Sorry to hear of your loss--but you are smart to use the money to buy something special--that every time you use it, it will remind you of your mother. I have a APQS Freedom and love it. I have only had it one year but have quilt 82 quilts on it already and have not had a single problem. It is gold in my eyes as I previously had a different brand and had many, mnay problems with it while I quilted only 60 quilts on it before getting rid of it. I did go to a big show and try out many of the brands. I do feel there are many good brands out there, but for me--I felt the APQS just had the most comfortable "feel" for me. My Dealer is about 3 1/2 hrs away but it really doesn't matter. I didn't need classes as I was already an experienced quilter so if I do have a question, I call her. I would highly recommend that you get a stitch regulator on whatever you buy. I think it really helped me tremendously with my learning curve when I furst bought a long arm machine. I didn't ever think I would get a long arm machine, either, but I got my first one, also, when I came in to a little bit of money so I could make a down payment and didn't have to finance the whole thing. Good luck with your search and when you buy one someday, let us know all about it! It is very exciting to get a long arm.