First off it is great to have you here, I am glad you found our hangout.
As for the pictures, the problems you are having are because the photo album feature in this software was not made active after the last upgrade. I am not sure if that was by design or accident. The best and easiest way to attach a picture in a post is to set up a photobucket.com account (it is free) and link the picture here using the "Insert Image" icon (mountain and sun). Give it a shot and if you have any trouble at all most of us here can help you out, just let us know.