Here it is, our new Husqvarna Viking Emerald 116
(insert cheers and more happy dances):

Yay, I am so excited. I can already envision some late nights starting and finishing projects. The dance Lani J did when we got it was priceless. It took forever to pick one and get it so the dance was more than warranted. While she did her little dance, I breathed an internal sigh of relief. Who knew the initial purchase of the machine would be such a daunting task.

My main concerns while shopping for machines were price, reliability, and scalability. I am sure any parent can relate to shelling out lots of money on their childs new hobby only to realize that 2 months later said hobby is extinct. That is where the price factor kicks in. How much do you spend on a new hobby? Then you have the reliability factor. Granted it is a new hobby, I still want to start off with the right tools. To me it is analogous to trying to run a marathon with ski boots on. The desire to do it is quickly tainted because the proper running shoes weren't chosen. I didn't want to taint the desire by having a horrible machine that was constantly jammed and breaking. Revisiting the "what-machine-to-get" predicament anytime in the near future was not an option either. The machine we decided on had to be one we would have for the next few years and would be able to see us through a range of basic tasks to more advanced projects as well.