uPDATE

So its been a while since I started this blog, so I figure I owe it to the people who may check it to let you know what is going on if you don't already know.
With the 60th Anniversary of the People's Republic of China at the beginning of October as well as outbreaks of some serious diseases, the Chinese Government is being extra cautious about who they let into the country. They don't want to run the risk of having a visitor, such as myself, bring nor acquire any viruses when I come to China. They also are very wary of terrorist attacks with the large celebration. Sufficed to say that my entry into China and the start of my new life has been delayed. In fact, this is the second time that my trip has been pushed back. There are basically two things I am waiting on. The first is the actual paperwork from the Chinese Government which certifies that I am coming to China for employment purposes and that I am working with a company that is legitimate. Once that paperwork is finished, it is sent to the Chinese Embassy here in America where I will have the second item, the Work Visa, stamped into my passport and then returned to me. The paperwork from the Chinese Government is the thing that is taking the longest. This is going into the third month that myself and the other teachers have been waiting for the paperwork to clear. No one has any idea when those papers will be completed and cleared so I cannot buy another plane ticket. We purchased our plane tickets for the last speculated date and some of us, including me, had to take it as a total loss; no refunds, no vouchers, no exchanges. We are all hoping that this week brings completed paperwork so that things finally start to move forward.
In the meantime, I have simply just been waiting. With no idea of the time frame I am now dealing with, it has been difficult to make plans other than working as Security for FBC whenever they need an extra hand. Most of my days are spent copying Chinese texts and books onto my computer, jamming to iTunes, cleaning, and eating.
My mom and I got to spend time with my niece (her granddaughter) this past weekend. We took her to butterfly world since she loves the pretty butterflies and the birds. I opened a new flickr account so that I could share the photos I take on my trip to China, but I'll just post to it the various events that go on :-P
Anyway, enjoy the photos and feel free to download them by clicking "All Sizes" above each photo. Until next time, thats it.