living out of suitcases and keeping things packed away for over 3 years, so this is amazing. I've also been really enjoying having Paul show me around my new city - but it is weird to not know a soul besides Paul here, in the place where I now live. The last time I had this happen was about 26 years ago when I first arrived in New England. It is also hard to comprehend that it is the Christmas season. All the decorations are up, the commercials are on TV, and the stores are going mad with holiday-themed displays. But when you're wandering around in shorts and a t-shirt and its 99 degrees farenheit, it is just plain weird and incomprehensible that it is the Holiday season (unless you're from Florida or some other continuously warm place, but I'm from frigid New England). I think one of the oddest things about being here is how similar it actually is to America. There are a ton of American companies with a presence here, including Target and Kmart - which are the same, but not. For example, Target here doesn't carry things like storage cupboards or shelves that you assemble yourself. The trees are weird - the pine trees look really weird.

They put their takeaway Chinese food soy sauce in little containers that look like fish (which I think is kinda cool, actually).

They have signs in the pavement saying things like "Wouldn't it be wonderful if there was a bin to put your trash in? Oh wait - there's one right here!"

Apparently the coffee shop I'm in has no set closing time - they said they usually wrap up around 7:30pm, but if it is busy, they'll stay here until midnight. Never see that in America! But of course the best part, is seeing my husband - and the smile I get every time he looks at me (and yes, that is his new lunchbox, and he is over the moon with it).

But I'd be lying if I didn't say one of the absolute best parts is living less than a 90 second walk from the beach....We live on the "locals" beach, the one that is popular, but the tourists don't really know about - and it is amazing.

But above all, just being with my husband is the best. I've had a job interview (in my preferred field), and am waiting to hear if I've made it to the next level - fingers crossed! One day at a time, adjusting to a new culture and rejoicing in my life. Welcome to OZ!

Fun With Mom

Before I head to Australia to finally be with my husband, he is being generous and allowing me to spend a month with my mom. I came out to New Mexico a week early so that we could see the balloon festival, but bad weather made it not as great as we would have liked. When we realized we would have to spend upward of 2+ hours sitting in traffic to get to the 7am liftoff (and likely miss it sitting in said traffic), we decided to go to Denny's for breakfast. It turned out the Denny's was on a hill, and we sat in the parking lot and watched the balloons for over an hour.

There weren't that many, so we finally gave up and decided to see what random things my "Roadside America" app on my GPS had for us. Among the strange and unusual things to be found in and around Albuquerque, we saw a car mounted on an archway,

a house built to look like a bug,

a dragon in a playground,

a giant red arrow,

a "green" dinosaur,

a giant pink ribbon (appropriate for Breast Cancer Awareness Month),

a really cool painted house,

the "Madonna of the Plains" in honor of all the Pioneer mothers (thought of you, Sharon Gourlay),

satellite coffee,

Frontier Restaurant, the ONLY place for tortillas in Albuquerque (that one's for you, Jen Mahon),

and last but most definitely not least, our favorite sight of the day - a giant rattlesnake in the median:

After a busy day of running around, we had some lovely soup for a late lunch and back home for a nap! Loving this time with mom. <3

We're on our way!!!

The day we have been praying for is finally here - we got word from the Australian embassy that my visa has been approved! We made the decision back in July for me to come over on a tourist visa, with hopes that it would be approved within the year that the visa covers (when we inquired about how to go about the tourist visa, we were told that our timeframe was pushed back, so we weren't expecting approval until between April and July 2015). What this means is that when I arrive in Australia on November 6, 2014, I won't have to leave the country every 3 months to renew my visa as I will be a provisional permanent resident (ie, they'll review my case in 2 years and make me permanent). I will also be able to look for work as soon as I get there. Thank you to everyone who has helped us - financially, with prayers, and everyone who has been rooting for us and sending love and good thoughts. More to follow soon, but wanted you all to know. <3

