diff --git a/src/com/coder/client/CoderClient.java b/src/com/coder/client/CoderClient.java
index adb2b08..8017634 100755
--- a/src/com/coder/client/CoderClient.java
+++ b/src/com/coder/client/CoderClient.java
@@ -125,6 +125,7 @@ public class CoderClient extends Application{
 		this.selectServerDialog.addSelectProjectDialogListener(new SelectServerDialogListener() {
 			@Override
 			public void willShow() {
+				logger.fine("about to show select server dialog on main stage");
 				closeCurrentSession();
 				selectServerDialog.clearServerList();
 				if(ssdpClient != null){
@@ -162,7 +163,7 @@ public class CoderClient extends Application{
 		this.loginDialog.addLoginDialogListener(new LoginDialogListener(){
 			@Override
 			public void willShow() {
-
+				logger.fine("about to show login dialog on main stage");
 			}
 			@Override
 			public void cancel() {
@@ -179,30 +180,7 @@ public class CoderClient extends Application{
 					loginDialog.setErrorMessage("Wrong username or password");
 					selectServerDialog.showOnStage(mainStage);
 					return;
-				}else{
-					// create a guard for when the session is closed
-					new Thread(new Runnable(){
-						@Override
-						public void run() {
-							logger.fine("starting a session guard");
-							while(true){
-								if(session == null || !session.isConnected()){
-									logger.fine("session guard: no connection");
-									Platform.runLater(new Runnable() {
-										@Override
-										public void run() {
-											selectServerDialog.setErrorMessage("The current session was disconnected");
-											closeCurrentSession();
-											selectServerDialog.showOnStage(mainStage);
-										}
-									});
-									break;
-								}
-								Thread.yield();
-							}
-							logger.fine("terminating session guard");
-						}}).start();
-					
+				}else{					
 					loginDialog.setErrorMessage("");
 					setupSessionListener();	//resister a message listener to the session
 					session.start();	//start receiving traffic from the server
@@ -224,6 +202,28 @@ public class CoderClient extends Application{
 			logger.warning("Cannot setup session listeners for a non-authenticated session. ignoring call.");
 			return;
 		}
+		// create a guard for when the session is closed
+		new Thread(new Runnable(){
+			@Override
+			public void run() {
+				logger.fine("starting a session guard");
+				while(true){
+					if(session == null || !session.isConnected()){
+						logger.fine("session guard: no connection");
+						Platform.runLater(new Runnable() {
+							@Override
+							public void run() {
+								selectServerDialog.setErrorMessage("The current session was disconnected");
+								closeCurrentSession();
+								selectServerDialog.showOnStage(mainStage);
+							}
+						});
+						break;
+					}
+					Thread.yield();
+				}
+				logger.fine("terminating session guard");
+			}}).start();
 		session.addCoderMessageReceivedListener(new CoderMessageReceivedListener() {
 			@Override
 			public void projectListRspReceived(final Map<String, ProjectListData> projectListRsp) {
@@ -291,6 +291,7 @@ public class CoderClient extends Application{
 		this.selectProjectDialog.addSelectProjectDialogListener(new SelectProjectDialogListener() {
 			@Override
 			public void willShow() {
+				logger.fine("about to show select project dialog on main stage");
 				selectProjectDialog.clearProjectList();
 				if(!selectProjectDialog.isProjectSelected()){
 					sendProjectListReq();
@@ -335,6 +336,7 @@ public class CoderClient extends Application{
 		this.newProjectDialog.addNewProjectDialogListener(new NewProjectDialogListener(){
 			@Override
 			public void willShow() {
+				logger.fine("about to show new project dialog on main stage");
 				newProjectDialog.clearProjectTypeList();
 				sendProjectTypeReqMsg();
 			}
@@ -380,6 +382,7 @@ public class CoderClient extends Application{
 		this.editorWindow.addEditorWindowListener(new EditorWindowListener() {
 			@Override
 			public void willShow() {
+				logger.fine("about to show edit window on main stage");
 				sendProjectReqMsg();
 			}
 			@Override
diff --git a/src/com/coder/client/Session.java b/src/com/coder/client/Session.java
index 93d2e25..466916e 100755
--- a/src/com/coder/client/Session.java
+++ b/src/com/coder/client/Session.java
@@ -72,11 +72,11 @@ public class Session extends Thread {
 			try {
 				msg = in.readGenericObject();
 			} catch (IOException e) {
-				logger.log(Level.FINE, "socket was probably closed by the peer", e);
+				logger.fine("socket has been closed");
 				break;
 			}
 			if(msg == null){
-				logger.fine("socket was probably closed by the peer");
+				logger.severe("reading null from socket. socket assumed to be closed.");
 				break;
 			}else{
 				handleMessage(msg);
@@ -182,8 +182,7 @@ public class Session extends Thread {
 	        CoderMessage authRsp = new CoderMessage();
 	        authRsp.AuthenticationRsp = new AuthenticationRspMsg();
 	        authRsp.AuthenticationRsp.timestamp = System.currentTimeMillis();
-	        authRsp.AuthenticationRsp.hash = Hasher.PBKDF2(
-                    hashedPassword, msg.AuthenticationChallenge.salt, AUTH_HASH_ITERATIONS);
+	        authRsp.AuthenticationRsp.hash = key;
 	        logger.fine("Sending AuthenticationRsp");
 			send(authRsp);
 	
