Always wonderful to hear of converts to the faith. God bless you and your husband.
I'm a cradle Catholic and have always believed in the Real Presence (thanks be to God). I'm always amazed, though, (and inspired) by non-Catholics who convert because it must take such a great leap of faith to start believing that the Eucharist is actually JESUS HIMSELF when before they believed it was just a symbol.
I'm not Catholic, and I believe in the Real Presence. In fact, He's sitting with me right now.
I do agree that if a person is going to profess adherence to Catholic beliefs, he should understand and appreciate those beliefs and practice them accordingly.
It is a gift of the Spirit. When that gift arrived in our lives a dozen years ago, it became impossible for my wife and me not to convert. As in Ephesians 2, "... now we are no longer strangers, no longer aliens, now we are fellow citizens with the saints in the kingdom of God." What a joy to be home!