Thanks for the detailed description. Might still consider it, or at least look for a cheaper Chromebook just to play around with and get a feel first.
At any rate, Chromebooks sound more capable than I previously gave them credit for, enough so that they will now be part of my evaluation next time I upgrade.
Between the Framework Laptop now supporting Chrome OS and some of the info in this thread, Chromebooks and Chrome OS no longer seem like just the cheap Google Docs appliances for schools that I originally thought they were, which is pretty cool.