As usual, I totally agree with Irulan.

In California, there are a lot of free clinics for Beginners.

I think for women, than gaining confidence on easy fun trails leads them to liking mountain biking and then wanting to improve. Although your husband is nice to help you out, I think that people who lead rides specifically for beginners will help you feel less frustrated because women feel like they are slowing down other people when you are biking with people who are a lot better than you are.

Best of luck!