Welcome Joe,

Congratulations to finding your way here first - you've already got excellent advice. Take a look around, read some, the stickies are a must.
I would suggest one different thing - if your budget allows you go for the high end brush. Everything is a personal preference, but all my high end brushes perform significantly better than the others. Don't get me wrong I'll be fine with almost any brush, but a good one is just a different level of experience (and price). What is high end - i guess rooney, simpson, shavemac - $100-$150. Of course you can start lower and never upgrade, but if you're thinking you may end up there anyways and have the money to do it you'll skip the $50-$70 step. Razors are a different story because there are a lot of great deals available and most of us are more into razors than into brushes, plus the potential damage factor...

Get a razor that is already honed and you don't have to worry about sending it out for now. As far as where to find honemeister near you - a good start is posting your location. Knife shops and barbers can work too, try and see.