Meet My New Best Friend

Once upon a time my dad told me it was lame to have a rabbit as my best friend.  Okay, I'll admit that is pretty lame.  But how about her?

Thank you Val and Dad for this beautiful mixer!  It was a birthday/moving away/marriage present.  They offered in the past to get me one for graduation, but I really wanted it for a wedding present. I don't know why, but it just seemed right.  Plus, since my hand mixer exploded several months back and I wasn't married yet, it gave me the opportunity to buff up my arms by learning to mix almost everything by hand.  Certain things just can't happen by hand (or at least with my scrawny arms), including whipped egg whites.  I don't even know if I like meringues, but it's about time I found out :)

I went with this particular model for a few reasons:
1. It was at Costco for a fantastic price.  Pretty sure this particular one is sold only at Costco. 
2. It is a bowl lift model (vs. a tilt head), which according to forums gives it a lower center of gravity and more oomph, if you will, for mixing tough doughs.  Keep in mind, I've never made a tough bread dough, but now I know I can... Sounds like a challenge!
3. It has a 575 watt motor, which again, I probably don't need, but hey, why not?  The traditional Artisan mixers, while they come in lots of colors, have a 325 watt motor.  That's probably enough, but I'm greedy.  More power!!
Don't get me wrong, I would be happy with any of them, but this one is a dream.  Too bad all of my baking supplies and dry ingredients are 16 hours away :(
For now, I'll just stare at it, plotting what to tackle first!  Unfortunately, I'm supposed  to learn the Hebrew alphabet by Monday, and I don't think it can help me with that...