Good news

Now for the good news. Heather and I went to several historical museums when we first got here, and we found that to be very helpful in learning about our new home. I highly recommend that you visit these museums where you live and when you travel. One of the museums had an exhibit about Captain Cook and his explorations. We learned quite a bit about the exploration and discovery of Australia and the Pacific islands—reward enough in itself. However, there also happened to be a prize drawing tied to the exhibit. I highly recommend entering these, since fewer people tend to visit museums than your average shopping mall, and your odds of winning are greatly improved. You may win items like a nice dinner or tickets to a play. Or maybe, if you are very lucky, the exhibit may be sponsored by Captain Cook Cruises, and you could win a seven night Great Barrier Reef "ultimate cruise." Well, you won't win that particular prize, because we already did. Go to the Captain Cook Cruises website to see what kind of fun we will be having.
Now, there are some drawbacks to winning this trip. I have already thought of three. First of all, I am going to have to get my scuba certification sooner than I had planned. Second, we had planned to go to Tasmania in April (we hear the (southern) autumn colors are beautiful), but will likely have to postpone that trip a whole year and go on the cruise instead. Third, the cruise is courtesy of Captain Cook Cruises, but the airfare will be covered by the museum, which means I have to make an extra phone call to arrange. Before you scoff, let me remind you that local calls here aren't free—it will cost me an extra thirty cents just to arrange our flights. Into every life a little rain must fall. But do not worry, we will persevere through these trials and make the best of the situation, and of course, take lots of pictures.