You sound like you're really enjoying the game for what it is MechCow. Enjoy it while you can. The closer you get to 60 with the more grinding you have to do, the less I felt the magic that I think you mentioned you felt around level 18. I see that you have a few alts already which is a great idea for early on.
It's good to hear nice stories from people who aren't worried about the level 60 drama for a chance
-T