This story is a tale of two states, a battle of the genders and most definitely a fiery romance to be judged from day one. It was impossible to predict at the moment, but the events that would unfold one night in a local watering hole would lead to a whole new life for Wayne, and it all began with The Rules! The Rules is a book written by two clever ladies to make sure ladies use their secrets to capture Mr. Right. We’ll get to how the “The Rules” worked out for that Georgia Girl in a minute, but let’s start from the first moment…

 

On a Wednesday night in June 2003, Wayne and his softball teammates were ordering food and drinks at The Judges Bench in Ellicott City, MD. The Judge’s Bench was the bar/restaurant that sponsored their softball team. Moments, after they ordered two ladies, walked into the small bar. The moment she walked in the door Wayne says, “I could hear my heartbeat.” She was wearing cut-off jean shorts which he can still picture today. He was star-struck and obvious to everyone - except Chrissy.

 

Wayne waved to Chrissy and her friend, then blurted out “You can sit here” pointing to the table right next to him. He turned to strike up a conversion, and she was gone. He saw her at the bar and headed there in full pursuit. He even forgot to eat the chicken sandwich he had ordered for dinner. She reluctantly gave him her number, and they parted ways. Little did he know, she had a plan. When he called to ask her out, she said she was busy. When she finally did go out with him, she would cut the date short. Finally, she had him over for dinner and he thought “Now we’re getting somewhere” only to get the boot again. That was it - two can play this game. 

 

On the next date, Wayne invited Chrissy for dinner, made a nice meal and just as things were going well, he turned the tables and ended the date! Making up a nonsensical reason that she had to go was a gamble, but, as you can see, it worked.  That chance meeting Wednesday night in a local watering hole would lead to a whole new life with two wonderful children and a dog.

She Said . . .

Chrissy met her husband, Wayne Fowler, in historic Ellicott City, MD at a local bar called The Judge’s Bench. She was taking a colleague out that just moved to the area. She didn’t go out that much and as soon as they walked into the bar, this guy was asking Chrissy and her friend to sit at a specific table close to his softball team’s table. How do you say “weird”? 

 

They sat at the table which was already taken, and the individuals insisted they wanted their table back, so she and her friend went to the bar. Wayne ended up coming to the bar to get a bucket of beer for his team and never left. He had ordered food that he never went back to eat, which his softball team devoured. There came a point where he called in a wingman to make sure her colleague knew that Wayne was interested in Chrissy, not her. The wingman did his job, and he ended up being Wayne’s best man at their wedding and is still one of the family’s best friends. 

 

She left the bar to walk back home thinking she liked that guy. Happen stance that she oddly gave Wayne her phone number, which might have been attributed to the $1 beers that night. He called a week later to ask her out; she’s not sure what took so long!  She decided to try out some dating rules she had just read about in a book called “The Rules”. What’s the worst thing that could happen, she thought?! Well, he caught on to what she was doing and flipped the rules right back on her. A couple of dates and months later, she knew he was the one, and 17 years later he still writes witty, sweet notes she finds on her computer or in the books she’s reading.

 

Wayne grew up on a family farm one hour south of DC. The farm backed up to the Zekiah Swamp in southern Maryland where they would plant tobacco in the fields and raise hogs to take to auction. Wayne’s grandfather was well-known for raising boars specifically of the Duroc breed (dark red). He remembers walking the tobacco fields as a boy where he would find hundreds of arrowheads over the years. Those same fields were also ideal to ride his dirt bike! 

 

Chrissy grew up in Georgia but spent a good amount of time in Driggs, Idaho on her dad’s 700-acre farm skiing at Grand Targhee Ski Resort and snowmobiling in Yellowstone National Park. Idaho adventures included snowmobile relay races around the farm with her two sisters and their husbands, skiing in negative 30-degree weather, and celebrating many Christmases and New Years in Jackson Hole, WY having dinner at the historic Wort Hotel.

 

            Chrissy and Wayne have two tweens and a dog - Tripp (15), Jillian (11), and Maverick (3). Tripp goes to Station Camp High School and plays football, basketball, and baseball at the school as well as being on the East Coast Sox Travel Baseball Team. Jillian goes to Station Camp Middle School and plays goalie for the Varsity and Junior Varsity Soccer Team at SCMS and is also on the TN United Soccer Club playing goalie on the White Team. Jillian received the Presidential Achievement Award at Jack Anderson Elementary School after only being at the school for a year. Maverick is a silver lab who thinks he is human and tries to talk like one. 

 

They both volunteer at both schools and serve as ushers and liturgists at the United Methodist Church of Gallatin. Chrissy enjoys working out and walking Maverick throughout the neighborhood. Wayne takes a yearly hunting trip to Wrightsville, GA for wild hogs. He hunts at night using a night scope – the result is great sausage!

 

They have lived in Fairvue since June 2022. They moved from Halethorpe, MD which is a few minutes from one of the two Guinness Open Gate breweries in the United States. They both enjoy going to the pool, the Performance Improvement Center, holiday events, and the driving range. They have traveled abroad often as a family and want to visit Croatia, a resort in Nicaragua, and friends who are locals in Greece.