Well I spoke to another Photographer friend. He suggested getting the XTI with the kit lens that comes with it, then picking up a Canon EF 50mm F/1.8 lens for under $80. Both lenses should give me something to play with before spending some bigger money on a quality zoom lense - like a Canon EF 70-200mm F/4.0 L for around $600 for my birthday.

I can get the XTI with a 4GB Flash card for under $900 on Newegg.com tax free. So I think I'm gonna go that route after payday (Tomorrow).