Janelle, I would recommend a 6", F8 Dob. This is an instrument with plenty of punch and actually has a better image quality across more of the field than the an 8" Dob. Currently National Geographic has a special where on can be purchased for about $390 delivered. See
http://shop.australiangeographic.com...ope-P4075.aspx
Although, I would also check prices with Bintel.
I would recommend buying some better Vixen eyepieces that are about $50 each from MyAstroshop. These are very satisfactory eyepices and will work well with the 6". If you only buy 2 eyepices, I would suggest the 30mm & the 15mm. You may also wish to upgrade the finder with a red-dot finder.
Binoculars certainly are useful for astromony. I would recommend 10x50 or 8x40 Pentax binoculars. I have both models and tend to use the 8x40s more in town, but use 10x50s more when I observe from country sites. Bintel can also provide these.