Hi Jason
I am in Placerville - rather far from you. I have been keeping bees now for 4 seasons and I must say that it was a challenge for me for the first 2 years. So many obstacles to overcome, but the main one was my emotions. I was just to darn attached to them and every little thing that went wrong drove me crazy with worry. Even though I took a couple of classes before I found this forum, nothing could have helped me more than being able to get answers quickly from many experienced beekeepers.
You are in the right place if you are truly serious about keeping bees. Although you will many times get many different answers, I have found that there is a consistent thread that flows through most of the answers. I usually go with the majority of answers in deciding how to proceed further, plus my own instincts.
When you know you have done the best you can for them, and they seem happy, it is a great feeling.
I got into beekeeping for the honey as you are, but now I know there is so much more to keeping bees. A bigger purpose than just the golden honey.
Enjoy your new hobby and stay in touch and share how things are going along.
Sincerely
Annette