How I Met My Mate | Two Directions, One Destiny: Mark and Becca Holland

ROCKWALL, TX (Feb. 11, 2026) Mark and I met while thru-hiking the Appalachian Trail. The Appalachian Trail stretches more than 2,200 miles from Georgia to Maine. Mark started in Maine hiking south to Georgia. I started in Georgia hiking north to Maine. Our paths crossed in New York where we shared what the trail ahead looked like, and we realized we were both from Texas. We parted ways only knowing each other’s trail names.

After Mark finished the trail, he ran into a mutual friend. She immediately told him he had to ask me out — especially since we both love Jesus and adventure. He didn’t take her advice at the time.

Two years later, that same friend approached him again. This time he decided to look me up on Instagram. He had just spent the summer backpacking through Nepal in the Himalayas, and when I saw his photos, I decided to message him.

We started talking, quickly realized we both love Jesus, and decided to meet up for a hike. The North Houston hike was terrible, but the connection was genuine. Six months later, we were married.

We honeymooned by completing a thru-hike of the Continental Divide Trail — a 3,000-mile trail stretching from Canada to Mexico. Three days after finishing, we found out we were pregnant with our first son.

Today we have three children, we still love Jesus, we still love adventuring, and we love each other more with every passing day!

Submitted by Becca Holland. She and Mark live in Spring Meadows in Fate. Mark is an engineer at L3 Harris and Becca has her dream job of being a stay at home mom.

Editor’s Note: Each year for Valentine’s Day, Blue Ribbon News asks local couples to share stories of how they met. Publishing their tales of true love has become one of our favorite traditions. This year the response was overwhelming. Stay tuned to our Facebook page as Valentine’s Day approaches. The names of several lucky participating couples will be randomly drawn to win gifts from our local prize sponsors – Culpepper Cattle Co., Dodie’s Cajun Diner, Zanata, Wickland’s Sweet Connection, Lakeside Florist, and Wildflower Wigs.