I am VERY new to all of this. What is the difference between Fireworks and Flash? Thanks!

Fireworks - Graphics Studio (some user interaction)
Great for website layouts and image manipulation.
I usually use fireworks for the above reasons, I'll create a layout using fireworks, slice up all the sections and then export that image to web format. I do have a couple more steps that deal with css but it is awesome for layouts...as well as logo design!

Flash - Multimedia Studio (major user interaction)
Great for a complete multimedia/user interactive design.

Have a good weekend!