I did a bit of the same thing. The cathedral here at least says the Novus Ordo correctly and has many of the elements I remember as a little kid. My home parish, at the time, had a pastor who didn't really believe in VatII and resisted a lot of the changes, so we at least had some tradition, but not nearly enough.
I realized a few years ago how much was lost and among my own family many arguments fall on deaf ears. Friends, too. They think I'm hopelessly weird and out of date.
Our priest brought in a few boys from Benedictine College today. We had the most beautiful Gregorian Chant Mass this morning. I had tears in my eyes a couple of times. Even the little ones loved it. *sigh* I'm so thankful for having found this parish in a tiny little town tucked away in the hills. It is a secret that I bet cannot be kept for much longer. I see massive growth in its future! :o)