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