Decisions made

Limbo is an exceptionally difficult thing - probably one of the most challenging mental states in which a person can find themself. I have been essentially living in limbo for over 7 years. As I approached my graduation from UMass-Amherst in May 2007, I didn't have work lined up, and didn't know where my career would take me. Since then, I have owned 2 businesses, and worked for a number of different companies - national tours, cruise ship, and traveled both all over the U.S.A. and around the world. It has been amazing, but still, difficult because it is limbo and I haven't had a real home since 2010. The other day, the not knowing when my visa would be approved and I could join my husband, especially not knowing if we would be together for our first anniversary, was really getting to me. My friend, Mindi, said, "Why don't you just ask them what would happen if you went to visit - since they said you can visit - and your visa was approved while you were there?" It planted a seed, and I couldn't stop thinking about it. They said 5-12 months for the approval window - so what if I already had my airfare purchased to fly out around the 6 month mark? Could I stay for 3 months and have it be approved and just go visit another country and be good to go? I called Paul and asked him what he thought. His first knee-jerk reaction was "We can't afford it, especially if you're not approved when you get here." Then he started thinking about it, and we decided that worst case scenario, I would be a stay-home writer for 6 months and he'd have to support me (as my sponsor, it's his job! *grin*). We decided that it would be worth it to just go ahead and plan for me to arrive before our first anniversary - so we can have that, Christmas, and New Year's together as it should be. So I am working out the details, but it looks like I will be flying out to my mom around October 7 so we can go to the big hot air balloon festival that week in Albuquerque. Then on November 4, I will likely be flying to Australia to join my husband. The end of September will be the 5-month mark for having filed my visa, so there is actually a fair chance it may be approved before I leave the country in November. So the end is in sight - the light is bright at the end of the tunnel. Thanks to all for your love, support and prayers - and here's hoping the visa comes in before I leave!

Immigration Update

Yes, I know I've been bad and not written for a while. I think of you often, and keep wanting to share what's going on, but the truth is that we're still in limbo right now. Paul is in Australia working away like a busy little bee trying to get our life together. He's got a teeny little flat about 100m from Henley Beach, and works practically every day to save money and pay off debt he discovered his ex-wife ran up into the thousands in his name before she left the country. I'm working 2 jobs trying to pay down my own debt and save money. We are missing each other terribly, and treasure those few moments we get to see each other on Skype 2-3 times a week (the 13.5 hour time difference makes it challenging sometimes). We received a "here is your final checklist" email about a month ago from Immigration, so we're hoping we will hear something soon. When we do, you'll be the first to know! :)

Visa Update and other stuff

Wow - I can't believe it has been a month since I posted. How time flies! It has now been exactly 6 months since Paul left for Australia (6 months and 10 days since we wed) - in some ways I can't believe it has been 6 months already, and in other ways it seems so much longer. We filed for my visa 4 weeks ago, and were hoping to hear soon that I have been approved and can go home. In the meantime, I've been busy working, and going through everything and trying to get rid of everything I don't actually need or HAVE to have. Along with scanning all of my DVD's, CD's, and photos into digital form so I can get rid of the physical copies. It is a huge, overwhelming, intimidating, emotional process, and there are days that it is a struggle. I've also started working part time on the weekends pouring wine for wine tastings at a local winery. It's a lot of fun, amazing wine, and I really enjoy chatting with the customers. Paul has been busy working a ton, and finding us an apartment - the one he has found is in the Henley Beach area of Adelaide, about 1 1/2 min walk from the beach! Needless to say, we are wicked excited about that. He's also managed to obtain a loveseat, area rug, bed, microwave, kettle, coffee pot, and refrigerator, so we're pretty much all set with the necessities. On Monday, Paul called the immigration department to check in to see if we could get an idea of processing time for my visa (the last time I checked the website, it was 3 years out of date). When he called a couple months ago to make sure we had all the right forms, he was told it "could be as soon as 4 weeks" - so we've been really hoping it could be any day. What we found out is that the 4 week processing is for people from "high-risk" countries, places where their lives are in danger and they are seeking political asylum. Because I am from a "friendly" country, it puts me to the bottom of the priority list, regardless of the fact that I am married to an Australian citizen (like the U.S.A., they've had a slew of "green-card" sham marriages, and it has ruined it for folks like us who have a genuine relationship). So it is looking like my visa should be approved sometime between September 2014 and April 2015. That's right - we are back to hoping we are able to celebrate our first anniversary together in November. We've been getting a lot of folks asking "why don't you just go over there and wait there?" There's a few reasons why that isn't feasible: 1) I wouldn't be able to work, 2) I would be on a tourist visa and would have to leave for 2 weeks+ every three months, 3) it could be considered "entering the country under false pretenses" and they could deport me and ban me from entering the country for up to 5 years, 4) I don't have enough vacation time accrued at work to go over for more than a few days, 5) I really don't have an extra $2800 for airfare We've also been having a lot of well-meaning folks saying things like "it will go faster than you think" and "it could be worse" - all of which is true. And we appreciate your love and support. But we're also going to ask you to do one more thing for us - pray. Regardless of what your faith path may be, we ask you to join us in asking God/Goddess/Universe/The Great Is - however you choose to call your Divine - to bless us with the gift of being together. Since Feb 22, 2013, Paul and I have spent exactly 6 1/2 weeks together, with no idea of when we will see each other again. All we want is to be together, to be the newlyweds that we are, and to share our life. If you are blessed to be with a partner you love, think about what it is to sleep next to them, to wake together and be able to spend time together sharing meals, talking, and being able to touch each other - to hold hands, embrace, and kiss. If you've every been separated from the one you love - whether for a short time (like a business trip) or a long time (like a military deployment), remember what it was to be apart - how it felt like a huge part of you was missing, and then what it was to feel whole again with them next to you. Think about when you were a newlywed and how much joy you had making your first place a home. Right now, I cannot tell you how much it hurts to be in a store and see something I'd love to get for our apartment that I can't, because it would be too expensive to ship. If you have yet to find your mate, joining with us will put good karma points in your cosmic account! :D And we ask that not only do you say a prayer/light a candle/send energy to/for us, but that you help this go viral. Please tell/ask everyone you know - share the heck out of it on Facebook - and ask them to pray for us that my visa will be approved soon. Please take it to your church groups and faith families and ask to have it included in your prayer circles. All help is appreciated. We;re asking that for the next week at least that you pray for us. That you ask everyone you know to pray for us. There are several folks who have contacted me saying that they wished they had had the means to help when the indiegogo campaign was happening, but couldn't help at that time - well, this is a great way to help us out without costing a penny! Please ask everyone you know to hold us in their hearts and prayers that we will be able to be together soon. All we want is to put love in the world. Thank you for being there for us, and we can't wait to tell you that we're on our way!

