Lowtimer, I'll start by saying that it’s a shame more people don't do the research you've done before getting into this biz. Love of flying doesn't necessarily mean you need to be an airline pilot, and I'm glad you realize that.

The flying you do in the airline biz is NOT the flying you do in a Cessna, period. It's a different game all together. Yea, some of the planes are pretty big and shiny, but when it's all said and done you are sitting on your ass going back and forth for days at a time and spending several nights in a row away from your home and family. It may sound cynical, but I think you should understand what the JOB itself is before you commit to it.

As for the expense of training, you may want to consider a few years as a CFI to build hours at the sub ~25k/year pay range as well now that the regionals have basically stopped hiring.

You say "I absolutely love flying, can talk about it all day..." Ask yourself, What kind of flying do you love? Will you be doing that in the airline biz? In training you go up for maybe an hour or two at a time, learn a few things have some fun and you're done for the day.

Just remember that you CAN be a pilot AND not work for the airlines. Nothing prevents you from being successful outside of the aviation industry and owning your own aircraft that you can go have some real fun with on the weekends. You certainly won’t be able to do that for many more years if you decide to make aviation your career.