First, welcome!
The 5 references... Where do you shoot now? Sure you could find them there. Friends? It's not as hard as you think.
I agree, the wait sucks!!!
Do you have a class lined up? If not, I can help with that and the entire process.
Things you can do now: run your ad and gather references.
For the reference questionnaire on the first page there is a bold line about 1/3 of the way down. Above it
is YOUR personal info. Fill that in and make 6 copies. This will give you 2 extras if someone screws one up.
Any other questions, please feel free to ask. Lots of knowledgeable and helpful people here.