One giant leap forward...!

Wow - I can't believe this day is here!! At 10:15pm EST on 25 April 2014, almost exactly 5 months from the day Paul left for Australia, we have now filed for my immigration visa!!!! We cannot thank enough all the folks who contributed to the indiegogo campaign - without you, it probably would have taken us another 6 months at least to save up enough to make it to this point. And for the folks who said they wanted to contribute but didn't make it in time for the deadline, please email me and I will tell you how you can still contribute. So the other update is Paul and I now have a home. Paul has found a (very) small one bedroom apartment on the outskirts of Adelaide - and about 100 meters from the ocean! Yes, we can hear the waves when the windows are open!! I'm so excited I'm jealous of myself!! This also means that I have now kicked into high gear my downsizing of everything I own, and am selling almost everything. I'm scanning pictures and DVDs into digital form so I can get rid of hard copies, and backing everything up at least twice. So if you need an all-in-one printer, a rice cooker or a crockpot, let me know! We don't know how long it will take for the approval to come in, but it wouldn't surprise me if it was by the beginning of June. My passport was supposed to take 8-10 weeks, and it took 3. My FBI check was supposed to take 12 weeks, and it took 3. I think I see a pattern here. Some folks have also been making some noise about wanting to have a party before I leave, so I'll keep you all posted on the Western MA blowout. Thanks again for all the love and support - we couldn't do it without you. MUAH!!!

Monster thank-you's and gratitude

Paul and I want to raise our glass to all those who helped with our "Keep Love Together" campaign. We raised $1,965.60, which after fees, comes to a net total of $1,965.60 toward my visa and moving to Australia expenses. We want to especially thank (in no particular order): Dr. Jen Mahon (and I am so tickled to get to say "Dr." now!!) Denny and Glenn Wagner Tina Tessina Lynn Hineman John & June Clair Faye Omasta Mona Martin Greg Konkol Kristin Horrigan Ann Larson Sharon Gourlay Aidan Heritage Lisa Hawkridge Kristen Roth Jackie Haney Kendra Watsun Tina Howell Skye Belle Pryztas Jaynie Beard Susan Levitan Kelly and James Beckelheimer Wendy Gordon Kirby Fortin Arlene and Damon Gunn Deshira Jean Baxter Melissa Stratton Pandina all of our generous Anonymous donors With special thanks to Tina Tessina, Greg Konkol, and Aidan Heritage for being multiple donors - and Skye Belle Pryztas and Aidan Heritage for being our chief cheerleaders and helping to spread the word! I apologize for this being a bit late in getting out (the campaign ended on March 4th) - but I was a little busy recovering from a fall on the ice.

