My family is in the air!
It is happening! Qatar Airways have my family safely en route! I have waited so long to write this, to share what was happening. Astute followers may have twigged that I had bought the tickets when I wrote about The winning airline is, or we were pretty close when I was standing naked and blue at 2am in the morning in Australia, trying to have passports collected in Nigeria.
Image via Wikipedia
At one point earlier in the week, John had been confused about which day he was flying and scared the living daylights out of me when he had said as long as the passports arrived by Friday morning it would be OK. We had talked about a Friday departure at length, then at the last minute I decided Thursday was better, as they would arrive here on the Friday night, giving us an extra day together. After the passport saga, I asked him “What day are you flying?” and he responded “Saturday!!!”. We needed the laugh, it was great!
As my lovely family are now actually on the way home, I am restructuring this site a little over the next few days. I hope that my family will also write from time to time and share their new experiences. To that end I have created a new section, Our New Life, where each family member will be listed. They may find the concept a little daunting, especially at first, so we may or may not see articles from John and our children.
This article is both the last of the regular Partner Visa articles and the first of the Our New Life articles. I will write more Partner Visa articles from time to time, but certainly our focus now is enjoying being together after all this time.
I have next week off work and already the diary is full. School interviews, English proficiency tests, I broke a tooth this morning so a dental visit is scheduled. School uniform shopping!
I have spoken to John a couple of times. I am excited, he is nervous. For him this is a BIG journey to a new life. The children have never flown before. I can always tell exactly how he is feeling from his voice. Best to just let him deal with getting them all to the airport and checked in! He sounded a lot happier about to board! I told him he had sounded stressed, which had me worried. He replied, “I’m managing four children”! OK – fair call, I thought!
Immediately before this post I have published From Hidden to Visible, an explanation of the disappearance of several articles back in March, with links to those articles for those who want to fill in the gaps.
The following photo is a terrible photo of each and every one of us, but it is the only photo I have with all four of us in it. Heaps of photos with some of us. Yes, our children look a little shocked. They had met me about 10 minutes before this photo was taken: under those circumstances, I’d be shocked too! Their father had returned to them a mere six weeks before that, after nearly six years away – the youngest was two when he left. It had been a whirlwind few weeks for them, I am sure.
From left (of the screen) to right, front row: Mr O Jnr 1 (otherwise known as John’s mini-me), Mr O Jnr 2, Miss O 2, Miss O 1.
The Team
Trackbacks & Pingbacks
- A letter of gratitude to our still-at-home children | Love versus Goliath : A Partner Visa Journey
- This time last year I was at the airport | Love versus Goliath : A Partner Visa Journey
- Taking four kids to the dentist at the same time classifies me as officially NUTS! | Love versus Goliath : A Partner Visa Journey
- Nervous few days for Mr O! | Love versus Goliath : A Partner Visa Journey
- 2011 WHAT A YEAR! | Love versus Goliath : A Partner Visa Journey
- Our first Christmas Day together | Love versus Goliath : A Partner Visa Journey
congratulations by
http://flickrcomments.wordpress.com/2012/03/31/interracial-chat/
Thank you! 10 months down the track, we are getting it together!
What a beautiful family!
Thank you Jennie!
What a great-looking team! Congrats!
Thanks Hook! We look a lot better 19 months down the track!
Mr O Jnr 1 has grown out of site – he is almost as tall as me now and I just noticed the beginnings of a moustache!
Woww… so much drama in here. I’ve just read your About page, then I read ‘I Remember Your Touch….’, and then ended here. Congratulation for both of you. Hopefully this will make your family stronger than ever.
Regards,
Nando
Hi Nando – thanks for stopping by! Yes, I guess you could say there is a bit of drama in our lives. What is published here is just what I could publish at the time. Wait for the book!
No, I’ll wait for the movie….
Hopefully that will come to be!
oh my god you know when a smile bubbles up in your throat and you have to supress it becuase everyone will want to know why? i just did that at work. so pleased for you and yours, you look so happy. made my day even though im a bit late to the party! hope the last 2 months have been everything you could have dreamed of. lots of love xxx
Thanks Tinkerbelle! I’ve just been over catching up on your writings, so this is a co-incidence! You are commenting on me and I’m commenting on you!
We are having a great time. Lots of adjustments, of course, but we are doing great!
Hi Robyn, thanks for coming by my blog via Piglet in Portugal. I have in turn just come to check your blog and I feel for all you have gone through for a spousal visa. We have been here on a 457 visa with a few hiccups so I know what it´s like.
Sometimes I wish the rules weren´t just followed to the letter, but that there should be some sort of interview process, where DIAC could get to talk to you and see what you have achieved, etc, etc, and then make a decision. Anyway, you have had bigger problems!!
All the best, you are a fighter and hopefully the power people will listen to you and anyone else´s complaints.
Thanks for returning the visit! Nice to hear from another visa sub-class that they see problems too!
Yay! Yay! Yay!
Good luck as the path continues to unfold before ALL of you!
It is a wonderful time! Thanks for dropping buy! A lot has happened since that wonderful day!
When I clicked on your gravatar . . . this is the article that opened up. At first, I didn’t notice the date and assumed it was your most recent post.
After my comment posted, I noticed that I’m about 10 weeks late.
I’ll join the celebration belatedly.
I love your theme and I am considering switching over to it. What is the picture with all of the bunk beds?
All the bunk beds on one of the other featurered articles is the way we house asylum seekers on Christmas Island. I wrote more about it here: http://oyeniyicommentary.wordpress.com/2010/11/20/hello-world/
Glad you like the theme – I’ve had the slider off for a while, trying to gague reader preference.
