I don't know about you, but I don't like spoilers - in fact, when I'm reading a book or watching a TV show, I will actively do anything in my power to avoid stumbling across them.
I love a good surprise - the thrill of connecting the dots as the story unfolds.
Now when it comes to my own life? It's a slightly different story.
You see, I am not a character on a screen or in a book, and I would like the occasional illusion of control, thank you very much.
Sometimes I feel like I'm grasping for spoiler alerts in my own story - a timeline or a tip or a tap on the shoulder before a significant storyline shift.
Spoiler: life doesn't work that way. We can't hop on google and search for spoilers - even when we reaaaaallly want them - after all, this isn't The Bachelor.
However, I like to look back on the ways I believe God has (very sneakily) worked behind the scenes to carry out a much greater narrative than I could have ever seen coming.
I have found this especially evident in my love story with Mark, so I would like to share it with you.
Now let me be clear about one thing: While I'm about to describe the details that developed into Mark's and my story, just remember there is a lot more to life than falling in love, and the credits don't roll just because you walk down the aisle.
A wedding is not a satisfying conclusion - it's much more like the celebration of a major plot point that exists throughout future chapters.
This story demonstrates some of the ways I believe God worked on my heart and brought me where I was supposed to be.
Now, in true Rom Com fashion, let's roll the "Meet Cute."
Chapter 1: The one with the internship
It was the summer of 2014. Mark and I were both working as interns at a local news station (WOOD TV 8) in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
My dad is a sports director/anchor at the station, so naturally, we had fun chatting about our mutual acquaintances, etc.
One day, he told me about his new intern.
"His name is Mark. Really nice kid; goes to Butler University. He's going to be pretty good."
Hmmm. I made a mental note to introduce myself to this Mark kid.
While Mark was working as my dad's intern in the sports department, I was interning for the station's lifestyle and family/community shows. My assignments took place on the other side of the station, so I didn't really plan on seeing much of Mark (LOL).
However, a week into the internship, Maranda (the host of the station’s community show) called an intern meeting. Maranda told us part of the summer internship program included helping out with a community event called "Maranda Park Parties." The park parties pull local vendors together and provide free family fun for neighborhoods across West Michigan. The events are aired by the station, and occur almost every week during the summer.
At the end of the meeting, a guy with brown eyes, deep dimples, freckles, and broad shoulders came up to me and shook my hand. “Hey! I’m Mark, and I’m your dad’s intern; you must be Kelly!"
So this was Mark.
I was immediately struck by his kind, polite, and friendly demeanor, and I looked forward to getting to know him better.
The next week, the rest of the interns and I piled into vans and made our way to the first park party. Once arrived, we were tasked with inflating and tying balloons. I was attempting to untangle some of the balloon strings, when I looked over and saw Mark fumbling to tie the balloons.
"Having some trouble over there, Mark?"
I couldn't help but laugh at his silent struggle.
He looked at me and chuckled, "I think my thumbs are too big to tie these."
I asked if we could trade jobs, and he agreed. We spent a lot of time chattering and laughing as we filled and tied the balloons. This became our little park party routine - teaming up and talking as we worked.
I couldn’t help but notice the way that this guy treated everyone with so much respect - how he went out of his way to serve others.
There was something about us that just immediately gelled and felt so genuine and familiar. However, I never entertained the idea of dating him, because at the time, we were both in longterm relationships.
Chapter 2: The one with the comment
One day near the end of the internship, I was editing a story when I overheard some of the women I work with (including Maranda) talking about “What a nice young man that Mark Pearson is.”
I agreed with them (LOL obviously), “That’s the kind of person I want my future kid to marry.”
Maranda looked over at me.
"Why not you?"
I laughed it off and told Maranda that there was no way that would happen.
Maranda just shrugged.
"I'm just saying, there's a spark there. I see it."
Hmmm. I knew Mark and I clicked, but I didn't want to date him.
Part of that is because I compartmentalize people into purely platonic categories if they check any of the following boxes:
The person is in (or I am in) a relationship
My friend has a crush on the person
The person used to date one of my friends
At the conclusion of our internships, I was so surprised by the sinking feeling in my stomach after I awkwardly shook Mark's hand to say goodbye.
I kind of felt like I had met the person that was made for me, but at the wrong time. Not to be dramatic, but I felt like I'd go through life seeing Mark as my biggest "What if".
In retrospect, the absence of spoilers taught me to make note of my intuition, even when it didn't seem rational, and even if it couldn't permit immediate action.
Chapter 3: The one with Allison & her Mark
Fast forward a few months - I was single. One day I came back to my duplex and saw my housemate, Allison. She was sitting on the floor doing a craft, in typical Allison fashion.
I sat next to her, and before I knew it, the words were just rolling out.
"I have to tell you something I haven't told anyone. I think I met my person...but it's never going to happen."
Allison basically repeated the same thing to me (LOL get this: she felt the same way about a guy who was also named Mark. Oh, and spoiler alert: Allison married her Mark one year before I married my Mark).
