I applied on Jan 3, through the DC embassy. Keeping my optimistic fingers crossed that when they update it, the new global processing time is 2-3 months lololol
Being optimistic is good, but can be crushing when you lean heavily on it, especially when its something that has an estimated processing time of 11-15 months.
Having said that, it sounds like you know you're in it for the long haul, which I believe is the right mindset to be in when applying for a partner visa (or any visa for that matter). The OP posted this thread yesterday and roughly 13 hours later the status of the application said
"Further Assessment."
So we will just wait and see what shakes out. Just curious, did you lodge a decision ready application? Medicals and police checks included.