We're back. Or, more accurately, I'm back. Sarah had to work at the Gap.

It's been a long day, but a productive one for the most part. Most of the sessions were helpful, as they sparked some good conversation on what Sarah and I are looking for in each other as we go about our married life, and in how we want to approach the spiritual dimension of married life.

I do think it would have been a tough day if you weren't that religious, in that you wouldn't have that much to talk about during those sessions. I doubt that many folks in that position go through with a formal Catholic ceremony (though they may to appease the family), so they wouldn't be at the class to begin with.

There was a finance session that wasn't too helpful. It was pretty basic, more for folks who may be just starting to be financially independent.

The sex and family session was better than expected. For most folks, the idea of the marriage prep thing is that priests and nuns give you the business about sex, why you'll go to hell if you fool around before marriage, etc. That's not the case. The priest did talk more than usual, but mostly in relating the areas of sex and marriage to various Bible passages. This is where the couples who presented really helped, in that they gave some concrete and personal examples of troubles they had and how they grew into this portion of their marriage.

There was talk of Natural Family Planning, the replacement for the rhythm method. Women got a very professional-looking brochure discussing NFP, while men got a cartoony booklet that I think was written for high school sophomores. It included pictures of reproductive systems and some simply worded Q&A on making babies, NFP, etc. I'd be offended if I really cared.

I do think NFP has to be a tough sell, between the negative connotations left over from the rhythm method and all the work that goes into doing NFP right (taking basal temperatures, checking mucus, etc.).

The day ended with a mass, which was kind of interesting given that it was during a period of fairly steady thunder and lightning. Not sure if that was a comment on us or not.

Outside of the one couple I mentioned earlier, we didn't get much of a chance to interact with others, which was too bad. The couple sitting to our right was an interesting one, in that the woman is pregnant with twins. There were a few other couples there already working on the family, which was actually kind of nice to see to show that they aren't shunned or anything.

(I did feel badly that after lunch we inadvertantly blew off the other couple by leaving for a walk thinking they were behind us when they weren't.)

The only other thing that stood out for me was that I don't think we met anyone who is getting married later than we are. One other couple at lunch is getting married the same day, while everyone else was a September wedding. I think there may have even been a late August or two that we ran into. We were originally going to go to a class in Wellesley in March (it was cancelled), so good on us for being ahead of the curve!

Anyway, it's done, and it wasn't as painful as we thought. For those of you thinking about Catholic nuptuals, take heart.