Hi Carrie, and welcome to the forum!!

The very best things you can do for yourself and pool success are to 1) order and use a good, drop-based kit, and 2) read, read, read through our sister site, PoolSolutions and the things "stickied" at the top of the forums here. Those things alone will give you a good grasp of pool chemistry and how it works. The test kit we recommend here is the Taylor K-2006. Two of the cheapest places we've found online for it are http://www.spspools-spas.com and http://www.amatoind.com. Leslie's online also sells a re-labeled version of the same kit. They tend to be a little pricey, but I guarantee you that they will save their cost hundredfold over the life of your pool.

Do all the reading you can, and we'll be here to answer any questions you have.

Janet