“I knew shortly after we met that we would spend the rest of our lives together when I saw how well she got along with my family and how we just clicked.”
It didn’t take very long for Brett Vanden Hoogen to realize just how special his wife, Emily, really is, and how badly he wanted to spend the rest of his life with her.
“She is so caring and loving and always willing to help out someone else,” said Brett.
When it comes to Emily’s positive attributes and what makes her so special, Brett could go on and on. He marvels at how selfless she is, how awesome of a wife she is, and how great of a cat mom she is to Eucker and Bernice.
“They love her so much!” he said.
The couple met on Myspace and on their first meeting Emily came over to Brett’s mom’s house and, as noted above, everything just felt right.
It continued to feel right the next 11 years before Brett “finally” asked Emily to marry him.
During that time Brett realized how much he liked to watch shows like 911 or movies like Star Wars and the Marvel series together. The couple also likes going out to eat at different restaurants.
Brett smiles and thinks often about the time Emily came up to the hunting cabin and the heat went out while he was hunting, or their honeymoon in Door County, or even the wedding they attended for one of Brett’s co-workers this past summer where Emily might have had just a little too much fun.
When not with Brett, Emily works for Festival foods as a guest services assistant manager and enjoys Hallmark Channel Christmas movies, hanging out with and snuggling with their cats, and hanging out with her friends.
More than anything, though, Emily seems happiest when helping others. It’s just her nature.
“She is very loving and caring,” Brett said, adding “She’s always willing to listen and take care of me.”
In fact, Emily’s temperament has actually had an impact on Brett and the way he lives his life.
“I see how selfless she is, always willing to help other people before herself,” he said, “And it makes me want to do the same.”
Talk about making an impact.
It’s one thing to be such a giving, kindhearted soul, that you make a positive impression on others. Inspiring others, like Brett, to do the same is truly next level.
It’s the reason why Brett wanted to do something extra special and unique for Emily this Valentine’s Day. He wanted to have a story written about just how incredible she really is.
“I just want her to know that I am a better person because of her and that I don’t know what I’d do without her.”
“I want to grow old with her.”