Yeahhhh....
I quit the big three to come to SWA.
LBB and MAF overnights really don't show up that often on the schedules where I am based. The last I remember having one with the two cities you have some obsession with was actually a great time with the crew. We couldn't stay out that long because it was a productive trip with a shorter overnight. But it was a ton of fun. Being that SWA hires people with the priority of personality and work ethic it is not uncommon to have a very entertaining overnight for the crews.
Last weeks overnights were SEA and PDX. Both of them pretty long overnights. Since you fly international Jenny you probably haven't experienced what great places those are with short convenient train rides to their downtowns. (Our hotel committees work well with the company to have a certain standard of hotel that crews can enjoy). The weather was beautiful and the crews the typical outgoing, easy to be with, fun people the company likes to hire. All to boot, the guy I flew with got it on premium pay which then he earned what I was on the trip.(actually more so he insisted buying the coffee for the crew) About $4500 bucks not counting the per diem or retirement matches and such. All for being away from base for 52 hours and about 18 hours of flying. We did have an unscheduled plane swap on the first day so we are all grieving the trip.
I am glad you like your life. Because of SWA I went from liking my life to loving my life. I seen your work life and I left it because, well......I just thought it would be better at SWA. And this experience has completely over exceeded any expectations I could have ever imagined.
Calling this a hobby or interest with that much time spent is universally judged as weird. Keep telling yourself otherwise because you are alone at the Flight Info conventions.