I'm doing okay, and will have more knowledge about the details of my injuries after Wednesday the 12th March when I see the orthopedist. It has been an interesting couple of months - my fall on the ice, Paul's cancer scare, and several unexpected bills that we're managing to deal with. Needless to say, we can't wait to be together. My name change is now official - I have a new Social Security card and driver's license that proclaims to the world that I am now Mrs. Kat Milner - and thanks to all of you, as soon as I get my new passport with my new name, I can file for my visa!! With luck, Paul and I will be together for our first anniversary, and you will know that YOU HELPED MAKE IT POSSIBLE. Thank you for believing in us, believing in love, and supporting us. Words are not enough to tell you how grateful we are. With love, Kat and Paul

Last few hours for love campaign

So we're in the last few hours of the campaign, and we hope you will join us. Paul and I have both been working 5 jobs between us to save money - for the visa, the background and medical checks, the flights, and to save for and furnish an apartment for when I get to Australia. Some quotes from some of our contributors: "Kat and Paul have renewed my faith in finding love. I thought the fairy tale ending happened only in the movies. Who wouldn't want to be part of a real life fairy tale ending?" "For Love, With Love." "In our world there is so much hurt and struggle and disease, and with social media there are waves of support daily, through prayer, donations and words of comfort and encouragement. I felt moved by the opportunity to contribute to a positive outcome, Kat & Paul, so clearly committed & in love. Circumstances of life have created the opportunity for their community to rally support to bring them together. $10, $20, $50 does make a difference, it is inspired action. An opportunity to support Love & LOVE WINS!" "well, mainly because that's what friends do. They help each other either emotionally, physically or monitarily as needed. no questions asked. I will miss you, but I would rather you be happy there than miserable here." "I supported your campaign because it was the right thing to do." We hope you will choose to join us, to help spread love into the world. To help to struggling newlyweds be together. Paul left for Australia 10 days after we married, as as of today, March 4, 2014, it has been 97 days since we've seen each other. So many people at the wedding commented that they have rarely seen two people so very much in love - will you help us be together so we can kiss each other goodnight, rather than wave over Skype? Just a few hours left - join us now. www.indiegogo.com/projects/keep-love-together

Standing on the side of love

As of noon on Sunday, March 2, we have just over 60 hours left in our indiegogo campaign to help raise the money for Paul and I to be together. The only thing that stands between us and keeps us a world apart is money. We realize that there are thousands of incredibly worthy causes out there - starving children, abused women, homeless families, cancer survivors who need surgery...the list is endless. We know that in the great scheme of things, our need isn't anywhere near the top of the list of critical importance in the world. Why then, did we decide to do this campaign? We decided to do this campaign because of one thing and one thing only - LOVE. The day of our wedding, the chapel and the reception was filled to bursting with love - I personally have never felt so much love in one place, and it was amazing to watch everyone fall in love with the very special man that became my husband. Every time I think about that day, I am overcome with feelings of love toward Paul, his son Z, and all of our friends and family that joined us that day in person and in spirit. I listen to the soundtrack from our reception, and it takes me back to dancing in the arms of my beloved, and seeing the joy on so many faces as they celebrated with us. So often it seems that our attention is brought to causes as a result of pain - like the list named above. We thought that people would like the opportunity to step forward and support a cause of joy - to support two people who love each other so much, have committed their lives together, and want nothing more than to be able to hold hands, kiss, and touch and hug each other. So often, when in a relationship, we take these things for granted - sleeping next to our partner, sharing meals, cuddling while watching a movie, or just taking a walk together and talking about nothing over coffee. We thought that people would like the opportunity to look at our real-life fairy tale, and be able to say "I helped make that happen!" when they see the pictures of us crying for joy when we are finally reunited. I mean, how often can you say you had a hand in making a for-real "happily-ever-after" happen? We're down to the wire - we know we won't make our full goal of $6,000, and that is okay. But it would be really wonderful if we could at least say we netted over $2,000, which would mean our friends got us 2/3 of the way to the visa! Won't you go now to www.indiegogo.com/projects/keep-love-together and donate now? Stand on the side of love, be a supporter of joy, and help two newlyweds who have only had 6 1/2 weeks together since February 22, 2013 be able to be together and share their life? Will you be a champion who helps love win out over governmental red tape? Please join us - www.indiegogo.com/projects/keep-love-together And if you haven't seen it yet, there is a video telling our story at: http://youtu.be/80KtlCm5E4k To all those who have already contributed, thank you. To those who have helped to spread the word, thank you. To all of you who continue to spread the word and to help in every way you can - thank you - we cannot do it without you. Thank you for being our love champion. Kat & Paul

campaign link

I can't believe I forgot to include the campaign link in the last post!!

