Oh good luck to Craig and Leilani - I'm sure they'll have a fab time in NY. Of my friends that have had a stint there not a single one has had a bad thing to say about it and all have totally and completely loved every minute of it. But interestingly enough; they've all been quite happy to move back to the UK when the time came.
You know Ally that's one thing I always hugely appreciated about my mom; same as you and Don - she always encouraged us to follow our heart and as much as it upset her when we did move further away she never ever tried to stop us. Thankfully one of us was always living close to home / mom so she never was alone (dad passed away in 1985) but it must have really been tough for her at times