NDA science teacher Molly Schroeder has been married to her husband Andy for a year-and-a-half.

“I first met my husband when we were in college. He was roommates with my best friend’s boyfriend, so we would see one another at random events, but we were just friends at the time,” explained Schroeder.

Schroeder moved to Appleton after college for work and ran into Andy while playing volleyball at her church.

“There is no better place to meet a man than at church,” she said.

Schroeder and her husband went on their first date four years ago. They played mini golf and went out for ice cream afterwards.

“I crushed him in mini golf, of course, but he crushed the first date game. There was a second date quickly after that.”

Schroeder appreciated that her husband “had a plan and took the initiative on planning a great night.”

“It was clear that he cared and was not trying to play it cool. He was trying to make it a good night, and it was.”

Before the couple started dating and they were just friends in college, Schroeder commented that she was drawn to Andy’s personality.

“He is the happiest and kindest human being anyone will ever meet. The more I got to know him, the more I wanted to be around him all the time. That holds true now, even if he is the one who is driving me crazy.”

The couple dated for a year before they got engaged. Their favorite activities were outdoor oriented, such as hiking, hunting, fishing, camping, and volleyball. Schroeder mentioned that they still do these activities today.

“Our ideal day is always a big breakfast, a long hike, and then a movie at the end of the day with Culver’s. When you are with the right person, the simplest things become the best things.”

Schroeder’s husband put together an intricate proposal plan that surprised her. After a “long weekend at school,” the couple planned on going bow hunting. However, when Andy picked Schroeder up, he surprised her with a trip to Connecticut to visit their best friends.

“I immediately was thinking that he was going to propose, but being surprised by a trip is an amazing gesture in itself, so I was trying not to get my hopes up.”

Schroeder’s hopes were up, however, as she was “trying to watch his suitcase go through the security scanner to check for a ring.”

The next morning, the couple went on a hiking trip in the bluffs and planned on going to dinner later that night. Schroeder assumed Andy would propose to her during dinner, but he instead surprised her by proposing at the top of a bluff.

“He asked a random couple at the top to take our picture. As soon as they took the picture, he dropped to one knee. I was not expecting it at that moment, but it was perfect,” explained Schroeder.

“I knew for a long time that I wanted to marry him, so when he asked, my answer could have been, ‘It’s about time!’ but I stuck to ‘yes.’ I just knew that as long as I am living on this Earth, I will always choose the life with him in it over the one without. That made saying ‘yes’ very easy.”

Schroeder was married in her home town at her family church, and their reception was at her family bar, which was where her “big family always went to get together, reconnect and laugh.”

“It is the furthest thing from a fancy place, but it is a happy place with some of my best memories, so I figured, why not one more?”

Around 350 people were in attendance, and the couple’s favorite part of the wedding was watching all their guests take communion after saying each other’s vows.

“We just sat there and held hands with the biggest smiles on our faces watching all our favorite people together at church. It was perfect.”

Schroeder is enjoying married life, as she is no longer “doing life alone.” She appreciates having someone there in both the happy and sad moments.

“The best moment so far has to be when we found out we were expecting a baby. I cannot wait to see my husband become a father. He is going to be the best at it.”

While there are many positives to marriage, Schroeder also admits that it is not alway easy.

“Of course there are struggles living with another person. I love this man, but living with him has made me realize that when God made Adam, it was a trial run. He got it right with Eve,” Schroeder humorously commented.

Schroeder added that 90% of their disagreements lead to them laughing with one another again. She stresses that while couples can make each other mad, they are also the people that make each other happy again.

For those seeking a life-long relationship, Schroeder believes one should find someone “who you can be 100% yourself around and loves you for it.”

Schroeder used to be scared of the idea of someone knowing everything about her, but she now believes that when it is the right person, “You want them to know everything about you, and you want to know everything about them.”

Choosing happiness as opposed to dwelling on the negatives is another philosophy that Schroeder encourages.

“Dwelling in the negative is never going to lead to a positive. You can choose to be happy and make each other happy.”