Hey... I pulled the instrument cluster and behold - the bulb was not there! So somebody either pulled it to relieve themselves from seeing the amber check engine light, or somebody didn't twist the bulb far enough and it vibrated out and fell into the black abyss dash.
At least my check engine light is working. Relieved, yet not (since it's now ON!)
I started another thread about the codes that I've pulled... thanks for your feedback!