Thank you for the response.
I was actually able to figure it out with one of my co-workers.
I guess I wasn't very clear in what I was trying to express. As mentioned I did not have the insert tab you referred to in your answer, and it was frustrating to keep having people circle the tab trying to show me where it is supposed to be. Which also means I would not have been able to provide you with a screen shot as requested, as there was no insert tab to work with.
I did find out what the problem was though, and hope that anyone coming across this issue will find this post helpful. Or you will have an additional question to ask them to help troubleshoot in the future.
Apparently the insert tab is not part of the ribbon when you are replying to/forwarding an email directly in the outlook "preview display".
You must make sure that your reply or forward "pops out" to it's own window to get all the tabs, including of course insert.
Again, thank you for taking the time to help! I appreciate your willingness to assist.