On the morning of the July 22, 2006, my daughter, Marissa Natsumi Kanoya was born. And while the post-birth activity is usually a time to hang out in a hospital room and absorb all the love and adulation from a newborn, I hardly had a chance to practice swaddling before I needed to get to the Estancia in La Jolla for the wedding.
I was beat, mentally and physically. Since my wife had checked into the hospital the previous day, and was essentially in labor for 24 hours, I had been awake since 6 a.m. July 21st. But I fought through the lack of sleep the seemingly 110 degree temperature and mustered up everything I had to make the gig special.
It's hard to explain why it was special. Maybe if I had not been a part of bringing a life into the world earlier that day it may not have been. Or maybe that just made it all the more better. I know I made friends that day. It was the first time I had worked with Mike and Paula Luna , two of San Diego's best wedding photogs. We've run into each other a couple of other times since then. The coordinator was Jennifer Molloy of Amore Events, whom I had always wanted to work with. And I later DJ'd Pat's sister's wedding.
At the end of the night, the father of the groom thanked me for making the night memorable. He handed me a tip and asked that I buy something nice for Marissa. It was a nice gesture from one father to another and I'll always remember that.
Happy Birthday, my little princess!