diff --git a/src/com/coder/client/gui/login/LoginDialog.fxml b/src/com/coder/client/gui/login/LoginDialog.fxml
index f62f5d5..3abb1d3 100644
--- a/src/com/coder/client/gui/login/LoginDialog.fxml
+++ b/src/com/coder/client/gui/login/LoginDialog.fxml
@@ -7,15 +7,14 @@
 <?import java.lang.*?>
 <?import javafx.scene.control.*?>
 
-
 <AnchorPane prefHeight="116.0" prefWidth="378.0" xmlns="http://javafx.com/javafx/8.0.40" xmlns:fx="http://javafx.com/fxml/1">
    <children>
       <Label layoutX="10.0" layoutY="17.0" text="username" AnchorPane.leftAnchor="10.0" AnchorPane.topAnchor="17.0" />
-      <TextField fx:id="usernameTextField" layoutX="80.0" layoutY="13.0" onKeyPressed="#keyPressed" prefHeight="25.0" prefWidth="291.0" AnchorPane.leftAnchor="80.0" AnchorPane.rightAnchor="7.0" AnchorPane.topAnchor="13.0" />
+      <TextField fx:id="usernameTextField" layoutX="80.0" layoutY="13.0" onKeyPressed="#keyPressed" prefHeight="25.0" prefWidth="291.0" promptText="Username" AnchorPane.leftAnchor="80.0" AnchorPane.rightAnchor="7.0" AnchorPane.topAnchor="13.0" />
       <Label layoutX="10.0" layoutY="48.0" text="password" AnchorPane.leftAnchor="10.0" AnchorPane.topAnchor="48.0" />
-      <PasswordField fx:id="passwordPasswordField" layoutX="80.0" layoutY="44.0" onKeyPressed="#keyPressed" prefHeight="25.0" prefWidth="291.0" AnchorPane.leftAnchor="80.0" AnchorPane.rightAnchor="7.0" AnchorPane.topAnchor="44.0" />
-      <Label fx:id="errorLabel" alignment="TOP_LEFT" layoutX="10.0" layoutY="75.0" maxWidth="1.7976931348623157E308" prefHeight="35.0" prefWidth="242.0" text="error" textFill="RED" wrapText="true" />
-      <HBox alignment="CENTER_RIGHT" layoutX="42.0" layoutY="34.0" prefHeight="35.0" prefWidth="200.0" AnchorPane.bottomAnchor="5.0" AnchorPane.rightAnchor="0.0">
+      <PasswordField fx:id="passwordPasswordField" layoutX="80.0" layoutY="44.0" onKeyPressed="#keyPressed" prefHeight="25.0" prefWidth="291.0" promptText="Password" AnchorPane.leftAnchor="80.0" AnchorPane.rightAnchor="7.0" AnchorPane.topAnchor="44.0" />
+      <Label fx:id="errorLabel" alignment="TOP_LEFT" layoutX="10.0" layoutY="75.0" maxWidth="1.7976931348623157E308" prefHeight="34.0" prefWidth="216.0" text="Error Message" textFill="RED" wrapText="true" AnchorPane.bottomAnchor="7.0" AnchorPane.leftAnchor="10.0" AnchorPane.rightAnchor="152.0" AnchorPane.topAnchor="75.0" />
+      <HBox alignment="CENTER_RIGHT" layoutX="42.0" layoutY="34.0" prefHeight="35.0" prefWidth="148.0" AnchorPane.bottomAnchor="5.0" AnchorPane.rightAnchor="0.0">
          <children>
             <Button fx:id="cancelButton" mnemonicParsing="false" onAction="#cancel" text="Cancel">
                <HBox.margin>
diff --git a/src/com/coder/client/gui/newProject/NewProjectDialog.fxml b/src/com/coder/client/gui/newProject/NewProjectDialog.fxml
index 862de21..2f25c71 100644
--- a/src/com/coder/client/gui/newProject/NewProjectDialog.fxml
+++ b/src/com/coder/client/gui/newProject/NewProjectDialog.fxml
@@ -1,15 +1,30 @@
 <?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
 
