Thanks for all the responses all!
and for the rental hook up Tri. I have decided i am going to rent for the first one.

I found a company in IL that you can rent from, then apply the rental toward purchase if you like it. I am going to see if they are open today and if not will have to wait until Tu.

After doing some more research (I was up way to late last night I am going to try a zoot wetzoot sleeveless, they have weeklong rentals so i can have a chance to get out and try it some.

the swim was supposed to be the easy part for me because I am a swimmer and it is proving to be the most difficult

Re pulling clothes on while wet - I know exactly what you are talking about, I have been doing that my whole life and it never gets easy. tops aren't so bad, but bottoms . . . .
One good thing - because of all the swimming I have done I am used to not drying off w/ a towel, including my face and the feeling doesn't bother me. I figure I wil just have a small towel there to wipe any gunk off my feet so I don't have it embedded by the time I have to run.

I like the 5 gallon bucket idea to tote stuff then turn upside down for a seat. I think I am going to use that idea because i know if I am nervous my balance won't be the greatest (I just about fell off the starting blocks a few years ago when i did my first adult swim race