I'm a D5100 user too and use it every day to participate in the project 365. I got the camera not very long before I started posting in Project 365 thread on this site. I must say if you want to get to know your camera and the controls backwards and forwards jump into the project 365 thread. At this point I don't even think about the controls I think about the images I'm trying to capture. The camera has become second nature from so much continuous use.
There was a bit of a learning curve to the camera and post processing the images (at least for me) - stick with it and refine, refine, refine how it works best for you. You will quickly get to the point where when you see what you want to shoot, the image will absolutely reflect your vision.
Looking forward to seeing your pics
Welcome to the site!