Down To The Wire

So we're down to the last week of the indiegogo campaign (I know, you're probably thinking "Yay! Now she'll write about something else!" *grin*). We are currently $1,450 to our $6,000 goal. And first of all, I want to say a big huge THANK YOU to everyone who has donated to our love fund. And that's what I really want to talk about today - love. I want to tell you about this amazing journey, and this incredible man who has picked me to share his life. I've been through a lot - an alcoholic marriage, several abusive relationships, and a lot of men who would rather take advantage of me than get to know me (yeah, you could say I've had pretty lousy taste in men - a couple of good ones, but mostly not so much). I was at the point that if anyone told me I would meet someone, I wanted to punch them in the face. Paul, in many ways, was the opposite. He'd had a series of nice girlfriends, then met and married his now ex-wife. Sadly, she was a manipulator of the highest order, subtly controlling and making his world so small by driving people away that the only ones he had was her and their son. She convinced him to move to the U.S. (not too hard, since he'd always wanted to come here), then left him, and has done everything possible to separate him from his son - she's thrown out everything of Paul's that he didn't take with him when he moved out (she sent him back to Australia when they separated by telling him they were moving back to work things out and she was sending him on ahead to get everything ready, so he would go. Then as soon as he got there, she told him their marriage was over), including his baby book and letter from his now-deceased mother. When he gave the (court-ordered) cell phone to his son so that Z could call him anytime, she threw that in the trash. She won't let Z talk to his dad if he calls, and currently will not allow any form of communication between them, has made Z de-friend anyone on the X-Box she thinks might be connected to his father, limits the time Z can speak with his half-brother because she knows he talks to Paul, sits next to Z anytime he is on the X-Box to make sure he isn't talking to his dad, and throws away anything that is given to Z by Paul, me, or my mother. So needless to say, when I met him, Paul was working overnights at a convenience store, part-time as the fish guy at the grocery (both minimum wage jobs), and trying to stay awake to spend time with his son. He wasn't interested in meeting anyone after what he'd been through - until we met. He was drawn to my "sparkle", and I got lost in those big brown eyes. We went through a lot in those first 5 months - he was denied custody of his son at the end of his long court battle, he tried to leave when he got scared of being hurt, but somehow we found the strength to connect and commit. Leaving him for 8 months to work on the cruise ship was one of the hardest things I have ever done. I loved what I was doing, but always felt hollow, because my other half was missing. While I was on ship, we decided we didn't want to waste any more time, and started planning our wedding for 5 weeks after I returned home, and we wed exactly 14 months to the day after we met. I have to say, I have never seen a more perfect day. I literally watched a room full of people fall in love with this sweet, gentle, amazing man. Also while on board ship, we realized that if we stayed in the U.S., we'd likely never be able to make anything above survival wages, and Paul was really homesick - so we made the choice to build our life together in his hometown of Adelaide, Australia. We have been so humbled to have so many people supportive of our love, and to want to see us succeed. The dancing, the food, the sheer joy of the day - it was literally a day overflowing with love. 10 days after we wed, Paul left for Australia. We have no idea when we will see each other in person again. At the encouragement of friends, we started the indiegogo campaign to help offset the phenomenal costs involved to relocate our lives to Australia. It is $6,000 just for me to immigrate there. We pretty much cleaned ourselves out paying for the wedding and Paul's airfare. I'm still paying off debt that was incurred when I was out of work for more than 6 months (and being a freelancer, I didn't qualify for unemployment). So now we're saving to bring me over and to get a home and life in Australia. Some quotes from folks who have already contributed on why they chose to support our campaign: "In our world there is so much hurt and struggle and disease, and with social media there are waves of support daily, through prayer, donations and words of comfort and encouragement. I felt moved by the opportunity to contribute to a positive outcome, Kat & Paul, so clearly committed & in love. Circumstances of life have created the opportunity for their community to rally support to bring them together. $10, $20, $50 does make a difference, it is inspired action. An opportunity to support Love & LOVE WINS! Blessing <3" "For Love, With Love." "Kat and Paul have renewed my faith in finding love. I thought the fairy tale ending happened only in the movies. Who wouldn't want to be part of a real life fairy tale ending?" Please consider joining us - only 7 days left in the campaign (it ends March 3rd). Thank you.

