I bought the same machine back in February of 2008 and LOVE IT!!! It is an awesome machine and I have used mine many, many times since then. Mine is not picky about thread and I use Connecting Threads almost exclusively in it. I made my DH a denim rag quilt with my Janome and it sewed like a champ. And believe me, that quilt ways a ton!!
I promise the more you use the machine, the more you will love it.