diff --git a/booking.helper.inc b/booking.helper.inc
index e74d947..5177002 100644
--- a/booking.helper.inc
+++ b/booking.helper.inc
@@ -1096,6 +1096,95 @@ function _booking_amount_owing($person, $amount_paid = 0, $include_paypal_fees =
 	return number_format($amount_owing, 2, '.', '');
 }
 
+/**
+ * Function to handle any post-payment notification emails for either paypal or manual payment
+ * still a WIP
+ *
+ * @param $nid - the node ID relating to this person
+ * @param $person - the populated node object representing this person including related price information
+ * @param $balance_payment - boolean to indicate if this transaction was to complete a payment
+ * @return nothing
+ */
+function _booking_postpayment_trigger($nid, $person, $balance_payment)
+{
+	global $event;
+	
+	//If there is no outstanding balance, send a payment complete email
+	$amount_owing = _booking_amount_owing($person);
+	//if ($total >= $person->booking_total_pay_reqd)
+	if ($amount_owing == 0)
+	{
+		//set the payment complete flag
+		db_update('booking_person')
+			->fields(array(
+				'booking_payment_complete' => 'Y',
+			))
+			->condition('nid', $nid)
+			->execute();			
+		
+		//this should always be a balance payment type email, since that tells the user that their payment is completed
+		_booking_registration_email($nid, TRUE);
+
+		//if we are combining payments, and this person has a linked spouse
+		if ((variable_get('booking_enable_combined_pricing', 0) == 1) && ($person->booking_partner_id > 0))
+		{
+			//check spouse booking_status and payment info
+			$spouse = db_select('booking_person', 'p')
+				->condition('p.nid', $person->booking_partner_id,'=')
+				->fields('p', array('booking_amount_paid', 'booking_status', 'booking_total_pay_reqd'))
+				->execute()
+				->fetchObject();	
+			
+			//update the spouse's status from "not paid" if required
+			$spouse_status = $spouse->booking_status == 0 ? 1 : $spouse->booking_status;
+			watchdog('booking', 'Setting status for spouse id !id to !new from !status', array('!id' => $person->booking_partner_id, 
+			'!new' => $spouse_status, '!status' => $spouse->booking_status));  	
+			
+			//set the spouse's payment required to be zero or equal to their previous payment total
+			$spouse_new_amount_reqd = $spouse->booking_amount_paid > 0 ? $spouse->booking_amount_paid : 0;
+			watchdog('booking', 'Setting amount owing for spouse id !id to !new from !old.', array('!id' => $person->booking_partner_id, 
+			'!new' => $spouse_new_amount_reqd, '!old' => $spouse->booking_total_pay_reqd));	
+
+			//update the database for this person
+			db_update('booking_person')
+				->fields(array(
+					'booking_total_pay_reqd' => $spouse_new_amount_reqd,
+					'booking_status' => $spouse_status,
+					'booking_payment_complete' => 'Y',
+				))
+				->condition('nid', $person->booking_partner_id)
+				->execute();		
+
+			//send an email to the spouse
+			_booking_registration_email($person->booking_partner_id, TRUE);
+		}
+		/*
+		elseif (variable_get('booking_enable_combined_pricing', 0) == 1)
+		{
+			watchdog('booking', 'Combined pricing is enabled, but this person has a partner id of !id.', array('!id' => $person->booking_partner_id));	
+		}	//end spouse check	
+		*/
+	}
+	//if this was an initial payment we might need to send a notification
+	elseif ($balance_payment == FALSE)
+	{
+		//send a notification email if we didn't automatically send one earlier
+		if (variable_get('booking_auto_confirm_email', 0) == 0)
+		{
+			_booking_registration_email($nid, FALSE);
+		}			
+	}
+	else //this person still has an outstanding balance so just send a confirmation email
+	{
+		watchdog('booking', 'This balance payment of !payment was insufficient for !id to completely pay the total outstanding of !outstanding.', 
+				array('!id' => $nid, '!payment' => $data['mc_gross'], '!outstanding' => $amount_owing));	
+		//send the person an email thanking them for their partial payment
+		_booking_partialbalance_payment_email($nid);
+		//TODO: create an email specifically for partial-balance payments
+		//_booking_registration_email($nid, $balance_payment);			
+	}      		
+}
+
 /**
  * Function to process the amount to refund a person when they withdraw their registration
  *
diff --git a/booking.paypal.inc b/booking.paypal.inc
index 85fce7a..ce8b645 100644
--- a/booking.paypal.inc
+++ b/booking.paypal.inc
@@ -58,15 +58,31 @@ function booking_paypal_ipn() {
 
