Gwinnett Daily Post

LARWENCEVILLE -- Dana Phillips doesn't get to the Gwinnett County fairgrounds every year, but it's a place she always thinks of fondly. After all, it's where she met her husband.

"There was just something about his rolled up shirt and cowboy hat that really stood out to me," she said, recalling the first time she saw her future husband, Ronny. "I thought, 'Wow, look at this guy.'"

In 2004, Ronny Phillips was working at the Gwinnett County Fair at a security gate where the livestock entered and exited the stalls. Dana came to the fair with a friend whose father was working in the livestock arena, and instead of seeing the girl's dad, Ronny was there watching over things in that area.

They began talking and there was an instant attraction. She had never met a man like him before.

"He was really cocky," Dana Phillips said. "He was the first person to ever stand up to me. He'd say something smart and I'd something right back. I met my match with him."

Ronny asked for Dana's number, they went out on a date a week later and they haven't been apart since.

"I let her and her friend in the gate," Ronny Phillips said. "I asked her to come back and when she did, I asked for her number."

On their first date, he took her out for a weekend vacation on some of his land.

When the two started dating, Dana was getting out of a "nasty" divorce, raising an autistic son by herself and driving a school bus.

When Dana's son met Ronny, he immediately felt comfortable around him and started calling him "Pops."

"That was one thing I let him know: I have a special-needs son and we are a package deal," Phillips said. "Now, Ronny is my son's safety net. They do everything together."

The couple dated for a few months before Ronny popped the big question. Dana said, "No." He asked a second time later and she still refused.

"I had been in a very abusive marriage before ... I was afraid to get married again," she said.

Dana was on the front porch swing with Ronny's children and her son when Ronny asked another time. All the kids were elated, especially her son.

"I asked her two times before," he said. "I guess third time is a charm because she finally said yes."

The two were married on Jan. 7, 2005, in the Gwinnett County Courthouse without any one present.

"Nobody knew we were doing it," Phillips said. "We got married and told everybody later."

Now they are one big happy family living in Braselton. Dana's son has since started hunting and riding four-wheelers and motorcycles with Ronny instead of playing video games all the time.

"I finally got the family I always wanted," Phillips said.

Although the Phillips don't always attend the Gwinnett County Fair every year, they still have their memories from when they first locked eyes.

"I always tell people, be careful what prize you take home from the fair," Phillips said. "You never know what you'll get."