Well it sounds to me like you got a lot for your money. I'm really happy for you. I think the Longarm Quilting 101 is a good description. Learning to do various quilt designs and patterns usually requires taking specific classes for such info. And you sound very confident, which is half the battle, imho. I can't tell you how many people I've met at shows and classes who are afraid to try longarming. Some even own machines but rarely if ever touch them. I guess they are very intimidating to some. I suspect the size must have something to do with it. They do look rather beastly compared to our DSMs. lol
I like your idea of taking some plain white fabric for your first session. It's great to be able to practice the designs you might want to use on your quilts. The shop you were at sounds like a great place. Love the donation idea. Free batting and donuts - well who's gonna turn those down. lol And you got to try rulers - yay! I tried them in Houston at the quilt festival. I didn't think I wanted to learn but I was wrong. It was a lot of fun and not nearly as hard to learn as I thought they would be. Much easier than on a sit down, for me anyway.
I don't have my machine yet but I love using a longarm whenever I can. My choices are narrowed down to the Innova and the Bernina q20, which I would get with a frame, not the sit down. Today I played for over an hour on the Bernina Q24 at my fav quilt shop. For free! It's a great shop and the owners are always generous with their time and knowledge. Being a Bernina girl, I find using the Qs so intuitive. And they made me an awesome offer. Oh my, I'm not sure I'll sleep tonight.
Again, thanks for sharing your experience. I'm looking forward to hearing about your longarm adventures! Di