I just wanted to send a quick congrats to you, Russell, that's a wonderful story. Such a generous gesture by your friend -- it may be extremely difficult for her to begin to understand how grateful you truly are.
Regarding the cameras, I have a ZI as well as a single-stroke M3. As people have already mentioned, the ZI is noticeably lighter and has all the mod-cons you stated earlier. But there is a tactile enjoyment with the M3 that I don't get from other cameras. And when I shoot the M3 I have to put my thinking cap on. I enjoy the challenge of reading light and guesstimating exposures.
Anyway, enjoy your cameras, we look forward to seeing the results! 🙂