Well most important, does your husband have a single brother? What a rockin' guy you've got.
Good helmets are worth every obscenely priced cent. Having cracked my noggin into some hard things, I found that a really well fitting helmet, one made for your head shape, will let you actually defy death and ride away cussing about your sore skinned knee. The living through your possible death by head injury thing is really creepy but kinda cool. Technology really is amazing. A helmet that doesn't fit you so well will let your head move inside it on impact and allow a concussion. Be picky. Always wear the helmet. If you ride you will fall someday, probably not badly, but it's like an airbag- better to have it. You may never need it but the visor keeps the rain out of your eyes. Cars see you more easily, too.
The best bike hat for you is not nessasarily the most expensive one. They're like shoes- different models are made for different head shapes. Unfortunately most bike shop slugs haven't caught on to this.
Ayermails idea about slicks is good- knobbies don't grab pavement well. I have these nifty mixed use tires that have a slick web design down the center and knobs on the side so on the road you ride a touring tire width surface and on the dirt you have knobs to cut into stuff. Not for the gonzo country but really convenient up to medium difficulty trails. Changing tires back and forth is a pain. I could never cope with it.
Just some thoughts.

Happy trails

Miss Liz