How did you meet? 

Mrs. Britton: We met at university. I was walking into a building and he was there. The first thing I asked was, “Do you know if there is a washroom anywhere?”

Mr. Britton: We met on the first day of classes at the University of Pittsburgh. I was at a church preparing for a worship meeting. She walked in and asked for the bathroom. That night we actually had a church meeting, so I told her that she could come and that’s how it started.

What was your first impression of the other person?

Mrs. Britton: He was free spirited.

 Mr. Britton: This is a little complicated. I had spent the previous year in Australia and when I came back I made a personal decision to not date because of my religious beliefs. So my first impression was not cued towards thinking about her in a non platonic way but she kept coming to church and things changed. She is beautiful obviously and I will always be grateful for her. 

What is the other person’s biggest pet peeve?

Mrs. Britton: I think he is not really bothered by a lot of things, but I would probably say students who don’t do their homework.

Mr. Britton: I would say it has to do with a sense that she’s alone in caring about how messy the house is. I can be a little messy to live with. 

What is one thing about them that a lot of people don’t know but is interesting?

Mrs. Britton: He had long blonde hair and a ponytail at one point of time.

 Mr. Britton: She left college for a time to become a nanny who works with Native American kids who had been abused. This was while we were dating. She was not very sure of her purpose in college and wanted to do something more meaningful, which led to her working with these children. Martha went to live with these kids for months and I think this was amazing.

What is your favorite memory together?

Mrs. Britton: I think when our kids were born.

 Mr. Britton: I have two. The first one would be the time we decided we were dating. We went to a museum together and in one art experience there was a really dark room. We walked in and I remember reaching back and taking her hand. For us this was a moment that signified that we were moving forward together. The second one was when I was on a trek, and towards the end I was exhausted. I called her and asked her to pick me up. We then spent some time together and this kind of stuck with me.

What did they want to become when they were growing up? Did they always want to become a teacher?

Mrs. Britton: No, not at all. He actually wanted to be a trash collector – not kidding.

 Mr. Britton: I think she always wanted to be a mom.

What is the other person’s favorite song?

Mrs. Britton: Lately he has been listening to a cover of Taylor Swift by Ryan Adams. That’s his current favorite.

 Mr. Britton: I would say Sweet Child O’ Mine by Guns N’ Roses. Another song that she does not listen to a lot but has a lot of meaning to her is Wildflowers by Tom Petty.

If you had to describe them in one word what would it be? 

Mrs. Britton: I would say hardworking.

 Mr. Britton: Principled. 

Shivani is a staff reporter.

Edited by Aryaman.