But we didn't have any spoilers to tip us off about this little detail (shout out to my journal for keeping this on the record).
Nope, no spoilers. At the time, we just sat there on the floor, laughing about how ridiculous and romantic it would be if we both somehow ended up with the Marks.
Chapter 4: The one with the Whitecaps game
Let's leap through the disaster that was my Junior year of college and make our way into the summer leading into my Senior year of college.
I was sitting at a West Michigan Whitecaps baseball game with my sister. Suddenly, I heard my name, and saw Mark waving.
Mark was not single, and he was not approaching me by himself.
My mind gave my heart a mini pep talk as he walked toward me "He is a bro. He is a friend. He is standing right next to the person he is dating. Be cool, Kelly. Be cool."
***Narrator: Kelly was not cool.***
I was v awkward. In fact, I did that thing where you offset your feelings for a person by being too enthusiastic about meeting said person's significant other.
Ugh, it all happened so fast, and at one point, I was shaking their hands (*face palm*).
After that sitcom-worthy random run-in, my sister Julie turned to me and said, “You’re going to marry him.”
I whipped my head around and told her there was noooooooo way it would ever happen.
She just shrugged and said, "Just wait. You'll see."
Chapter 5: The one with the text
About 6 months later, my family and I were in the car on our way to see my brother's bowl game in Tampa Bay. It'd been a long day in the car, and I wasn't in the highest of spirits.
In fact, just 10 days prior, I'd started a new journal filled with letters entirely addressed to "My person who probably doesn't exist, but I'm writing them anyway because I'm a stubborn and hopeless romantic."
*eye roll*
Okay, so now that we have established that I wasn't in a great place, let's move on.
I was sitting in the car, when I got a text message from an unknown number - it was a familiar area code paired with digits that were not saved in my contacts.
This peaked my interest.
When I opened the message, I couldn't believe my eyes
"Hi Kelly, it's Mark!"
WHAT.
My sister must have noticed my eyes get really wide, because suddenly, she asked, "What? Why does your face look like that? What's going on?"
I read the rest of the message out loud.
Mark was in Grand Rapids for the first week of January, and he wondered if I wanted to catch up over coffee or food.
I showed the message to my sister and she immediately demanded to check his social media to see if he was single. Low and behold, he was.
Julie started shrieking, “I TOLD YOU THAT YOU WOULD GET MARRIED.”
Chapter 6: The one with the lake
The next week, Mark and I met up at a restaurant (Rose's) on Reeds lake.
When I got there, he had his hands in his pockets, and he was watching a pink sunset slip into the lake.
I immediately had ALL THE FEELS, and something in me just confirmed what I already knew—he was the one.
Chapter 7: The one where everything comes full circle
On June 29, 2017, Mark proposed on a cruise during a sunset. The sky turned pale pink over the ocean, just like our first date.
In September 2017, Mark and I became coworkers at a TV station in Grand Forks, North Dakota - from interns at channel 8 in Grand Rapids - to coworkers at channel 8 in Grand Forks.
Mark and I got married on April 21, 2018.
We took photos at Reeds Lake, where we met for our first date.
We had balloons to pay homage to the moment that brought us together.
For Mark's wedding gift, I gave him the journal I had started 10 days before he'd texted me.
Julie and Allison were 2 of my 10 bridesmaids.
Seth, one of my dad's other interns (another Sports Reporter/Anchor) was the best man.
Maranda was a guest, and we thanked her for her role in our relationship.
Mark's pocket square was the blue bandana I wore during our internship when we tied balloons.
The Announcer from the White Caps Game (shout out to Bob Wells) was the MC at our wedding.
Our officiant (shout out to Kris DeYoung) was Mark's high school broadcasting course instructor - and he seamlessly delivered a news-themed message about the way God brings us together as a part of a bigger story.
In retrospect, I can appreciate these details - but as I was in the thick of various chapters, there were times I felt lonely and frustrated and confused.
During those challenging moments - I often felt as if the plot had been frozen, or wondered if the author had writer's block. During those difficult stretches, I would have loved for God to sprinkle some spoilers. But we have to have faith in the stitches of a story.
After all, how can something sincere unfold organically if we have the knowledge to strategize and interfere with what was meant to be?
I'm so grateful I didn't know then what I know now. I'm so glad I didn't rush the timeline when it needed a few years to unfold. Mark and I had to piece through some of our own pain before we were ready to help each other heal. Both of us had some lessons we needed to learn individually before we were prepared to share our own triumphs and complexities and scars.
If you take anything away from our story, I hope you realize some of the most painful plot twists have the power to place you exactly where you need to be in order to step into the next chapter. .
I like to look back on this story, because it reminds me of this: no matter what you are facing (disappointments, confusion, obstacles, or plot twists), it's part of a greater narrative we don't really need to understand.
Here's to living life without spoilers - it's much richer that way.
Sincerely,
Kelly
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