Awesome advice guys, I really appreciate it!
One other question… WordPress was originally installed on my site by Fantastico. I noticed at the bottom of the extended upgrading page that it has a “Special note for Fantastico Upgrades”. Does it mean all the steps leading up to that note have to be followed… or can Fantastico automatically upgrade my 2.6.3 installation? It sounds like it can, but I just wanted to check with you guys.