As I write this, I am sitting on my back porch in Tennessee; my mamma is grilling buns and okra while the bbq is cooking in the crockpot inside. I can smell her bbq, even through thick walls. Good food...

So yes, I was a bit infatuated for a while. But it did eventually start to settle in: My first trip outside of the house without Gabi (my mom) was the scariest event of my life. Although the city is beautiful,...