Steve Barrington’s college friends introduced him to his wife-to-be, but at the time he wasn’t interested.

At some point, he came to his senses, Laura Barrington said. The two have been married over a decade.

Laura Barrington, 37, has taught in the Brookhaven School District for 15 years. The Brookhaven native is currently working with preschool students with special needs.

Her husband is assistant baseball and football coach at Wesson Attendance Center.

Their 6-year-old son Carson attends school in Brookhaven, where the family lives.

When she’s not working with the children at church or reading, she can be found cheering on her husband’s teams against whatever team they may be playing.

To look at Barrington, people wouldn’t know that she was born with a heart defect.

“I was diagnosed when I was 2 and traveled to Charleston, South Carolina, to have open heart surgery when I was 10 years old. That was a long drive in a time before tablets and portable DVD players,” she said.

Barrington is looking forward to Christmas with the family. Carson is a train fanatic, so there’s sure to be something that choos under the family tree.

On Christmas eve, Carson will get to open one gift.

“It’s always pajamas and a movie,” she said. “He hasn’t figured that out yet, so shhhhh!”

One thing the busy mother couldn’t do without is a washing machine.

“I couldn’t have made it back in the day, having to take laundry down to the river to wash,” she said.

With so much to do between family, church, her work and husband’s work, Barrington doesn’t have to think long about what her superpower would be if she could have one.

“Teleportation,” she said. “Snap my fingers and I’m there in a jiffy.”