Dennis, you might want to get a club instructor before going any further. Not to knock the guy you met at the store, but there are lots of guys willing to "help" with useless/wrong info/suggestions. A really nice guy I met at the local hobby shop helped me decide to by a JR radio. Nice radio. Unfortunately, my instructor used Futuba. I then got to buy another JR to use as a buddy box unless I wanted to beg a radio from guys I didn't know yet. I also met a great guy at the field who wanted to teach me to fly for free. Two guys started with me. One crashed his plane (Extra Easy just like mine) on the second lesson- destroyed it. The other guy cut his fingers so bad on the prop he lost feeling in several permanently. I got a club instructor that day. Get a CLUB instructor. Wait to buy stuff until you talk to him. By the way, props are dangerous. Let your instructor show you how to be safe before starting an engine.
Heck, the safety habits I learned were much more important than the flying lessons (I still have ten un-scarred, attached, fully operative fingers).