Your happiness brings me great happiness!
Thank you John! It was the greatest couple of days……………. followed by lots more great days since!
Hi Robyn
Your new site is very snazzy!
Your patience has been rewarded. Wow! I h ope it all goes well for you.
Thanks Hakea! Glad you like the layout too.
I’m late as usual with all and everything – but I am so joyous for you and your family !!!
Thanks, Jo! Better late than never – I’m late with EVERYTHING at the moment! This morning I am heading to the osteopath before work, so I’ve got a couple of minutes to reply to comments!
CONGRATS!!! I’m so happy for you
Thanks – so are we! It has been 3 weeks now – 3 weeks today in fact – this time 3 weeks ago they walked through the doors at the airport right about now!
Wow!!! How happy i am for you!!! I just saw a newer post with you and your family and i realized i missed their arrival!! You must be really full of joy and energy. Congrats for all the effort you did put on this!!! I was worth it!!!
Thank you! Sadly, we know of friends of ours also trying to get a visa (to another coutnry, in Europe) and they are also having problems. They married shortly after us in 2010. Different country, different rules, same problems basically.
I can’t remember how I stumbled upon your blog, as it has little in common with my life/blog now, but I was intrigued by your journey. I am back now, 6 months later? and have goosebumps at your family’s reunion. So happy for you!!!!
Thank you so much! So are we!
I’m so happy for you.
Thank you TiTi. We are very happy!
Well done and congratulations. A family to fight for and now to be together. So many happy days to you all!
Thanks! I will post later today – but it has been a BIG night! Kids are in bed and we are about to finally go to bed too!
BRILLIANT!!! I am so happy and excited for you all. This really bought a smile to my cranky Friday face
Have a brilliant, fantastic, fun filled weekend – better crank up the heating though, they won’t know what’s hit them lol. Hugs to you all xxoo
Oh, I know! I’m taking hoodies to the airport with me! It sure will be fun filled! I have 3 hours before I leave the house to collect them.
Glad we brightened your day!
Wonderful news!!!! I can’t believe it has actually happened… We held our collective breaths for you these many weeks and followed the saga closely. I can imagine how exhausted you are/will be plus a new high.
Enjoy the reunion and please keep us posted if even briefly… Love to each of them and welcome home too!
E
There were times when I didn’t think it would either, Elizabeth, but in the end Australia saw the light and so we are reunited.
:D 
This is super news. I am over the moon for you. Have a super week reuniting with your beautiful family. Blessed be.
Thanks Jen! It is going to be great!
My sincere happiness and joy for you and your family! This made my day and you are an inspiration to us all!!
Beth
Thank you! Probably no post today – I’m a little busy!!
OHBOYOHBOYOHBOY!!!! I’m crying for you here in New Jersey. Sooo happy to hear this!
Thank you! Your “OHBOYOHBOYOHBOY!!!!” is EXACTLY how I feel!!!
Roughly 8.5 hours to go – the flight is running 30 minutes early last time I checked. It is a 14 hour flight from Doha normally, which is the second leg of the journey.
You have a lovely family. You deserve to have a wonderful time together. Make the best of it.
Thank you Paul! I can’t stop smiling! People will WANT me to leave work early today, as I am sure my excitment is annoying in some respects!
Congratulations, best wishes and lots of love and affection coming your way. I am so happy for you, Robyn. Have a wonderful life together. Do keep in touch. With much love to you and yours, Vera and Alan xx
Thank you! Definitely plan on keeping in touch – this is the start of a whole NEW adventure!
Go girl! You are a wonderful example to us all.
I am so happy for you, this has been a long journey and way past due. Enjoy !! my friend and keep us updated !! Hugs !
Love the hugs, thank you. Will definitely keep everyone update – may just not be a post today!
I’ll be a bit busy!
This is so exciting. Are the little ones going to need language lessons?
No, they all speak English, it is the official language. The proficiency tests are a formality for anyone going into high school, so it is only the two older children who have the tests.
Very exciting!!
I am SO happy for all of you.
It is 6.30am now, I’ve had little sleep, and I’m still grinning like a Chesire cat – or is it the cat who got the cream? I don’t know – just HAPPY!!
Congratulations
I can’t wait for the stories of your new family together!!!!
I’m sure we will have plenty of interesting adventures!
Beautiful family and I am SO HAPPY for you! I’ll get caught up on those newly uncovered posts this weekend.
Big, giant, crushing bear hugs to you! (( ))
Thank you thank you! I expect there will be lots of real bear hugs at the airport at arrival time! I must go to bed – it is 1:10am here
but I’m not sleepy!!!!
That’s wonderful news!! I’m so happy for all of you. It should be quite a reunion.
Oh it will be! Melanie is bringing the video camera to the airport and has made a huge sign to welcome them. I think they will be pretty exhausted when they arrive though. Even so, it will be good to have the video of their arrival!
Now I just have to decide what to wear to the airport!
A handsome lot! Happy feet dance here. All the best for a happy future.
Thank you, thank you! One of my co-workers said to me today “Can’t you stop smiling?” Hehehe I started at my work shortly after all this started, so they have never known the “normal” me!
Such brilliant news! I am so happy for you all and it’s lovely to finally see that photo in your header unpixelated
I’m going to have a read through some of those newly un-hidden posts too.
Huge hugs xxx
Thanks Eleanor! I should be in bed, but as you can imagine I don’t feel the slightest bit sleepy!!! I am SO EXCITED!!!!!
what a beautiful family!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1
Thank you! We reckon we are a pretty good team!