My sincerest condolences on your loss woojink. I'm sure it's comforting to know that she passed peacefully. I hope she was able to enjoy Chosuk with her family in Korea this year.
To your seating questions...I think you'll be fine upstairs in Row 22, but if you can score the last row, some here feel that those are best. I also recommend you keep Row 2 on the return. I was once assigned to Row 1 and, since the cabin wasn't full, moved as soon as I could. While I'm pretty certain you have the same amount of "elbow" room in Row 1, it's proximity to the nose and the slight inward turn of the seat to account for the narrowing at the nose and nothing but wall up front, made it feel claustrophobic (at least to me). That said, it's still a darn good seat!
By the way, I don't think you're "strange" for asking these questions now. To the road warrior, troubling over these issues is part of our routine and routines are comforting and reassuring in times of stress.