New to dslr with Nikon D7000 (more camera than I'm sure I need)!

[ChanelB]

Hello!
My name is Chanel and I am a model living in AZ. I love all things photography, and decided to finally get the camera I've been eying start learning how to use it (just purchased last week). I have had some work published, but taken with my Canon Elph point and shoot- so I suppose that isn't too impressive. I am hoping that having a "real" camera now will enable me to do so much more with my photography, though I am really nervous about all I have to learn to master it. I will do my best not to ask ridiculous questions, and irritate those that have the simple stuff down.
My subjects are usually my Sphynx hairless cats (I published a book called The Nudes A Pictorial Celebration of the Sphynx) and am looking for a decent macro lens now for my second love: mushrooms, flowers, and bugs. The macro lenses I've looked at are in the $800 range, which is not possible for me right now, so I'm still looking for more options!