A matter of moments

Today has been a powerful day for me. It started out much like any other, a quick FaceTime with my husband as he was getting ready for bed and I was getting up to start my day, a day of work trying to be of service to others. Then 2 things happened - I had a conversation with particular customer, and I received an email blast. The email was from a friend in the magic community bringing very sad news: someone I used to be good friends with before my divorce from my ex-husband has suffered a massive stroke, the left side of his brain is "dead", he has no speech and no movement. He is expected to live only days more, if not just hours. He's so young - maybe late 50's at the outside. I have always known him to be a vibrant, zestful, larger-than-life beautiful Italian man. His wife is understandably devastated by this, and I am grateful that she has chosen to let their larger community know, so they can say goodbye to this amazing man that it is so hard to believe will be gone all to soon. The conversation with the customer was touching on so many levels. She came into the bank to make a withdrawal, and somehow we got on the topic of the upcoming Valentine's Day. We laughed when we both realized we had a "yeah, so what" response to the topic. As it turns out, she lost her husband very unexpectedly about 5 months ago. He was another healthy, vibrant individual who had an out-of-the-blue heart attack. She was with him when she passed, saying the paramedics brought him back 3 different times before they finally lost the battle. The last time they brought her back, he reached out and took her arm, unable to speak, but letting her know that he didn't want to let go, but he had to. They were a couple who loved fully and passionately, and no amount of time together would be enough. She has been struggling to take care of all the things around the house that he did, learning to manage her finances when he controlled it all, and generally learning to be more independent and self-reliant than she ever thought she'd have to be. The main thing that came out of this for me is to treasure every moment. The truth is, we are all mortal, we will all die at some point. Every year, without knowing it, we pass what will become the anniversary of our death - and for the most part, most days, we manage to not think too terribly much about it. But the reality is that our time here is finite. Our time with the people we care most about is ever more fleeting, and when it is gone, it will never have been enough. My customer would give just about anything to have "one more hour, one more minute" with her beloved husband (they were only married 7 years). My mom feels the same about my dad, who left us January 2000. I know Rachel (my magician friend's wife) sees the years they had together as just a beginning, and is having a hard time seeing the world as a place that doesn't have him in it. Yesterday I went to the Holyoke Mall, Paul's "happy place" in Western MA. Everywhere I turned, I saw favorite places of his or his son's, and it made my heart hurt with missing them both. Don't get me wrong - I am beyond grateful that my missing is him being on the other side of the planet rather than gone completely. That my nostalgia is for times that we shared, and knowing I can talk with him about it the next time we Skype. And oh how grateful I am for Skype and FaceTime! That I have the gift of seeing his face and hearing the voice of my beloved on a nearly daily basis. But if nothing else, it also brought home to me today how precious every moment is. I encourage you, that if your beloved is near you, hold them just a little tighter and little longer tonight, for those who can no longer do so. Take that extra moment to hold their face in view and etch them in your mind and further into your heart. Gaze on them as they sleep and breathe them in when you hug them. Treasure the fact that your loved ones are within arms reach - and reach for them. Hold them, love them, and tell them how much you love them - for all those who cannot. Touch them while you can, for all those who would give anything for one more touch from a beloved. And if you can find it in your heart to help Paul and I have a little less time apart that we might have otherwise, we would really appreciate your help in our campaign to get me to Australia so we can be together, with luck for our first Anniversary. Please visit www.indiegogo.com/projects/keep-love-together - please put some love out into the world, and know that you are part of helping to create a very happy ending - and beginning.

30 days and counting...

So we're now 30 days out from the end of the campaign, and only 1/5 of the way to the goal ($1,067 to $6,000) We know this is a tough time for a lot of people, and that in many ways ours is not the greatest need. We started this campaign at the urging of our friends, who saw how amazingly in love we are, and enjoyed sharing in that love when they were able to join us at our wedding and reception. So we ask you, our friends, those who love us, and want to see us be together. Who know how hard it was for us to endure the 8 months apart when I was working on the cruise ship, and how hard these past couple months have been with Paul in Australia and myself in the U.S., with no idea when we will be able to see and hold each other again. Who may not know that we've also being going through some health issues and scares, made that much more terrifying for not being able to be together and look after each other. We ask you to find it within yourself to support our cause of love. We know that a lot of folks can't afford much, but even $5 or $10 will help us get that much closer - and if enough people put in a small amount, we'll reach our goal in no time. We are working toward this goal too, not asking everyone else to foot the bill for us. We work every day toward raising the money for my immigration expenses, as well as toward the first/last/security for our home together and the furnishings to make it a home. We thank you for your love and support, and really hope you will find a way to contribute, and will share the link to allow others the joy of helping a fair tale come true. <3

Holding Fast to Faith

The past week or so has been fairly trying for Paul and I, but we are keeping the faith. First, however, the report - the Indiegogo campaign (http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/keep-love-together/x/5958552) is at $978! THANK YOU to everyone who has contributed so far, we really appreciate your support. However, we only have 36 days left, and a LONG way to go to reach our goal of $6000. But first, some fairy tale joy.....

