Jeff -
I am a total beginner.... There's guys on here that can REALLY weld.
I just type fast enough that I can try to explain it.
Just keep practicing. It's like anything we do... it all seems easy and mostly it is... but it takes time to learn and repetition and practice go a long way.
You will learn that there is a LOT more to "welding" than just sticking two pieces of metal together. Wait til you are making something where one part is thick and the other is real thin... and goes around corners and upside-down.
That's when I call a REAL welder.