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in to see if we could get an idea of processing time for my visa (the last time I checked the website, it was 3 years out of date).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!