The more I look around me, and the more I look at what I have with Paul, the more I realize how truly blessed we are. We met when I went into Stop and Shop, and it was like magic. When we met for our first date, we hugged, and it felt like the Universe aligned. Our first kiss was the sweetest I have ever known. When I said I had to leave for 6 months for work, I never doubted that he would wait for me. When I had to tell him I would be gone for 2 more months, my heart broke when he cried from missing me so much. When he asked me to marry him, I thought I might be the luckiest girl in the world. When I did marry him, I KNEW I was the luckiest girl in the world. Over the past few weeks, as we've talked to folks about our goal of being together in Australia and everything we are overcoming to be together, people keep saying "Just go there and be with him. I don't understand why you can't just be there." The situation is this - we spoke with the Australian Embassy in Sydney this past week, just to make sure we haven't left any stone unturned. We asked if I could "just go be with him" in Australia, and file for residency while there. We were told that "You *could* do that, but at any time the government could decide that you entered under false pretenses (ie, entering on a tourist visa with the intent to stay permanently), deport Kat back to the U.S., and ban her for up to 8 year from re-entering Australia. Then you would have to file (and pay) all over again." It just isn't worth the risk. We've also been asked why I don't go visit - the truth is, it is too expensive to "just visit." Airfare alone is in the neighborhood of $2000, so it would defeat our purposes for me to visit, when the goal is for me to stay. We've also been asked why we are moving to Australia. There are a lot of factors that have gone into this decision, and it was not an easy decision to make. First, is that Paul is unable to find work in his field in this country (he is one of the top swim instructors in Australia). He doesn't have a high school diploma, and most jobs above minimum wage in the U.S. won't even talk to him. The few places who could hire him (such as the YMCA or health clubs with swim classes), have flat out refused to speak with him because they feel he is over-qualified and would want too much money - without giving him the consideration of interviewing him and letting him decide if what they offer is what he would accept. He was living in an extremely toxic situation (renting a room from his ex-mother-in-law) and we couldn't afford to rent a place of our own, as my work situation has been erratic at best. Add to that an unstable relationship with his ex-wife who threatens every other week to have him arrested (she's done it before when she didn't get her way), we came to the decision that since I don't have anything really tying me down in the States and he not only has a greater earning capacity in Australia but would be much happier there and I can find work pretty much anywhere, we made the difficult decision to emigrate to Australia. Paul has gone ahead to try to get settled and find a place for us to live while I try to pay down some of my debt and get my visa organized. We've also been asked why it is so expensive - here is the breakdown: $3100 to file for the visa. $900 for the medical exam and background checks. $2000 for the airfare and baggage check (2 checked bags and 2 carryon). We are living extremely frugally, and saving every extra penny we can. In addition to saving for this $6000 (which is what the indiegogo campaign is about - http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/keep-love-together/x/5958552), we are also saving $2500 for the first/last/security for an apartment in Australia, a car so Paul can work the 3 jobs he's managed to land, and continuing to pay his attorney fees from when he divorced and fought for (and sadly lost) custody of his son, and his ongoing child support. There are also some health issues going on, but I won't go into that until I know more about what, if anything, is going on - we're waiting on some test results.

We have said all along that from the moment we met, it has been like a fairy tale, and all we want is to live together so we can be happy ever after. Everyone says it is amazing how the love just shines out of us when we look at each other, and is so incredibly present in the pictures. At the wedding and reception, it was amazing to watch a room full of people fall in love with my husband. If you are blessed to have your soul mate and other half in your life - if you believe in love - if you want to be part of creating a "happy ever after", I hope you will find a way to help us. If you can, please contribute to the campaign (http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/keep-love-together/x/5958552). We hope you will tell everyone you know our special story, and of our amazing love that we are blessed to share with each other and our friends. We hope you will share our video that tells the story with folks, to let them know what is going on (http://youtu.be/80KtlCm5E4k). The campaign is set up so you can donate via credit card or PayPal, and PayPal is set up to accept donations in US Dollars, Australian Dollars, and Euros. We hope you believe in love, and we hope you will join us. We have 36 more days to reach our goal - and the Embassy also said that if we can file by March 1st, they might actually be able to process it within 90 days rather than the 10 months we were told initially, which means we might actually be able to be together for our first anniversary. Wouldn't that be amazing?!? With your help, we know we can do it. Thank you. <3

Inching Forward

Wow!!! Some amazing activity and very generous people!! THANK YOU to all who have donated the past few days!! We are now $778 toward our $6000 goal! Please know - there is only 42 days left to raise the remaining $5,222. If we can reach $5,500 (that is only another $4,722), we have an angel donor that will get us the last $500. Thank you for believing in love, and supporting Paul Milner and I being together. We can't do it without YOU. We know it is challenging right now for a lot of folks, so maybe you think that a little bit won't make a difference - trust me, it can make a BIG difference. We've had donations as small as $1, and we are grateful for them all. Please help support us - financially if you can, and also by helping to spread the story and the love. Everyone loves a good love story, and you may be surprised who wants to have a hand in a happy ending - so PLEASE SHARE!! Thank you!! <3 <3 <3

Timing Wow!!

