is there a way of retrieving my sent messages? also how much longer do we have to wait for the IM or chat line?

Threaded forums, Threaded Email (where you can see sent messages), Integrated Live Chat, Instant Messaging, and Photo Galleries are the next big priorities. Forums are in beta now and will be the first of the pending major featuers to launch. The rest will follow shortly thereafter -- it's hard to give exact ETAs, as in the middle of working on these large features we're working on numerous smaller requests. I should note that many of the new major featuers, because they require either significant server resources or file space, will be put under the upcoming optional paid umbrella, where Admins who want them can upgrade to paid status. That's all in the works too -- the final cost is TBD, but I know we'll be keeping everything under the paid area less than $100 a year for those who wish to upgrade.