Hi tbswilson, and welcome.
Near the top of this board is a thread which has many good links to help you get started.
Some useful info for newbies.... Countdown help is there too.
As for staying logged in, I too have difficulty at times. I do find that if you are logged in and go to another board via a 'submenu', you have a better chance of staying logged in. (Don't ask me why, LOL) Example is to click on
The DIS Discussion Forums > Trip Planning Forums > Welcome to the DIS > the
Trip Planning Forums part of the link which is above this post, bringing you to a sub menu of planning boards, and then go from there. Same with the
Just For Fun boards. Also, subscribing to the forums you use most often, and accessing them through your
User CP above also helps. Just one of the board quirks you get used to over time.
Enjoy, hope to see you often. Any questions, just holler.
Dan