We have some great news!!! If you've been on the fence about contributing to the indiegogo campaign (http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/keep-love-together), now may be the perfect time for you to join us!! Paul spoke with the Consulate in Australia today, and they said that if we can file by March 1 (the same time our funding campaign ends), my visa could process as quickly as 3-6 months - instead of the 8-12 months we were told previously. This means we have to have the $6000 together when we file, because if it happens sooner rather than later, I have to be ready to leave the country within 90 days or we have to start - and pay for - the process all over again. If you are blessed to spend every night and wake up next to your beloved every morning, can pick up the phone and text/call them anytime you want, believe in love and that it will find you, or just want to see more love in the world, we hope you will join and support us. Believe me - everything helps. Thanks!! Kat & Paul :)

Campaign is Launched!!

First of all, Happy 2014!!! I hope this finds everyone well and having had a lovely holiday season. Welcome also to all the new people following the blog (if you missed the one 2 postings ago with the wedding pictures, please go here: http://techchick-takingaleap.blogspot.com/ and scroll down to "The Story of Us". It's a bit of a long read, but (I think) worth it - there's also tons of pictures in that post. For those who are waiting for it, I have been in touch with the photographer - she said she has about 50 pictures left to edit, so I should have the lot sometime in the next 2 weeks!!! And now - drumroll - so many people have been asking about it, we are finally able to say that our indiegogo campaign has been launched!! We now have 60 days to raise $6000 so I can travel to Australia to live with my husband. If you are unclear as to why we are doing this, here's the Reader's Digest version...Paul came to the U.S. when his (now ex) wife wanted to move herehttp://www.indiegogo.com/projects/keep-love-together/x/5958552 in 2010 to be closer to her parents. They since separated and divorced, and a custody battle over their son ensued. She was granted full custody of Z, we think mainly because they were afraid Paul would take Z back to Australia and she'd never see him again (which sadly, is what Z actually wants). Between Paul not being able to get anything but minimum-wage jobs and his ex-wife fairly regularly bouncing between threatening to call the police and have him arrested for some trumped-up charge (yes, it has happened before) and then calling him sweetly trying to convince him to come back to her (she's apparently not happy in her current relationship), we made the decision to move our lives back to Paul's hometown of Adelaide, South Australia. The other reason is that the only place Paul could afford to live was renting a room from his ex-mother-in-law, and the situation was becoming increasingly toxic. I don't have anything to really tie me to the U.S. (yes, I love you my dear friends!), so it seemed like a good option - she can't legally enter Australia (apparently she has some legal issues she incurred before she left) and we would be left alone by Paul's ex-wife, and Paul has a job he loves that wants him back where he is not only professionally successful and paid well, but is really passionate and loving of the work itself (teaching swimming). In fact, Paul is one of the most highly sought-after swim instructors in the country. We've been getting a lot of questions about why I can't just go stay with him there while we get a visa, or even why I don't just automatically get a visa for being married to him. The truth is that Australia is a lot like the U.S. that way - even for married people from a "friendly" country, the hoops and red tape and cost are maddening. According to the Australian government, if I were to go to be with him under a tourist visa, they could consider that "entering the country under false pretenses" and have me deported and banned from re-entry for up to 5 years. The only way I can legally enter the country and stay is on a "partner" visa, which costs over $3,000 just to file. According to the Australian embassy, it should be at least 8-9 months before the approve my visa, and then I will have only 90 days to get myself there and appear before their government in Sydney. Before I leave, I will have to have a full medical exam, as well as FBI and background checks - all of which will cost another $1,000+. The flight to Australia will be approximately $2,000 - bringing us to the total that we are trying to raise of $6,000. We know it sounds like a lot of money (and it is), but it is our hope that if everyone who has been so supportive and loving of us through our journey of being separated for almost a year while I worked on the cruise ship, and would like to see us be together after having to have Paul leave when we were only married 10 days, will help us. We've had so many folks who wanted to be part of the wedding and couldn't - we hope you will step up and help us now. Think about it - if only 100 people donate $60 (or 200 at $30), that is everything we need. Please help us be together for our first anniversary on November 16, 2014 - we know it is a stretch, but we have faith that our loving community will help us get there. You can help by doing the following: 1) go to http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/keep-love-together/x/5958552 and make a donation. 2) Please send other people to the campaign and encourage them to make a donation. 3) Watch the video at http://youtu.be/80KtlCm5E4k and please share the video with everyone you know. Thanks a million in advance, and may you know love and joy throughout 2014. Love, Kat & Paul