hi Judy,
when you put the pictures on to your hard drive that is in your laptop or computer then that is where they live. So in that case yes you could take it anywhere and show those pictures because they are in the laptop, you just have to go to the folder you have them stored in and open that folder and you can then show your pictures.

If you go to some place that does not have access to the internet what you can not do is go on line and go to websites to show them stuff. That you would need to have the services available to be able to get online.

Some people can do that because they might have wifi built into their laptop and can access wifi that is available in places like starbucks and McDonalds for free. There has to be a wifi source around for one to be able to use wifi(or wireless internet)

Another way to do that is to buy from one of the cell phone companies a little device that plugs into your laptop that will use the same cell phone towers as a cell phone to be able to access the internet. For that you would buy a service plan from the cell phone company, like ATT, Verizon etc.

I would say any good quality laptop you buy today would fit your needs. Most come with a good amount of memory and a large hard drive. For basic use like you are using it, that should be fine. going with a known brand may be easier to get support later.

I have bought a few of mine from walmart, they have very good prices and good brands, Plus if you have a problem you can just return it to any walmart store.

Here are a few that would be good choices, first of all you would want a full size laptop NOT a netbook since you will use it as your main computer, netbooks are just too small.
So you want at least a 15" size. I do not recommend emachine brand. Now a laptop will cost you quite a bit more than a regular desktop computer will. Do not get one that says it has a celeron processor they are the low end.

If you want to go with the bigger size of 17" this would be one that would be a good option you can read there what all it has.
HP Steel Gray 17.3" Pavilion dv7-6157CL Laptop PC with AMD Quad-Core A6-3400M Processor and Windows 7 Home Premium

if you go with the 15" these are some options to look at
Acer Black 15.6" AS5733Z-4851 Laptop PC with Intel Pentium Dual Core P6100 Processor and Windows 7 Home Premium

Toshiba Black Satellite 15.6" C655D-S5202 Laptop PC with AMD Dual-Core C-50 Processor and Windows 7 Home Premium

Compaq Black 15.6" Presario CQ57-229WM Laptop PC with AMD Dual-Core C-50 Processor and Windows 7 Home Premium

at bestbuy any of these here on this first page would work for you.
PC Laptops

I forgot to address your question about your service with bellsouth.net, do you have dial up service or dsl what type of online service do you have with them?

Usually all it takes is to put a cd in and run it and that will install what ever software is needed to add their service. So that is something you would need to speak to bellsouth about to see if they send something to you or if they come out and add it.
Let us know what you have now and we can better answer that for you.

Any new laptop you buy will be able to connect to the Internet if you already have an Internet service at your house. If you want to switch from BellSouth to AOL or to any other provider of Internet services, it doesn't matter: the laptop will still be able to connect to the Internet through whatever provider you choose. Most providers do not need to have any special software installed; you just need to have a browser installed, like Internet Explorer, Firefox, Opera, etc., and all of these are free. At least one (probably Internet Explorer) will already be installed on your laptop when you buy it. If your MIL does not have Internet service, you generally can't connect when you are at her house. Think of Internet service like regular, wired phone service. If you are at someone's house and they don't have a phone line, you can't make a phone call.

Now I am going to tell yo something a little more complicated. When you have Internet service at your house, the company will typically provide you with a little electronic box called a router. This device hooks up to a cable in the wall that carries the signal the company provides, and then a wire goes from that little box to your computer. You can get access to the Internet from the wire that comes from that router, or you can connect without the wire because the laptop has a card in it that can receive the Internet signal wirelessly (sort of like a cell phone) from the router. That way, you can move around the house easily with the laptop, or maybe even sit outside with it. The disadvantage of a wireless connection is that it has limited range. The computer may not be able to receive a signal in some parts of your house. On the other hand, if the signal was strong, you might even be able to get it wirelessly and connect to the Internet at your MIL's, even though she doesn't have her own service.

Given that you know little about computers, probably any laptop will be just fine for you. You should choose one primarily on the basis of the screen size and how much you want to pay. Don't get talked into spending a lot because all the features and speed you need will be present in even the lowest cost computers. If you go shopping and are confused, ask more questions here before buying.

Lastly, there are many good books out there that will explain what you need to know in very simple language. Get yourself a book like Computers for Dummies or something similar like the one below.

(In trying to answer your questions, I have assumed that whatever Internet service you have that it is not the old-fashioned, painfully slow dial-up that uses a modem. If you do use dial-up to get Internet service, then there is other stuff to tell you.

Here is a link that might be useful: Absolute Beginner's Guide