'I'm going to marry that guy': Meeting the love of your life at school pick-up

Casey Beros was collecting the child of a family she was nannying for when teacher Ryan Gowland popped his head in her car window. She drove away thinking, "I'm going to marry that guy." And she did.

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Casey: I had been to yoga. I was hot and sweaty and not feeling ready to meet the love of my life.

I pulled into the car line to pick up the child from school, but couldn't spot him.

I saw this very handsome teacher, and he stuck his head in my window.

Ryan: I knew this child's family and car well, so popped my head in to say hello to the mum before quickly realising it wasn't her.

I just remember thinking, "My God, who is this?"

I was pretty sure this child had hitched a ride home with a friend, but we exchanged numbers just in case.

Casey: As I was driving home, Ryan called to let me know the child had indeed hopped a lift home with a friend, and I remember the feeling of not wanting to get off the phone. I thought to myself, "I am going to marry that guy."

'We both had our cab lights on'

Casey: We were both ready to meet someone. I always think about that scene in Sex and the City where they are talking about being cabs driving around with their lights on or off. It felt like that.

Ryan felt like home immediately. There was no second guessing. No being unsure of his intentions or how he felt about me.

The mother of the children I was nannying for told me that when it comes to who you marry, you want someone who puts toothpaste on your toothbrush and hands it to you for no reason.

No a word of a lie, a week later Ryan did that.

Ryan: I had actually asked that mum if she knew anyone that was free and nice and interested in going on a date. She said, "There's Casey, but she'll probably eat you alive."

But it happened on its own accord, and very quickly, we never wanted to leave each other.

That family is still in our life, too. The parents emceed our wedding and we adore them.

'We encourage each other to pursue our passions'

Casey: Our biggest strength is that we are as generous as we can possibly be with each other.

If I say to him, "I really want to do this course or really want to go to Sydney to see this mentor speak at an event", the answer is always an immediate yes.

If he said to me, "I would really love to go and catch up with my brother for a few days and play golf", not only is my answer yes, I push him to book it and get it done. No matter how inconvenient the timing is.

We are really cheerleading for each other to do that. I love that about our relationship.

Ryan: We are always looking for ways to make each day easier for one another. Having kids is a full-time job.

We just try to make our days as smooth as possible and care for each other in that way.

'We've been through a lot together'

Casey: We've been through more life in the last 10 years than many couples would experience in double the time.

Ryan lost his mum back in 2019 after very quick and rapid deterioration from glioblastoma, a brain tumour.

It was about six weeks from when she got diagnosed until we farewelled her.

I remember at the time she was in Canberra, we were in Sydney, and I was pregnant with a toddler in tow. Ryan just needed to be in Canberra and be with his mum, so that's what we did.

We had a couple of other hits and losses in between that, but the next big one came in June 2021 when I got a call from my dad [in Western Australia] saying he had been diagnosed with mesothelioma — cancer from exposure to asbestos.

At the time, we were in Wagga Wagga celebrating Ryan graduating from his Master's degree.

I've got this photo of the four of us — me, Ryan and our two little girls — and we're so happy and he's in his gown and cap.

I look at the picture and all I can think is, "That's the day I got the call."

We basically drove from Wagga back to Sydney, then got on a plane. And then WA closed the borders indefinitely due to COVID-19.

We had inadvertently moved back to Perth. We had no goodbyes in Sydney and two suitcases between the four of us. We left the apartment with dirty clothes in the wash basket, assuming we were coming back.

We had Ryan's brother and handful of dear friends pack up our entire apartment over FaceTime, with us saying "Keep that, chuck that, box that."

Ryan: I then had to decide whether to resign from my job of 12 years as deputy principal at a boys' school, or come back to Sydney.

It wasn't a tough choice, I knew I had to stay in Perth with my family.

Casey: Dad passed away in November 2023 and it was Ryan having had that experience with his mum that he was able to be an incredible support to me while I was going through that.

I almost had a blueprint of "I can survive this". His mum was his person, and Dad was mine.

What we love most about each other

Ryan: Casey constantly keeps me guessing. I never know what is going to happen in our life.

She's got a real zest for life and adventure and fun.

Casey: Ryan is the most consistent person I have ever met. A rock-solid person.