I know the feeling and feel the Lame and Mushy too, it's all good.
Your story is very close to mine. My first Mustang passion start was looking at one of the first GT 350s in a Venice California showroom floor as a teen. Came back from Vietnam in 70 and they were all gone and the ones available were way past my money.
My journey w/most of the stuff you mention has brought me here now. My first test drive in a GT PP with a clutch under my foot again made me feel like that teenager wanted to feel in what was then the first Hot Mustangs.
By October, like you, I will finally be in the saddle, smiling with every shift.:cheers:
I have the same dream. But with a 16 year old who needed some really help psychologically I am back at square one. I hope you enjoy it. Good luck, and rev free.