Just to clarify, we are talking about two different time periods. Yes your time to answer begins with service, but most courts will not allow an inactive case to sit indefinitely. Where I practice (I am a litigator), I have 120 days to get the case moving and then the consequences begin.
If you are ok with waiting, then by all means take that path. But please let go of the agony of the wait and accept that even if it comes, you can continue on as you have been. Many petitions are dismissed along the way and people do come back together after divorce. My daughter is an opera singer and I dearly hate the expression, but indeed it ain't over until the fat lady sings.
