Definitely go with a DSLR, then.
Most of them, no matter how many other bells and whistles come with them, have a basic automatic point-and-shoot capability. Makes it very nice to be able to capture nice shots even while you're still figuring out all the features by reading the manual.
The problem for me was getting so busy experimenting that after a few weeks I found myself with 495 images to print.
(Yes, I'm very album oriented....
)