Hi Deb,
I'm near Ithaca, so I know how few good sewing machine stores there are in the relatively near vacinity. My guess is you bought your Janome from the dealer in Painted Post? I purchased a machine from them but returned it but they seemed pretty nice, although I have no idea about the machine technician. If you want to stick with Janome, you might want to get the 350 embroidery only machine. I know you can use the gigahoop with this model and it's relatively inexpensive with quite a few nice features.
On the other hand, if you'd like to try out every make and model of home sewing and embroidery machine made, take a little road trip (about a 3 hour drive) to Pocono Sew and Vac in Stroudsburg, PA. They, literally have EVERYTHING out so you can get a much better idea about what you want. They also have the best tech, Brad Bennet, that I've ever had the pleasure of dealing with. It's totally worth the trip.
We also have a top notch Pfaff dealership in Ithaca, which would be a bit closer. They're truly wonderful and have a lot of integrity. No BS at all about anything.
Anyway, good luck in your search! Drop me a line, and I'll be happy to help if you need more info!