Thanks, PW, for all your wisdom!!! My DH was appalled that I was reading the "death" book, but I'm looking at it as a way to read what NOT to do and to gain some knowledge on what to do right so I don't wind up in a book like that one day. I'm off to go stretch, now.
About the permit- can we just say: we want to do a 5 day, 4 night trip any time within this two week period- and they can tell us the dates that are open- or do we have to be specific with dates? I want to put as many options as humanly possible because I WANT to do this trip!!!

Divingbiker- thanks for the tip! I think we're for sure going to visit the North Rim this time- it just seems so out of the way and like a different crowd might be there. Plus, I've heard there are some great mtn bike trails on the N. Rim and we'd like to check those out after we've done our hike.