Lisa Melton

One of my best friends, Joni, had a baby in 2010 and his name is Augie. From the moment I met him, he owned my heart. I became his nanny and lived with the family for the first 5 years of his life. We were best buddies and considered everyday a 'BooYa' adventure day. He is Boo and I'm Ya. That's how he pronounced 'Lisa' as a toddler. When the family moved back to Illinois, I stayed in San Francisco. A few weeks after the move, he and his mom facetimed me at work because he realized I didn't move with them and was very upset. I made plans to fly out for his birthday a few weeks after that. I made sure to visit at least 3x that first year but each time I left, he was heartbroken all over again. During one of my visits, when he was 6 years old (?), he was crying because I had to leave. I made him a promise there and then. I told him that I would move to Illinois when I was able. I told him that it would take some time as I would have to save up the money and that it needed to be the right time for me but that I would do it. In February 2020, I realized that the moment had come and I was ready for a change. I hadn't yet kept my promise and I realized it was important to me to do so. Not just for him but for myself as well. So, in the summer of 2020, I made the move. It was scary and equally exciting. I could have done without the added pressure of Covid but I wasn't going to change my mind. Once there, it took Augie a few months to believe it was real. He definitely had the pre-teen attitude one hears about. Then, one day I was giving him a ride home from some type of team practice. Before getting out of the car, he asked me out of the blue, "did you really move for me"? I said "yes, I had a promise to keep". He smiled, gave me a hug and told me he loved me. From then on, I had my best buddy back. He is almost 16 now. It has been 6 years of amazing memories. Augie is still my best friend. BooYa adventures may be rarer these days, but that's OK. I am blessed to be a part of his journey.