Thank you both for all of your advice. I am still a bit timid to buy a brand new bike since I am a beginner. I just dont want to spend a lot of money on something just because it is the "perfect" bike for me. However, I have heard some really good things about a local bike shop here in my town, so I think I may go there and see if the guys can show me some lower end (price) bikes and get me properly fit on a frame. I haven’t been on a bike since I was a child, so all of this seems pretty exciting.
Also, does anyone know a good placeto buy used bikes? Is there a For Sale Forum on a sister web site or anything? If it turns out better for me to purchase a used bike, I would much rather buy from a respectable forum member instead of someone on e-bay or similar web site.
Thanks again for all of the advice. If anyone else reads my post, please feel free to chime in.