Jen, thanks! I need all the cheerleaders I can get!

TJ, yes, you said "cute." And remember, my husband created those icons for me—I'm not sure how he's going to feel about "cute." (Although he's super cute, so he should be fine.) I highly recommend making yourself think about categories. I really resisted, and just wanted to let everything run all together, because that's the way my life works, but now I'm glad I sorted it out a bit. It was an interesting process.

mommyknows, thanks! There's a story behind the banner illustration. A friend created it about two years ago for our wedding invitations. The building on the left is our church, where we met and got married; the building in the middle is a bar/club we really like, where we've danced and had fun with friends, and where we had our post-wedding party; and the house on the right is home. Finding balance and being myself in these three realms is what Halfway to Normal is all about!

Megan, thanks for saying so! Change is good, isn't it?

Jamie, I hope you do lots of hanging out here. (And yes, three cheers for Ryan and Sarah.)

Jenx67, isn't that funny? That's what I'm realizing more and more: we ARE really overly conscious of self and underly conscious of others. We should all get into the practice of waking each other up more, don't you think?

Laura, comfortable is important, isn't it? Sometimes it seems vain to focus too much on how I look or how my blog looks, but when I feel like myself in my skin and my spaces, it really matters.

Rebecca, yes! As I said to Jenx67, we should help each other along more and bring others into the celebration, rather than take it personally when people don't notice on their own.

Kelvin, seriously?!? That's pretty funny, and sort of sad, too. Do you think people noticed but felt strange mentioning it, the way people avoid telling others they have food in their teeth?

Lisa, thanks for detailing what you like best about the new design. When I look at your avatar, I always imagine that you're very observantly taking in the world as you walk. :)