After all the hectic planning leading up to this trip and the active days in Cairns, things have really slowed down for us now at Mission Beach.As a result, relaxation has finally set in.I've decided that I pretty much like rolling out bed whenever I want, swimming in the ocean, maybe reading a bit while hanging out on the beach, and topping it off with good food and drinks.Yeah, the beach lifestyle is great.I'm enjoying it so much, I wonder if I will ever return...

Today we move on to Mission Beach, but before we do, I wanted to reflect on what we've done with our time here in Cairns. We've had some great adventures. First, we rented a car to drive up the coast through the Daintree Rain Forest and up to Cape Tribulation. Half the adventure was just driving the car as traffic flows on the left and drivers sit on the right side! Jeff was wise enough to clarify that the clutch was still on the left, but we never thought to...

We arrived in Cairns tonight but not without a little trouble. The mean little travel goblins are rearing their heads pretty early in the game. Our 14.5 hour flight to Melbourne appeared to be going smoothly until nearly the end. The captain came on the line with a muddy commentary that pretty much explained nothing, but involved something about Melbourne weather and not enough fuel (how many hearts just skipped a beat? Haha). Long story short, we were rerout...

We made it safe and sound (and tired!) to California. Barely a day into this trip and already my husband has become someone I hardly recognize: someone who bounces out of bed singing at 6 in the morning and wants ice cream for lunch. I'm usually the ice cream fanatic and he's never been a morning person...turns out he's just not a work person, haha. Yesterday we spent the day at grandma's seeing all the family, inlcuding little Caitlynn who is just a bundle of ...