Welcome Seahorsedeb... my advice would be to just read, read, read everything you can, and then just go out and do. The more you are out riding, the more you will discover what works and what doesn't for YOU. But just know it's not unusual for it to take a little time to feel comfortable in the saddle if you haven't been riding for a long while.

Since you are in Washington the STATE, check out the website for Cycle the Wave...a women's ride that happens in September. They have links to some girl-specific information, here is a link to their newsletter:

http://archive.constantcontact.com/f...119192546.html

There is a lecture series sponsored by a physical therapy group that might be interesting for you if you live in the area.

Good luck!