maybe i should convince the gf to let me use her SLR 
The 18-55mm is good enough for starting off with, its a pretty decent all rounder and while it may not be excellent quality like more expensive lenses it does the job well a lot of the time. What is your budget? If you dont have much to spend after getting the body you could try the nifty fifty as its called:
http://www.digitalrev.com/product/canon-ef-50mm-f-1/NTgy

