Carrie -
I too am creeping along slowly in the game. I keep it paused when I'm at work because I felt like I missed too much fun stuff the first day I let it run. Once I get home I can check it more frequently and play for long periods so I haven't gotten to a lot of the things I have seen mentioned. I have though seen little neat things going on when I watch my little villagers for a while. It seems like now that their skill levels have bumped up they are being more adventerous and curious and I've noticed them going to look at certain things or trying to water certain areas of the island. It's really NEAT to watch the changes and growth!
Maybe you can't sit around and watch them like I can
but it seems like everything takes some time to accomplish so keep plugging away! And as far at tech points go, you might get events that help give you a boost
Just a little hint or something to look forward to!
Rebecca