Rhonda, we learned in class (the QU one) that buttons (aka the nav bar) are best on the side for people, too. It's much easier to scroll up and down than side to side. We also learned a few things about designing websites that make them more "friendly" for visually impaired visitors (color choices, contrast, font styles, wording for electronic readers, etc). That was pretty interesting and something I would not have thought about otherwise. Also that words should be at the top of the page, not graphics...you'll be higher on a search engine list.
In a perfect world, I'd go with a local host and develop more of a personal relationship with them, but there are limits in going with a small host as far as down time and security are concerned and both of those are pretty important. That option is still on the table however. I'm very small town at heart.