I am going to try your suggestion on the document raster image settings, it was at 300ppi default. I just changed it. I just got done reinstalling AI though because I have a project due ASAP and I had to do something quick 
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I manage my files pretty well and have tons of extra space on my HD and my MacBook has 2.2GHz quad-core Intel Core i7 processor so I hope that is enough to power through AI after I figure this out. I hope I don't have a really fragmented drive like you mentioned. Thanks much for your time and input Wade!
- Jamison