Ginny and Dilshan first met in Baton Rouge, LA on June 6, 2012. They had both just driven across the county to serve as Teach For America (TFA) middle school teachers in East Baton Rouge Parish. During their orientation dinner, Ginny and Dilshan became friends. They connected over being two of the four Southern Californians in their corps year, learned that they'd be working at the same school, and entertained the possibility that Dilshan's mom and Ginny's dad might have worked together.
Ginny and Dilshan began to see a lot more of each other after the school year began. They'd often visit each other's classrooms during their prep periods and would occasionally talk about the difficult realities of teaching at their school.
Dilshan knew he'd developed feelings for Ginny and was told that if he wanted to make a good impression, he should take her to Galatoire's on Bourbon Street. Ginny remembers saying "yes" to the idea of driving 90 miles to have dinner because she'd read an article in Southern Living on attractions along the River Road. Ginny claims that she did not know she was saying "yes" to a date.
September 21, 2012 was a magical night. Ginny and Dilshan had a beautiful meal at Galatoire's and walked along the banks of the Mississippi. Ginny had her fortune told in Jackson Square. Thereafter, Dilshan extended his hand behind him so that the two could wander through the crowds in the French Quarter without losing each other.
After trying to work up the nerve all evening, Dilshan finally kissed Ginny for the first time at a stoplight on Royal Street and Canal.
The next day, Ginny made Dilshan a chocolate, bourbon pecan pie and told him that she couldn’t imagine her life without him. Dilshan didn't know what that meant but knew that being around Ginny made him happy. A week later, Ginny left town for the weekend, and Dilshan realized that he missed her. When Ginny came back to Baton Rouge, Dilshan picked her up from the airport and drove her to the LSU lakes. The two of them walked around the lakes, and Dilshan asked Ginny if she'd be in a relationship with him.
On June 7, 2014, Ginny and Dilshan drove back across the country (this time together) so that Ginny could begin law school at UC Berkeley. They moved into a one-bedroom apartment that was walking distance from the Ashby BART station. Ginny dreamt of having a mid-century modern style home. Dilshan learned to cane, upholster, and refurbish furniture in an effort to make it so.
Going to law school can be a full-time job all on its own. Ginny also worked at a local yoga studio and learn how to bake all sorts of things including orange cake which became Dilshan's favorite.
While they lived in the Bay, Dilshan worked for the San Francisco Unified School District (SFUSD) - first as a recruiter in the Bay View/Hunter's Point neighborhood before returning to the classroom as a special education teacher in the Richmond.
Dilshan had been thinking about proposing for years but hadn't begun saving up for a ring until their third year in Berkeley.
Ginny's family was planning on coming into town to celebrate her graduation from law school and Dilshan knew that he wanted to include them in the proposal.
May 12, 2017 was a BIG day. Ginny received her Juris Doctor from Berkeley School of Law. Later that day, Dilshan got down on one knee at Trader Vic’s (home of the Mai Tai) in front of her parents, Angela and Doug, brother, Casey, maternal grandparents, Skip and Penny Cox, and paternal grandmother, Larie Smith. Dilshan made a heartfelt speech before popping the question. Ginny said "yes" but remembers little else about the evening.
On May 31, 2017, Ginny and Dilshan left Berkeley and drove south so that both of them could be close to family. Initially, the two lived with Eranjanie while Ginny clerked in Santa Ana, CA. Then in January 2018, Ginny proposed that the two of them move in with Doug and Angela so that Dilshan could pursue an interest in film and television.
After six years together, on September 21, 2018, Ginny and Dilshan decided to take time apart. During what became around 6 months, they regularly wrote letters, occasionally met to catch-up and learned to become better friends.
In one of his letters, Dilshan shared that he was still very much in love with Ginny and that their time apart had helped him appreciate her more fully. Ginny and Dilshan started spending more time together and she remembered that she couldn't imagine her life without him.
On August 3, 2019, Ginny told Dilshan that she wanted to marry him and put her engagement ring back on. They re-initiated wedding talks while visiting Los Alamos, CA that September and have been working through the details ever since.
Over the last several years Ginny and Dilshan have talked about a few different venues for their would-be wedding. The idea to get married in the Mural Room dates back to a conversation they had while still teaching in Baton Rouge.