+<?import javafx.geometry.*?>
 <?import javafx.scene.control.*?>
 <?import java.lang.*?>
 <?import javafx.scene.layout.*?>
 
-<AnchorPane maxHeight="-Infinity" maxWidth="-Infinity" minHeight="-Infinity" minWidth="-Infinity" prefHeight="159.0" prefWidth="382.0" xmlns="http://javafx.com/javafx/8.0.40" xmlns:fx="http://javafx.com/fxml/1">
+<AnchorPane maxHeight="-Infinity" maxWidth="-Infinity" minHeight="-Infinity" minWidth="-Infinity" prefHeight="112.0" prefWidth="382.0" xmlns="http://javafx.com/javafx/8.0.40" xmlns:fx="http://javafx.com/fxml/1">
    <children>
-      <Button fx:id="cancelButton" layoutX="60.0" layoutY="67.0" mnemonicParsing="false" onAction="#cancel" text="cancel" />
-      <Button fx:id="createButton" defaultButton="true" disable="true" layoutX="195.0" layoutY="67.0" mnemonicParsing="false" onAction="#create" text="create" />
-      <ComboBox fx:id="projectTypeComboBox" layoutX="160.0" layoutY="21.0" prefHeight="25.0" prefWidth="196.0" promptText="Select a Project Type" />
-      <Label fx:id="errorMessageLabel" layoutX="71.0" layoutY="111.0" text="Error Message" textFill="RED" />
-      <TextField fx:id="projectNameTextField" layoutX="11.0" layoutY="21.0" onKeyPressed="#keyPressed" promptText="Project Name" />
+      <ComboBox fx:id="projectTypeComboBox" layoutX="58.0" layoutY="39.0" prefHeight="25.0" prefWidth="196.0" promptText="Select a Project Type" AnchorPane.leftAnchor="55.0" AnchorPane.rightAnchor="10.0" />
+      <Label fx:id="errorMessageLabel" alignment="TOP_LEFT" layoutX="14.0" layoutY="71.0" prefHeight="17.0" prefWidth="237.0" text="Error Message" textFill="RED" AnchorPane.bottomAnchor="10.0" AnchorPane.leftAnchor="10.0" AnchorPane.rightAnchor="135.0" AnchorPane.topAnchor="71.0" />
+      <TextField fx:id="projectNameTextField" layoutX="58.0" layoutY="10.0" onKeyPressed="#keyPressed" prefHeight="25.0" prefWidth="314.0" promptText="Project Name" AnchorPane.leftAnchor="55.0" AnchorPane.rightAnchor="10.0" />
+      <Label layoutX="14.0" layoutY="14.0" text="Name" AnchorPane.leftAnchor="10.0" AnchorPane.topAnchor="14.0" />
+      <Label layoutX="14.0" layoutY="43.0" text="Type" AnchorPane.leftAnchor="10.0" AnchorPane.topAnchor="43.0" />
+      <HBox alignment="CENTER_RIGHT" layoutX="168.0" layoutY="109.0" prefHeight="35.0" prefWidth="127.0" AnchorPane.bottomAnchor="5.0" AnchorPane.rightAnchor="10.0">
+         <children>
+            <Button fx:id="cancelButton" mnemonicParsing="false" onAction="#cancel" text="cancel">
+               <HBox.margin>
+                  <Insets left="10.0" />
+               </HBox.margin>
+            </Button>
+            <Button fx:id="createButton" defaultButton="true" disable="true" mnemonicParsing="false" onAction="#create" text="create">
+               <HBox.margin>
+                  <Insets left="10.0" />
+               </HBox.margin>
+            </Button>
+         </children>
+      </HBox>
    </children>
 </AnchorPane>
diff --git a/src/com/coder/client/gui/selectProject/SelectProjectDialog.java b/src/com/coder/client/gui/selectProject/SelectProjectDialog.java
index 83f44f6..7f9b8b2 100644
--- a/src/com/coder/client/gui/selectProject/SelectProjectDialog.java
+++ b/src/com/coder/client/gui/selectProject/SelectProjectDialog.java
@@ -113,6 +113,7 @@ public class SelectProjectDialog extends GuiWindow {
 	
 	@FXML
 	protected void newProject(ActionEvent event){
+		logger.fine("user triggered the new project button");
 		for(SelectProjectDialogListener listener : this.listeners){
 			listener.newProject();
 		}
@@ -120,6 +121,7 @@ public class SelectProjectDialog extends GuiWindow {
 	
 	@FXML
 	protected void cancel(ActionEvent event){
+		logger.fine("user triggered the cancel button");
 		for(SelectProjectDialogListener listener : this.listeners){
 			listener.cancel();
 		}