Thanks all for the welcomes. I went out to DVC last night and tried out the g17, sig p226, baby eagle, and shot their sti trojan 9mm again. The sti was definitely the nicest shooter, but I don't think it's really in my budget...baby eagle was a bit easier to control given the weight but somehow didn't feel comfortable, the sig felt good but the trigger seemed to require a lot of movement, and I liked the glock trigger and the overall feel of the gun but it was definitely harder to shoot well for a beginner like me.
So, not much progress, haha. I think I'll end up with the G17 as it's one of the least expensive, reliable and simple guns on the market. If it takes me longer to become a good shot with it, that's not a big deal.