Good Friends Going Home :-)

Last night I had to go to a 'going away' party. I guess it was supposed to be sad, and it was for the people that are staying. My friends are making Aliya. I could not be happier for them. I think they are making a great move and the right decision for their family. This party for me anyhow, was a great opportunity to spend a little bit of time with my friends that I won't see for a while. Really, that is the only reason that I came in to come to this.
However, I am not one little bit upset that they are going home to Israel. I support them 150% and I think they are strong good people that will only be good for the land of Israel.
On the other hand, I'm really going to miss the convenience of just calling up my girl friend and saying: "hey, this Shabbat my husband and I are coming in for a friends wedding, can I stay at your house?" I'm going to miss the fact that in 5 hours ride I can be at her house playing with her kids. Yes it really does suck.... FOR ME!
I'm not saying that they won't miss everyone; in fact I know they will. I am sure that for the first while before new memories are starting to be made the old ones are going to be all they have and it will make them sad. Yet, I hope that while it will be sad for a little while, that they will persevere in their wishes, and dreams to come true.

The speech that I should have said last night, but was too much of a wimp (Cause as I right this I have tears in my eyes, and I know I would not be able to contain them last night)...

To my darling (my friends names),
My bracha to you is that you may be blessed with everything that is good. I pray that your new home will be welcoming, inviting and full of happy new memories. I hope that you will never forget us, and I hope that you will not be sad by us. I know that everything that we have been through, our lives together have made a difference and that will raise the bar to your expectation of friends. In your new home, you will find people that will make you comfortable to call at 3 in the morning, that your kids can call their friends and that you will be ale to call your friends. I hope you will smile, laugh and have great times as we had here. I hope that you will live your dreams and make us proud, make us proud that we let you leave us in order for you to fulfill your destiny (and the destiny of all Jewish people).
Trust me I know how hard it is to leave. Even though I didn't go every 1/2 of a 1/2 of a 1/2 of a distance that you went. I have faith that even though for the first little while, it will be hard for you, that you will make friends and that you will look back on this day and think...'man that was a hard time, but I'm so glad we did it, I can't imagine what it would have been like if we would have stayed'.
I wish for you, the best health, happiness, success, and peace at knowing that you did the right thing.
I love you both very much.
That would have been my speech.

On that note, here are some pictures to follow all this gushy stuff: