Is there an algorithm for love? Attraction plus motional connection equals romance, something like that. Grab your calculators because to celebrate Pi Day, we have a story for you. That is the square root of cute. I'm Sarah Wendell. Hi,
I'm Alicia Rai Welcome to lovestruck daily where we bring you a love story every single day. I'm in love with the saying to you I'm in love with you.
Happy Pi Day,
happy Pi Day.
So in case anyone listening doesn't know what pi is. I have handy notes here because you know, this does not live in my brain. Pi is the ratio of the circumference of any circle to the diameter of that circle in decimal form. The value of pi is approximately 3.14. Hence, march 14. But pi much like love is an irrational number meaning that its decimal form neither ends nor becomes repetitive. Again, much like human emotions. So I have a question for you. What is your relationship to math?
Oh, it's a it's definitely you know how there's like enemies to lovers. Yeah, it's just enemies. It's just enemies.
I have what I suspect would be called dyscalculia. I cannot remember numbers. I cannot really navigating New York City is a nightmare. Because all cities all streets I have to so to trick my brain. I write out the name of streets in New York in words, I'm going to East 63rd Street. I remember phone numbers well before, when you had to remember phone number to your phone remembering them for you. I actually remember the song or the pattern of dialing it. I don't remember numbers, I remember the pattern of where they are on the keypad. I really, really struggle with numbers, which is great because both of my children and my husband are extremely good at math. Adam has a degree in economics. So my relationship with math is a struggled one. But I appreciate people who love math. I mean my one of hildren adores math, so I appreciate the love of it. But it is it is a struggle for me unfortunately.
But I do love pie you love pie. I do love the food, math and baking.
And today we are chatting with two people who have placed pie at the very heart of their relationship. Mathematician Teresa Fulton an artist Chris Finch love pie. So much they had a pie themed wedding on the 14th of March 2015. Yes, 3.1415. We cannot wait to hear how math has shaped their relationships. So please welcome Theresa and Chris.
Hi, Teresa. Hi, Chris. I'm Alicia. So nice to meet you. This is such a tree. Your your story is so cute. We just loved it so much. And we can't wait to talk to you about it. Yes. So can you tell us a little bit of background on how you guys met.
I have a degree in math with a focus in physics and also a minor in astronomy. After I finished a degree, I very much felt like there was something missing in my life. I have a creative side to me as well. So for a long time, I had kind of gone off and done my own creative endeavors. And at one point I was focused on painting portraits. I felt like I had a pretty good start at what I was doing, but got to a point where it all started to unravel. And I needed to seek out some help and direction. So at that point, I started calling around local schools in San Diego to see if anybody knew of a portrait teacher. And I was put in touch with Chris Finch. Chris does portraits. He's an amazing artist. He's very humble about it. But he helped me very much with my portrait and that was the beginning of how we met.
What made you sort of pivot to a romantic relationship? What did somebody ask somebody out?
She was the first one to make a kind of a move. She told us.
Yeah, I wished him. Happy Valentine's Day. I used some more colorful language around that. He knew at that point and at this point, I had known him for about five years. So as Chris was saying it was really professional student teacher relationship. And after knowing him for five years, I kind of took the plunge and just decided I was going to step outside the boundaries a little bit and I sent him a message wishing him Happy Valentine's Day. And I think he caught on pretty quickly to where I was going with that.
Yeah, I haven't that's yeah, it was the first student ever reach out. Wish me Happy Valentine's Day. something was up.
And what was your What was your first date? Do you remember?
Oh yeah, our first date was Pi Day on 2014. We did eat pie, of course. But we also had some other shenanigans that we did that day as well. We visited a fabled ghost Hill in San Diego and tried to determine whether or not we were terrified. That was a good time.
To point one, four flowers.
Yes, Chris. Chris gave me three color lilies and then a flower that kind of resembled a daisy in which many of the petals were already pulled off of it. So that was to represent the point 1-415-926-5358 part of pie. Oh,
that's so cute. As as pie always been. I don't even know a number. Is it as it always been something that's important to you, Teresa.
I definitely think just from my love for mathematics and studying math. I really like to try to foster enthusiasm around mathematical concepts. And Chris could probably tell this story better than me. But I remember a couple years prior to 2014. Chris, did you did you wish me a happy Pi day on Facebook? Or did I wish that to you? We were talking about it.
No, you announced it you announced just before we were together, she would always announce like happy Pi Day 314. And then people those you know, put it back. It was like a group wasn't a message to me is like a group thing. And every time she would say but it's not super Pi Day. superpi days. 2015. So it's kind of cool foreshadowing that it was. She never expected that to be a wedding moment. Pretty neat that she always wanted to celebrate it. And what better way to celebrate in writing the man of her dreams.
Yes, that's a perfect way to celebrate it. Did you did you think that this was odd at all? Chris this like love of pie? Or this like, deep interest? Were you into it?
It's it's silliness. And then fine. Yeah, but she's really like, she'll fit the theme with whatever she's doing. So when the theme was like pie day, it was like the wedding was fun, because it was like we had pie of course, Pyro ease, but she'll fit the thing with anything. Like if she's saying we're going to like, you name it. So we're going to go see the monarch butterflies. Teresa's going to have a monarch butterfly dress on. And like her hair is probably going to be black and orange. So I thought it was pretty special. That number meant so much to her. Now it even means that much more.
Yeah. Have you found that it means a lot to you now to Chris?
Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah. That's, that's my favorite. I mean, I'm sure if we got married at any day, it could have been April, it would still be my favorite day of the year. But why days now? For sure. Better than Christmas better than my birthday? Oh, hands down the best. And of course,
you got married at 9:26am to continue that. Yeah. And
in whatever, whatever.
53 seconds. 53 seconds on the.is When
the ceremony Oh, wow. And even was your wedding dress also pie themed.
So my wedding dress had a hidden pie symbol sewn into the veil, we have a really great photo of that to where Chris and I are under the veil. And you see the pie symbol?
That is so I mean, that is like severe commitment.
I actually so for us for the wedding, it was a lot more my style. So I'm not much you wouldn't call me a partier by any means. So I think the fact that it was a breakfast kind of wedding was was really cool. You know, for breakfast, we got married at 953. And the ceremony probably ended at 10. And then by the time you know, you take pictures and stuff like that we're eating brunch, probably by 1030. That's nice. And then it made that kinda, it was really nice. It made the rest of the day where Teresa and I take pictures and family swim to the pool. And it just made a whole day event versus the opposite, which is kind of the builder right that day. Sit around nervous for. Yeah, I didn't really have much time to be nervous though. It was kind of cool, too.
And you also that's really made a pie necklace. Is that right?
Yes. Yeah, usually our anniversary it's most of the time. It's something I make for usually make the gift forever. And we stick with the theme. So the pie necklace was made out of wood.
Oh is is wood. The wood is for traditional gas. That's traditional.
Every time I look back on the gifts that he's made me it just I feel pretty darn lucky. I think
when people see like art and math, they see two different two very different fields and two very different brained people in those fields. Do you find that you're all that different in the way that your brains work? Or do you find that it's very similar for you guys?
What I see from Chris and what I think is so impressive about how he works, he is incredibly methodical and structured. So there is a process that he follows He sticks to. And he teaches, and it works. If you follow the steps, you begin to see how it is possible to create a portrait or a painting that he's working on. So oftentimes, I think of that methodical approach, when you're solving a math, a math equation, or perhaps you're trying to solve a theorem, there are certain steps, again, a process that you have to apply, and there's logic that's involved with it. And so there's a correlation that certainly exists there. The part when you start to think about art as beauty and expressiveness. That's maybe where it starts to shift away from that, like very mathematical thinking process. And I also see that in him, too, I see it very much in his artwork. And I also see that very much in mathematics too, there is a certain beauty to solving an equation, working through something that is very complex and complicated to get through. And then when you get to the end result, and you hear this, oftentimes mathematicians will say like, this is this is when you found the beauty and math when when everything kind of lines up. And it all makes sense. There is such a grand moment of appreciation. And in my mind, sometimes I equate that to you know, that's, that is truly a beautiful moment.
That's, that's so interesting, because listening to you guys talk about this. I mean, it almost sounds like you're describing a relationship, like we think about like in terms of a big composition, is that how you approach? This is like it, you finish it, it works all together, you take a step back, you look at it, how do you guys apply this, this outlook on on life, I should say to this relationship, or to your relationships in general,
we oftentimes talk about what a great team we are. And so, you know, I might be bringing a very like logical, almost Spock like approach to solving just day to day problems, whether it be finances, you know, financial decisions, or, you know, what are we having for dinner or whatever, there might be that very logical thought process going on in my mind that I could certainly see comes out every now and then. And I, you know, I feel that way, I feel that way with Chris, whatever those qualities are that we possess. So it is, it has felt for the past seven years to be completely complementing to each other. I wish I had a perfect equation to explain, you know, how it is that that you get to this point. But I can tell you that oftentimes we talk about when we're working on something together, like we both say it to each other, like we make a great team, we make a great team over and over again.
But you're absolutely right. I mean, we think about like dating apps where they're, you know, they're trying, they're working so hard to come up with an algorithm right to match people together. But, I mean, is there really an algorithm? Is there is there anything that like other than just two people working it out?
I think when people are looking for a special someone, they might have those blinders on sometimes, like it was a timing thing, where, you know, at that point in my life I was in her life to where, you know, we were, I don't think we're actively looking for someone to be with, you know, so I was happy just seeing a cat. And I'm so much happier now.
And then when I think about, if you could create an equation to define love, and there are brilliant, artificial intelligence scientists out there, like you said, that are that are working on algorithms to try to figure it out. It is absolutely a multiple variable equation, where it is, perhaps like what Chris was saying, it's about timing. It's about where you are in your life. It's about different goals that you might have backgrounds where you came from. So many elements, I think, really have to be considered. When you think about what actually makes makes this work, what actually makes two people want to spend the rest of their lives together. I think there's so much that goes into it. And there's just you know, the world is full of uniqueness. So when you start to factor that in, and I think that certainly plays plays into it, it's almost like pie. It's a never ending combination of variables that you could take a look at in order to solve that equation of love.
Thank you guys so much for coming on. This has been so much fun, both of you really, really enjoyable. And I love your story. It's so wonderful.
And we're thrilled to be here. Thank you so much for asking us about it and allowing us to share share the story because it's it's been incredible.
Alicia what, in addition to a takeout pie is your love to go today?
I wish I had pie. I wish I had real pie, I'll get some pie, everybody get some pie, but other than that I was thinking I was thinking about how much Teresa loves pie and just the number and and what that sort of means in the bigger picture of a relationship. And I was reading something from a man named Joseph Mazar who wrote enlightening symbols A Short History of mathematical notation, and its hidden powers, which is quite a mouthful for a title. But he wrote pi is a bit like love its digits are mysterious and unpredictable. Also, pursuing a precise value out to many digits requires labor and devotion. Oh,
isn't thanks Akia I want everybody to pursue
love. Like it's pie. A little bit of labor, a little bit of devotion, and, and maybe a little bit of unpredictability.
I love that that is perfect. Yeah. Well, if you love pie of all kinds we want to know, I can tell you that the favorite pie of my house is chocolate salted caramel bourbon pecan pie. I can share the recipe if you wish. But if you want to tell us about your pie, please do. You can send us an email at lovestruck daily at Frolik dot media. If you have a love or pie or love pie story to share, you can follow us on Instagram and Twitter at lovestruck daily. And if you would leave a review, subscribe spread the word tell us about pi we would love to hear from you and we would love to spread love to other people through their little earbuds each and every day. Our researcher is Jesse Epstein. Our editor is Jen Jacobs. We are produced by Abigail Steckler and little Scorpion studios and Gillian Davis with executive producer frolic media. This is an I Heart Radio Podcast. And as always, we wish you a very delicious and irrationally satisfying happily ever I'm in love with the love with you. I'm in love with you
