Thank you to everyone who answered my questions - what worked for you?

I wanted to thank the people who gave me practical advice. There are 11 people counting on me, so I am trying to be careful. I am still searching but I have a plan. What would help newcomers most?

Thanks for writing this out. I went through something close to it 11 months ago, and it settled down once I kept a simple log of every call and form.

It is nice to see a thank-you post. Keep going.