Hi, and; although, I have seen you around the forum for a while.
My childhood herp story was very close to the same as yours, except I would catch all sorts of herps, including snakes, in the creek that ran through my back yard. I agree that snakes are very addicting. I caught the bug a while ago, and have not looked back since. Glad to hear that your wife is starting to get used to them too.
Do you plan to breed them?