Before you buy anything, get in touch with a club. You'll spend more money and a lot more time replacing or working on things that don't need it or replacing twice the things you get wrong the first time than you will on club and AMA dues. If you showed up as a new student in my club with your situation, I'd take your batteries home with me to be tested on the cycler so you'd know if they were good, then I'd look your engine over and get it running with some of my own fuel if necessary, and then I'd do a test and trim flight for you. From there I'd take off and land for you and let you get some stick time, learning to make accurate turns and handle the wind, then teach you some basic aerobatics and takeoffs and landings. Along the way I'd probably explain how to do some repairs and possibly have you over to use my tools if needed. With a little talent you'd be flying on your own in 2-4 months with a solid foundation in piloting technique, airplane maintenance and inspection, and safety procedures. Option 2 is to go it alone and hope you get it right. Your plane will tell you when you don't by landing itself. The only problem is that the plane isn't particular about what angle it makes those automatic approaches or how fast it is going at the time.

I took the liberty of searching for clubs in your area on the AMA's website and there are numerous options for you.

http://www.modelaircraft.org/clubsearch.aspx