Welcome aboard, Kari!
Communication, communication, communicatin....
But let's face it, we're not all quite sure how to discuss certain matters with our partners. Nor are we all particularly skilled in communicating about difficult matters. Oftentimes, we've never even seen others effectively communicate well about their needs, feelings, challenges, desires, fears....
Because communication requires knowledge and skill and self-awareness..., I've started this topic:
http://www.polyamory.com/forum/showt...=communication
The topic has not been well used, thus far. Hopefully we can put it to better use. I bet you could get some suggestions and ideas about communication there.