Late Addition Alison!

Hello all!
I'm extremely sorry for my tardiness, but I'm hoping I can just pass this off as "fashionably late". I asked to join a little bit late and ordered my book late as well, but I just got my book today so now I can catch up! Yahoo!

So to introduce myself (and then its on to catch up by reading all the other posts), my name is Alison and I'm currently a graduate student about a year or so out from graduating. I'm also recently married (a little over a year ago - my how time flies!). My husband and I are actually both graduate students so we're slogging through this marathon together right now.

Umm...what else is interesting about me? I'm a military brat, with the longest place I've ever lived being my current residence, Texas, and home for the past 7 years. My husband is not from Texas although he's learning to love it :) We just recently bought a home and would love to expand our family anytime God thinks fit. Which is apparently involving more patience that originally anticipated!

About 4 years ago I finally began giving serious thought to those important questions in life, you know, the ones I'd tried my best to ignore for most of college, the ones that would require accountability. But I had to on account of feeling completely lost and not understanding why I was so unhappy (and believe me, while it was a very painful process, it needed to happen). Although it wasn't until over a year later that I became Catholic, I threw away my birth control as sort of a "put my money where my mouth is" dare to myself a few weeks after I finally came to the secular realization that sexual activity before I was married was not helping me in my pursuit of happiness (with eventual plans to pick it back up again once I was married of course...I wasn't THAT crazy! ahem). That was my first step in realizing that maybe this thing I had known as "feminism" wasn't helping us women out as much as we/they had hoped. Several months later I began to see the theological side and learn about why biologically I had been tricking myself before. Eventually (after much study and prayer) I embraced all of what the Catholic Church teaches and I am still amazed that it all started with one of today's most controversial teachings.

Today my husband and I both teach NFP in our Diocese. I truly believe it was a grace from God that I was able completely see, understand and lovingly accept his plan for our sexuality and I think its the least I can do to I share it with those I can.

Anyway, I hope to learn a lot from this book and the discussions with all of you!