Ok. I think I isolated the problem. wordpress and the database aren't connecting. As I try to troubleshoot some ideas came to mind like:
1. instead of using localhost:81 use the IP address (only I don't know where to find it)
2. remove plug-ins
I logged in to phpmyadmin and saw the wordpress databases with all the correct tables, it just isn't connecting. I'm trying to search for a way to troubleshoot this. Ideas? Thanks so much!!!