Originally from Montgomery, AL, Mary Ann Mitchell was born at the US Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs and later moved to Montgomery where her father finished his career in the Air Force as an officer. Mark is from Milwaukee, WI. 

The Mitchells met at church while stationed at Ft. Stewart, GA. Mark was an infantry officer in the 24th Infantry Division and Mary Ann was teaching at an elementary school on base. They were married in July 1991, only months after Mark returned from an 8+ month deployment to Saudi Arabia and Iraq for the 1st Gulf War (Desert Shield and Desert Storm).

They originally moved to Northern Virginia in 2011. They rented a home on Dearborn Drive, just outside the boundaries of Lake Barcroft, for two years before purchasing their home in 2013. When they purchased their home, it was their 15th address in 23 years! "This is the longest that we have ever lived anywhere, except our childhood homes," shares Mark.

Mark and Mary Ann have two adult daughters, Caroline and Margaret. Caroline graduated from Bishop O’Connell High School and Margaret graduated from Paul VI High School. Caroline was captain of the cheerleading squad and went on to spend two years as a collegiate cheerleader (aka “Rabble Rouser”) at West Point; Margaret played softball and co-ed hockey at PVI and was class president her senior year. They are both athletic and enjoy a variety of outdoor activities. Margaret is also a voracious consumer of books and a published poet.

1LT Caroline (nee Mitchell) Epperson and her husband, 1LT Nicholas Epperson, are both graduates of the United States Military Academy (West Point), Class of 2021 and currently assigned to the 1st Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, Ft. Hood, Texas.  Margaret K. Mitchell graduated from the University of St. Andrews, Class of 2022, and is currently living in London and working as an aspiring author and journalist. "They are both resilient and well-rounded due to growing up in an Army family," says Mark. "Among other places, we lived in Monterey, CA; Leavenworth, KS; Boston, MA; Tampa, FL, and Clarksville, TN/Fort Cambpell, KY." 

Mary Ann received a Master's in Early Childhood Education at the University of Montevallo, Alabama and spent most of her adult life as a teacher in elementary and pre-school. She taught 1st and 2nd  grades in the states of Georgia, North Carolina, and Tennessee and more recently, taught preschool at St Paul’s Lutheran in Falls Church. During Mark’s military tours and deployments, Mary Ann spent most of her time raising their two daughters, Caroline and Margaret and volunteering in the Family Readiness Group (FRG), supporting soldiers and families. The FRG helped new families learn about life in Special Forces and prepare for the challenges of frequent and extended deployments. During the deployments, she organized social events and played an integral role in keeping the families informed on deployments and preparing for family “re-integration” after the deployments. In recognition of her outstanding community service and noteworthy accomplishments, she was commissioned as a “Kentucky Colonel” in 2011.

Mark was a professional soldier for twenty-eight years. Twenty-four of those years were spent as a Green Beret and he commanded the US Army’s 5th Special Forces Group (the same unit that John Wayne’s character, COL Mike Kirby, commanded in the 1968 movie “The Green Berets”!). Mark also served at the White House as a Director for Counterterrorism on the National Security Council in the Obama Administration and as Acting Assistant Secretary of Defense (Special Operations/Low-Intensity Conflict) in the Trump Administration. 

After he resigned in late 2019, he did some consulting but longed to be his own boss (or at least answer only to Mary Ann!) and to step away from government-related work. So, in 2020, Mark and Mary Ann purchased a franchise from Expedia Cruises, the only “brick and mortar” brand under the Expedia Group (which owns Orbitz, Travelocity, VRBO, and a host of other online travel agencies).

"Although neither of us had ever been on a cruise, we both love to travel and really liked the corporate team at Expedia Cruises," shares Mark. "The opportunity to combine our love of travel with running our own business was really appealing—even amid the pandemic. We get to travel and see the world, and we get to help other people have spectacular vacations too. Everybody—E-V-E-R-Y-B-O-D-Y—loves a great vacation and we enjoy helping them scratch that itch."

"These days, we love relaxing together and taking in a good movie. We also very much enjoy watching episodes of “Seinfeld.” They are just as funny—if not funnier, in some cases—as they were when they originally aired," shares Mark. 

During her free time, Mary Ann enjoys working in the garden and creating in the kitchen. She makes jewelry and paints. Mary Ann has enjoyed traveling since the Expedia Cruise business began last year, and her favorite vacation was last September in a 10-day Mediterranean cruise visiting beautiful cities including Venice, Rome, Florence, and Barcelona. If she ever disappears, you’ll find her in the hills of Scotland. 

Mark is involved with several veterans’ charities, especially those that help wounded servicemembers and their families. He is also a member of the Knights of Columbus and active in their charitable efforts and our parish, St. Philip the Apostle. Mary Ann is involved in the Fairfax County Park Authority Rescue Tree Program, an ongoing education on invasive vines and how to reduce these vines in our nearby parks.

When asked to describe their perfect day, Mark shared that he likes to get up early, spend a few moments in prayer and silence to start the day, read the Bible, play with their dogs, and get a good workout in before doing anything else. "The rest of the day is gravy!" he says. Mary Ann prefers to get a bit more rest and start the day with a relaxing walk, sometimes with friends. She also likes to tend her garden and write letters to their children.