 	//verify the notification with paypal
 	if(!_booking_paypal_ipn_verify($ipn)) {
-		watchdog('booking_paypal', 'Payment verification did not succeed. Retrying.');
-		if(!_booking_paypal_ipn_verify($ipn)) {
-			return;					
-		} else {
-			watchdog('booking_paypal', 'Payment verification succeeded on second attempt.');
+		watchdog('booking_paypal', 'Payment verification did not succeed. Retrying...');
+		
+		//retry the attempt to verify the payment 5 times, sleeping in between each attempt
+		$continue = TRUE;
+		$i = 0;
+		while ($continue && $i < 5)
+		{
+			if(!_booking_paypal_ipn_verify($ipn)) {
+				watchdog('booking_paypal', 'Payment verification did not succeed on attempt $i.');
+				$i++;
+				sleep(3);					
+			} else {
+				$continue = FALSE;
+				watchdog('booking_paypal', 'Payment verification succeeded on attempt $i.');
+			}			
+		}
+		
+		//exited the loop above with an unsuccessful verification, so return from the function now
+		if ($continue)
+		{
+			watchdog('booking_paypal', 'Payment verification was unsuccessful.');
+			return;
 		}
 	}
-
-	//if we're still exectuing then the verification was successful
+	//verification was successful if we reach this point
 	
 	/*
 	if ($ipn['payment_status'] != 'Pending' && variable_get('booking_paypal_sandbox', 0) == 1) {
@@ -147,14 +163,6 @@ function _booking_process_payment($data) {
 	  ->execute();
 
 	//Get the person's info
-	/*
-	$payment = db_select('booking_person', 'p')
-		->condition('p.nid', $nid, '=')
-		->fields('p', array('booking_amount_paid', 'booking_status', 'booking_total_pay_reqd', 'booking_partner_id'))
-		->execute()
-		->fetchObject();		
-  	*/
-
 	$person = node_load($nid);	
 
 	//check if we found a person matching this payment
@@ -201,7 +209,11 @@ function _booking_process_payment($data) {
 			))
 			->condition('nid', $nid)
 			->execute();
-
+			
+		//replace the code below with a call to the helper function
+		_booking_postpayment_trigger($nid, $person, $balance_payment);
+			
+		/*
 		//If there is no outstanding balance, send a payment complete email
 		$amount_owing = _booking_amount_owing($person);
 		//if ($total >= $person->booking_total_pay_reqd)
@@ -251,12 +263,6 @@ function _booking_process_payment($data) {
 				//send an email to the spouse
 				_booking_registration_email($person->booking_partner_id, TRUE);
 			}
-			/*
-			elseif (variable_get('booking_enable_combined_pricing', 0) == 1)
-			{
-				watchdog('booking', 'Combined pricing is enabled, but this person has a partner id of !id.', array('!id' => $person->booking_partner_id));	
-			}	//end spouse check	
-			*/
 		}
 		//if this was an initial payment we might need to send a notification
 		elseif ($balance_payment == FALSE)
@@ -275,7 +281,9 @@ function _booking_process_payment($data) {
 			_booking_partialbalance_payment_email($nid);
 			//TODO: create an email specifically for partial-balance payments
 			//_booking_registration_email($nid, $balance_payment);			
-		}      	
+		}   
+		
+		*/   	
 	} 
 	else //couldn't find a matching nid for this invoice
 	{