jasmith1973, there is an "edit post" feature located at the bottom right-hand side of your posts. You can click on this feature to add content to your thread (just as you added your state name to your second post). This is better than starting new threads.
Do not click on "Submit Reply" until you have your content ready to be submitted. If you have been using the "Preview Post" feature prior to submitting your replies, don't. There were issues with the preview feature erasing content at one time and, judging by the number of "empty" threads being posted recently, it is possible that there is an issue with the preview post feature once again.
Good luck.