so after posting my best pics that don't even look half as nice as some others (Steve. Bufflow, Walt, Bill j) I went and got a new toy. Thanks Walt for all your help!!!
Canon announced an upgrade to the Digital Rebel recently - Rebel XT (also known as the Rebel 350). It has some really nice features missing on the original and would be a better camera for shooting wakeboarding from a chase boat for example. For everyday stuff there isn't that much difference between them.
But the good news is that of course you can now pick up the original Rebel for much cheaper than before since the Rebel XT lists for the same price as the original - $999 with kit lens.
The original Rebel is 6mp while the XT is 8mp. That provides you with the ability to crop but unless you are planning to print very large prints (11x14 or greater) then the extra 2mp may not be worth the extra cost. Both cameras take really nice pictures once you know how to use them properly.
If you want to do nice sequence shots, then the Canon 20D is a better choice since it will do 5 frames per second instead of 3. But list price is about $1500.