Padre Bill - I can identify with a lot of what you are saying, deffinate commit to learning the pipes.
I offer this wee bit of advice. Often times it will be time and money for the lessons wil be factors. Online is the Bagpipe Player software program (free is good ) and many different sites with free music downloaads that the soft ware can read. I use this method for learning new tunes, you can set tempo as you learn. There are exercises also available.

Check out the You Tube for bagpipe lessons, here you can see how all the embelishments are done with close ups of the fingerings.

With these bits, if you only a few minutes a day you can concentrate on on techniques or tunes.

I am in between teachers now due my schedule, I try to have at least 30 minutes a day, 15 on an embelishment and 15 on a tune that has that embelishment in it.

Goodd luck
Dave