You done already messed up! You gotta get the wife's support to be able to do this long term. I find that the occasional workshop project for her and flowers puts her in the mood to be ok with my taking over the garage with my planes.
As for resources, the beginners' forum on RCU has more than you'd ever want to know. For now, the only advice I'm going to give you is to join a club. You'll get flying instruction, plane inspections, and all kinds of advice from experienced modelers. The cost of membership will pay for itself many times over in the next couple of years.